Edge of Control: An Edge Security Novel (Edge Security Series Book 1) (18 page)

But she also remembered his other statement about wanting to do delicious things to her. She wondered what those things might be.

“Dani?”

She jumped. “Yes?”

His eyes held a slight twinkle, as if he liked making her nervous. “I asked if you were hungry.”

Yes
, she thought.
Hungry for you
. Her face reddened and she looked away, pulling her pack off and then grabbing the room-service menu. “Um, sure.”

The silence that followed pressured her to look at him, but she kept her head down and flipped the pages of the menu. Finally he moved away.

“I think I’ll have the chicken salad,” she said.

“How about I order while you use the shower first? The food should be here by the time you’re done.”

She nodded and escaped into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she left the bathroom refreshed and in control. She’d left her hair damp but combed, and trailing down the back of her t-shirt. She’d put her jeans back on. In her haste to pack, she hadn’t grabbed the boxers she usually slept in. She wasn’t planning on wearing her jeans to bed, but she wasn’t going to parade around in her thong either.

Jake sat on the bed, his back against the headboard while he watched hockey on TV. Spring meant the playoffs. “Do you follow hockey?” she asked.

Jake shrugged. “I love watching any sport. I don’t usually have a lot of time to watch TV though, so this is nice.”

She took a breath and casually sat on the far side of the bed, leaning back against the headboard like he had. He glanced at her once, but didn’t say anything. Watching the game lulled her and her muscles began to relax.

Someone knocked on the door. A pistol appeared in Jake’s hand and he checked who it was. He slid the weapon under his shirt before opening the door to the hotel waiter. After signing the check, he closed the door on the waiter and wheeled the cart to the table.

“What did you order?” she asked.

“Steak for myself,” he said, lifting the lid on the tray. He grinned. “They had
poutine
, so I ordered that as well, and a beer for you.” He handed her the beer and then started putting the food on the table.

“Come join me,” he said.

Dani hesitated only a moment before sitting across from him. He started on the steak and she pushed the
poutine
over to him after she saw him eyeing it. He smiled and started in on it too. She picked at the chicken salad, watching him eat, sipping the beer. He drank only water.

He rubbed his thigh under the table.

“Is your leg hurting you?”

His hand stopped rubbing. “It’s fine.” He continued eating and didn’t look at her. And suddenly she wanted to know more about the man sitting across from her. This warrior who put himself in danger regularly, who offered to put himself in danger for her.

“What happened to your leg?”

If she hadn’t been watching him so closely she wouldn’t have seen his hesitation.

“Bullet.”

“When?” Two could play at the monosyllabic game, she thought.

He sighed and sat back. “On a mission last year. I can’t tell you the details.”

He was so defensive that she couldn’t help probing more. “How long did it take for you to recover?”

His face tightened and he sawed at his steak. She thought he was going to ignore this question too, but he finally responded. “I’m still recovering. The docs don’t think I’ll gain full function back, but I’m proving them wrong.”

He didn’t look at her as he said this, so she decided to dig somewhere else. “Why’d you become a SEAL?”

Again he didn’t look at her. “Would you believe because I’m patriotic?”

“You’re not really open about your life, are you, Jake?”

He smirked and pointed at her. “Pot.” He pointed at himself. “Kettle. Black.”

She laughed. “Point for you.”

“Didn’t realize this was a competition.”

Her smile disappeared. “It’s not.” She ate a piece of chicken. It had a Thai peanut sauce that made her want to gobble the whole thing. “I’m just trying to get to know you better. You know, since we’re spending the night together.” Her face heated at what her words implied. She bent her head and concentrated on cutting up her chicken. She could feel the weight of his stare, but she refused to acknowledge it.

Finally he sighed. “I had just graduated college when I decided to join the Navy.”

“Which is why Rhys calls you College.”

He nodded.

“So, why’d you join the Navy? Why not a cushy job somewhere?”

He rolled his shoulders once and then looked at his plate, pushing a lonely bite of steak around. “One night I was walking my girlfriend home across campus, and we got mugged.”

Her eyebrows rose. Who’d be dumb enough to mug Jake? “Did you obliterate the guy?”

He looked away. “No…I let my fear control me. I handed over my money like I was told.”

She sat back. She just couldn’t picture it, some guy getting the jump on Jake. She could see the memory tore at him. “Did the guy have a knife?”

“A gun.” He ate the bite of steak, his shoulders hunched slightly. She watched him for a moment, thinking about a young man with no experience with violence being held at gunpoint.

“Had you ever even been in a fight before?”

“Some scrapes.”

She huffed a breath. “So you’re beating yourself up because you didn’t stop an armed assailant when you were untrained? I’ve dealt with drugged-up street thugs and they’re unpredictable and very scary. I’d say you were smart to hand over your money, or you wouldn’t be here protecting me right now.”

Jake’s gray eyes were dark. “That’s not what my girlfriend thought.”

“What?”

He sat back in his chair and she could see his jaw set. “She called me a coward, and said a real man wouldn’t just give in.” He took a deep breath and released it. “From that moment, I promised myself I’d never let fear rule me again. So I joined the Navy and then the Teams.”

She felt her eyebrows rise. “So you’ve never been scared since?”

He laughed. “No. I’m saying that even though I’ve been scared on missions, it doesn’t control me.”

Dani shook her head. “Well, I’m glad you joined the Navy and ended up here, but just so you know, your girlfriend was whacked. In that situation a ‘real man’ would be dead. Trust me,” she said.

Then she grinned to lighten the mood. “You didn’t date the smartest women back then, did you? Let me guess. Blonde with big boobs.”

His lips twisted, but his eyes twinkled. “You may be right.”

“I generally am,” she said, waving a forkful of chicken at him before plopping it in her mouth.

He huffed a small laugh, but didn’t reply. They ate in companionable silence for the rest of the meal. When he rubbed his thigh again, she couldn’t hold her curiosity back.

“So how long until you’re a SEAL again?”

He froze. “I’m still a SEAL.” His voice was a granite growl. “My leg is fine.”

She held up her hands. “I wasn’t asking about your leg. I was just wondering if you’ll be taking the job with E.D.G.E.”

He shed his anger like a dog shaking water from its coat. “No,” he said, turning back to his food. “I’m sorry. I belong with my team.”

She nodded her head, even though he didn’t see it. He was leaving soon, and for some reason she couldn’t speak, her throat too tight for words. She gulped at her beer to ease the constriction.

“No need to be sorry,” she said, pushing her plate away.

He stood up. “I’m gonna grab a shower,” he said. “Why don’t you head to bed? Don’t wait for me.”

He strode into the bathroom and shut the door. She slumped in her chair for a moment before straightening. Jake’s answer had been so quick, as though he’d never even considered the E.D.G.E. offer.

Too bad, he’d make a great operator.

He’d also make a great lover, but he obviously wasn’t interested. So she’d better just get some sleep.

She stripped off her jeans and got under the covers, but her skin felt too tight, so she left the game on to take her mind off things. The Oilers were kicking the Rangers’ butts.

“Who’s winning?” Jake’s voice came from the open bathroom door.

“The Oil—”
Holy crap
. Jake only wore a towel. It hung low on his hips, showcasing ridges of muscle that begged for her touch. A small trail of hair below his navel led her eyes down until it disappeared under the towel.

“Sorry,” he said, breaking her stare by moving past her. “I forgot my bag.” He grabbed a black duffel from the top of the desk and went back to the bathroom.

Dani’s breath left her body in a long, drawn-out exhale. “
Merde
, that was awkward,” she muttered. And it proved Jake didn’t see her as anything but a job, someone he’d been ordered to protect.

Okay, that was fine, she lied to herself. It was actually a good thing. Maybe the kiss at her place had been a complete mistake on his part. She didn’t need to make him feel any more awkward. So no more staring.

In fact, he might as well have the other half of this massive bed. It wasn’t as if they’d accidentally touch each other or anything.

Jake came back into the room wearing boxers and a black t-shirt. He opened the closet by the door and began taking the extra blanket and pillow out.

“Stop,” she said. “This bed is huge and it’s a tad ridiculous to make you sleep on the floor. Just take the other side.”

He froze and didn’t look at her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Look, I know I’ve been jumpy, but it’s okay.” She sighed. “I promise I won’t force myself on you.”

He faced her and the molten silver of his eyes took her breath away. “I’m not worried about
you
.” His deep voice tugged at things inside her.

She swallowed. The safe choice would be to look away, turn off the light, and let Jake sleep on the floor. She took a deep breath and swung her feet from under the covers to the floor. She’d been making the safe choice for years and look where it’d gotten her. No friends and no life. She was tired of safe.

She stood up.

He set the blanket and pillow on the bed, head turned as if he wanted to look away, but his eyes stayed glued on her. She smiled and moved toward him, feeling secure in herself for the first time that evening. She stopped when she was a foot from him.

“Dani?” he said. Barely restrained power emanated from him, almost physically brushing over her sensitive skin. She wanted more.

She pulled off her t-shirt and stood before him. Her body was toned and her breasts were high, if not overly large.

She arched a brow at him.

He tore off his t-shirt and threw it to the ground, reaching out and grabbing her to him. His mouth ground against hers and she reveled in it. Her hands wound around his neck, pulling him closer.

Her breasts rubbed against his chest, the small amount of hair there electrifying her as her nipples hardened. His tongue demanded entrance and she granted it, brimming with sensation as his hands roamed the skin of her back and pressed her hips against him. He was thick and long and very hard against her stomach.

The feel of his hot skin against her made her squeeze her legs together, even as she pressed herself closer, unable to stop herself from rubbing her breasts on his chest.

He groaned and his hand slid around a breast, lifting it and tugging the nipple until she gasped. Then he switched to the other one and her breath came short and sharp.

“Damn, you’re beautiful,” he said, his voice guttural. “I’ve been dreaming of this since I saw you fighting in the ring.”

He bent down and lifted her into his arms. She hung onto his neck as he walked around the bed and laid her on it, his gaze never leaving hers. “Are you sure, Dani?”

“More than anything.” It was true. She hadn’t wanted anything so much in a long time. She hadn’t allowed herself to want, to need, to desire, thinking that she was protecting herself. It was time to change.

She lifted her arms. “Come to me.”

He slid into bed and covered her with his exquisite weight as he settled between her legs. She lifted her hips instinctively.

“Impatient?” He smiled.

She lifted her hips again, this time in demand, rubbing against him as he sucked in a breath. She held his gaze. “Yes.”

His kiss ravaged her and she welcomed it, losing herself in the heat of her need. He pulled back. “The good things in life are worth waiting for.” Then he slid down her body, pausing at her breasts. “Gorgeous.” His mouth closed over one nipple and sucked hard. Her back arched and she cried out. Her breasts felt tight, seeming to swell from his touch. He laved the nipple and then switched to the other one. Her hands dug into his short hair, pressing him closer as she writhed beneath him.

“Time for more fun,” he said and he slid her black thong down her legs. He stared at her for a moment, his eyes silver with heat, and she shivered. He smiled slowly, like a man who had discovered an unexpected treasure, and kissed her navel. He trailed his lips lower, closer to the place she wanted him to be. Her body shivered with desire.

But he veered down her leg and kissed her inner thigh. She almost moaned her disappointment, but he pushed her legs open farther and moved between them. Her heart thundered and when he finally lowered his hot mouth, she arched and sighed.

His tongue was rough and wet, the contrast sending her thoughts scattering. He licked and nibbled, and then added his fingers to the mix. They swirled lower, circling her entrance. Her hips bucked against him uncontrollably. He suckled on her sensitive bud, while his finger swept through her wet folds and pressed into her. Her insides tightened, a vast pressure loomed.

“More,” she cried. “Please!”

He added a second finger and then pressed down with his tongue.

She screamed as the orgasm swept over her, tightening all her muscles as spasm after spasm rocked her, until eventually it released her, spent and limp.

She opened her eyes to see Jake had moved up her body and now smiled smugly at her. She let him be smug. He deserved it.

She smiled back. “Wow.”

“That’s only round one,” he said, kissing her neck and trailing his lips up toward her ear.

“I’m always up for another round,” she said, arching her neck and giving him access. He took it, nuzzling her skin and finding the place behind her ear that had her lower belly clenching.