Dark Secret (DARC Ops Book 1) (18 page)

M
ira dropped
the airport paperback and rolled onto her side, her feet slipping off the blanket and burrowing luxuriously into the hot sand. Without looking, she reached behind her back and grabbed a hotel towel from the wicker beach basket. She tried rolling it up with one hand, but someone snatched it away. The towel returned a few seconds later in the form of a plump pillow sliding gently under the side of her face. It was warm from the sun and she nuzzled into it while thinking of the three pages she'd just read, deciding that it was more than enough work for the day.

She closed her eyes, letting the sounds of waves and seagulls finish the job her book had already started. There were other sounds, too, like the thudding of a volleyball, samba music from a crackling radio, and then another kind of music, her favorite.

“Make sure you don't burn on your first day.”

She felt his hand on her leg, caressing up past her knee.

“That would be a real shame,” he said.

And then the crack of a sunscreen bottle. The smell of cocoa butter.

Jackson's hand was back on her leg, running smooth with lotion from her ankle to her knee, and then back down again, gently massaging her muscles on the way. Mira rolled onto her stomach as he worked her calves. She let her legs fall open slightly, inviting his hand to come up a little higher.

“I never knew your hands could feel so smooth,” she said, thinking of all his hard-earned calluses hiding behind the lotion. “You should start moisturizing yourself.”

“Maybe if it didn’t smell like... like whatever this is.”

“Cocoa butter?”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t hear the end of it at work.”

“So? I'd make it up to you.”

“Here's a better idea,” he said. “Why don't I just keep flying us out to Brazil?”

Mira giggled. “Okay. You win.”

His hands were now up on her thigh. “You're damn right I win.” He was massaging her, squeezing her ass. “Mmm,” he groaned. “Damn, you look good in this bikini.”

“Hey,” Mira laughed. “Keep it movin'. You've got some more real estate to cover.”

“All right, all right,” Jackson said as he applied more lotion to her back.

“Thanks. I don't think my butt will get a sunburn ever again.”

“Oh. That wasn't my intention,” said Jackson, his hands rounding her shoulders. “I had a better idea for that.”

“I'm sure. You've got an idea for everything.”

“Well?” he said, rubbing her arms now. “Haven’t they always worked out?”

They had. From Annica, who wrote a great story while keeping her name private, to the systematic dismantling and prosecution of Langhorne and his cronies. Yes, his ideas worked. Mira wouldn’t have been laying on the beach with him otherwise. She wouldn’t have been alive. But she didn’t say that. The sun was warm and she wanted to just enjoy the moment.

“I'm excited for this next idea,” said Jackson.

“What? Surfing?”

“No,” he said. “You. As my partner.”

Her eyebrows raised in surprise.

“In life, or at work?”

“Both.”

Mira chuckled. “I'm actually still on the fence about that.”

“What?” He stopped rubbing the lotion.

She laughed outright now. “About the work partnership, at least.”

“No, no, we
need
you at DARC Ops. After seeing what you can do? Jesus...” He joined in with her chuckle. “I mean, I'll pay you to stay home if you want to. I just can't have you working for my competitors. You're
that
dangerous.”

“I thought you were going to say valuable.”

“Same thing in my world.”

Mira tried not to think about her work situation. But this vacation would only last so long. Returning to her post at the Hart Senate Building would be impossible, even with Langhorne and Chuck gone. And doing that kind of work anywhere else seemed similarly impossible now. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to. How could she work in that environment again, without wondering what was going on behind closed doors?

“Well,” she said. “If they’d give you a rough time about cocoa butter, what would they say about me?”

“Nothing. They like you.”

“Yeah, but as your... partner?”

“Sure. I already told them about it.” Jackson finished up with the lotion, pulling his hands away.

“What?” asked Mira, trying to comprehend what he'd just said.

“Yeah, you're all set. Now who's gonna spread lotion on me? I guess I'll just do myself now? All by myself.” He laughed, squeezing the bottle until it made a loud splat. “Stop worrying, Mira. We’re on vacation.”

“Okay,” she said, turning her head to watch Jackson lubing up his chest with the lotion. He winked when he caught her looking. And then he bounced his pecs for her with a laugh.

Silly man. He was fun in and out of the bedroom. How they'd work together, professionally, was still anyone's guess. But maybe she could just trust him on that one.

He was definitely right about his ideas working out—especially the Rio de Janeiro getaway. After playing nurse for her father's week-long recovery, Mira's own recovery was long overdue. A psychological recovery. Jackson called it decompression. She called it chocolate strawberries with champagne for breakfast, multiple orgasms before noon, and Jackson working all the bad memories away until she was sore. Until the only sensible option was the beach.

Tanning. Teasing. Not reading her book.

It hardly mattered. Nor did it matter what she did for the rest of the day—just as long as it ended, like all her days thereafter, with Jackson.

A
huge thank
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hank
you to my ARC team, for all your support. You’re all amazing!

A
special thanks
also to Anette King and Kristine Piiparinen, for all that you do. You are both incredible ladies.

T
hank
you to Nicole Bays for naming Lashay. I hope you love her.

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, I’m Jamie. I live with my husband, two beautiful children and three cats. I loves to read almost as much as I loves to write, and can’t imagine anything better than getting to be an author and writing every day. There is at least one cat draped over the keyboard at all times.

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