He didn’t bother suppressing a smile as he grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet and into his arms to receive another brief kiss.
She sighed when the kiss ended. “I should probably get dressed.”
He kissed the curve of her neck, unable to resist. “Clothing is overrated.”
She laughed and slipped out of his hold, slapping him on his bare ass as she ducked behind him. “We’re landing soon. You might want to throw some clothes on. And maybe a different shirt. I think I ruined that one.”
His brows lifted, but he realized what she meant when he glanced down at the floor to see buttons scattered at his feet. Fortunately, his go-bag was in the cabin and he was able to extract a black T-shirt, pulling it on as the captain came over the intercom to announce their descent.
“Not a moment too soon,” Maddie quipped, pulling her long curls up into a ponytail to disguise how disheveled her hair was, thanks to Jack’s frenzied hands. Tiny ringlets managed to slip out to frame her face, making her appear almost impish.
Unable to resist, he grasped her around the waist and gathered her close for an all-too-brief kiss. “And here I was thinking it’d been far too long.”
She returned his kiss, then snuggled under his arm as he led her back to the seats they’d vacated earlier. He dropped a kiss to the top of her head when she rested against his chest, her arm draped over his waist.
“So . . . should we, uh . . .talkabout things?” she asked.
His arm around her shoulders tightened. “Not now. I just want to hold you.”
She heaved what sounded like a contented sigh and snuggled closer. “Works for me.”
All too soon the plane jolted as the tires hit the tarmac and he was forced to let her go, leaving him feeling cold, bereft, without her body pressed against his.
Maddie was a beautiful dream made flesh. And she was his. At least for now. But at some point theywouldhave to talk. It was a moment he dreaded. He didn’t want to see the look on her face when he told her the truth of why he’d left her before, without a word, why he hadn’t fought harder to keep her when she’d been the one to walk away the second time around. But Will was right. He needed to tell her before she found out some other way. And then what would become of this beautiful dream?
As the plane came to a halt outside the Alliance’s private hangar, Jack sighed, wishing like hell that they could have just a few more minutes, stall the inevitable.
He was on the verge of inviting Maddie to run away with him—only half-jokingly—when the door to the cabin opened and Adam Watanabe stuck his head in, sparing them only a glance before looking away.
“Your car is waiting,” he announced before discreetly vanishing.
Maddie got to her feet, slinging her go-bag over her shoulder. “I guess it’s back to work.”
Catching the note of disappointment in her voice made him briefly reconsider his running-away-together scheme, but instead he nodded and reached up to grasp a curl that had escaped from her ponytail. He tugged it playfully and offered her a smile. “Sadly, yes. No rest for the wicked, it seems. But I’d like to propose that we hold our own debrief later, Ms. Blake, if you’re available.”
Her mouth turned up at one corner and her cheeks reddened at his insinuation. “As it turns out, Mr. Grayson, I have an opening in my schedule. You cook dinner and I’ll bring the wine. Then we’ll see what we can come up with for dessert . . .”
A few minutes later, they were sliding into the backseat of the black SUV waiting for them. As she settled on the seat beside him, Maddie’s fingers brushed over his briefly, sending that familiar surge of desire and need straight to his dick. Jack felt like a teenage boy again, sharing secret touches with a girl in his parents’ backseat.
Well, that’s what he imagined it would’ve been like had he been an average teenage boy. He’d never ridden in the backseat when in the car with his parents—they always split the family into different cars for safety reasons. And he’d never had to sneak around with his girlfriends. His father rather encouraged his skills with women, knowing they’d be useful in his work for the Alliance. Turned out he was right. Too right.
“What’s up with you guys?” Maddie demanded, bringing Jack out of his thoughts.
It took him a moment to understand why she was asking. Adam sat silently behind the wheel, keeping his eyes straight ahead. The man was reserved and closed off even on a good day, but there was an added reticence to his demeanor that was unusual even for him. Finn, seated in the front passenger seat, wasn’t quite so subtle.
He twisted around in his seat, giving them a wide, mischievous grin. “Welcome home, kids.”
“Thanks,” Maddie said, drawing out the word.
He grinned at them for a beat longer, as if expecting them to fill in the silence. Finally he asked, “You bring me any presents?”
Jack reached into his pocket and handed over the flash drive they’d received from Claire. “A souvenir.”
“Sweet!” Finn exclaimed. “Just what I wanted! You know me so well.”
He plugged the flash drive into the device on his lap and tapped a few keys before muttering a curse. “Figured as much. I’ll have to get this back to the ops center to decrypt it. The software I have on this computer isn’t going to do it.” He flashed his wide, easy grin at Jack. “Well, guess weallcouldn’t get lucky today . . .”
Jack frowned at him, wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean. But Finn didn’t elaborate and Jack had learned a long time ago that when it came to Finn, sometimes it was better just not to ask. No one said another word as they drove back to the compound, but both men in the front seat sent the occasional glance backward.
