CHAPTER 4
The dim gray tint of dawn filtered through the blackout curtain covering the window in the suite’s bedroom.
After years in the military of snapping awake and being ready for action, even that dusky light was enough to break into Jimmy’s sex-induced sleep coma.
He came quickly back to consciousness and became aware of the warm, naked body pressed against him.
Memories of a long night of incredible sex flooded his mind and body.
True to form, one part of him in particular was ready for some action. He pressed his pelvis against the soft cleft of Lia’s ass and let out a groan. There was no better way to wake up than with some nice, easy morning sex.
Lia apparently agreed with that sentiment. With a soft sigh, she snuggled closer. Giving his hard-on better access to her, she bent one knee before pushing back against him so just the tip of his morning erection entered her.
He basked in the incredible feel of her warmth and longed for more.
Before things went any further, he slipped out of Lia and into one of the condoms he’d left within reach on the nightstand last night. He rolled back to her waiting body and slid easily inside.
She purred out a groan—a soft, sleepy, contented sound. He liked that about her. She was a hellcat one moment and a kitten the next. A man would never get bored of a woman like that.
Knowing he wouldn’t last long, Jimmy reached around, found Lia’s sweet spot and began working it. Her muscles tightened around him and brought his impending orgasm dangerously close.
He clenched his teeth and held back with all his might when he felt himself losing control, but it was no use.
Clutching her close to him, he gave in. With no choice in the matter, he let loose, sorry he hadn’t lasted longer for her sake.
“I’m sorry, darlin’. Mornings tend to be quick for me.”
Lia groaned and rolled toward him. “That’s okay. You have all day to make it up to me. Unless you have to work later.”
“Work. Shit.” Jimmy’s gaze cut to the digital clock on the nightstand on Lia’s side of the bed. He mouthed another cuss. “I’m more sorry than you can know, but I have to shower quick and get out of here.”
She cocked one brow high. “Why? Is your girlfriend expecting you?”
Jimmy laughed as he sat up and swung his feet to the carpeting. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I wouldn’t be here with you if I did. It’s my boss.”
She frowned. “Do you have to serve at a morning event? Like a breakfast or something?”
Getting pretty damn tired of the waiter crap, Jimmy shook his head. “No. I’ve got a zero-eight—um, an eight o’clock meeting.”
After all the years he’d spent referring to the time by a twenty-four-hour clock, the very military sounding zero-eight-hundred had nearly slipped out of him.
Leaving her to ponder that, he strode naked into the bathroom and flipped on the water. He had just stepped into the shower and was about to soap up Little Jimmy, who he’d already divested of his latex covering, when the bathroom door opened.
Jimmy felt the cool burst of air hit his skin as Lia slid open the sliding glass door. As naked as he, she stepped inside with a devilish smile. “I thought if you’re in such a hurry, I’d help you wash. It’ll go faster that way.”
He seriously doubted that, but after she closed her fingers around him and delivered a few strokes, good sense fled and time lost all meaning.
When she rinsed the soap from his skin, bent over and took him in her mouth, he couldn’t care where he was supposed to be or who was waiting for him there.
An hour later, dressed in the same black waiter’s pants and white shirt he’d worn on the mission, Jimmy burst through the door of the meeting room with barely a minute to spare.
He hadn’t had time to go home and change and his hair was still damp from his shower with Lia, but he was there. That would have to be good enough.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he knocked on the commander’s closed door.
“Get your ass in here, Gordon.”
It wasn’t exactly a warm welcome, but Jimmy had no problem hearing the commander within the inner office.
He opened the door and slipped into the room.
Standing in front of the commander’s cluttered desk, he tried to look contrite and waited for the ax to fall.
After what seemed like a long time, during which the commander shuffled papers and ignored him, he finally told Jimmy, none too nicely, to sit the hell down.
He had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a fun meeting.
Even so, in spite of the fact he’d only gotten maybe a couple of hours of sleep in between bouts with Lia, Jimmy was in such a good mood that even the commander’s scowl and unhappy tone couldn’t break it.
“Of all the men on this team, you were the last one I expected to . . .”
Jimmy tried to pay attention as the commander laid into him, but his mind kept drifting back to the suite and thoughts of Lia. His little hellcat.
It hadn’t taken her long to lose the attitude and soften toward him. By the morning, she’d been as cuddly as a kitten when he’d woken up beside her.
While the lecture droned on, Jimmy’s mind wandered back to the many times he and Lia had enjoyed that big king-sized bed, and then later the shower.
Mmm. He’d really liked the shower. Her body all soapy. Her hands and mouth all over him. His hands all over her.
Beneath that hot spray of water while they were both slick with soap, she’d even told him to slide in for a little backdoor action.
A tingle ran straight down his spine at the memory. That had been the only time she’d broken his rule and told him what to do, but he hadn’t minded following that order one bit. Not at all.
Jimmy wrestled his attention back to the commander before he embarrassed himself and got a hard-on right there in the office.
The commander stood and started pacing the room while he ranted. That wasn’t a good sign.
“. . . in fact, after last night it would serve you right if I pulled you off this assignment.”
Assignment. Shit. What assignment? Had he missed something during his daydreaming?
The commander had stopped the deluge of words and stood staring at Jimmy, so he decided this was a good time to make amends.
“Yes, sir. I apologize. It will never happen again.”
Groveling out of the way, Jimmy hoped the commander would get back to the assignment and tell him what it was.
The commander scowled at him for another moment, sighed and then sat down behind his desk, which felt like an improvement over the pacing. Things were looking up.
“You’re aware of the target CENTCOM has been tracking in Kosovo?”
Jimmy’s heart pounded. He suddenly had no trouble keeping his tired eyes wide open or his attention completely on the commander’s words. “Yes, sir.”
“We’re ready to move on him. You’re going in deep undercover, Gordon.”
His dream assignment. Deep undercover inside a terrorist’s organization. Holy shit.
“You leave tomorrow. Here’s the dossier. Memorize it then destroy it. Basically, you’re an American who’s been recruited by the target’s organization.”
Jimmy nodded, too excited to even speak.
The commander continued, “Coleman’s been setting your cover up online for months. The team will know what your assignment is, but no one else. Communications will be minimal and only when necessary. You got me? Call your mama to say goodbye, but tell her you’ll be training new recruits overseas for the next few months or so and won’t have time to write or access to a phone. The same story goes for whoever the girl du jour is from last night. Now get out of here.”
“Yes, sir. And thank you.”
The assignment was what he’d been preparing for for years. But along with the excitement, Jimmy felt a tinge of regret deep down.
Lia’s cell phone number was safely folded in his wallet. He’d been toying with the idea of calling her later today.
Who was he kidding? Even if he wasn’t going to be playing with the bad guys in Kosovo for an indeterminate amount of time, he knew what last night had been about.
She was just some spoiled society chick getting her jollies diddling with the help. If anything, he’d been the boy toy du jour more than the other way around.
But she sure would give him plenty to think about on those long, lonely nights to come. For that, he was immensely grateful.
The meeting over, Jimmy was dismissed. Walking, actually nearly sprinting down the hall, Jimmy realized he was whistling.
He couldn’t wait to tell Jack he’d landed the assignment. His brother was going to be so jealous.