"I want you."
"Really? Well, it's good to want things."
"And you want me, too."
"Maybe so. But you've made it perfectly clear, Weber. I'm not an idiot."
"I never said you were."
"You had your chance and you turned me down flat. I don't need rejection twice in the same night, thank you very much."
Did she ever take a breath? "Turner."
"Can it. If you want a shower that bad, make it a cold shower, Spyman. Because this fish ain't biting." Her gaze drifted down to his groin, making him swell and push against the restraint of his pants. Then she made a whimpering sound again.
Goddamn if that noise didn't cause his insides to spin, him to grow to an unbelievably painful hardness.
"JT."
"No."
Dan didn't know if she said it aloud to convince him. Or her. She bent over and wrapped her hair up in the towel, tucked the end in the back. "It's obvious we're attracted to each other."
She kept her head down, hiding her expression behind the towel turban. "We don't need to act on it."
His lip curled into a grin. But he did want to act on it. He wanted to explore her with his hands, his mouth, inch by inch, until she writhed and whimpered. Only then would he take her ripe clit into his mouth and tease her until she cried out. But he wouldn't stop at just one. No, he'd want her to come for him. Over and over. Until they both passed out.
Which, judging by the day thus far, wouldn't take long.
He folded his arms and leaned up against the wall. "We're both adults."
She straightened and stepped out into the room. She'd changed into a dark long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Her nipples stood taut against the tight material, and he knew they had to be aching for his touch.
He knew he ached to touch them, to taste them.
Get a hold of yourself, Weber . They couldn't act on their attraction. Not only was it a bad idea, neither one were in any shape to take on anything physical. And oh how we wanted to get physical with her.
"How's the shoulder?"
JT glanced at it as if she'd be able to see the wound through her sleeve. With a slight shrug, she brought her attention back to him. "I'll live. I planned to use a couple butterfly bandages to close it up, but it's too late. It's already started to scab over, so I just slapped a bandage over it."
Good. Keep her talking about something other than them together. He needed to keep his mind off of his undeniable need for her. "Do you want me to take a look at it?"
That would require her to remove her shirt. He'd start with examining her wound, then move on to other things.
Son-of-a-bitch. So much for keeping his mind free.
"No need. I'm a big girl. I know how to apply a bandage."
Oh, you are so much more than a big girl. You, JT Turner, are all woman.
Clearing his throat, he brought his gaze down to the floor and blew out a deep breath. They were treading in dangerous waters. After what happened today, and until he could get to the bottom of how JT had gotten tangled up with Jason Peck, he needed to keep his mind clear.
His mission hadn't changed, only the players. He was told to bring in the mole. Jason Peck was the mole, just as Dan had suspected. In his book, that gave him NASSD's blessing to find the little prick and bring him in. Or snap his neck. Whatever.
Keeping his mind on anything other than JT was impossible with her around. He needed to go at this alone. If they crossed that line now, she'd never understand. Hell, he didn't know if he understood.
It couldn't happen. It shouldn't happen. They were both NASSD. They were on assignment. Sort of. And consorting with coworkers never worked out.
She had somehow made her way over to him without his knowledge. Dan cursed inwardly. He was too busy thinking about her, and about them together, to notice. A mistake like that could get them both killed.
Which proved his point. He'd contact Donovan in the morning and have him take JT off his hands while he went after Peck. The farther apart they were, the more he could concentrate on finding Jason Peck and ripping out his spine. If he actually had one.
Now what to do until the morning? He stole a glance toward her bedroom. Whoever ransacked her apartment left the mattress on the bed. It would be morning before Peck realized they didn't die jumping off the pier. They could stay here tonight and get a good night's sleep.
Riiight . Sleep.
He kept his eyes on her as she stopped in front of him. Careful to keep his gaze above the neck, he studied her face before resting it on one of her ears.
They were pierced.
If he needed any more convincing, that did it. The woman in the surveillance photo didn't have pierced ears. JT did. And thank God she did. It could be the one thing to save her should Donovan bring her up on charges for going AWOL.
"Dan?" Her sultry voice pulled his attention back to her eyes. With her good arm, she lifted her hand and touched his cheek. It sent jolts of energy straight through this heart.
Dan tightened his arms in front of him in response. He'd just made up his mind, damn it. They weren't going to cohabitate. Period. Nothing she could—why was she looking at him like that again?
No. Not going to happen. Her touch didn't feel warm, it didn't feel like a million gallons of emotions washing over the dam surrounding his heart. The look in her eyes didn't make him want to pull her into his arms, to taste the recesses of her mouth. The smell of her skin didn't make him hard in response, his want for her driving away any other rational thought.
Her thumb moved slightly, brushing across his cheek, her eyes never leaving his. His jaw clenched. He swallowed. She took another step toward him, stopping when his crossed arms in front of him kept her from closing in.
Gently, she took her hand and placed it on his forearm, easily moving his arms down to his side. She took another step so that her breasts pushed up against his chest. Ah, Jesus. He could feel her nipples poking him.
"Are you going to turn me down again?" Licking her lips, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Although she tried to hide it, he could see the motion hurt.
Tell me about it. He shifted to try and ease the uncomfortable pressure in his groin.
"I told you I wanted you." Dan responded by throwing out all reason and bringing his hands around her waist, resting them on the small of her back. He pulled her to him, holding her close. She smelled great. The apple blossoms were in full bloom.
She lifted her chin to ready her lips for the taking. "You know, some say near death experiences send surges of pheromones through the human body."
"You don't say." He closed in, barely brushing his lips across hers. He could smell her breath. Toothpaste. She'd brushed her teeth. He licked his teeth, wishing he'd had the chance to at least wash the taste of Elliot Bay out of his mouth.
"And this issue of you wanting me could be because we were almost killed tonight." Her lips tickled his as she spoke, watching her plump lips move as she talked. It was too much for him to resist.
"Hmm." He lowered his lips to hers and tasted her. Incredible. She tasted better than she smelled. Honey. No, sweeter than honey. It made his entire body surge in his want, his need for her. After exploring the edge of her mouth with the tip of his tongue, he parted her lips and really kissed her.
She whimpered, which drove Dan over the edge. He moved his tongue with hers, devouring her, consuming her. Their lips melted together in the heat of their kiss. His lips left hers to nibble on the tender spot behind her earlobe. He licked and circled the lobe, teasing and flicking his tongue around, gently brushing the tip of it into the warm, tiny crevasse.
When he found her lips again, she whimpered into his mouth. Damn how he loved that sound. Hated that sound. Wanted her to make that sound again. He kissed her hungrily, wanting to take in every sense of her. She eagerly met his kisses, tangoed her tongue with his. God, she was delicious. His dick responded by twitching and aching to be released. He reached down to finally take one of her p
erfect breasts into his hand.
"Oh, sorry!"
Dan jerked and had the gun out of the back of his pants and in his hand before he knew who spoke. In a split second he had it cocked, his finger resting on the trigger. His nerves were at attention, not to mention other things, his breathing erratic. Holy shit. Who the hell was this guy?
A little Chinese man stood in the doorway holding two brown bags. His eyes were on the gun in Dan's hands, pointing right at him.
"I knock, but no answer. You always say if door open, come in." He eyed the gun again. "Is bad time?"
"No! That's Mr. Wong." JT jumped in front of the gun, eased it down. She met Dan's eyes, tried to get him to focus on her. But he couldn't focus. He couldn't breathe. His mind still reeled from their near sex experience.
He cursed and turned away. "Sorry. I thought—" He stopped. It didn't matter what he thought. He'd almost shot JT's neighbor. Christ. What the hell happened to the Man-of-Steel façade he'd perfected for so many years? Nothing could rattle him.
Damn this woman for making him lower his guard. Lower? Hell, his guard took a hike the minute JT entered that motor home. Along with his sanity.
No way he'd be able to focus on his assignment with JT Turner around. Their attraction grew stronger by the minute. He thought kissing her would lessen his want. Dumbass. He wanted her more now than ever. Replacing the gun in the back of his pants in his belt, Dan took several steps back until he rested against the far wall.
Jesus Christ. He almost took out an innocent. Slowing his breathing, he gave Mr. Wong a sideways glance when he spoke.
"What happen here? You have big party?" He looked carefully at Dan, sizing him up. It almost made Dan laugh when the little old man took a protective step toward JT. Oddly, it made him respect the little man.
JT managed a slight smile, though the look she just shot Dan told a different story. She knew how close he'd come to pulling that trigger. Her hand rubbed at her wound. No doubt his sudden movement to pull out the gun jerked her arm. Her shoulders lifted and lowered along with her deep breaths. From the look in her eyes, the color growing in her cheeks, she was expecting an explanation after Mr. Wong left.
Swell.
"No, not a party," JT answered.
"Oh. Funny. Men come here today. Make lots of noise. I tell Mrs. Wong, JT having big party."
JT and Dan exchanged looks.
"Men?" Dan stepped forward. Mr. Wong took a step back in retreat. With his hands up, Dan slowed his approach. "It's okay."
Mr. Wong looked to JT for reassurance. She nodded. Only then did he let out a breath and nod at Dan. "Four men. Three inside, one wait outside."
Dan stored that in his mental databank. He took a breath to say something, but stopped when he smelled something wonderful. His mouth started to water. "What's in the bags, Mr. Wong?"
He smiled sheepishly as he glanced back and forth between JT and Dan. With a bow, he held out the bags in his hands. "For you and your man. Good food. Mrs. Wong make your favorite."
Her man? Goddamn if he didn't like the sound of that.
JT accepted the bags. "Domo arigato, Mr. Wong. I'm starving. Tell Mrs. Wong thank you as well."
"Always to take care of you, JT. You need something, you come see us. We always home." He bowed.
Dan hid his smile. Domo arigato? Mr. Wong wasn't Japanese. But he didn't say anything, probably didn't want to hurt her feelings. Clearly, this man thought of JT like a daughter. His affection for her shone in his eyes.
"Mr. Wong, did you get a good look at any of those men?" JT asked as she unloaded the bags on the nearby dining table.
"Very good look of one outside."
Dan jumped in. "Was the guy short, fat, bald?"
Mr. Wong frowned. "No. Tall." He held his hand over his head to show Dan how tall. "Black hair too long for man. Big scar." Using his finger, he traced a line from his chin, up and across his eye. "Like that."
JT and Dan locked gazes. "Peck," he told her.
She stopped unloading the food. "You know him?"
"Oh, I know him. Unfortunately, now so do you. And he knows it. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we'll see Jason Peck—" He looked at Mr. Wong. He didn't know Mr. Wong. He looked harmless enough, but then again Dan wasn't exactly the best judge of character.
"I must go." Mr. Wong picked up on Dan's hesitation, bowed and stepped back. "You eat now. Come down if you need anything."
"Xie xie, wong xian sheng," Dan thanked him. Mr. Wong smiled warmly. No doubt he appreciated Dan being able to speak his native tongue, not to mention being able to tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese, even if JT couldn't.
"Bie ke qi. Ni gui xing?"
Should he give him his real name? Dan thought about that. He didn't know Mr. Wong, didn't know if the man really owned the restaurant below JT's apartment.
"Alright, Weber. What are you two saying?"
Dan looked at JT. So much for keeping his name a secret. She'd already called him Dan earlier. By calling him by his last name, she'd just given Mr. Wong everything he needed to track him if he really did work for another agency.
"Dan Weber." Dan bowed, and Mr. Wong bowed in return. JT made one of her little noises Dan was really starting to grow fond of. Which irritated the hell out of him.
"Jian dao ni hen gao xing."
"It's nice to meet you, too," Dan greeted in return. JT had since crossed her arms and stood waiting over by the table. Dan glanced back after feeling the heat from her glare on his neck. "We'd better eat."
"Yes. Eat. Dan Weber, you watch JT. Keep her safe. I go now." He bowed and closed the door behind him. Dan lingered over by the door, not ready to face whatever wrath JT had ready for him for almost shooting Mr. Wong.
"You speak Japanese?" She asked and dug into a bowl of rice and chicken.
"Yes. But that wasn't Japanese, it was Chinese."
She stopped mid-chew. "Mr. Wong isn't Japanese?"
"He owns a Chinese restaurant. That should be your first clue."
She went back to her food. "You like Chinese?"
"When they aren't shooting at me, yes."
"Or when you don't have a gun pointed at them."
Here it comes. "I said I'm sorry. I don't need to explain myself to you, or anybody else. I thought he was a threat."
"Obviously not. Now finish what you were saying about Peck. Who is this guy and what does he want with LEON ?"
"He was a double agent before dropping off the radar. He's no longer in NASSD."
She stopped chewing. "He's the one who contacted me and pulled me out of Gahanna. How could he do that if he is no longer in NASSD?"
Good question. But then again, as with any NASSD agent, Jason Peck was very resourceful. He may still have some contacts with NASSD who don't know of his betrayal. Who was he kidding? Everyone knew how he turned on his entire team, gave up their position, and ran off into the sunset with the enemy.
"My guess is he needed someone to throw HQ off his trail. He obviously knew where to find LEON ." Dan sat across from her, grabbed the other bowl of rice and chicken, and dug in. "What better place to find an agent who doesn't know who you really are? He had his pick of agents at Gahanna."
"So why pick me?"
He shook his head. "Maybe you had less than an ideal record." When he eyed her reaction, he knew he hit it on the head. "Donovan said you were some whiz with a computer. You were the easiest target."
JT thinned her lips and muttered something as she closed her eyes. "So now my career may be over because he thought I was an easy target? That is so unfair."
"Life isn't fair, Turner. And if you think otherwise, then you are in the wrong line of work." They ate in silence, until both were scraping the bottom of the bowl with their chopsticks. Apparently one teriyaki bowl wasn't enough for either of them.
Then again, they could both be hungering for something more. Something primal. Dan sure as hell wanted to pick up where they left off.
Mr. W
ong had perfect timing. He'd saved them both from making a huge mistake. Not that that helped with his growing need for her.
"What is LEON , anyway?"
"A weapon." He picked at the rice in his bowl, not willing to give her any more information than that. She was on a need to know basis only. It wouldn't be the first time Peck had a beautiful brunette working for him.
"Of mass destruction?"
"Of targeted destruction."
She watched him, waiting for more information. When he simply stared back at her, she sighed. "I get it. You don't trust me."
"No, I don't."
He could tell she tried to act like his comment didn't bother her, but it did. Very much. Too bad. Truthfully, he didn't trust her. She hadn't given him any reason to think otherwise.
"I didn't know you spoke Chinese," JT commented as she picked at the last few rice grains in the bottom of her bowl.
"There's a lot about me you don't know."
She looked at him. "Such as?"
Nice try. He'd done an adequate job distancing himself from everyone he ever cared about after what happened with Broadway. No need allowing anyone else that close again. He looked at JT. Shame. If only the circumstances were different. Maybe they could... He shook the idea out of his head before it could plant itself.
Dan's best friend was dead because of him. Not a day went by where Dan hadn't thought about him and how he died. It wasn't right. Raven was after Dan, not Gessler. He should have never been there. But the guy was too pigheaded to listen.
No. He had it backwards. He was too pigheaded to listen to Gessler. Steve Gessler hadn't trusted Raven from the very beginning. He tried to talk to Dan about Raven, but Dan was too wrapped up in her little web to listen. And look where it got him. A scar across his chest. And his partner, his best friend of thirteen years, in the ground.
"Are you always this talkative?"
Dan snapped his eyes up, focused on the finger in JT's mouth. She noticed him watching her and removed her finger, wiped it on her jeans. "When it comes to my personal business."
"Separating personal and business?"
"Something like that, yes."
At Any Cost Page 9