On Jason's Watch [Paladin Protection Agency 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (8 page)

“Hey, Sin, what’s up?”

“Oh, nothing much. I seem to be missing a client. I don’t suppose you know where she is, do you?”

“Cute brunette with stunning amber eyes? Nope, I haven’t seen her.” Jase couldn’t resist being flippant and was rewarded with a smile from Jazz.

“Jase, I need you to be serious. Something’s come up.”

“All right. She’s with me, having dinner. I signed us out at the gate.”

“Were you followed? Is there anyone watching you right now?”

“What? No. It’s been completely quiet, Sin.”

“Good. I hope you two are getting along, because your dinner date is about to get extended. We’ve got company here at Paladin. Four-footed company.”

“Shit,” Jase swore and instinctively glanced around them and then out the windows.

“They must have had her house under surveillance. You were driving a company marked car, so it wouldn’t take them long to figure out where to find her. They ran the fence line and then disappeared. We figure they’re back in human form, but we’re just guessing. You need to keep Jazz with you tonight.”

“I can do that.”

“Good. Tomorrow we’ll bring you both in by helicopter and then lock this place down until we can get her house fully secured.”

“Don’t forget we’re on a deadline.”

“I know. Before midnight tomorrow.” Sin’s voice lost some of its edge as he asked, “How’s rule number three going?”

“Broken beyond repair,” Jase answered with a rueful laugh.

“Welcome to the club, my friend. Take care of her, and watch your back. These guys are ballsy and seem damned determined.”

“I’ll see you in the morning, Sin. Say good night to sugarlips for me.”

He hung up before Sin could say anything more.

“Bad news?” Jazz was worried. He could tell by the way her lower lip had vanished between her teeth as she bit it.

“That depends on how we look at it. The good news is we’re going to spend more time together tonight. The bad news is that your friends are prowling around Paladin at the moment, so we can’t go back there right now.”

“That didn’t take them long. So I’m homeless again?”

“No, you’re coming home with me.” He hadn’t meant to say that. Hell, he hadn’t even considered what they were going to do. But once the words were out, he knew it was the right call.
The safest place for her is with me.

Shock and amusement fought for control of her expression for a moment, and then she burst out laughing. “Are you sure you didn’t plan this?”

“I swear I had nothing to do with them showing up,” he protested. “The idea of leaving them a trail of Snausages from your place to Paladin never even crossed my mind.”

“I cannot believe you said that!” Her laughter got louder, and she sat back in her chair, giving him a look of bemused horror.

“Tomorrow morning I’ll fly us back to headquarters. We’ve got a shiny new helipad on the roof of Paladin, so no one will be able to see you coming or going.”

“You’re going to fly us? Me? Jase, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. What if something happened?”

“Nothing is going to happen. It’s a very short flight. We’ll be up, over and back down again before you even have time to enjoy the scenery. Or are you worried about my piloting skills?” He was teasing her, but then he saw the look of fear in her eyes and reached out to take her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve never flown, Jase. Ever.”

It took him a moment to digest her confession. “Ever? But you have places up and down the coast. How do you travel to see them all?”

“I drive, and I teleconference.”

“You really don’t let yourself have any fun, do you?”

“There’s nothing fun about what would happen if I lost control on a metal tube 30,000 feet in the air. What if there was turbulence or an accident? I couldn’t risk it.”

“Tomorrow I’m taking you flying,” he told her firmly. “It’s time you started living a little.”

“But…”

“No buts. No arguments. Trust me, Jazz. I won’t let anything happen.”

“You really are crazy. If anything happens, you’re the one at risk. I don’t think I could live with myself if I hurt anyone. I know I couldn’t bear it if I hurt you after all you’ve done for me.”

“You’re not going to hurt me. I’m a big, strong, security specialist, remember?” He grinned, knowing he’d already won. She was going to go flying with him.

* * * *

I’m going to go flying.
She couldn’t believe he’d gotten her to agree. She’d always been so damned careful, until she’d met Jason. He made her feel like maybe there was something more for her than endless, quiet evenings at home and running her business. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the way he’d kissed her. Even though she knew it was a bad idea, she wanted him to kiss her again.

Really not a good idea,
she reminded herself as he helped her into his car. The scent of leather rose from the seat, blending with the faintest trace of his cologne. It was a fragrance she found enticing. It was close enough to the full moon that her sense of smell and hearing were becoming heightened. Both were warning signs that the monster was near the surface and would be harder to control between now and the full moon. And that was without considering that she was about to spend the night alone with the one man who tempted her like no one else ever had.

They made the drive back to his place in comfortable silence. When he let his hand drift from the gear shift to take her hand, she just smiled and feathered a gentle touch to his palm. There was no sense in denying what was growing between them. She just wasn’t sure how it was going to work. After all, only one of them was even truly human.

His house was in a quiet suburb, and she realized he lived only a few miles from Paladin. As the garage door retracted, she couldn’t help but laugh as she saw a motorcycle and a jet ski sharing space on the other side of the two-car garage. “Have you ever spoken to a shrink about this obsession you have with things that go fast?”

“Do not disparage my hobbies! I like to go fast, and you like to beat up on people. Which one of us do you think should be talking to counsellor?”

She opened her mouth to argue and then threw up her hands in mock surrender. “You may have a point.”

“Besides, if you make fun of my toys, I won’t let you play with them.” His dimples flashed as he smiled down at her. Then he set his hand on the small of her back, guiding her up the stairs to his front door. “Welcome to Casa Waters. I haven’t been home much in the past week, so don’t eat anything in the fridge. If I bring you back to Paladin with a case of food poisoning, I will never hear the end of it.”

He let them in and left her to kick off her shoes as he turned on the lights, revealing a home that wasn’t at all what she had expected. Instead of the standard bachelor fare of black leather, chrome, and glass, there were Persian rugs and elegant sculptures of wood and stone. The furniture was stylish but understated, and the walls were decorated with landscapes that appeared to be of the local area.

Before she could take a closer look at anything, he was back, tugging her into his arms before she could even protest.

“I have been dying to kiss you for hours now,” he murmured before brushing his lips to hers. His arm locked around her waist and his hands lifted to brush the tendrils of hair from her face before moving back to begin slowly unpinning her hair. She didn’t even try to resist him this time. She didn’t want to. Instead, she moved her hands beneath his jacket and took hold of his tie, using it to coax his face down to hers.

He kissed her again, lifting her onto her toes as he crushed their bodies together. She felt him tease at her hair as he worked it free of its restraints. The last of the hairpins fell onto the tiled floor with a metallic ping before they skittered away, forgotten. His fingers speared into her hair, and he held her body captive, while his hands kept her close as his mouth claimed hers again, his tongue tangling with hers as he groaned her name.

The wolf within her stirred, and she tensed.
Not yet, please. Let me have this one moment.
She closed her eyes and clung to Jase, trying to lose herself in the moment before it was gone. She kissed him frantically, trying to memorize every second, every sensation. She moaned and heard the rumbling note hidden within. She felt the darker half of her nature rise, pushing at her control. She growled low and froze as the sound filled the room. Worried now, she tried to break their kiss. Tried, and failed. Jase wouldn’t let her go.

“Don’t run away this time,” he whispered and then kissed her again. This kiss was gentler, more complete. His mouth claimed hers with an intensity she had never imagined possible. Passion flared deep inside her, igniting an inferno of needs she had never before acknowledged. This time, she didn’t fight it. Another growl rumbled up from her throat, and she ignored it, ignored everything but the way Jase was making her feel.

She drew his lip into her mouth and nipped at it, eliciting a groan of approval from him. She felt the world tip slightly on its axis, and she realized he had lifted her completely off the floor and into his arms. He walked them across the house to the living room, settling onto the couch. She found herself cradled in his lap with the solid strength of him wrapped around her. She smoothed her hands up his chest to his shoulders, easing his leather jacket off. He removed it with a hasty shrug, barely letting go of her long enough to free his arms.

“See, sweetheart? There’s nothing to fear. You’re stronger than you know.” He tangled his hand into her hair and tugged, drawing her head back. His lips touched her throat, dropping a flurry of delicate kisses over her skin. As he reached a spot just under her ear, she had to bite back a whimper of pure need. Thrill bumps chased down her spine, and she heard him chuckle, every note of his laughter rich with male pride. “You liked that?”

Jazz tried to speak and discovered her mouth wouldn’t work right. Instead, she simply nodded wordlessly.

“Ask me to do it again,” he murmured, his mouth just the barest fraction of an inch away from touching her.

“Jase.” She whispered his name, and he blew a puff of warm air over her neck, teasing her.

“Ask me, Jazz. Say it.”

“Do that again, please.” She blushed as she said it. The heat of her embarrassment was nothing to the scorching flames that raced over her skin as he first kissed that same sensitive spot and then drew the tip of his tongue across it.

She was so lost in the raptures of his touch she barely noticed when she growled again. Her body was already on fire, so the warning burn in her fingertips was lost, too. The first she realized her control had slipped was when she drew her hand down his chest and the sound of tearing fabric filled her ears. She froze and glanced between them. She was stunned to realize she’d shredded his shirt with her newly formed claws.

“Jase!” She was horrified and tried to pull away, but again he wouldn’t let her.

“Might as well finish the job now,” he encouraged her, his voice husky with desire. He drew her earlobe into his mouth and nibbled at it, his hand taking hers and setting it back onto the tattered ruins of his shirt.

“You—you’re sure?”

He moved away from her just enough so that he could look into her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. Tear off my clothes, growl, just please don’t stop. Not yet.”

“When do you want me to stop, then?” she couldn’t resist asking.

His eyes gleamed with desire, and he gave her a sultry smile that turned her insides gooey. “I’m hoping you don’t.”

“Oh.” Her heart was beating so loudly she couldn’t think past the thundering in her ears.

“I have a spare bedroom, and you’re welcome to use it. But I want you to sleep with me.” He leaned in the few inches between them and kissed the corner of her mouth. “The choice is yours. Just don’t deny what’s between us because you’re afraid of what might happen if you lose control. I’m not.”

“You should be.”

“You’re not going to hurt me, Jazz. You need to believe that.”

The frantic pounding of her heart faded a little, and she found herself nodding. “I want to believe it.”

“That’s my girl.” He slid an arm under her knees and lifted her higher against his chest. “Hang on tight.”