Page 6 of Reckless

When Jazz moaned beneath his mouth and pressed her body against his, he forgot everything. Nothing mattered but the here and now. He wanted to devour her, take his time with her, let her teach him how she wanted to be touched. Exploring Jazz would be the gift of a lifetime.

A distant beep, beep, beep was an irritating sound, and he ignored it. Jazz was the one who pulled back and whispered, “That’s the alarm on your watch. I think it’s time to go.”

Blowing out a ragged sigh, Xavier took a step back. Not once in his adult life had he forgotten himself like that. They were on an op, had a mission to accomplish. Forgetting where he was and his purpose was unprecedented.

Unable to let this progress go without marking the time in some way, he growled softly, “Pick this up later?”

He held his breath as he waited for her answer, almost afraid she’d say it had been a mistake.

The heat in her gaze told him her thoughts before she said softly, “Sounds like a plan.”

CHAPTER FOUR

The elegant restaurant was at capacity, though no one would know it. The tables were positioned to give each diner the idea that they were in a world of their own. It was an optical illusion that worked. Pristine white tablecloths, dark hardwood floors, rugged brick walls, and brilliantly shimmering chandeliers gave off an ambience that screamed wealth, privilege, and exclusivity.

LuLu’s was one of the trendiest and most popular Italian restaurants in the city. With a waiting list of up to a year to get a reservation, it was no wonder the prices weren’t even listed on the menu. The saying if you have to ask how much something is, then you can’t afford it fit this place to a T.

Her game face on, Jazz sat across from Xavier and played the role of a young ingénue with a penchant for wealthy, good-looking guys. Their identities weren’t especially important to this job. No one needed to know their names. The deed she was here to perform was the key to the mission.

Anyone looking at her right now would never be able to tell what was going on inside her head. During training years ago, she’d had an acting coach tell her she had a natural talent, and if she wanted, she could likely make a career in show business. That had never entered her mind. This was her dream job, and the man across from her was her dream for everything else.

And that was why she was glad she had major acting skills, because behind the calm, cool facade of a coolly sophisticated woman was a giddy, lovesick woman who was silently screaming, Xavier kissed me!

Yep, if she were alone right now, she’d be dancing a little jig and shouting, “Hallelujah,” to the heavens above. Finally, after all this time, he had kissed her!

Xavier Quinn had fascinated her from the moment she’d met him. Yes, he was gorgeous, with thick, inky black hair that just touched his collar and a neatly trimmed mustache and beard that she had discovered during their kiss were actually soft and felt wonderful against her skin. And his eyes. Xavier had the most mesmerizingly beautiful silver-gray eyes. She could spend hours gazing into their depths.

And tonight, for the first time, she had seen something in those eyes that she had been longing to see. There had been heat, attraction…desire. She had almost given up that he would ever see her as anything other than his friend and partner.

When they’d first met, she had been as green as a new blade of grass. She’d been fully trained, but she’d only had a few soft ops under her belt, so he, along with all the other OZ operatives, had been protective of her as if she were a fragile flower. It hadn’t helped that she was small-boned, petite, and looked about ten years younger than her actual age. For over a year, she had busted her butt to show them that she was just as tough and lethal as they were. She had earned their respect and admiration, which had given her even more confidence.

Then, a couple years ago, she had been injured during an op. She had almost died. After a brutally long recovery, she was once again fully operational. Everyone else had accepted her complete return. Everyone except Xavier. He still treated her as if she would break if he did or said the wrong thing.

That was another reason tonight’s revelation had been so significant. Not only was Xavier admitting his attraction, he wasn’t treating her as if she would bruise if he touched her.

Things were definitely looking up!

Admittedly, relationships were not her forte. Without spending thousands of dollars on therapy, she knew there was something broken inside her. She’d lost her entire family, and knowing how easy it was to lose someone usually stopped her from allowing people into her life.

She cut her eyes over to Xavier and fought a grin, noting that he was fully embracing the sleazy side of his cover. A smarmy smirk played around his mouth, and his eyes glinted with what one could describe only as lasciviousness. She knew he hated this particular cover, but she had to admit he played it to perfection.

The mission sounded easier than it likely would be. In about ten minutes or so, a man and his entourage would be entering the restaurant. The man, Franco Bass, was her target. Her job was to get close enough to him to plant a microscopic tracker on his skin. The tiny flesh-colored device would be absorbed into his skin, unnoticed by anyone. It would give them the ability to know Bass’s location for up to a week. Where he went and with whom he did business were vitally important to their investigation. If they were successful, they would be closer to an elite member of the Wren Project than they’d ever been.

But how to get to the man?

What they knew about the real Franco Bass could fill a thimble. Plenty of media had covered the man, but most of what was reported was fiction. Making someone look better or worse than they were was a popular ploy these days. Though they didn’t know much about him, they knew the type of women he liked. Joy Monroe, aka Jazz McAlister, was just his type. Which should, hopefully, make it easier for her to get close to him at some point during the night.

“Your food good, baby?” Xavier asked in his best oil-slick voice.

Jazz glanced down at the mushroom risotto that she had apparently eaten half of without registering the taste. Even though Xavier had sounded as slippery as a greased eel, Jazz couldn’t control the shiver up her spine when he’d called her baby. Yes, he was playing a part, but still…

Since their OZ teammates were monitoring them, she forced herself to stay focused on the job. “Everything’s good…baby.” She was gratified to see his pupils dilate slightly at the suggestive way she’d spoken. At least she knew she wasn’t the only one still feeling the heat from their kiss.

She lowered her voice and said, “Just trying to figure out our best strategy.”

Keeping his voice to a murmur, Xavier said, “Yeah. We’ll know more once he arrives.”

They’d discussed several options, but not knowing where the man would be seated, how many people would be with him, and how close a stranger could get to him, no matter how attractive, had inhibited a solid plan. The last few weeks, Bass had been one of the most high-profile people in the media and, by all accounts, was very approachable. Tonight, they would see just how true that was.