At that moment, one of the main reasons for his piss-poor mood tapped him on the shoulder.
“Come on, T-800,” Party Girl said from behind him. “The photographer wants a picture of Jonah with his godparents. I tried to convince him that the godfather is not really photogenic and might break the camera with his growls and shitty disposition, but he wants to risk it, professional that he is.”
Without waiting for a response, she briskly walked away.
James clapped him on the back. “As I said, the good things in life.”
“T-800?” That was a new one.
“Infiltration unit. Model 101, series 800,” James whispered. Then, probably realizing that meant nothing to Jack, added, “The dumbest of all terminators?”
It figured.
He’d been told many times he came across as threatening and unapproachable, that everyone was intimidated by him. He liked it that way. The less human interaction, the better. But for some surreal reason, “everyone” didn’t include her.
He hadn’t known Elle was the godmother although he should have imagined James would pull a stunt like this. Not that Jonah was unlucky to have her in his corner. On the contrary; she was fierce and protective. Damn abrasive and infuriating, also. And yet when he closed his eyes, she was the only woman his mind invariably conjured up.
“Come on,” she called, turning around and wiggling her index finger at him. “Keep up.”
Right.
He followed her, trying very hard but failing not to notice her hourglass figure and the hypnotic sway of her hips. That gorgeous ass. The way her long, glossy dark hair seemed to float down her back. And that smell. Fuck, that smell always shot straight to his cock, never mind how inappropriate the moment was.
The photographer wanted several pictures of them in different locations, but Jonah took pity on Jack and decided to start fussing, so the ordeal was cut short, ending while they were sitting on the porch swing. He would have stood up and left if he could have, but his legs weren’t obeying him. Besides, the way out of there was through a horde of giggling, happy people, all nice and friendly. Oblivious to the darkness in the world. Wanting to know why he looked so gloomy and trying to cheer him up.
With Elle cooing at him, Jonah calmed down pretty fast, and Jack found himself staring at both of them. He never felt disconnected or like an outsider while being around Elle. He was pissed at himself and bothered beyond belief, and amused and aggrieved all at the same time, but never disconnected.
She turned to him, smiled, and he got the full impact, like a eighteen-wheeler slamming against his chest. Olive skin. Delicate features; sultry, extremely kissable lips. Killer body. Too bad every inch of her radiated that belligerent disposition of hers, the one that made his cock so fucking hard he couldn’t breathe. He’d hoped her effect on him would have worn off, but no dice. She was even more beautiful, which should have been impossible, because she was stunning to begin with.
He could still remember the first time he’d seen her, at Rosita’s. She’d looked at him with her black eyes full of attitude, and the world had tilted on its axis. He’d tried to realign it, but so far he’d had no luck whatsoever. With her around, everything was a mess—which he hated—but without her nothing felt right. Go figure.
“So you finally resurfaced. You sticking around, or is this just another of your quickies?”
He all but choked. “What?”
“In and out in a flash. Now we see you, now we don’t, like Max’s wedding.”
Max’s wedding, another of his lapses in judgment a bit over a month ago. He’d flown into Boston and then driven for two hours to make sure he didn’t have a tail, arriving just in time to see the couple walk down the aisle.
Going there had been his first mistake. Allowing Elle to touch him had been his second, and even far more dangerous. Standing there, silently holding hands, had been the most peaceful he’d felt for months.
Whatever Elle had seen in his eyes must have been pretty bad, because she hadn’t said anything, but after that she’d started writing to him daily and sending him more pictures than ever.
“Done. For the most part.” Infiltrating the illegal arms trade to uncover the source of weapons flowing to scumbags all over the world had been gruesome. They managed to close down several routes without getting his cover blown, but there were always loose ends to be tied up.
“Where were you?” He didn’t answer but she didn’t seem to take it personally. “Got it. State secret.” She gave him a once-over, and without allowing him time to react, brushed his beard with her fingertips, the unexpected caress sending a jolt through his body and zapping his brain. “You look different. Scruffy. I like it.”
Jack pulled away and ran his hand through his shaggy hair, trying not to think about how good her touch had felt. “Don’t get used to it.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said with a laugh.