On Jason's Watch [Paladin Protection Agency 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (13 page)

“So good,” she whispered over and over again until it became a chant. Sensations blended and the first tingling promise of release swirled through her.

“You’re glorious,” he panted before releasing one breast to slide skilled fingers between their joined bodies, pressing down on her clit until she cried out and stars burst across her closed eyelids. Still riding the waves of her orgasm, Jazz nearly came again as she felt Jase lose his fight for control, his cock slamming hard into her as he called her name and came. Every movement seemed to set off another set of shock waves for them both, and it was a long time before she could gather wit or breath enough to lift her head from where she’d slumped against Jase’s chest.

“Tell me I didn’t scratch you this time.”

Jase answered with a low laugh and a shake of his head. “That was all you, sweetheart. No wolf.” His smile was warm as he smoothed the tousled weight of her hair back over one ear. “Good thing, too. You’re hard enough to keep up with all by yourself.”

Gratified by the compliment, she grinned back at him. “I had a good teacher.”

“And your lessons are only just starting.” Jase’s pale eyes darkened as he stared into hers. “I’m hoping you’re going to stick around. There’s a whole world I want to show you.”

Her heart slammed hard against her ribs, and she found herself nodding. “I’d like that.”

His expression softened, and for a second she thought he was going to say something else, but then his eyes widened in concern. He eased himself out of her body and swore, “Oh shit.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Jazz was still trying to catch up to his rapid mood swing, not sure what had changed.

“You had me so crazy I forgot a condom,” he confessed with chagrin.

“Oh.” The implications of that statement took a minute to sink in. “Well, disease isn’t a problem. I don’t get sick. It’s one of the advantages of lycanthropy. We’re pretty hardy creatures.”

She moved herself off of him and flopped onto her back as she tried to figure out what to say next.

“I’m clean. Hell, I’ve never forgotten before. Ever. I need to ask though, are you on anything? Pill? Shot?”

Jazz shook her head, the lump in her throat making it impossible for her to talk.

“All right, then.” He rolled over onto his side and drew her back into his arms. “And don’t think I didn’t catch you calling yourself a creature a second ago. You’re not a creature, or a monster. You’re a beautiful woman, and my lover. And whatever might come of my mistake, we’ll figure it out together.”

She curled into the solid bulk of his body, her face hidden as she pressed it to his chest. “All right.” Too many emotions whirled around her head, and she was afraid of saying too much. “I’m sorry, too. I should have thought about it.”

“Well, you’re new at this.” His words were soft, and he seemed much more relaxed than he had been after his initial realization. “Next time we’ll both try to stay clear headed a little bit longer. I’ve never wanted…” He trailed off, and she felt his lips on her hair. “I’m finding it hard to think clearly when you’re in the same room.”

“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“Well, it’s the truth. Just please don’t tell anyone at Paladin. I’m not ready to explain to the boss why I’m violating Remington’s rule number three.”

“Sin mentioned that one before. What is it?”

“Never get involved with a damsel in distress.”

She thought about that for a minute and then tipped her face up so he could see her. “Ah, but I’m not technically a damsel. Has he got any sub-clauses about werewolves in distress? If not, I think you’re in the clear.”

“Feel free to point that out to him when he figures out what we’re up to.” His laughter filled the room, and she couldn’t help but join in.

Jase didn’t have anything even close to her size, so Jazz had no choice but to wear the dress and heels she’d left in the night before. Thankfully she’d thrown a few bits of makeup and a comb into her purse so she was able to make herself presentable by the time they headed out. Presentable, if more than a little overdressed for a Sunday morning drive.

She’d run out of time to do anything with her hair, so she’d had to wear it loose. All her good intentions to be on time had gone out the window when Jase had slipped into the shower with her, claiming it was a time-saving measure. They’d stayed in there until the water had run cold. Jazz was sure when she got out of the car her legs were still going to be unsteady after everything he’d done to her in the confines of his shower stall.

She glanced over at Jase and caught him grinning at her, his fingers tracing tiny circles on the skin just below the hem of her dress.
It’s as if he knows exactly what I was thinking about.

“You look fine. Stop worrying.” He stroked a finger higher up her inner thigh, and she suddenly found it hard to breathe.

“We don’t have time for any more of that.” She covered his hand with her own, moving it back down her leg a little. “And you’re supposed to be driving, remember? Keep those pretty eyes on the road.”

“Spoilsport,” he muttered in teasing tones.

“Wouldn’t it have been faster for us to just drive back to Paladin?” she asked as she marked the first signs directing them to the heliport.

“Faster, yes. But not safer. Right now your fan club isn’t sure if you’re in there or not. If they’re watching the gate, they’ll have the answer to that the moment we pull up. Better to keep them guessing. Besides, I have never turned down a chance to go flying, and I’m not starting now.” He shot her a sidelong glance. “You’re not chickening out on me?”

“Me? No,” she lied and tried to take a deep breath.

“Liar.” His fingers stilled, and he turned his hand to capture hers. “It’ll be fun, I promise. I’ll bet you dinner tonight that you’ll be sorry it was over so fast.”

“The only way we’re having dinner tonight is if I’m cooking it in my own kitchen.” She let her gaze wander to the horizon. “The full moon is tonight. I need to be close to my vault.”

“It’s a date.” He squeezed her hand. “You cook and I’ll clean, and we’ll just tell the rest of the team to order pizza.”

“The rest of the team?” she asked, confused.

“You don’t think we’re letting you go back there alone, do you? By now, our technical whiz kid, Jake, will be over at your house setting up the new security system, and the entire team will be working tonight. I’m staying with you, but they’ll be monitoring the grounds and making sure everything is secure.”

“You can’t go into the vault with me, Jase. It’s not safe!”

“I can’t go into the vault, no. But I’m going to be right outside that door until moonset.”

Gratitude and relief filled her at his words. “Thank you, Jase. I’ll feel better knowing you’re there.”

Jase parked his car in a secure portion of the lot and gave the machine a lingering pat before heading around to open Jazz’s door. “When this is over, do you want to come watch me race her?”

“You race cars, too?”

“Just for fun. I belong to the local Mustang club. You could come along and be my cheering section.” He helped her out of the car and tugged her into his arms for a quick kiss. “Or you could ride with me.”

“Let’s see if we survive this flight first. Then I’ll consider racing. Maybe.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed as he turned them both around and headed for one of the offices. Behind it, she could see a black helicopter, Paladin’s logo emblazoned on the side.

“I’ve lost my mind,” she sighed to herself as she eyed the aircraft and ignored Jase’s snicker of laughter at her comment.

* * * *

He had watched her carefully during takeoff. It wasn’t hard to do without getting caught staring, since she’d had her eyes closed the whole time. He waited until they’d reached altitude before he’d reached over and tapped her hand lightly. “You can look now. We’re airborne.”

She’d shot him a sheepish smile. “I thought you’d be too busy flying this thing to notice.” Her voice was almost too soft to hear and he leaned over to adjust her
mic.

“I can multitask, sweetheart.”

“Apparently.” Her voice was much clearer, and he gave her a thumbs-up, eager to share his world with her.

“Take a look, Jazz. Isn’t it gorgeous up here?”

She leaned toward the window, and he heard her soft gasp as the city of Seattle was revealed beneath them. “It’s beautiful.”

“Luckily, we caught a break in the weather. It’s a lot less interesting when you can’t see anything but clouds and raindrops splattered against the windscreen.”

She leaned closer to the glass, her nervousness nearly gone as she started picking out landmarks. He helped her from time to time, swinging the nose around to give her a better view as they passed over the city. He hadn’t told her, but she was the first woman he’d ever taken flying like this. His time in the air had always been something he’d jealously guarded, but not this time. He wanted her to love flying as much as he did, and he was no longer worried about what that might mean. He was too busy enjoying himself.

When they neared Paladin, he let her know their time was up, and then laughed as he caught the look of disappointment on her face. She’d had fun and forgotten to be worried. He knew then he was one step closer to drawing her out of reclusion and into his life.

“I win. So, what are you making me for dinner?”

She was so distracted by the view she took a minute to realize what he meant, and then she shot him a dirty look and stuck her tongue out at him.

“Do that again and I’m going to take that as an invitation to get frisky,” he warned her.

“We don’t have time for that.” He thought he could detect the faintest hint of regret in her words as she pointed to the rooftop of Paladin. She was right, there seemed to be a welcome party forming.

“You’d think we were late or something,” he grumbled and started preparing to land.

“We
are
late. I don’t think your theory about joint showers being more efficient is very sound.”

“Maybe not, but they’re a hell of a lot more fun.”

“You go ahead and explain to your boss why you’re late, then. I dare you.”

He choked back a laugh as they touched down on the roof. “I’m going to stick with my usual excuse, thanks.”

“You have a usual excuse?”

“Yep, headwinds. Tricky things. That one usually buys me an extra five to ten minutes of flying.” He tugged off his helmet and freed himself of the safety harness before turning to help Jazz out of hers. By then she had half of it undone already, and he shot her a playful pout. “I was looking forward to helping you out of that.”

“Behave yourself.”

“That’s never going to happen, sweetheart. I’m the bad boy, remember?”

She was still laughing when he lifted her out of the aircraft and they turned to greet the welcoming party, her hand firmly tucked into his. He had no intentions of letting her go.

Chapter 9

Jase had managed to keep Jazz with him for the first hour, but after that he’d found himself separated from her by what seemed to be a skilfully coordinated plot by Sinjin and his girlfriend, Michelle. Claiming she was wanted in the gym for a girls-only training session, Michelle and Tara had whisked her away just as Sinjin insisted on speaking to Jase.

“Why do I get the feeling that I was just the victim of a tag-team attack?” Jase grumbled as his best friend grinned and lifted his hands helplessly.

“Don’t blame me. I just do as I’m told. Since it would appear you are now joining me in the ranks of reformed bachelors, I’d suggest you learn that particular skill.”

Jase ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “Is this what happened to you when you met Michelle?”

“Switch-out werewolves for phantom ex-boyfriends and yeah, I think so. Should I be offering congratulations or condolences?”

Jase thought about it for a minute and then laughed. “Definitely congratulations. She’s amazing.”

Sin clapped a hand on his shoulder and set off down the hall toward their operations room.

“Yes, she is. God knows what she’s doing with the likes of you. But at least this means you will stop flirting with my girl.”