The Omega Team: Hot Target (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Jordan Dane

  That wasn’t exactly no, was it?

  “Do you understand what I’m saying?” he asked.

  “Yes, and my offer stands, if you still—” She couldn’t finish. Saying it aloud would jinx any hope she had.

  “Then I am a lucky man.”

  Rafael leaned in and kissed her cheek. Jacquie closed her eyes and savored the tender moment.

  “But I must be honest with you. All I can promise is one night, whatever you desire of me. It’s all I can give. Are you certain this is what you want? I want you to be sure.”

  Sure? Jacquie blinked, twice. Her coy room service line didn’t tease him into thinking she was only flirting. Rafe didn’t play games. He knew what she wanted and left the choice to her. His kiss could easily be good-bye if she laughed it off now and walked away. No harm. No foul. But she couldn’t do that.

  She was only certain of one thing—that giving her body to Rafael Madero would change her forever.

  “Yes,” she said. “I’m sure.”

  ***

  Rafael had seen the attraction in the eyes of Miss Lyles from the minute he first met her at the Omega Team headquarters. He enjoyed flirting and teasing her. It seemed harmless enough at the time. Despite her looks, she had an innocence about her that touched him and he loved making her blush.

  But for her to come to his hotel—and offer to join him in his room—he hadn’t expected it.

  Sex always played on a man’s mind. Rafe was no exception. He watched her walk beside him in her tight black dress and imagined touching her creamy pale skin and sucking her nipples into his mouth to pleasure her with his tongue. His body reacted as they rode up to his floor on the elevator. This smart attractive woman had flipped his switch and it wouldn’t be easy to stay in control, but why should he?

  She came to him for a reason. She sought him out and he had enough pent up sexual energy to give her the ride of her life. After what he’d done to Athena today, walking out on his job interview, he wouldn’t have to worry about Miss Lyles being a co-worker. Rafe had no chance at becoming an Omega Team member now.

  If Miss Lyles wanted his body for a night, he would oblige her. He would surrender to her needs and let her be in charge. He’d been honest and had told her the truth upfront. She would have no tomorrows with him. Something had broken in him when he lost his wife and baby. He’d lost his sense of joy and he didn’t believe he could make life safe for anyone else again.

  Miss Lyles deserved better than a man like him.

  ***

  Minutes later

  Jacquie had never been in the hotel Le Méridien. Normally she would have gawked at the sleek modern design of his room and raved about it in a nervous verbal spew, but she only caught glimpses of the suite. Black leather and chrome chairs stood out against the tasteful charcoal colored walls and a lush blue carpet. Shiny mirrors positioned throughout the room reflected the city lights from the floor to ceiling windows. But the huge King bed, adorned with stark white bed linens and fluffy pillows and comforter, captured her attention. She imagined Rafael under the sheets, beckoning her to join him with his soulful eyes and thick lashes.

  “Make yourself comfortable. I won’t be long,” he said. “The room service menu is on the desk. Look through it to see what entices you. Perhaps when I’m done, we can order wine?”

  “Done?”

  He grinned.

  “I meant done with my shower. Please. Relax.”

  Rafe didn’t wait for her to explain her stupidity. He let her save face by stepping into the bathroom and closing the door. Within minutes, the rumble of the shower came and she could breathe again. This is really happening—to me.

  She put down her purse on the desk and paced the room, wringing her hands. She stared out the window, rehearsing how she’d be when he opened the door. Every line she’d practiced sounded fake now. She caught glimpses of her face in the many mirrors and almost didn’t recognize the woman who stared back. You can do this. You can.

  When the shower stopped, so did her heart. She plopped down on a corner of the mattress and tried to act casual. Too eager. She jumped to her feet and kept an eye on the bathroom door as she tugged at her dress. The desk. She’d grab the room service menu and pretend to—

  “Oh no, my purse.” She’d left her bag on the desk.

  It should’ve been on a nightstand by the bed, ready to use. She’d stuffed her clutch with condoms and intended to use them—all of them. Jacquie grabbed her purse and turned as the bathroom door opened behind her. Too late. When the bag slipped from her hand, all she could do was watch as it fell.

  Every condom spilled to the floor.

  Jacquie stared at the festive display of colorful prophylactics strewn across the rug. She hadn’t been able to decide on a color. Slowly her gaze eased across the room until she saw Rafael.

  He stood on the threshold of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a plush white towel around his waist and a raised eyebrow. The stark white looked great against his glistening tanned skin and his dark hair hung in damp waves. With billows of steam behind him, he looked every inch of her best fantasy—while she was trapped in an alternative universe version of ‘I Love Lucy.’

  For a long moment, he didn’t say a thing until he cleared his throat and walked over to where she stood, cemented to the floor.

  “Have you done this before, Miss Lyles?”

  Her face flushed with heat.

  “Please, it’s Jacquie. Done w-what before, exactly?”

  With a finger, he raised her chin to look him square in the eye.

  “Given yourself to a man, as you do now.” He nuzzled her ear and pulled her into his arms. In an instant she’d forgotten she stood ankle deep in a rainbow of rubbers.

  “Oh, God,” she gasped and melted into him. “Not…exactly.”

  “Then I have a proposition for you,” he whispered as he kissed her neck. “No games. Nothing happens unless you ask for it.”

  He pulled from her and stared into her eyes. With a gentle touch, he ran his fingers through her blonde hair and down her cheek.

  “Something tells me, you are offering a precious gift. I do not want to disappoint you.”

  He held her face in both of his hands and kissed her lips with such tenderness, she nearly cried.

  “Tell me what you want,” he said. “I must hear you say these things. If it pleasures you, I will do anything. We have the whole night.”

  Jacquie trembled in his arms as a tear trickled down her cheek. One night of passion—fulfilling all her fantasies—would never be enough with Rafael Madero. She knew he would break her heart.

  But she didn’t care.

  Chapter 3

  Everywhere Jacquie looked in the hotel room, a mirror reflected Rafael wearing nothing but a white towel. His hazel eyes never strayed from hers and she felt the heat rush to her face and other parts of her body.

  “Do you think we can have a little more privacy?” She nudged her head toward the open windows. “I don’t need to go Kardashian on Youtube.”

  “Yes, of course,” he said. “Whatever you wish.”

  When the drapes were closed, she had another request. If this would be her fantasy, she wanted it all.

  “Maybe some music?” She shared her favorite station of sexy music with him and he found it.

  ‘The Sweetest Taboo’ by Sade filled the room and she smiled. Perfection. With the mood set, Jacquie mustered the courage to cross the point of no return with him. Without asking, she reached for the towel and let it drop at his bare feet. She had to look down and nearly choked. The sheer size and girth of him stole her next breath.

  Naked, Rafael stood before her in all his masculine glory.

  “Tell me what you want,” he whispered. His low voice sent goose bumps over her skin.

  Steamy images flashed in her head, triggers of everything she had ever fantasized. In a million dreams she never could’ve pictured herself with a man like Rafe. Baby steps, Jacquie. She took his hand and placed
it on the stretchy black fabric at her shoulder.

  “Take it off. Real slow.” She fixed her gaze on his full lips and let her eyes trail up to his.

  Rafe entwined his fingers in her garment and slid it down her body, inch by inch, without taking his honey brown eyes off her. When her black dress dropped to the carpet, Rafael feasted his gaze on her as if she were a porterhouse steak and he hadn’t eaten in a very long time. He didn’t have to tell her that he liked what he saw. His body told her everything she needed to know.

  She’d never felt such desire in a man. No one had ever made her feel like this, like a real woman instead of a girl.

  “Victoria doesn’t have a secret anymore.” She blushed.

  Rafael pulled down her bra straps and lowered his lips to her nipples. In one snap, he unhooked her lingerie and her bra fell from her body. His large hands held her in place as his mouth got to work. Jacquie tossed her head back and melted in his arms, gasping with every wet stroke of his tongue.

  “Yes, oh my God.”

  Rafe pulled her closer with an arm around her back and she let go, letting him hold her. He slid his free hand down her body and slipped off her panties. Every caress, every warm nuzzle of his lips and tongue, nudged her closer to a powerful orgasm. When he thrust his fingers between her legs, she cried out.

  “Am I hurting you?” he asked.

  “Only if you quit.” She arched her back and writhed into the push of his fingers. “Don’t stop. Deeper. Oh, God. Yes.”

  Jacquie shut her eyes and savored every stroke of Rafael. She collapsed into his strong arms as her first orgasm hit her, wave after wave, and tears of sheer joy trailed down her cheek. She’d never had a lover like Rafael Madero.

  ***

  It took all of Rafael’s will power to rein in what he wanted to do with Jacquie. Churning with heat, his body had its own ideas—and as she cried out and rocked with each ripple of her orgasm—he wanted to drive into her and make her feel every inch of him.

  The smell of her skin and the scent of her musk drove him insane.

  With every glance in the mirrors that surrounded them, he couldn’t get enough of her body. Strands of her blonde hair and her lush pale skin would haunt him.

  He didn’t expect to feel this way. He wanted it to be about sex and nothing more, but Jacquie had burrowed under his skin in a primal way. Her womanly body, coupled with her vulnerability and innocence, had marked him.

  Rafael had warned her that there wouldn’t be a tomorrow, but he had a bad feeling that he’d be the one who would need a reminder.

  One night with this woman wouldn’t be enough.

  As she gasped with another orgasm, he covered her mouth with his and let his tongue entwine with hers. He breathed her in and lifted her from the floor to carry her to his bed.

  “Say it,” he demanded. “Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you inside me. Now.”

  Rafael laid her on the mattress and watched her open for him.

  “You are so beautiful,” he said.

  Rafe grabbed a condom from the carpet—the ones she had spilled earlier—and he tore open the wrapper and slid it on. He drank in the sight of her as she licked her lips, eager for him. He tugged her hips toward the edge of the bed and craved seeing the passion in her eyes when he would shove into her, but something made him stop.

  A knock on the door.

  “Rafael, it’s me. Athena. Open up. We gotta talk.”

  Jacquie’s eyes grew wide in shock. Rafael winced as he forced his body to stand down.

  “Oh, God,” Jacquie whispered. “I can’t—”

  “I know you’re in there,” Athena insisted and knocked again. “I hear music, Rafe.”

  His sister’s voice and her sharp rap at the door jolted him, as if he’d been doused with cold water.

  “Just a minute,” he called out. “I need to…dress.”

  Rafael bought them time. Jacquie jumped off the bed and scrambled across the floor, picking up her clothes and purse and every condom dumped on the carpet before she dashed into the bathroom.

  “Sorry. I can’t let her find me here,” she apologized before she shut the door.

  The intoxicating moment with Jacquie had vanished. Rafe killed the music. Naked, he stood alone in a daze. He had to get dressed to face his sister, but he had no idea what Athena had come to say.

  ***

  Rafael answered the door wearing worn jeans and a gray Chicago Bears T-shirt. His long dark hair looked damp as if he’d just showered. Athena walked into the room and spied the unmade bed and his clothes strewn across his open luggage. The mess struck her as odd for Rafe, until she noticed the faint smell of a woman’s perfume lingering in the air.

  Athena ignored the obvious and turned to face him.

  “What happened today, Rafe? You walked out on the poly. Is there something you’ve kept from me?”

  Rafael clenched his jaw and refused to look her in the eye. She knew from experience, what that meant. She’d never known her brother to lie to her. He had guts with the truth, but his weapon of choice had always been silence.

  “You reached out to me, Rafael. I thought you wanted a new start in Tampa. What are you not telling me?”

  “Sweet Jesus, Athena. You’re like a pit bull on a bone. Chalk it up to me having a bad day.” He glared at her and raked a hand through his hair. “I failed your polygraph. If that sinks my chances, then that’s it. I’m done.”

  With her brother stonewalling her, she had to find another way to get him to open up to her.

  “Your wife and baby girl were murdered,” she said. “I can’t imagine what toll that’s taken on you, mi hermano. I know you’re not the same guy. How could you be? But please…tell me what’s going on with you.”

  She rarely brought up Elena and Ariana these days, unless he gave her signs he needed to talk. Athena thought that was the real reason he asked about working with her Omega group. He needed his only sister to be his lifeline back to the living.

  Athena knew Rafe had been the one to find Elena and Ariana dead. She couldn’t begin to understand that horror. After it happened years ago, she’d gotten her hands on the murder book and saw the graphic crime scene photos. Even now she couldn’t picture them in her mind without the sting of tears and couldn’t imagine her brother’s immeasurable torment.

  She knew the case had grown cold fast. There were only unsubstantiated rumors of a drug connection through Elena because of the way the bodies had been marked with a knife by the cartel. It killed Rafe to have to defend the mother of his child, but a powerful cartel had planted evidence and innuendo to muddy the waters—and like that, the investigation shut down.

  No motive. No suspect. Nada.

  “Give it a rest,” he said. “Do we have to talk about this now? I failed your interview. Let it go.”

  Rafe fidgeted and wouldn’t stand still. That wasn’t like him either. He normally was cool under pressure and had a poker face she could bank on.

  “They never caught the shooter, did they?” She pushed. “Did any leads pan out?”

  “No. Everything came to one big dead end. Bought and paid for.”

  She barely heard him. He’d lowered his voice and stopped pacing. With shoulders slumped, he collapsed onto the bed.

  “You didn’t look into it yourself? I just thought you’d—”

  “Please don’t do this,” he pleaded. “It’s hard enough for me to sleep. I can still see—”

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. I didn’t come here to—” She couldn’t finish. His tortured face stopped her cold. “I actually have good news. At least I think it’s good.”

  “I could use it.” He finally looked her in the eye.

  “I’m leading a mission into Cuba tomorrow and I want you with me. You failed the poly but you can still earn a spot on the team. Are you in?”

  “Cuba?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “What’s the assignment?”

  “A cold case murder. I don’t have a
lot of detail, but apparently the drug cartels are fired up about an old killing. A local politician requested me and he’s already footed the bill.”

  “He asked for you? By name?”

  “Yeah. Guess my reputation precedes me.”

  Rafael shut down again. He closed his eyes and his chin dropped to his chest. Athena let the silence build a wall between them, to see how long her brother would keep quiet. If it had been a contest, she would’ve lost.

  “You have your passport with you?” she finally asked.

  He shrugged and said, “I carry it with me when I travel. Old habits.”

  “Great. Be at Omega Team headquarters by 0600 tomorrow morning. You’ll meet my team and gear up before we leave.” After Rafe nodded, Athena turned for the door, but she wasn’t done.

  “Oh and Jacquie?” Athena called out, playing a hunch. “You’re coming on this mission as our communications liaison.”

  Rafe stared at her wide-eyed, shocked at her assumption, but he didn’t confirm or deny.

  “Ay dios mio.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  “You good with that?” Athena called out to Jacquie again.

  After a long moment of silence, a tiny muffled voice came from behind the closed bathroom door.

  “Okay.”

  Athena winked at a mortified Rafael and turned on her heels before she lost it. With a big grin on her face, she walked out the door, thankful she had recognized the very familiar perfume she’d smelled when she first stepped into her brother’s hotel room.

  She winced and stifled a laugh. The Cuba assignment had become a lot more interesting.

  ***

  Rafael would have appreciated his sister’s playful wink more if he hadn’t still been stunned by the details of the Omega mission. It had been too much of a coincidence for the cold case murder to be in Cuba and involve trouble with the drug cartels. Rafael knew his past had caught up to him and he felt like a man on death row, waiting for his last meal.