by Bella Juarez
“Give that back to me!” Anna demanded.
Anna just so happened to be reading a romance-comedy type novel at the time. It was a free download and the excerpt looked good. So far, it was a pretty good read.
“Ripping Bodices?” Jack laughed as he read the title aloud.
Anna reached for her e-reader as Jack swung it out of reach. He looked at the screen and looked at her like he’d just caught her playing with herself.
“He pinned her arms above her head, as she struggled underneath him, the moist heat of their bodies coming together…” Jack read aloud and stopped. He smiled wickedly. His green eyes were sparked with laughter and something else…
“Definitely not romance! More like bondage there, Anna. Are you into this kind of stuff? Who knew?” Jack teased.
“Give it to me! I swear! You’re such a ten-year-old!” Anna snapped.
Anna reached for her reader as he moved out of grasp.
“If story time is like this, can we do it more often? Right before bed?” Jack asked, laughing.
Anna stood and tried to jerk the reader from Jack. He swung the reader out of her reach. Every time she would reach for it he moved it away. He was teasing her like her brothers used to and really pissing her off in the process. She wanted to pound the crap out of him. To think he was the commanding officer of over six hundred people and billions of dollars in assets! In the civilian world, he was the equivalent to a CEO of a multibillion-dollar corporation. Here J.T. O’Malley, Captain, United States Navy, Commander of Special Warfare Group Five, was playing keep-away like a ten-year-old! Anna had to reach over Jack’s semi-reclining position to grab her e-reader.
You arrogant bastard! Anna almost screamed those words out loud at him. Jack was laughing at her and enjoying his little game. She reached once more and lost her footing as she tripped over Jack’s feet. She toppled over, landing on top of Jack. She looked up and recognized that startled look. She’d seen it a couple of weeks earlier when she’d nearly knocked him over in the hallway. His surprise gave way to a very hot intensity. She suddenly became acutely aware of the hard masculine body underneath her.
Oh! Hell! No! Anna’s eyes widened at the sudden realization that Jack O’Malley was turning into a very impressive man. Her face flushed as she realized his cock was getting harder by the second She wanted to move off of him, she needed to move off him, but couldn’t. Anna just stared at Jack. Do something! She screamed at herself
Not obeying her common sense, her body did something, all right. She felt the sudden gush of arousal. He was setting her pussy on fire! It was a feeling she hadn’t had in five years, one month, and some days, to be exact. She couldn’t help but guess how good it would be if she were the one underneath him. Do something! Anna’s mind screamed once more
Instead of her doing something, he did something. Her eyes flew open as Jack latched onto hers and kissed her. She melted into his body as she closed her eyes. His arms circled around her waist and pulled her closer. She reached for his biceps and gripped the hard muscles as if her life depended on it. This was wrong, very wrong, and she needed to pull away. She railed at herself once more, but Jack’s embrace and kiss were keeping her at his mercy. The sudden buzz of the dryer broke the spell they were both under. She broke away and looked in the direction of the noise. She finally managed to move off of Jack. She sat down next to him and said nothing for a moment.
* * * *
Jack hadn’t intended for things to go this far. He’d been teasing Anna ruthlessly. He’d realized he liked aggravating her because she gave him her full attention when he raised her ire. How mature is that? The few awkward seconds they sat in silence seemed like an eternity.
“Please. Can I have it back?” Anna asked, not looking at Jack.
Anna sounded strained, almost…breathless. Jack handed the reader to her. He looked at her and knew he’d embarrassed her. She was right. He was acting like a ten-year-old and he had to stop. She wasn’t one of the guys, and this teasing had just crossed the line. He needed to start keeping his distance, and this TDY needed to come to an end before things really got out of control.
“Sorry,” Jack managed.
Chapter 18
Naval Special Warfare Command
Combat Support Systems Computer Lab
Coronado Naval Amphibious Base, California
August 11, 2008/1845 Zulu
Anna sat behind the forensic expert as his software dug through the drive finding applications that had been modified as well as lost files. They were searching the dead auditor’s hard drive. She watched intently as the file counts and names flashed.
“There!” Anna said as a file name flashed onto the screen.
“This one?” the technician asked.
Anna nodded in confirmation. He typed and saved the file.
“Let’s see,” the technician said as he typed.
They recovered the erased file from September of the previous year and started to go over it. For the next couple of hours they went over the macro line by line and noticed some subtle changes. It would fit what was happening to this data and why it would behave the way it did. They further evaluated the difference. Anna stood after a couple more hours and stretched. She looked at her watch and informed Sara she was taking a lunch break. Anna strolled out into the sunny day and walked a short distance to the Coffee Shack.
Anna smiled and thought of the time when she, Sara, and Jack had all come to lunch here. Jack had teased Sara so badly and Sara seemed so good natured about it. Speaking of, where was Captain O’Malley? She hadn’t seen him since Saturday night. It was Monday afternoon. Last week she couldn’t seem to turn around without Jack being there. She wondered if he’d decided to go MIA after Saturday due to their little close encounter. She shook her head as she took a bite of her sandwich, knowing she’d called him right. Captain Jack was a player, and she had no room in her life for a player.
* * * *
Jack was letting the last two days blow away in the cool Pacific sea breeze. He, Senior Chief Walsh and Lt Colonel Thompson were returning from the trip they had taken into international waters to interrogate Karzi Mummar and his cousin, Abdul. Mummar’s company was the front company that had gained access to Quantico. Jack and Gavin had been on his trail for almost a year. Mummar and his cousin were in custody and due to be moved to Gittmo as soon as space was available.
With a lot of work over the last two days they managed to tie up the reasons for the government contracts. The terrorist cell funded by Nayyaf Bakri a Pakistani government official had been funding them to gather information and plan an attack on Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. They’d also been involved with kidnapping Lt Colonel Thompson’s twin boys. The laptop they were after contained plans of some sort of biological attack. Jack wondered if the theft of medication and vaccines from BAMC somehow tied to that particular plot. If it did, Mummar and Abdul didn’t know that particular plan.
“So, who is she?” Senior Chief Walsh asked.
“Excuse me?” Jack said.
“This woman that has you so lost in thought I could’ve walked up behind you and shot you in the head.”
“Yeah, he does have that dopy look doesn’t he?” Lt Colonel Reese Thompson quipped.
Jack smiled slightly. “You guys are crazy. I’m too old for that shit. If there was a woman out there for me, I would’ve found her by now. I’ll leave that to you two.”
“You’re never too old, Rock. Believe me I know,” Gavin said.
Jack looked over the water and thought about Anna. He tried to focus on how she was coming along with work, but he couldn’t. All he could think about was how it felt when he kissed her and how damn good she smelled. Jack shivered slightly when he recalled his reaction to her touch.
“Damn it, Rock, you’ve got it bad. She must be something!” Reese said, laughing.
Gavin and Reese exchanged knowing smiles and nods.
“I’m serious. Bring her to the wedding in St. T
homas. I’ve got to meet this woman,” Gavin said.
“There ain’t no way I’m taking any woman to St. Thomas. Women get too many ideas when they get invited to weddings, no thank you. I’m a confirmed bachelor and I don’t see that changing,” Jack said firmly.
“You keep telling yourself that, Rock. You just might talk yourself into that plan,” Reese said, slapping Jack on the shoulder.
Chapter 19
San Diego International Airport, California
American Airlines Terminal
August 14, 2008/2259 Zulu
Jack stood in line at Starbucks as they waited for their flight. It was a chilly, damp morning, the weather suddenly turning overnight. They still had an hour to wait for their flight. The San Diego Airport wasn’t overly crowded as he gave his order and walked back to where he’d left Anna.
“Venti double mocha, whole milk and whipped cream,” Jack said, handing Anna the cup.
Anna looked up from her e-reader. “How did you…What did I do to deserve this?”
“Anna, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you with all my teasing and fooling around. I know I went too far,” Jack said, taking the seat next to her.
“It’s okay, forget it.” Anna took a sip.
“So? How’s the book?” he asked, pointing to the reader.
Anna looked down at him through her glasses. Jack fought the urge to bend over and kiss the tip of her nose. He couldn’t help himself because teasing her had officially become his favorite pastime. He thoroughly loved pissing her off, and by the way she was looking at him he was well on his way. She turned back to the reader. He looked away so he could compose himself because he wanted to laugh.
“It’s not what you think,” Anna said defensively.
“No? What’s it about?” Jack asked in a bemused tone.
Anna closed the reader and looked at Jack. “It’s about an irritating Irishman who won’t leave this poor girl alone.”
“Was he irritating before or after the moist heat of their bodies came together?”
Anna took a long sip of her coffee, and he could almost swear she was hiding a smile. She managed to keep a straight face.
“You just can’t help yourself, can you? Here, read it for yourself on the way home.” Anna turned on the e-reader and handed it to him.
Jack took the reader and shut it off. He gazed at Anna and leaned in close. He inhaled her scent and was amazed at how it always affected him.
“I don’t need to read it because I already know how this ends,” Jack said dismissively, handing the e-reader back to Anna.
“Oh? I don’t. I haven’t gotten that far.”
“She winds up falling in love with that irritating Irishman and figures out she can’t and won’t live without him.”
“I’m betting the irritating Irishman gets his throat slit and dumped into the sea.”
“No, I’m telling you she winds up with him in the end and she lives blissfully ever after.”
“I don’t think so. Miserably ever after is more like it,” Anna shot back.
“Let me educate you about those irritating Irishmen. We never give up and we never quit until we get what we want,” Jack said confidently.
“Those irritating Irishmen really should be careful what they chase after. They just might catch it and get what they deserve.” Anna took another sip of her coffee.
Jack smiled a slow, wolfish smile and took the e-reader. “We can only hope.”
“You really think you have it all figured out, don’t you?” Anna asked.
“Most of the time I do,” Jack confirmed, flipping through the screens of the book. Anna took another sip of her coffee as she smiled and shook her head. “Let’s take you, for instance, a shy, repressed computer geek who likes to cook. I can look it up any time I want.”
“You think that little database tells you everything, huh?” Anna asked.
“No, it doesn’t tell me everything, but the rest I can observe.”
“Hum.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Tell me where I’m wrong,” Jack said.
“You are wrong, on so many levels, Captain,” Anna said.
“Okay. How?”
* * * *
Anna was starting to tire of Jack’s smug, know-it-all insolence. She was starting to regain some of her old self on this trip because Jack was pushing her limits. Every conversation seemed to turn into a contest of wills between the two of them.
It was time the captain got a dose of his own medicine. Anna set her coffee down, took off her glasses, and leaned in close, coming almost nose to nose with Jack. She read the surprise in his eyes and waited for a moment. She knew what he was thinking and watched as his emerald eyes glazed over in lust. If Captain Jack wanted a taste of her, she decided it was time to oblige him. The real, unabridged Anna was about to make an entrance.
“Your little database can tell you I was a five-star chef at a five-diamond resort for eight years. What it doesn’t tell you is that being a five-star chef at a five-diamond resort and staying there for eight years is a cutthroat endeavor and you don’t get there by being shy, Jack,” Anna said seductively.
Jack looked down and started to trace Anna’s finger as it rested on top of her coffee cup.
“Okay,” Jack whispered as he looked into her eyes with a hot intensity.
Anna watched as an annoying grin started to play around his lips.
“It can tell you that I was married to a man who was a lawyer and later entered politics. What it doesn’t tell you is how I managed to keep a pack of women who were constantly throwing themselves at him at bay. It also doesn’t tell you how I managed to control a very powerful man for over eighteen years. I didn’t control him by being repressed. What you’ve seen in the short time you’ve known me is what I want you to see, Jack,” Anna whispered.
Jack leaned forward a little more. She knew the move. He was calling her bluff but Anna knew how to stand her ground.
“Are you that good, baby?” Jack whispered against her lips.
Anna moved closer to Jack. She lightly rubbed her cheek against his as she leaned into his ear. To anyone passing it looked as if she were telling him a secret.
“All your charm and little head games you like play don’t play here. So far all I’ve seen from you is amateur night. You want to play for real, Jack? Then let’s play chess instead of checkers. And bring your A game because if you don’t I will hand you your ass.”
* * * *
Jack closed his eyes when Anna’s cheek brushed his. The feeling was like a whisper, soft and light. It was a good thing they were sitting because her touch and her luscious scent would have made him drop to his knees otherwise. The sensation of her hot breath against his ear was going straight to his cock. She knew exactly what to say and do to reach into his soul. This is what he’d been searching for in a woman, someone who would challenge him, take him on, and not back down. This was so unexpected and so very sexy.
Anna’s next move almost sent Jack off his chair. He fought the urge to grab her and kiss her again. His eyes flew open in surprise when she took his earlobe and started nibbling ever so gently. His cock twitched when her lips nibbled at him and he thought for a moment he would come all over himself. He closed his eyes again and exhaled as he melted. There was no hiding his reaction from Anna.
“Yeah, I’m that good,” Anna whispered as if she knew every sensation he was feeling.
Anna leaned back and calmly put her glasses back on. She picked up her coffee and took a sip. Jack was rooted where he sat. He couldn’t move and was stunned speechless. He stared at her for a long time before he moved. Anna finally looked at him, daring him.
Jack sat back and attempted to gain his composure. “Game on.”
Chapter 20
Randolph Air Force Base, Texas
Officer’s Club
August 16, 2008/2356 Zulu
Jack and Rafe stood next to Dixie in dinner dress uniforms. It was full muster for th
e chairman’s welcome reception. Dog-and-pony show was what Mac had called it. More like a three-ring circus, Jack had responded.
Admiral Gunter and his wife arrived.
“Good job, Captain. I’d like a word with you as soon as you come inside. I’d like for you to sit with me at dinner,” the chairman said as he walked through the line.
“Yes, sir,” Jack said.
Jack knew he was being watched. He could feel it. He scanned the room and finally found the source of his irritation, a blonde, blue-eyed woman in the center of the room, standing next to Colonel Spivey. Jack was slightly intrigued. He turned back to the guests. He was glad he was detached from this service and from this base for the most part. Base politics wasn’t his strong suit. He finally took his seat next to Admiral Gunter. Dixie and General Kerney, the AETC commander, were on the other side of the chairman’s wife. The admiral turned to Jack and smiled.
“I’m surprised at how fast you got this up and running. Like I said earlier, great job,” Admiral Gunter said.
“Not me, sir. I have a great team. My XO and command master chief haven’t had a life since we docked here. Glad they brought me along,” Jack replied.
The admiral smiled at the familiar saying. “Yes, I know. How are things working out here?”
“We’ve had a few glitches here and there, sir. As you know, we do things a little differently than the Air Force, but all in all, it’s been pretty smooth.” Jack took a drink.
“No problems?” Gunter asked.
“It’s all a matter of communication, sir. Once we were all on the same page, there wasn’t a problem,” Jack said.
“Any problems, don’t hesitate to let me know. You call me directly. Do you understand, Captain?” Gunter said.
There was no way Jack would ever go around Dixie, even if he disagreed with him.
