Jaxon pumped his fist in the air as he read Aidan’s message. “Yes!” he said with jubilation.

The chiefs had unanimously agreed that he, Xavier and Eve could become full agents. Finally.

It also meant that Holly had been accepted as an IR initiate. Yes! Yes! Yes!

He’d actually passed initiation five months ago after he’d helped close the kidnapping case as well as round up all the members of Fleur’s syndicate. But he’d wanted to lend his weight to Holly’s request to become an IR agent, so he’d asked that she be accepted to their team first before he moved up to the next level. The chiefs had ordered his official graduation to be postponed until they’d made a determination regarding his request.

It had been a risky move. He hadn’t been sure if he’d be penalised for being more loyal to Holly than the IR.

But he simply didn’t want to hide anything from Holly. His IR work could be detrimental to their relationship if she didn’t know about it. So he was glad and relieved that the chiefs had agreed to his entreaty.

And they were going to celebrate.

He texted Xavier and Eve, asking them to come for lunch. Then he called Aidan.

“Jax.”

“Hey, time for us to see your face.”

Aidan chuckled. “Anytime, bro.”

“How about you join us for lunch today here at Avalon? I’ve invited Xavier and Eve. I know Holly’s only an initiate, but if you get to be the one to explain to her what it means to be an Indie Rebel, then she can meet you too, can’t she?”

“I thought you or Xave would do that.”

“You’re so much better at laying down the rules. She’s bound to take your words more seriously.”

Aidan laughed. “I guess I can make a case for that. Tell you what? If the chiefs approve for Holly to meet me, then I’ll turn up for lunch.”

“Great! I’m sure you can convince them.”

“I’ll try. See ya.”

“See ya.”

He went to the bathroom, where Holly was having a bath after their workout on the obstacle course in the backyard. “Hey, babe, I invited Xave and Eve for lunch. Hope that’s okay with you.”

Holly smiled delightedly. “Yes, of course.”

“I’ll go to the shops and grab some stuff for us to cook. Do you need anything else?”

Holly shook her head. “Thank you, honey. Hurry back, okay?”

He winked at her, deliberately not kissing her goodbye. It would be so easy to strip off his clothes and join her in that bath. So he hurried to the car instead.

Traffic was a bit heavy, and parking was atrocious at the shops. It took him more than an hour to buy what he needed and get back home.

“Hey,” Holly said when he arrived back. “What took you so long?”

He gave Holly a peck on the lips as he placed the grocery bags on the kitchen island. “Sorry. It was so hard to find parking.”

Holly curved her arms around his neck. “I missed you.”

He chuckled. Holly always got a little hot whenever she had a bubble bath.

“We have half an hour,” she murmured, pressing herself against him.

His body reacted swiftly. “Well, I suppose that’s enough time…”

Holly kissed him passionately, and he was lost. Seriously, this woman could turn him on with a touch. Did she know how much power she had over him?

He lifted her from the floor and carried her to the bedroom. With indecent haste, they undressed each other, their lips and hands roaming each other’s bodies with heated insistence. No sooner had they tumbled on to the bed that he was positioning his cock at her entrance. Then he was inside her, filling her, going in and out, panting harshly as he watched Holly’s face contort in rapture.

“Honey,” she moaned.

His hips pumped against hers over and over as he strived to make Holly feel the sheer pleasure she was giving him—and much more if he could manage it.

God, how this woman could make him feel.

“Ahh!” Holly cried out loud, her ecstasy reverberating through his own body.

He groaned out his release and marvelled once again at what this amazing woman could do to him.

“Wow,” he said as he kissed her neck. “We should have quickies more often.”

Holly giggled. “We didn’t even need fifteen minutes.”

“By the way, we might have an extra guest coming today.”

“Who?”

“He’s a friend of mine you haven’t met yet. We work together.”

“Okay. What’s his name, and how come you thought of inviting him today?”

“Um… it’s kind of a surprise for you.”

“Really?’

“Yeah. No more questions or you’ll ruin it. Let’s go prepare lunch.”

They took a quick shower, with Jaxon refusing to give in to Holly’s pleas to give her clues about his surprise. He did make love to her again, and that distracted Holly from her line of questioning.

They’d had to hurry with lunch, though. They were still in the middle of preparations when Xavier and Eve arrived, bringing dessert and wine.

Jaxon checked his phone for a message from Aidan. Nothing.

Aw, it would be a shame if Aidan couldn’t join them today.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again.

He went to answer it and his eyes rounded. “Bro! What are you doing here?”

Bryce grinned. “Someone said you’re having a lunch party. How come you didn’t invite me?”

“Um… who told you?”

“This guy.” Bryce pointed to a good-looking man about their age walking up the stairs.

Jaxon frowned. “Aidan?”

Aidan grinned. “Hey.”

Jaxon laughed, man-hugging Aidan tight. “Good to meet you. And… Bryce… He’s an IR too?”

“He wouldn’t be here otherwise, would he?” Aidan quipped.

“You weren’t expecting that, huh?” Bryce said.

Jaxon looked at his brother in disbelief. “Wow. I’m so glad. Come on in and tell us about it. The others would be shocked.”

They walked to the dining area, where Holly, Eve and Xavier were setting the table. The three greeted Bryce gleefully, although Xavier and Eve exchanged surprised looks.

“And this guy’s our guest of honour,” Jaxon said, placing an arm around Aidan’s shoulders. “The best mentor anyone could have. Aidan Radcliffe.”

“Aidan!” Eve threw her arms around Aidan.

“Finally, bro,” Xavier said, also hugging their mentor. “But wait…” He pointed at Bryce.

“Already one of you, I’m happy to say,” Bryce said, to the delight of the couple. “Imagine my shock when Aidan told me that you guys had been working against me. But I must say, I’m very glad things happened as they did.”

“I’ve never been more relieved when I got Bryce’s message back then,” Aidan said.

“Aidan?” Holly said in an almost whisper. “Aidan from the Indie Rebels?”

“Yes. Great to meet you, Holly.” Aidan kissed her on the cheek.

Holly gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She turned to Eve and Xavier. “I knew you guys were Indie Rebels. I just knew it! But you…” She narrowed her eyes at Jaxon. “You’ve already been accepted? Before me?”

Jaxon smiled. “I’ve been an Indie Rebel for a while now, babe, even before Xavier and Eve. I just couldn’t tell you before.”

Holly blinked, clearly shocked.

“He’s been campaigning to get you in the team,” Aidan said. “He’s even asked not to be moved up to becoming a full agent until you’ve been accepted.”

Holly took a few seconds before her face broke into a grin. “I’m in?”

“Yes, you’re in. And the chiefs have given permission for you to know about the five of us being IRs, even if you’re just an initiate. Considering your relationship with these four, it’s justified.”

“Thank you so much, Aidan,” Holly said before looking at Jaxon with narrowed eyes. “You were already working with them to protect me from the kidnappers?”

Jaxon nodded.

“We’ll talk about that later, Mister.”

He gave her a hug. “Aidan will explain to you why I—we—had to keep this from you.” Then he turned to Bryce. “I still can’t believe I didn’t figure out you’re an IR too, bro.”

Bryce grinned. “I became one after I called them for help five months ago. Tell you what, I’m still only an initiate, but this sure beats being in Fleur’s syndicate.”

Everyone laughed.

Holly encouraged everyone to sit around the dining table and start eating.

“Holly,” Aidan said as he scooped food on his plate. “There are important things you need to know.” He rattled off the Indie Rebels’ rules.

Jaxon watched Holly’s face, searching for signs of apprehension. Thankfully, he didn’t see any.

Holly took a deep breath when Aidan finished talking. “Yes. I accept. Thank you. So I need to do assignments, so I can pay back in kind what the IR has done for me?”

“No,” Aidan said. “You didn’t ask for our help. We took the kidnapping case because Xavier asked us to look into your new bodyguard. And because it’s Bryce, this became Jaxon’s case as well. Then it became Bryce’s too when he contacted us the night of your kidnapping. So they’re the ones paying in kind. As for you, you can just be an inactive IR. You’re bound by the rules, but don’t need to do assignments.”

“What if I want to help?”

“You can. Then you’ll have the opportunity to become a full agent at a later time.”

Holly smiled. “Then I’d love to help when I can.”

Jaxon let in a deep, slow breath, concern for Holly immediately hitting him. But Holly was tough and smart. She could handle it. Plus, he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“By the way, Bryce,” Aidan said. “I have a new assignment for you.”

Bryce grinned, rubbing his hands. “Tell me.”

Aidan pulled out his wallet and took out a printed photo. He put it on the table in front of Bryce.

“Hey, I know this woman,” Bryce said. “I met her at the Whitsundays. Her name’s Emma.”

“That’s right. She’s the daughter of a man believed to be the head of a criminal gang keen on taking us down.”

Bryce’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”

“Yes. We don’t think they’ve found cracks in our security that they could slide into, but the chiefs are worried they might be getting too close for comfort. So we want to strike them out first. We’re aware that they knew you as a member of Fleur’s syndicate, plus you’ve had a connection with Emma in the past. You’re the best agent to infiltrate them.”

Jaxon raised his brow at Bryce. “What kind of connection did you have with her?”

“Uh…” Bryce shook his head as if to clear it. “We had a one-night stand.”

“Oh.

“Any feelings?” Aidan asked.

Bryce snickered. “Nah. That was two years ago.”

Aidan nodded. “We’ll discuss this more later. Right now… I thought we’re having a party.”

“Yes,” Jaxon said. “Cheers, everyone!”

They clinked glasses and devoured the food.

A couple of hours later, Jaxon took Holly to the balcony and sat her on his lap.

“Are you really okay being an Indie Rebel?” he asked.

Holly nodded. “Thank you for making it possible.”

“I don’t want to hide anything from you.”

“I’m glad. And now that I’m an IR, I have to get stronger and fitter. You have to train me on Obstacle H until I’m excellent at it.”

He frowned. “Obstacle H?”

“Yes. That one.” She pointed to the obstacle course in his backyard.

He snickered. “Since I approved the design, I think it should be called Obstacle J.”

“Well, I’m the one who uses it a lot. You still like training on Obstacle X more than this one.”

“Because Xavier beat my time again. You know how we are. Always competing on that course.”

“See? So we should leave this one as Obstacle H. Also…”

“What?”

“I’ve just given a magazine interview about how I keep fit, and I’d already called it Obstacle H there,” Holly said sheepishly. “I’ve also sent them a couple of pictures of me on it that they can use.”

He laughed, and a bright idea popped into his head. Holly had just created the perfect timing for something he’d been trying to plan for days.

“Tell you what?” he said, nuzzling her cheek. “We can keep the name Obstacle H forever if you agree on one thing.”

“What?”

“Marry me.”

Holly pulled back, eyes wide in shock. She stared at him for the longest time.

Damn it, maybe this was the wrong move. It was just that he’d been racking his brain for where and how he’d propose to her, and nothing had inspired him except the thought that he’d need to do it when they were alone, given Holly’s public profile. Still, he should have prepared for this rather than going off-the-cuff.

Finally, Holly blinked and stood, crossing her arms.

His heart stopped. Fuck, she was going to say no.

He gulped, his eyes misting. God, he couldn’t breathe. His chest was suddenly too tight.

“That wasn’t a real proposal, was it?” Holly asked in a disappointed tone.

“What do you mean?” he croaked.

“You’re just mucking around,” Holly said with a sad pout. “You didn’t really mean it, did you?”

His jaw dropped, then laughter bubbled out of him from sheer relief. What a moron he was for not giving her the romantic proposal she deserved.

He stood and took her hand. “Come with me.”

“Where?”

“Inside.”

Holly frowned but went with him to the lounge room.

“Hey,” Eve said. “We’re just about to play Monopoly. You guys joining us?”

“Sure,” Jaxon said. “Let me bring out more wine.”

He rushed to the apartment downstairs and opened the kitchen cupboard containing non-essential stuff. He reached for the little box he’d hidden at the back and checked its contents before putting it in his pocket. Then he took a bottle of champagne from the fridge. Good thing he’d thought of readying one, just in case. He hadn’t planned for today to be the day, but he was excited now—and still fucking nervous.

He went back upstairs and noticed Holly’s pensive expression as she sat with the others around the dining table. Oh, no. He better get this done quickly.

“Champagne!” Aidan said, spotting the bottle in his hand. “What else are you hiding downstairs?”

He chuckled. “I thought we might enjoy this today since it’s a special day.”

“What’s so special about today?” Holly muttered, not looking at him.

He placed the bottle on the table, his heart hammering in his chest. Then he lifted Holly’s chair—with her on it—so that she was facing him.

“What are you doing?” Holly shrieked in surprise.

He set her down and pulled out the box from his pocket. Then he got down on one knee.

Holly let out an audible gasp, while the others fell silent.

“Baby, I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you,” he started a tad shakily, opening the box and presenting it to her. “You’re the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you so very much. Will you marry me?”

“You got a ring,” Holly said with a sniff.

“Yes. Do you like it?”

She dabbed the corners of her eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

Suddenly, Jaxon was unsure again. Why hasn’t she said yes yet? “So, will you marry me?” he repeated, fear starting to take over. God, this was more nerve-racking than anything he’d ever faced.

Holly wiped more tears from her face before sending him the brightest, happiest, most loving smile he’d ever seen. “Yes,” she said clearly.

And he could breathe again.

He kissed her passionately as everyone clapped and cheered around them.

“I was so sad,” Holly whispered against his lips.

“Sorry, babe. I should have planned a more romantic one.”

“No! This is perfect,” Holly said between kisses. “When you said we were joining the game and you went downstairs to get wine, I thought for sure you didn’t mean it.”

“Of course I did. I wouldn’t have even brought it up if I didn’t.”

Holly pulled away, and his breath hitched at the sheer happiness on her face.

“Can I have my ring now?” she asked.

Grinning, he placed it on her finger.

“I love it so much,” Holly said, holding up her hand for a better view. Then she looked at him. “And I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” he breathed, pulling her closer for another kiss.

“You’re not gonna kick us out yet, are you?” Xavier asked dryly.

“We do want to play Monopoly,” Eve quipped.

“And we’re thirsty for this champers,” Aidan said, making to shake the bottle.

“Don’t!” they all exclaimed.

Bryce grabbed the picture of Emma from the table. He stared at it for a long moment, before putting it in his pocket.

Jaxon narrowed his eyes. What did that look mean? He shook his head. So what if Bryce thought the woman was attractive? The important thing was that Bryce did his job as an IR well, and he’d be on hand to help his brother go through the initiation phase.

Aidan popped the cork and started pouring the bubbly in glasses.

Holly curved her arms around his waist. “Are you ready to tell the public we’re engaged?”

He kissed her forehead. “Since I don’t want you taking that ring off, yes, I’m ready. Are you?”

She grinned at him. “Yes. Everyone will be so shocked when I start walking around wearing an engagement ring.”

He laughed. Frankly, he was looking forward to reading the news articles.

“I can’t wait to tell the world you’ll be my wife,” he declared.

Holly sighed blissfully, and he vowed to keep her happy for the rest of their lives.

Thank you for reading!

Bryce and Emma’s story is next on Bryce: The Project.

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Want to read the story of the owner of Alexander Jets—the private jet service mentioned in Chapter 19 of Jaxon: The Assignment?

Simon Alexander stars in This steamy, fun and heart-melting novel can be read as a standalone.

He is tired of being a gold-digger magnet.

Simon Alexander, the CEO of a private jet service, is ready to lose his Mile-High-Playboy image. Keen to break the cycle of attracting gold-diggers and being rejected by decent women because of his reputation, he pretends to be Simon James, a freelance chauffeur. When he meets the beautiful Geri Blaine, his new boss’s personal assistant, he believes he’s finally met the right type of woman. But will Geri stick around when he comes clean about his real identity?

 

She has no choice but to keep the money that’s not hers.

Geri Blaine’s job as a personal assistant and travel companion of a wealthy seventy-two-year-old lady is perfect for her. Needing to hide from a ruthless ex-convict who is after her sister’s money, travelling constantly with her employer was an ideal situation. She quickly finds herself falling for Simon James, their new chauffeur. But what will Simon think of her when he discovers that she’s on the run with the money her sister accuses her of stealing?

---

Turn the page to read Chapter One of The Unmasked CEO.