Chapter 15 #2
By the time they were done, she was more than ready to be locked away with Jagger for the rest of the night. She didn’t stop to process or question this new side of herself. Because she found she rather liked being a woman in love.
You should tell him.
Natalia’s heart jumped inside her chest at the thought. Recognizing her feelings for Jagger was one thing. Admitting those feelings out loud was something else, altogether.
At least text him like you promised so he can order the food for dinner.
Reaching for her phone, she picked it up from her desk and quickly sent Jagger a text letting him know she was headed out for the night. She grabbed her jacket and purse from the hooks mounted on the wall to the right of her office door.
With a smile she couldn’t seem to contain, Natalia flipped off the lights and left. The secured door shut and automatically locked behind her. And for the first time since she could remember, she was excited to go home.
Natalia hadn’t even bothered to argue against the need for an escort. If it made Jagger feel better, she’d find a way to deal.
Look at you, being open to compromise. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.
“Perfect timing!” Liam was the first to greet them.
She nearly laughed when the sagging slice of pizza held in his hand almost lost a sizeable glob of gooey mozzarella cheese.
“I see the food arrived.”
“Don’t worry.” Jagger sauntered toward her. “I ordered Liam his own so there’d be plenty to go around.”
“Hey.” She became lost in his dark stare, momentarily forgetting all about Agent Vaughn and Liam, who were standing awkwardly to the side.
“Hey.”
Vaughn broke the silence with a clearing of his throat. “If there isn’t anything else…”
With a belated blink, Jagger moved to the man who’d had the unfortunate luck to be assigned as her personal guard for the day. “Thank you.” He offered Vaughn a hand. “I appreciate your help in keeping Agent Foster safe.”
“Just doing my job.” Vaughn dipped his head in humble acknowledgement.
Natalia sighed. “I’m assuming I’ll see you again first thing in the morning?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Another dip. “Unless I’m ordered otherwise.”
“Until then.” She also shook Vaughn’s hand before the other agent left.
“Welp, I guess that’s my cue.” Liam wiped his mouth with a cheap paper napkin and grinned. “Thanks for the pizza. Saves me from having to stop for take-out on my way back to the hotel.”
The smile that lifted her lips was automatic. Being around the men of Delta always felt so different. Until now, she didn’t realize it was because, with them, she felt like she belonged.
“Thanks for keeping our boy safe while I was at work,” Natalia teased.
An expression of heavy exacerbation fell over Liam’s handsome face. “It wasn’t easy, but somehow, I managed.”
“Oh, brother,” Jagger groaned.
She and Liam broke out into simultaneous chuckles.
“Okay, seriously though.” Liam grabbed the keys to his rental from the top of the wooden coffee table. “Now that you’re both inside for the night, I’m going to try to get some Zs.”
“Already?” Natalia frowned. “It’s barely eight-thirty.”
“Yeah, but Hunt, King, and I are meeting with the arson investigator looking into the explosion at your place first thing tomorrow.”
She arched a pair of hopeful brows. “Let me know what he says?”
“Of course.” Liam put a friendly hand on her shoulder. “I’ll call as soon as we’re done.”
In an uncharacteristic show of affection, Natalia brought a hand up to his. “Thanks, Liam. I really appreciate the help.”
“No thanks needed, Tal.” The computer genius winked. “You’re one of us, remember? That means we’ve always got your back.”
After another wink and a half-assed wave to his friend, she and Jagger were alone for the first time since she’d left the apartment that morning.
“I know you aren’t happy about having Vaughn as your escort today.” He inched closer. “But I appreciate you not fighting me or Ryker on it.”
“And Emmett and Blake?” She sent him a pointed look, referring to the two members of Echo Team before letting herself smile. “You do remember I was CIA, right?” Natalia began moving toward him. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t notice a tail?”
“More like I was hoping you wouldn’t.”
Her shoulders shook with a breathy chuckle. “I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling a little underestimated at the moment.”
But Jagger merely gave an unapologetic shrug and said, “I had to at least try.”
“Why?” They met in the middle of the apartment’s small living room.
“I had to know you’d be safe.”
“Why?” Natalia asked again.
“I think you know why.” Jagger’s dark brown gaze burned deeply into hers.
Her pulse spiked and her heart felt as though it would leap right out of her chest.
“Maybe I need to hear the words, too.”
Was this actually happening? With this man? With Jagger?
He reached for her, then, keeping his movements slow. Gentle. The breath in her lungs ceased to exist when the palm of his hand cupped one side of her face.
“I need to know you’re safe because I’ve fallen for you, Natalia.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. “Head over heels, ass over boots…however you want to put it, I’m there.”
“Oh.” A breathy exhale because she couldn’t bring herself to say more.
“I love you, Tal,” Jagger said those three not-so-little words. “And just so there isn’t any confusion, as far as the two of us goes, I’m all the way in.”
“You…are?”
Why can’t I say more than a single word at a time?
“Oh, yeah.” Another kiss. “It’s you, darlin’. It’s crazy, but somehow, it feels like it’s always been you.”
It’s always been you, too
“What am I going to do with you?”
It was a breathy, almost wistful wondering of her heart.
“I have a few ideas.” The confounding didn’t hadn’t missed a beat.
Natalia chuckled nervously as her heart swelled to the brim, almost aching from how full it suddenly felt.
“Jagger, I—”
His kiss stole her breath and her words. Three precious, true, and terrifying words that would have revealed her true feelings for him.
She considered pulling away, stopping just long enough to let the man know. But before she could, Jagger’s tongue met hers in a swirl of desire, and he hoisted her into his arms.
Later.
She’d tell him she was completely and totally in love with him later. In the meantime, Natalia had a new plan. One that involved using her body to show him, instead.
Hours after a long, sensual session of lovemaking that had left both she and Jagger bone-tired and fully sated, they’d scarfed down the rest of the pizza before sleeping soundly in each other’s arms. She still had yet to confess her true feelings, but the multiple orgasms the man gave her had fully depleted her body and mind.
Natalia was so at peace in Jagger’s warm embrace, in fact, it was a wonder she even noticed when her work phone began to ring. With fumbling movements, she nearly knocked over the small accent lamp before grabbing the blaring device and silencing the noise.
Her half-awake gaze flew to him, her bare shoulders falling with relief when she found him soundly asleep. A quick glance at the screen revealed it was a caller she couldn’t ignore.
Natalia rose from the bed as gently as she could, grabbing the robe from the back of the bathroom door on her way out.
“Hang on a second,” she whispered as she answered the call.
She didn’t speak again until she was tucked away in the farthest corner of the apartment’s tiny kitchen.
“Sorry about that,” Natalia apologized to Ryker. “What’s up?”
“I hope I’m not…interrupting.”
The man’s tone and his question threw her a bit off kilter, but only because Ryker never asked questions about or commented on her personal life.
He knew she and Jagger were staying under the same roof, so making the leap from sharing a safehouse to sleeping in the same bed wouldn’t be a huge one to make.
“No,” she answered truthfully. If you’d called a couple of hours earlier, however, that would have been a bold-faced lie. “I can talk. Is something wrong? Did Lopez recant his statement about Sanchez?”
There was a pause and then, “On the contrary, he’s claiming he has more pertinent information to share.”
He is?
“I have to say, I didn’t expect him to know anything else about Sanchez or his operation. But the more we can throw at Sanchez, the better, so—”
“I’m glad we agree. That’s why we need you to come in now, before Lopez gets scared and changes his mind.
Her eyes fell shut, and Natalia had to fight the urge to sigh. Ryker wanted her to go back to Homeland…now?
“Can’t you or someone else take his statement?”
“Lopez was very clear, he’ll only speak to you.”
Of course.
“Can’t it at least wait until morning?”
“He’s being pretty damned persistent, Talia. I’m afraid, if we wait, he might change about telling us whatever it is he has to share.”
Well, shit.
She opened her eyes again, knowing she wouldn’t sleep now, even if Ryker did move the meeting to tomorrow.
“Give me time to get dressed and head that way.”
“Wake up Brooks and have him come with.”
Natalia shook her head. “There’s no need. I’ll be there and back in no time.”
“But Agent Vaughn’s not there to take you, and I’d rather you didn’t make the trek into D.C. by yourself.”
“Alexandria is literally a hop, skip, and a jump from the city. Not to mention, I’m fairly certain at least one guys from Echo Team is watching from somewhere close by.”
“Echo Team?” The man sounded more than a little confused. “What makes you think—”
“Jagger had Shaw and Savage follow me to and from work today.” Natalia did sigh, then. “Listen, Jason. I appreciate the sentiment. Honestly, I do. But this is me you’re talking to. I’m not exactly your average damsel in distress, you know?”
“No, you’re not,” the powerful man agreed.
She added, “And among my many other talents, I’m perfectly capable of driving myself to the office.”
A brief moment of silence fell between them before Ryker voiced his thoughts again. “I’m not questioning your abilities, Talia. I’m fully aware of your training and skills. But someone’s been fucking with you, and this is me just trying to keep you safe.”
It was sweet, really. The way he and Jagger neither one seemed to shy away from showing their concern. But the longer they argued, the greater they had of Lopez changing his mind.
“I’ll be there in twenty,” Natalia told him. “Just make sure Lopez is in a room ready to talk. I’ll text you when I’m walking into the building.”
She ended the call before the debate could continue and glanced at the time. At this late hour, she might be able to make it to Homeland sooner, if hurried.
Five near-silent minutes later, her hair was up, and she was dressed in a pair of jeans, a gray hoodie, and her go-to, lace-up boots. There wasn’t much need to dress for what she needed to do. With any luck, she’d be back in a couple short hours.
Natalia turned and stared at Jagger, who was laying slightly sprawled near the center of the bed. His exposed torso rose and fell with proof he was still sound asleep, and she couldn’t help but to relish in the brief, stolen moment. To study the curves of his broad shoulders, biceps and chest.
The chiseled crevices of his toned body appeared even deeper beneath the moonlight’s rays. Her lungs filled with a deep inhale at the sight, and she had to work to keep the sounds of her breathing undetected by the man she’d been admiring.
The last thing Natalia wanted was to wake Jagger from his peaceful slumber. He was almost too beautiful. Like a gift a woman like her didn’t deserve.
And Jagger was a gift. Natalia saw that now, so clearly. He was everything she hadn’t realized she’d been needing in her life. Her every hope and dream, especially the ones she’d only recently begun to see.
I want it all with you, Jagger.
The terrifying declaration whispered through her mind. Despite the fear and uncertainty that came with dreams of that kind of future, her mouth lifted with a knowing smile.
No matter what, even if he was still sound asleep and snoring when she got back, she would wake him up and let him know the truth. That he wasn’t the only one who was all-in.
But before that could happen, she needed to get to Homeland and take care of business. The faster she got there, the quicker she’d be back. And the sooner she and Jagger could discuss where they went from here.