Chapter Thirteen
Maddie had given Jack his space after Manny’s death at the hotel and for most of the flight back to Chicago. Jack had seemed to be struggling with Will’s orders to leave Claire in the custody of the Boston commandery, and looked like he was on the verge of revolting, so Maddie had stepped in to take care of it. As much as it sucked for Claire, the woman seemed resigned to her fate. Perhaps getting a firsthand glimpse of the kind of danger she was in had made her realize she was better off far away from Will Asher and his team.
Or maybe just knowing he was alive was enough for her and now that she had the answers she needed, she was at peace.
Maddie liked to hope thatthatwas the reason for Claire’s lack of protest when they’d handed her over. She liked the feisty reporter. They’d talked a little on the way to the Boston commandery’s headquarters, small talk mostly. Being an only child and orphaned by an accident when she was a teenager, Claire was mostly interested in hearing about Maddie and her sister, Sarah. By the time they’d arrived at the Boston compound, Maddie found herself wishing there’d been another way, that maybe they could’ve become friends. As it was, if all went well with Claire’s relocation, odds were good that their paths would never cross again.
Maddie sighed and pushed up from her seat, restless and tired of having only her own thoughts for companionship. Though it was only her and Jack on the flight home, she had intentionally sat apart from him, giving him some space. But he’d been so quiet, she began to worry. She walked up the narrow aisle to where Jack sat, his head resting against the cream-colored leather, eyes closed. Seeing he was asleep, she turned to go back to her seat, but before she could take a step, he grasped her hand, keeping her at his side.
“Stay.”
It was the same directive she’d given him the previous day in her hotel room when they’d been on the verge of slaking some of the desire that was making things so damned uncomfortable between them. She peered down at him, trying to determine whether he was aware of the connection to their make-out session the day before. But when he began to caress her skin with his thumb, she took it as a sign that he reallydidwant her there.
Without a word, she slipped into the row with him, taking the seat on his other side, by the window. “You’re not reading.”
Eyes still closed, he shook his head. “Couldn’t concentrate.”
She waited in silence for a long moment before linking her arm with his and resting her head on his shoulder. “Anything I can do to help?”
He seemed to consider her question for a moment before finally opening his eyes and turning his face toward her. “Just being here is enough.”
She placed her hand upon his cheek, her heart aching for the pain he was feeling. He blamed himself for Manny’s death. He hadn’t told her so, but she’d felt it in the sobs that had wracked his body outside the hotel, had heard it in his voice when he’d spoken to Finn on the phone right after they’d boarded the plane, could see it now in his eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere, Jack.”
“You should,” he told her, slowly reaching up to grasp her hand and pull it away. “You’d be safer if you weren’t with me.”
“You sound like Will.” When he frowned, she offered him a hint of a grin. “But, unless you have a parachute handy, looks like I’m at least with you until we get to Chicago.”
“And then what?” he asked, his dark brows drawing together, the flecks of gold in his eyes seeming brighter than ever before.
“Then . . .” She shook her head, not knowing how to answer his question. “I have no idea.”
He lifted his hand as if to caress her cheek, but stopped just short of making contact. Before his hand could drop away, Maddie grasped it and kissed his fingers, then drew his hand in close and clasped it against her chest. Her heart began to thunder as his gaze grew more intense.
“Maddie,” he breathed, his voice choked. “I want you far too much for you to be looking at me like that.”
“Then close your eyes,” she whispered.
When his lids lowered, she leaned in and brushed a kiss against his cheek, loving the way the coarse stubble at his jaw scraped lightly against her lips. When she pulled back, his hungry gaze met hers, the intensity she saw there making every muscle in her body go tight with anticipation and longing.
She wasn’t sure who leaned in first, but her mouth found his in a slow, sensual kiss. His lips clung to hers, taking all she gave. She took her time, savoring the moment between them, no longer holding back. When his tongue teased against her lips, she shuddered as a wave of desire claimed her. A soft moan escaped her before she could stop it. She wanted more, needed more. Desperate to be close to him, to feel his hands on her, she lifted the seat arm that separated the two plush seats and shifted, straddling his lap.
His hands settled at her hips, his fingers gripping her tightly as she took his face into her hands and deepened their kiss, not able to get enough of him. Her mouth sought his again and again, their kisses growing more frenzied. Jack’s arms slid around her, pulling her closer, his hands tangling in her hair.
The jet suddenly rose and dropped, hitting a pocket of turbulence. Maddie was lifted an inch or two above his lap, then crashed back down, eliciting a deep groan from Jack and a muttered curse.
“Oh, God—I’m so sorry.” She winced, pressing kisses to his jaw, the side of his neck.
In answer, he brought his lips back to hers in a savage kiss that left her panting when that amazing mouth began to explore again. He nipped at her shoulder through her T-shirt, then at the sensitive spot where neck and shoulder met. She gasped at the sudden pleasure and guided his face back to hers to capture his mouth again.
He pulled at her T-shirt, untucking it, and slipped his hands beneath the hem to roam over her skin. She shivered at the contact, breaking their kiss as she let her head fall back. Apparently taking that as an invitation, Jack trailed a sultry line of kisses along the curve of her neck to her clavicle. As his lips trailed lower, he eased her back just enough to capture one of her nipples through her shirt, grazing it with his teeth.
Maddie cried out as an orgasm unexpectedly rocked through her. Then Jack was suddenly on his feet, lifting her with him and switching places with her, setting her in the seat and getting on his knees before her. He looked up at her, his chest heaving, his eyes asking a silent question.
In answer, Maddie grabbed the edges of her shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it aside. Jack leaned in, his mouth slowly exploring the sensitive skin on her belly. Every graze of his lips, every breath, hot against her skin, set her mind spinning. And when he slipped one of her bra straps from her shoulder and kissed where it had been, she reached behind her and unfastened the clasp, allowing him to slide the other strap down and remove the satiny garment.
Her nipples grew instantly harder when the cool air hit them, aching for his touch, but he paused, taking her in with silent reverence. His hands slid lightly up along her torso until he reached the edge of her breasts. She gasped when his thumbs brushed over her skin. Every inch of her tingled with electricity.
