Unforgettable Heroes Boxed Set

by James, Maddie

  Maybe hopping in the car and driving to Little Rock without any further discussion wasn’t the best idea. It seemed smart at the time. He didn’t want to give her the chance to backpedal. He didn’t want her to second-guess the wisdom of spending the holiday with a guy she hardly knew.

  He wasn’t sure how he expected her to react when she saw him, but he was pretty certain a mad dash for the kitchen wasn’t on the list. Bitter disappointment doused the excitement simmering in his stomach. Her hasty retreat surprised him. They’d spent twelve hours trapped in that airport—talking, laughing, whispering, and finally dozing curled up together on barely-padded seats. She’d drooled all over him. He’d kissed her goodbye… Damn it, he kissed her then spent the next six days thinking she felt this, whatever-it-was, too. He wanted Ellie to be excited to see him. Instead, she was right back to acting skittish and wary.

  Jack swallowed his pride, letting it stew in the morass of disappointment roiling in his gut. He steeled himself, trying to set his wishful thinking aside and focus on taking cautious steps. He stood outside the kitchen door and waited.

  True to form, she reappeared moments later and met him head-on, stubborn chin lifted in defiance and bright eyes flashing. Then she said he looked beautiful. That was the Ellie he’d driven six and a half hours to see. A Hostess Ho Ho of a girl—soft and sweet on the inside if a guy could gnaw his way through her brittle shell.

  The work thing was a convenient excuse, but with a reluctant sigh Jack let her go. Ellie melted into the churning crowd once more and he faded into surveillance mode again. He needed to adjust his expectations for the evening, so he used the last twenty minutes of 2010 doing just that.

  By the time he waded through a sea of silver, cream, and champagne-colored balloons to claim his dance, he thought he had it all under control. A nice, slow dance might coax a few of those magical laughs from her, and maybe she could perform a little hospitality industry magic in the form of a place to crash. The best he dared hope for was another one of those sweet kisses. At least, that was the plan.

  Amazing how one tiny woman can blow a guy’s expectations to smithereens with one little word….

  Jack drew a deep breath and ran his hand over his stomach.

  Maybe I should have clued her in on the plan.

  Ellie pressed her cheek to his shoulder and heaved a contented sigh.

  Then again, maybe not.

  “You okay?”

  “Mmm.”

  “Ellie?”

  “Yes.”

  There. That was the word. The magic word—a sigh, a wish, a plea, and a prayer all wrapped up in one tidy little package. Jack never gave the word that much thought before, but now it was ranking right up there at the top of his list of all-time favorite words.

  After they danced, he followed her from the crowded ballroom. “Can you help me get a room?”

  “Yes.” She disappeared behind the hotel’s front desk and popped up with a plastic key card in her hand. They retrieved his overnight bag from the bell captain’s stand and she ushered him to the bank of elevators.

  He smirked. “Are you going to walk me to my door?”

  “Yes.”

  Minutes later, Jack drew up short when he stepped into the hotel room and found clothing strewn across the room. Women’s clothing. Ellie brushed past him. She kicked off her shiny black shoes and tossed her purse onto the desk, making herself at home amidst the wreckage.

  He shook his head to clear it. “Is this your room?”

  “Yes.”

  He blinked, trying to beat back the rush of confusion and expectation that made his head swim.

  “You have a hotel room?”

  “Yes.” She smoothed the snug green fabric of her dress. “I always take a room on New Year’s Eve. I don’t like driving home alone this late.”

  Jack let his overnight bag slide to the floor. Stepping over it, he peered down at her. “You want me to stay in your room?”

  Spiky black lashes fluttered. A faint pink blush made her cheekbones shine like polished pearls. A small smile twitched her lips and a determined gleam lit her emerald eyes.

  “Yes.”

  ****

  Jack stared at the ceiling, a satisfied smile lifting the corners of his mouth. His fingertips grazed the nape of her neck. “Okay?” he whispered.

  “Yes.”

  Her response came with a soft sigh that set fireworks off in his brain. God, I love that word. Probably my favorite word ever… Wait. Definitely top two. Right behind ‘Jack’… Maybe three. ‘Oh’ was moving up in the rankings pretty fast. No. ‘Jack’, then ‘yes’, then ‘oh’, he decided.

  Stubble scraped the pillowcase when he turned his head and pressed a kiss to her temple. The sheet slipped low across his hips, baring the delicate curve of her waist. Jack smoothed his fingers over her sleek cap of dark waves. “Elfie,” he rasped.

  “Don’t call me that.” Her silky thigh slid between his.

  “Eleanor.”

  Her knee inched dangerously higher. “Excuse me?”

  “Ellie….” Jack slid his fingers into her tousled curls and tipped her face up. He kissed her gently, letting his mouth linger against hers, catching her soft breaths and giving her his. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, letting his head fall back to the pillow.

  She answered by draping herself across his chest and giving him a slumberous blink, her eyelids heavy under the weight of her dark fringe of lashes. “I bet you say that to all the naked tramps who end up in your bed.”

  Her joke garnered roughly the same effect as a bucket of ice water. “You’re not a tramp.” His voice came out in a growl, surprising them both.

  Ellie’s brow puckered into a frown. “I’m naked and in bed with a man I hardly know and probably won’t see again…I think that could qualify me for tramp status.”

  “Won’t see again?” Ignoring the rest of her statement, he latched onto that one heart-stopping assertion.

  She tossed off a casual shrug and slid from his chest to her side. Propping her head on the heel of her palm, she pierced him with her eyes. “Come on, Jack. Let’s be real about this.”

  Her words struck him like a sucker punch. He drew in a sharp breath as she exhaled a gusty sigh. “Real? What do you think this is?” he asked in taut tone.

  She bit her lip and lowered her lashes. “One night, Jack.”

  The statement was barely a whisper, but her words screamed in his head. “No.” The polar opposite of his new second-favorite word, this one came out cold and flat.

  Ellie shook her head slowly. “It’s all so romantic. I get that,” she conceded. “Two strangers thrown together by fate… The handsome hero shows up when she least expects it… The, uh, physical chemistry… Well, that’s pretty undeniable at this point.”

  She brushed him off with a dismissive wave of her hand, but all he could do was gape at her, speechless. Her fingertips trailed over his stomach and Jack repressed a shiver. Fingernails danced along his collarbone and came to rest in the divot of scar tissue on the side of his neck.

  “Let’s be realistic,” she whispered.

  The plea in her voice coupled with the gentle stroke of her fingers nearly set him off. Jack clamped down on his impatience and stared at her. “Realistic?”

  “You live in Oklahoma, and I live here. What’s the point?”

  Jack continued to stare at her, trying to formulate a reasonable answer. The problem was, there was absolutely nothing reasonable about the way he felt about her. He pressed his lips together to keep from blurting every thought racing through his mind.

  She averted her gaze, focusing on the tender skin she stroked. “What happened here? Tragic shaving accident?”

  Her flip question snapped his control like a twig. “I got shot.”

  She jerked her hand away so quickly the momentum almost rolled her onto her back. “Shot? For real?”

  “You wanted realistic.”

  “How did you get shot? You’re an accounta
nt.”

  He fixed her with a bland stare. “For the FBI, Ellie.” She looked away and he shrugged. “I was a field agent in Miami before I took this job.”

  That caught her attention. “A field agent?”

  He nodded. “A regular G-Man with the windbreaker and all.”

  “You got shot?”

  “Twice.” Raising his free arm, he pointed to a knotty scar on his bicep.

  Ellie sat up and glared down at him. “You were shot twice?”

  “First bullet hit me in the neck. I must have spun around because the second caught me in this arm.”

  “Oh my God. You were shot?”

  The disbelief in her voice irked him. “You think I’m making this up?” Disbelief gave way to horror. Then, to his horror, tears filled her eyes. “Hey. Whoa. I’m fine,” he said, launching himself from the pillows. Jack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her cheek to his shoulder. “It was a long time ago. Everything’s still in working order. I think I proved that just a little while ago.”

  A watery laugh caught in her throat. His fingers slid into that sleek cap of dark waves and he tipped her face up to his, brushing away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb.

  “This isn’t a one-time thing, Ellie.” His voice was rough and raspy, almost unrecognizable. “You and me.” She parted her lips to speak but he shook his head. “No. I’m serious. I know there are roadblocks. About three hundred and fifty miles of them, but we can deal with that.”

  “We can?”

  “I can.”

  “But—”

  “I will.” He pressed the pad of his finger to her soft lips. “You want reality? Well, here it is… I’ve never met anyone like you, Ellie.” He lowered his hand, his fingers skimming the curve of her shoulder. They wrapped around her arm, possessive, a little desperate, and determined to make his intentions clear. “I don’t know why, but from the first time I saw you I just knew I had to know you.”

  “Jack—”

  His first-favorite word slipped from her lips and he caught them in a hungry kiss. Her soft, shallow breaths tickled his cheek when he pulled away. “Tell me you don’t want this. Tell me you don’t want me, us. Tell me you don’t want to see me again, and I’ll go away, Ellie,” he whispered. “But don’t tell me you can’t see me because of…logistics.”

  He spat the word with such derision she flinched. “Logistics.” Ellie sighed. “You make me sound stupid.”

  “Not stupid.” He kissed her again, soft and lingering. When he opened his eyes, she stared back at him, one dark eyebrow drawn into a graceful arch. “Okay, the reason is stupid,” he conceded with a chuckle. “Planes, trains, and automobiles, El—it’s not just a movie.” Her giggle tugged at his heart. He brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “Give it a chance. Give me a chance.”

  She ducked his gentle caress and pressed her face into the crook of his neck, her lips grazing his scar. “Don’t get shot again.”

  A low laugh rumbled from his belly. Holding her tight, he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. “That’s what my mother said.” She raised her head to peer down at him and he shrugged. “Why do you think I took the desk job? Trust me. The reality isn’t nearly as cool as it looks in the movies.”

  “I bet.”

  Jack slid his hands along her spine. The rounded curves of her plush bottom filled his palms. A contented sigh seeped from his lips when he hauled her a little higher, aligning her body with his. “We’re going to do this.” It was a statement, not a question, but she answered anyway.

  “Yes.”

  His second-favorite word kicked up another notch. He arched into her. A strangled groan tangled in his throat.

  I really ought to give ‘Oh’ a chance to catch up….

  “Of course, sometimes the reality of some things is so much better,” he whispered before capturing her lips with his.

  ****

  An icy blast of wind whipped at her coat. Ellie hugged the lapels a little tighter as Jack tossed his bag into his Jeep.

  “You’ll call?” She winced. She’d been biting back the question for the past thirty-six hours, and just when she thought she had it whipped, the damn thing slipped free.

  His boyish smile chased away any lingering doubts. “I’ll call so often you’ll want to change your number.” Jack tugged on her arm and she tumbled into him, instinctively burrowing into the warmth of his body. “But don’t, okay?”

  “Okay.” She nipped at his worn cotton sweater then tipped her head back to gaze at him. “Drive carefully, Rudolph. Use that red nose of yours if you have to.”

  Jack swiped the pink knit cap from her head and pressed his lips to her hair. “Be good, Elfie. No running off to become a dentist.”

  She shuddered. “No chance of that. I hate going to the dentist.” She slipped her chilled hands under the hem of his sweater, and a hiss sizzled out of him.

  “You’ve got the sadistic streak for it,” he grumbled.

  Ellie laughed, pressing her forehead to his chest. “You stole my hat. I have to keep warm somehow.”

  With a gusty sigh, he stepped back, the pale pink hat dangling from his fingertips. “If I don’t get in that car now, I’ll never leave.”

  She glanced from the hat to the car door, then back at him. That wicked dimple-flashing grin tempted her to fling herself bodily against the driver’s door.

  His arms slid around her once more, lifting her to the toes of her boots. “Maybe I should just pick you up and take you with me.”

  “Put me in your pocket?”

  A low, deep growl rumbled in his throat. “Excellent idea.”

  Feeling a little wobbly-kneed, she pushed away. A twinge of regret tweaked her heart when he let her go too easily. Trying to cover her blush, she retaliated with a saucy smile. “You’d like that too much.”

  “Way too much.”

  The laughter in Jack’s dark eyes faded. His frozen fingertips grazed her warm cheek. “Happy New Year, Ellie.”

  “Happy New Year, Jack.”

  He smiled again as he pulled on the door handle, but it didn’t reach his eyes. She stepped closer after he slid into the seat. “Jack?”

  His dark gaze met hers, wary and watchful. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Ellie searched his handsome face, drinking in the details of him and storing them away for the lonely days to come. He lifted his head in a silent plea for one last kiss and she readily indulged him.

  Misty puffs of heated breath swirled around them as they parted. She smiled, treading her fingers through his hair and letting them trail down his arm as she stepped back. “It’s going to be a good year, isn’t it?” she whispered.

  Jack’s answering smile spread slowly. His dimple embedded itself deep in his cheek. He reached for the door handle and dropped a wink. “I’ll see you soon, Ellie.”

  “See you soon, Jack.”

  Shivering in the cold parking garage, she stood back, pressing her frozen knuckles to her kiss-swollen lips. His taillights bounced off the concrete walls and within moments the Oklahoma plates disappeared from view.

  Ellie darted toward the door that led to the hotel lobby. Another tremor raced through her when she stepped into the enveloping warmth. “Happy New Year to me.” An unwelcome rush of tears burned her eyes as the door clicked shut behind her.

  Her cell vibrated in her coat pocket. Ellie scowled and blinked back the tears while she worked it free from the lining. She pushed the call button without looking. “Ellie Nichols,” she murmured, casting one last glance at the garage door.

  “Hello, Ellie Nichols. This is Jack Rudolph,” The warmth in his voice hit her like the blast of a furnace. “Miss me yet?”

  I’ve Got You to Talk with Me…

  Ellie flopped onto her back. Her legs dangled over the edge of the bed, and she stared at the popcorn ceiling. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”

  His deep, throaty laugh gave lie to the indignation in his tone. “What? I’m just say
ing that Wilma and Betty were way too hot to end up with a couple of schmucks like Fred and Barney.” She snickered, and her own personal Very Special Agent pressed on. “I mean, if they were rich, I’d get it….”

  “Because you think all women are mercenary.”

  “Because I think women are smart,” he corrected. “Always looking at the big picture.”

  “Good save.”

  “I do my best,” he muttered under his breath. “There has to be some reason guys like Donald Trump keep marrying models.”

  “Jealous?”

  “Changing the subject now before I step in the oozing quicksand.” His voice dropped a full octave. “How was your day, Ms. Nichols?”

  Ellie ran a hand through her too-short hair and blinked at the ceiling, cursing technology and impulse. She pulled the cell from her ear and glared at its lack of cord. Her fingers fisted in her hair, tugging the shorn strands and trying to coax them into curling around her finger.

  I need something to twirl, dammit.

  “My day was fine. No big disasters, so I consider that a success.” Pressing her heels to the bedrail, she scooted onto the mattress. “How was yours?”

  Jack blew out a breath. “Mine was…frustrating.”

  “How so?”

  “Aside from missing you?”

  The teasing smile in his voice simmered along the airwaves—microwaves, cellular waves, whatever the hell they were now. Ellie closed her eyes and conjured up the image. Of course, the particular memory she accessed involved Jack naked and pinned beneath her.

  “Yeah, aside from your pathetic pining,” she answered, hoping he wouldn’t catch the wispy breathlessness in her voice.

  “Aw. You missed me too, Elfie?”

  Grr. Clear as day, the knowing grin in his voice flashed across the miles like a neon sign. She released her hold on her hair and scraped her thumbnail over the casing of the cell phone, marking the spot where a cord should be. “I just know you’ll keep calling until I talk to you. I want to get it over with so I can watch Castle.”