Protecting Jazz

by Susan Hayes

  “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.” He walked back over to her and drew her gently into his arms. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Anytime you want to growl at me like that, you just go ahead.”

  “You—you think that was sexy?” Her brain was having trouble processing his lack of fear. “Are you nuts? That was my wolf coming out! One kiss and my control slipped! It’s why I don’t do things like this!”

  She could hear the smug laughter in his voice as he tucked her head under his chin and hugged her. “I made you lose control with just a kiss? Sweetheart, you flatter me.”

  “You’re hopeless! This isn’t funny!” She tried to pull away from him, but he locked his arms around her tightly, resisting her efforts.

  “I know you don’t think it’s funny,” he murmured, his hands stroking her back softly now. “I know you’re scared. I just don’t think you should be. You keep yourself on too tight a leash. You growled. That’s all. Nothing else happened, Jazz. You didn’t hurt me.”

  “I could have.”

  “I don’t believe that. I think you’re stronger than you know.” He brushed a kiss to her forehead and slowly let her go. “Let’s go to dinner.”

  “Dinner? You still want to go out?”

  He gave her a lopsided grin and shook his head in disbelief. “You think a sexy bit of growling and a love bite are going to scare me off? Sweetheart, I’m just hoping you let me try to get you to growl again before the night is over.”

  “You’re nuts.” Jazz couldn’t believe he still wanted to go out with her. That he’d found her wolf sexy!

  “You wouldn’t be the first person to accuse me of that.” He shrugged and plucked her shawl off the bed, draping it around her shoulders. “I prefer to think of myself as adventurous.”

  “And too charming for your own good, don’t forget that bit,” she added.

  “Sweetheart, I haven’t begun being charming. Just you wait.” He waggled his blond brows at her, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Then let’s get this evening underway, oh charming one.”

  She started having second thoughts the moment she saw his car. By the time they’d left White Knight’s offices behind and were flying down the streets of Seattle, she had had third and fourth thoughts. Jase drove his muscle car with the same flair that he seemed to approach everything, fast and fearless. Despite her death-grip on her seat belt, Jazz couldn’t help but admire his skill as he flowed through the downtown traffic. Never once did he have to hit the brakes. It was as though he could predict the way traffic would move. By the time they pulled up outside their destination, her fear had faded. It had been replaced by a sense of heightened awareness and euphoria. She’d never felt anything quite like it.

  As Jase helped her from the car, she caught sight of herself in the windows of a nearby storefront and almost didn’t recognize herself. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glittered, and the expression on her face was somehow sensual. Startled, she looked again and caught Jase’s eyes as he, too, watched their reflection.

  “You’re gorgeous.” He slid an arm around her waist in a purely possessive gesture. “And now I know I’m right about you. You like a bit of danger in your life.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Really? The glow in your eyes tells me you’re wrong, and I’m right. You and I aren’t as different as you think.”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure we are. As different as sunshine and moonlight, in fact.”

  “I’m going to enjoy proving you wrong.” He kissed her so quickly she didn’t even have time to blink before his lips were gone again and he was telling her, “Come on. Our reservation is for 6:30. We don’t want to be late.”

  “The way you drive? I somehow doubt you’re ever late anywhere.”

  Their hostess led them to their table, and Jazz let out a soft gasp of delight. The restaurant overlooked the waterfront, and the night skyline was reflected back at them from a thousand different angles as the wind shifted the water’s surface. A single table had been adorned with candles, and it was here that their hostess left them with a smile and a reassurance that their server would be with them shortly.

  “I’ve never been here before, but I know this restaurant is supposed to be hugely popular. So where is everyone?” Jazz asked as Jase pulled out her chair for her.

  “I booked us a private dining space. I thought it would help you relax if it was just the two of us.”

  “All this is just for us?” She gestured to the elegantly appointed space and then to the breathtaking views outside.

  “You likely have enough money to book this entire restaurant out every night of the week. Are you telling me you’ve never done this?”

  She shook her head. “It never occurred to me.”

  Jase just chuckled, his expression incredulous. “You are the most interesting woman I’ve ever met. What do you do with your time if you don’t go out on dates or indulge in fine dining?”

  “I work a lot of evenings. I like it, it’s quiet, and I can get so much done. And I’m a pretty good cook, so I usually cook up a storm on weekends and then I’ve got food for the week. I’m the queen of leftovers.”

  “So you work, and you cook. What else?”

  “I train, of course. And I do a lot of research. You were in my house. Did you see the library?”

  Jase nodded. “I did, but I didn’t get to look around much. That’s all research into your, uh, condition?”

  “Much of it, yes. And a great deal that’s just related to the supernatural in general.”

  A server approached, and they made their drink orders. Jazz ordered a diet soft drink and then blushed as Jase shook his head. “I’m driving, sweetheart. You can have anything you want.”

  “I don’t really drink that often.”

  He arched a brow at her across the table, silently daring her with his smile.

  “Oh, you’re right. It’s a bit of a special occasion. I’ll have a glass of wine please, white.”

  “She’ll have a Hirsch Chardonnay, 2010, if you have it,” Jase told the server and added his own order, a virgin mojito.

  “Why do I get the feeling you know a bit about wine?” she asked once their server had left them alone again.

  “I know a bit about a lot of things.” He gave her one of his endearing, lopsided grins that showed off his dimples. “I just don’t know much about you yet. Care to fill in the gaps?”

  “There really isn’t much more to tell. I have a successful business. I live a quiet life. I have no family in the country, so I’m a fairly solitary sort of person.”

  “You left out the bit where you learned how to kick ass so well you can take down a room full of trained security personnel. Not to mention the part where you turned those skills into a very successful business.”

  “I have a black belt in taekwondo, and I’ve picked up some bits and pieces of other styles over the years. The business was more luck than anything. I don’t have any formal training. I just found a niche that seems to have worked, and I hire some very talented people to do the things I don’t know how to do yet.”

  “You’re too modest, you know. If I had a black belt, I’d wear the damn thing everywhere.”

  “I don’t think it would go with your tie.” She laughed at the image his words conjured. “And you did beat me, so I know you’ve had more than a little martial art training yourself.”

  “My fight skills are the product of a mix of army training, bar-brawls, and whatever they could teach me at White Knight. I really don’t have much formal training at all.”

  “You were in the army?” she asked. She wanted to learn more about him. Who he was, why he tried so hard to be scandalous when she could sense there was more to him than the glib playboy he pretended to be.

  “I went in straight after high school. I still had the hangover from the grad party when I signed on. I managed to charm my way into the helicopter pilot training program. And then I spent the next ten years
seeing the world through the cockpit glass of a Black Hawk helicopter.”

  “You were so young.” She tried to imagine what he must have been like at eighteen and failed. The presence of the confident man sitting across from her made it impossible to see him differently than the way he was right now. “Why did you do it?”

  “Why? Because it made my dad spitting mad. He was a navy pilot and had great expectations that I’d follow in his flight suit, as it were. He and I rarely agreed on anything, especially when it came to what I wanted to do with my life. My mother died the year before high school ended, so there was no one left to play referee. He told me either I joined the Navy, or I got out of his house and didn’t come back. I joined the army.”

  “That’s terrible. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you.” Their drinks arrived, stopping her from saying anything more. Jason ordered them the Muscovy duck for two after checking to ensure she was agreeable, and then added an order of fresh scallops to start. The moment their server departed again, Jazz picked up right where they’d left off. She wanted to know more.

  “Do you talk to your father now?”

  Jase shook his head. “He died while I was on my last tour in Afghanistan. We managed a sort of a truce in the last few years of his life, but we were never close.”

  On impulse, she reached across the table and covered his hand with her smaller one. “I’m sorry, Jason.”

  He turned his hand over and intertwined his fingers with hers. “Life is what it is. Neither of us had it easy.” He stroked his thumb over her fingers in a slow, sensuous caress. “What matters is that we’re both here now. One thing I’ve learned, sweetheart. We never know how long we’ve got or when something terrible is going to happen. You’ve got to live life while you can.”

  “Carpe diem.” The words were out before she’d even realized she was going to speak.

  “Seize the day. Exactly.” He drew her hand closer, lifting it up so he could brush a tender kiss over her knuckles. “That’s my motto.” He tapped his right bicep with his free hand. “I have that tattooed right here, in fact. If you ask nicely, I may even let you see it sometime.”

  “You are the biggest flirt I have ever met.” She kept her hand in his, the warmth of his touch more intoxicating than the wine he’d ordered for her.

  “I sure hope so. If you’d been able to resist someone more charming than I am, I wouldn’t have a chance with you.” His grin turned wicked, and she felt a thrill of desire chase through her. “And I really, really hope you’re going to give me a chance, Jasmine Masters.”

  “I’m considering it,” she confessed before raising her wine glass to her lips. She hoped the cool liquid would help douse the fire slowly kindling inside her. She had always resisted temptation. She’d always played it safe. But there was something about Jase. She knew he was dangerous and that being with him was like playing with fire. But suddenly she found herself wondering if he was worth taking the chance of getting burned.

  Chapter 6

  He didn’t want their evening to end. The meal had been amazing, and he’d found himself actually enjoying getting to know Jazz. She was funny, bright, and her tendency to be overly shy and far too serious was endearing. He’d never spent time with a woman like her before. His life was too busy for a real relationship, and so he’d always just rolled from one temporary situation to another. No expectations on either side. No hard feelings when he was invariably sent out of town or out of the country. Any woman who had thought she could change him had quickly learned differently and moved on.

  Jazz was different. She was a living, breathing contradiction. She was so strong and at the same time so fragile. She’d accomplished amazing things, but she allowed herself so little freedom to actually enjoy herself. He wanted to protect her and at the same time show her the world she’d been afraid of living in.

  He watched her enjoy the last few bites of her chocolate mousse, actually feeling envious of the spoon as she licked the last traces of her dessert off the end with a delicate flick of her tongue. Wicked thoughts danced through his head, and his cock stirred, hardening behind the confinement of his fly.

  The vibrations of his cell phone intruded on his X-rated musings, and he fished it from his pocket. One glance at the number told him he had to answer it. It was Sinjin. “It’s work,” he told her apologetically.

  “Better answer it, then.”

  “Hey, Sin, what’s up?”

  “Oh, nothing much. I seem to be missing a client. I don’t suppose you know where she is, do you?”

  “Cute brunette with stunning amber eyes? Nope, I haven’t seen her.” Jase couldn’t resist being flippant and was rewarded with a smile from Jazz.

  “Jase, I need you to be serious. Something’s come up.”

  “All right. She’s with me, having dinner. I signed us out at the gate.”

  “Were you followed? Is there anyone watching you right now?”

  “What? No. It’s been completely quiet, Sin.”

  “Good. I hope you two are getting along because your dinner date is about to get extended. We’ve got company here at White Knight. Four-footed company.”

  “Shit,” Jase swore and instinctively glanced around them and then out the windows.

  “They must have had her house under surveillance. You were driving a marked company car so it wouldn’t take them long to figure out where to find her. They ran the fence line and then disappeared. We figure they’re back in human form, but we’re just guessing. You need to keep Jazz with you tonight.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Good. Tomorrow we’ll bring you both in by helicopter and then lock this place down until we can get her house fully secured.”

  “Don’t forget we’re on a deadline.”

  “I know. Before midnight tomorrow.” Sin’s voice lost some of its edge as he asked, “How’s rule number three going?”

  “Broken beyond repair,” Jase answered with a rueful laugh.

  “Welcome to the club, my friend. Take care of her and watch your back. These guys are ballsy and seem damned determined.”

  “I’ll see you in the morning, Sin. Say good night to sugarlips for me.”

  He hung up before Sin could say anything more.

  “Bad news?” Jazz was worried. He could tell by the way her lower lip had vanished between her teeth as she bit it.

  “That depends on how we look at it. The good news is we’re going to spend more time together tonight. The bad news is that your friends are prowling around White Knight at the moment, so we can’t go back there right now.”

  “That didn’t take them long. Does this mean I’m homeless again?”

  “No, you’re coming home with me.” He hadn’t meant to say that. Hell, he hadn’t even considered what they were going to do. But once the words were out, he knew it was the right call. The safest place for her is with me.

  Shock and amusement fought for control of her expression for a moment, and then she burst out laughing. “Are you sure you didn’t plan this?”

  “I swear I had nothing to do with them showing up,” he protested. “The idea of leaving them a trail of Snausages from your place to White Knight never even crossed my mind.”

  “I cannot believe you said that!” Her laughter got louder, and she sat back in her chair, giving him a look of bemused horror.

  “Tomorrow morning I’ll fly us back to headquarters. We’ve got a shiny new helipad on the roof of White Knight, so no one will be able to see you coming or going.”

  “You’re going to fly us? Me? Jase, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. What if something happened?”

  “Nothing is going to happen. It’s a very short flight. We’ll be up, over and back down again before you even have time to enjoy the scenery. Or are you worried about my piloting skills?” He was teasing her, but then he saw the look of fear in her eyes and reached out to take her hand. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve never flown, Jase. Ever.”
<
br />   It took him a moment to digest her confession. “Ever? But you have places up and down the coast. How do you travel to see them all?”

  “I drive, and I teleconference.”

  “You really don’t let yourself have any fun, do you?”

  “There’s nothing fun about what would happen if I lost control while trapped in a metal tube 30,000 feet in the air. What if there was turbulence or an accident? I couldn’t risk it.”

  “Tomorrow I’m taking you flying,” he told her firmly. “It’s time you started living a little.”

  “But…”

  “No buts. No arguments. Trust me, Jazz. I won’t let anything happen.”

  “You really are crazy. If anything happens, you’re the one at risk. I don’t think I could live with myself if I hurt anyone. I know I couldn’t bear it if I hurt you after all you’ve done for me.”

  “You’re not going to hurt me. I’m a big, strong, security specialist, remember?” He grinned, knowing he’d already won. She was going to go flying with him.

  I’m going to go flying. She couldn’t believe he’d gotten her to agree. She’d always been so damned careful, until she’d met Jason. He made her feel like maybe there was something more for her than endless, quiet evenings at home and running her business. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the way he’d kissed her. Even though she knew it was a bad idea, she wanted him to kiss her again.

  Really not a good idea, she reminded herself as he helped her into his car. The scent of leather rose from the seat, blending with the faintest trace of his cologne. It was a fragrance she found enticing. It was close enough to the full moon that her sense of smell and hearing were becoming heightened. Both were warning signs that the monster was near the surface and would be harder to control between now and the full moon. And that was without considering that she was about to spend the night alone with the one man who tempted her like no one else ever had.

  They made the drive back to his place in comfortable silence. When he let his hand drift from the gear shift to take her hand, she just smiled and feathered a gentle touch to his palm. There was no sense in denying what was growing between them. She just wasn’t sure how it was going to work. After all, only one of them was even truly human.