Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
Jane looked down at her phone and smiled at the text she’d just received from Storm. It had been two weeks since their first date, and they’d only managed to get together one other time since then, but they’d talked via text and phone every day.
Storm : I’ve got twenty minutes before I have to head into my next meeting…any chance you can find some mail of mine and bring it up to my office? :)
Things had been hectic for them both, her because of the increased safety measures of examining every piece of incoming mail and still getting caught up from the bombing incident, and Storm because one of his teams was on a mission and he’d been working overtime to make sure they were safe and had every piece of available information while they were gone.
They’d both been free one day around lunch and had gone to the base cafeteria together for their second date. It hadn’t been as satisfying as being able to completely relax as they’d done in his townhouse, but she still loved seeing Storm in business mode. Seeing him in his blue BDUs did something for her. He was handsome and demanded respect from everyone around him. About ten years ago, she probably would’ve been ashamed to be seen with him—after all, she was merely a contract worker—but now she was older and wiser, and Jane was proud to be with him.
She grabbed a stack of letters and inter-base envelopes addressed to him and told her employees that she’d be gone a while. Everyone in the mail room seemed to have gotten closer after the bomb incident. They all knew it could’ve been any of them who’d gotten the tear gas in their faces, and they all seemed to be looking out for each other a little closer as the days went by.
NCIS had been in to interview everyone in the mail room, but Jane hadn’t heard anything about them being any closer to finding the person who’d sent the bomb.
Putting thoughts of that out of her head, she climbed the stairs to the top floor where Storm’s office was located.
She greeted the few people she passed with a friendly smile and felt butterflies in her belly at the thought of seeing Storm again. It was silly, but she couldn’t help it. He’d exceeded her expectations and daydreams tenfold. She never thought he’d be as attentive as he was…even when they didn’t see each other.
But letting her know that he wouldn’t mind seeing her when he had a quick break meant the world to her. Her ex always made her feel as if she was being silly when she’d lamented the fact she didn’t get to see him much, so Storm inviting her up when he had twenty minutes to spare made her very happy.
She entered his outer office and smiled at his administrative assistant. “Hi,” she said cheerily.
“Hey, Jane. Thank God you’re here. He’s been in a hell of a mood. I know seeing you will make him a bit less of a grump.”
Jane laughed. “I’ll do my best, but no promises.” She was relieved his right-hand man didn’t seem to have any issues with them seeing each other. Apparently, Storm had come right out and admitted to his admin that they were dating, and that she was welcome in his office any time he wasn’t in a meeting.
It felt good not to be a naughty little secret.
Jane walked over to Storm’s office door and knocked softly. She pushed it open a crack and said, “Storm?”
“Come in,” he called out.
Jane entered the room, shutting the door behind her. “Hey,” she said almost shyly when she was in front of his desk.
“Come here,” Storm said, holding out an arm.
Jane walked around his desk to his side, not knowing exactly what to expect, and put the mail she’d brought for him on his desk.
When she was by his side, Storm reached up and put a hand behind her neck. He gently urged her to bend, and when she did, he kissed her lightly on the lips.
It was just a peck, but the jolt that went through her body was immediate and made goose bumps break out on her arms. It was their first kiss, and while it wasn’t exactly intimate, it was still shocking in its intensity.
“Shit, sorry,” Storm said, letting go of her neck and rubbing a hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“It’s…it’s fine,” Jane reassured him. She took a longer look at him and realized that he looked very stressed out. He was frowning and had deep lines on his forehead. Without thought, she pushed some papers out of her way and sat on his desk next to him. “Are you all right?” she asked quietly.
Storm sighed. “I’m tired,” he admitted.
“Your team?” she asked.
“They’re okay. They ran into some problems, but they’re all alive and relatively unscathed. They’ll be home within twenty-four hours. Thank God.”
“Good,” Jane said. She reached out and took one of his hands in hers. She rested his palm on her thigh and ran her thumb over the back of his hand.
“Damn, it’s good to see you,” Storm said, scooting his chair to the side, then forward, resting his free arm on his desk next to her hip.
Jane could feel the heat from his body against her own, and while she was sitting higher than he was, looking down at him, she still felt surrounded by him. “When your team gets home…will you have time to come over for dinner?” she asked. “I mean, I suck at cooking, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t order a kick-ass dinner from one of my favorite restaurants.”
He looked up at her. “I’d like that a lot,” he said.
“Good.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much,” he told her.
Jane shook her head. “Don’t. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to go out with you. Hell, you all but spelled it out when I was at your house. I like who you are, Storm. I like that you’re worried about your men. I admire you. The fact that you’ve been taking the time out of your very busy schedule to text me, to call, to let me know you’re thinking about me even if you don’t have time to see me, means everything.”
“You deserve better,” he said softly.
“Than what? A man who texts me just to let me know he misses me? Someone who leaves me a long voice message because he randomly thought about the part in our favorite movie where Andy tells Red that hope is a good thing, the best of things, and no good thing ever dies…and that he hopes our relationship works out because he can’t stop thinking about me? Lord, Storm, you’ve been more attentive to me in the last two weeks, without seeing me, than any other man has been in person . You have nothing to apologize for.”
Storm squeezed the hand that was lying on her thigh and curled the other around her ass. Then he surprised her by leaning over and resting his forehead against her knee. Jane brought a hand up to run her fingers through his hair.
How long they sat like that she wasn’t sure, but she felt more connected to Storm than she’d ever felt with another man. Ever. It should’ve scared her. Hell, they hadn’t even really kissed or spent much time together, but he’d shown by his actions that he wasn’t like the boys she’d dated in the past. He was a grown-ass man, an honorable one. One she was desperate to get to know intimately.
They both heard Storm’s administrative assistant greeting someone out in the other room at the same time. Storm’s head came up, and he squeezed her hand one last time. Jane saw the mask fall over his features. Right in front of her eyes, he changed from the tired man to the ever-so-competent and in-control admiral.
When someone knocked on the door, Jane stood up and faced the door.
“Come in,” Storm called.
Rear Admiral Dag Creasy appeared in the doorway.
“Dag,” Storm said with a smile. “Good to see you.”
“Same,” the other man said, returning his smile.
Jane started to slide sideways to get out of their hair, but the rear admiral gestured for her to stay. “Don’t go, Jane. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“But you did,” Storm told his friend in mock irritation. “So get on with it so I can get back to some quiet time with my girl before the shit hits the fan again.”
Dag didn’t take offense. He merely smiled and sat in one of the chairs in front of Storm’s desk.
Jane wasn’t sure what to do. Should she stay where she was? Go sit in the other chair? Leave? She’d always liked the rear admiral, but she didn’t really know him and wasn’t sure what the protocol was in an instance like this.
“Heard anything from NCIS about the person who mailed that bomb to you?” Storm asked as he reached out and pulled Jane closer to him. She stumbled slightly, but ended up resting on the arm of his chair. Storm’s arm went around her waist to steady her, and she barely breathed as she sat perched next to him.
“That’s why I’m here,” Dag said, leaning back, not seeming at all surprised or irritated that she was practically sitting in Storm’s lap. “I was sent the preliminary report today, and I wanted to talk to you about it.”
“I should go,” Jane said again.
“Stay,” Dag ordered. “This concerns you as much as anyone else. After all, you were the one who bore the brunt of the asshole’s anger. It’s only fair.”
“What’d they find out?” Storm asked.
Jane had to admit she was curious, so she stayed where she was and listened with rapt attention.
“There was a note inside the box that was recovered and pieced back together. The person who wrote it obviously isn’t happy with me. They rambled on and on about what a shit officer I am and how I’m unfit to be in charge of anyone. The person said that I held grudges and punished sailors unfairly. NCIS believes it was sent by someone who was court-martialed while under my command.”
“That should narrow things down considerably,” Storm said. “That’s good, isn’t it?”
Dag shrugged. “Yes and no. I mean, it makes sense that it’s someone who was court-martialed recently, but what if it’s not? There have been hundreds of sailors who have been disciplined over the years under my command.”
“What about the handwriting on the box? Can they somehow track that?” Jane asked, then blushed as both men looked at her. “Uh…sorry, I’m sure they’ve thought of that.”
“They have,” Dag said with a small smile. “And it’s a no-go. The Navy doesn’t keep handwriting samples of their sailors. As you know, there was no return address and the stamps were hand-canceled, so that makes it harder to track. The ink was smudged and it’s unreadable, so there’s no way of knowing how the box got into the mail system in the first place.”
Jane nodded. “Yeah, that does make it tougher. It could’ve been dropped off by hand or sent through the mail system off the base. Are you still in danger, Sir?”
Dag’s expression gentled. “I can take care of myself,” he said.
Which wasn’t an answer. “Of course you can,” Jane agreed. “But forgive me for overstepping here—what if the person decides to step things up? Putting tear gas in a box is one thing, but they might decide to hand-deliver a box to your beautiful home on the ocean. It could be an actual bomb next time. What else is NCIS doing to find out who did this so you can be safe? The last thing you need to worry about when you leave work is someone coming after you, especially after all you’ve done for your country.”
Her voice had risen by the time she was done, and Jane realized that she was practically shouting and blushed.
“I like her,” Dag said, looking at Storm.
“She’s likable,” Storm agreed. “And you’ve got your own, so eyes off.”
Jane looked between the two men, torn between embarrassment and disbelief at their banter.
“To answer your question, Jane,” Dag said, acting as if the exchange between him and Storm hadn’t happened, “NCIS is doing all they can to figure this out. The last thing I want is another innocent getting caught between whoever this is and myself. It’s dishonorable of him to put anyone else in danger because of his own grievances. If I get a package delivered to my house that I’m not expecting, you can bet I’d never pick it up without making damn sure it was safe. I haven’t had a chance to tell you personally yet, but I’m very sorry you got caught in the middle of this…whatever it is.”
“It’s not your fault, Sir,” she told him.
“Maybe, maybe not. That remains to be seen. But please stay extra vigilant. Until we find out how that package got through our mail system, no one is safe. Like you said, the last thing I want is to worry about someone else getting hurt,” the rear admiral said.
“I will. We will. We’re being very careful,” Jane told him.
“I saw your interview on the news,” Dag said. “Has the press backed off you yet?”
Jane nodded. “Yeah, they’ve been pretty good, actually. They wanted to know the details about what happened to me, but once they realized I was just a random victim, they lost interest pretty fast.”
“Just be careful, because whoever sent that package could’ve seen the coverage and might turn their ire on you .”
“Me?” Jane asked in surprise.
“Yeah. They didn’t succeed in getting to me , the person they were aiming for, and in their mind, they might think you prevented it.”
“That’s crazy,” Jane said.
“Sending a mail bomb is crazy,” Dag said with a shrug. “You should be extra careful until whoever sent the package has been caught.”
It had been a long time since someone had worried about her. And now in the span of two weeks, two larger-than-life men were trying to look out for her. She knew Dag was happily married, but it still felt good. Really good.
“He’s right,” Storm said. “I hadn’t really thought about that, but Dag’s exactly right.”
“Nothing’s happened,” Jane tried to reassure both of them. “I’m fine.”
“I’ll keep a closer eye on her,” Storm told Dag.
Jane wanted to be upset that he was talking around her, but she couldn’t bring herself to be. Not when it was obvious he was concerned.
“You need help going through the records of the recent court-martials?” Storm asked the rear admiral.
Jane winced, as she knew Storm’s plate was already more than full, but she wasn’t really surprised he’d offered.
“Thank you, but no. I know you have no extra time to look for a needle in a haystack. But I’ll keep you in the loop because I have a feeling this isn’t over. Whoever sent that CS gas bomb wanted me to suffer, and because I didn’t, no doubt they aren’t happy. It could be tomorrow or three months from now. There’s no telling when whoever this is will try again.”
Jane shivered, and Storm must’ve felt it because he squeezed her hips reassuringly.
Then the rear admiral changed the subject. “Your team’s getting home soon, right?”
“Yeah, tomorrow night if everything goes well,” Storm told him.
“I expect you to take at least forty-eight hours off,” Dag said sternly.
Storm opened his mouth to protest, but the rear admiral cut him off. “No buts. I know you’ve got other teams and things to do, but you’ve been burning the candle at both ends lately. Take the time off. Sleep. Relax. Read a damn book. I don’t care what you do, but I don’t want to hear you’ve been at the office. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir,” Storm said.
Dag chuckled. “Most people would be pleased to get time off.”
“I am,” Storm insisted. “There’s nothing I’d like better than to spend time with Jane.”
“Good,” Dag said. “I just wish it was under better circumstances.
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing I want to do more than hang out with Jane and make sure whoever is behind this bomb doesn’t get a second chance to cause havoc.”
His words made Jane feel good. She didn’t like keeping him from work, but she loved that he wasn’t upset about taking work off to spend with her.
“It’s not easy dating a sailor,” Dag said, looking at Jane again, “but I can guarantee that even when Storm’s not with you, he’s probably thinking about you. I know that’s how I feel about my Brenae. I’ll leave you two then.”
“You’ll let me know if you get any leads on the bomber?” Storm asked, standing up and reaching out to shake Dag’s hand as Jane stood as well.
“Of course,” the rear admiral said. Then he nodded at Storm and Jane and turned and left the office, closing the door behind him as he went.
Storm being Storm, he didn’t hesitate to act. He turned to her and wrapped one arm around her waist, and the other snuck into the hair at her nape. He pulled her into him, and Jane could feel every inch of his hard body against hers. She flushed, wondering if this was even allowed…an officer consorting with a contractor in his office.
But the door was shut, and it was just the two of them.
“Tomorrow night is Friday,” he said quietly.
“I know,” Jane said with a small frown.
“Apparently I’ve got the weekend off. After my men arrive home and we finish the debrief, I’m free for forty-eight hours.”
“Good. You need the break,” she said.
“I’d like to spend that time with you ,” Storm said. “As much of it as you’ll give me.”
Jane wasn’t sure what he was asking, but she was more than willing to agree. “Okay.”
“Just like that?” he asked.
Jane nodded. “Yeah. I’m not into games. I like you, Storm. I want to spend time with you. Get to know you better. I know it’s not usual for you to have so much time off, so I’m okay with being greedy and wanting to hoard it all for myself.”
He grinned. “Good. We’ve had two dates,” he reminded her.
“You’re counting that lunch the other day as a date too?” she asked with a smile.
“Absolutely. And you told me before we had dinner you don’t kiss on the first date, but what about the third?”
Jane couldn’t help but smile. “I might…with the right man.”
He smiled back then said, “I didn’t mean to jump the gun earlier. It was instinctive. I saw you, and you were such a bright light in my exhaustion that I acted without thinking and kissed you.”
“You think that was a kiss?” Jane sassed.
His smile grew.
“I’ll have you know, Storm North, that a small peck on the lips isn’t a real kiss in my book. I’m gonna want a true kiss on our third date,” she told him, feeling braver than she’d ever felt before. She’d wanted this man forever, and she’d be damned if she acted like a shy ninny and let her heart’s desire slip through her fingers. She’d learned over the years that if she wanted something, she had to work her ass off for it.
“Noted,” he said with such a look of desire on his face, it made her want to attack him right then and there. “So you won’t mind if I give you another peck , as you called it, before you leave to go back to work? Since that doesn’t count?”
“No,” Jane told him, holding her breath in anticipation.
He leaned toward her ever so slowly, his gaze not leaving hers. Jane couldn’t keep her eyes open, closing them seconds before his lips touched her forehead. Then he kissed her nose. Then her cheeks…
By the time he moved to her lips, she was ready to jump out of her skin. Jane could feel her nipples harden under the sensible work polo she wore every day and dampness between her thighs. She wanted Storm with every fiber of her being. And it had been a very long time since she’d felt true desire for a man. She’d been too busy, and besides, her vibrator took care of her urges when she had them.
But she had a feeling nothing could douse the lust coursing through her body except for the man holding her right that moment.
His lips finally brushed against her own, and she couldn’t stop the small whimper that escaped. She felt him smile against her lips as he kissed her again. Small little pecks that did nothing to assuage her need. All it did was stoke the flames higher.
When his lips brushed hers again, she licked them and felt his moan throughout her body. Smiling, she opened her eyes and stared into his own.
“For the first time in a very long time, I’m looking forward to my days off,” Storm told her quietly.
“Me too,” Jane echoed.
They heard the admin greeting someone else in the outer office, and Storm groaned. “That’s my next appointment.”
Jane nodded. She tried to step back, but Storm’s hands on her body didn’t let go. He held her to him for a brief moment, and she was happy to see the same disappointment she felt echoed in his gaze.
“I’m not sure how this happened, but I’m damn glad it did,” he said then leaned forward, kissed her hard on the lips, and dropped his arms before taking a step back.
“Me too,” Jane told him.
“I hope you really heard what Dag said,” Storm reminded her seriously. “Don’t take your safety for granted. Here at work or at home. All right?”
“I won’t,” Jane told him. She was always safety conscious. Being a single woman with a daughter had forced her to see boogeymen behind every corner and to be hyper-aware of her surroundings. As a man, a muscular, badass man, Storm probably had no idea the kinds of situations someone like her had to worry about on a daily basis. But now wasn’t the time to get into that. “Let me know when you get home?” she asked.
“I will. You do the same. I want to know that you’re safe and sound behind your door.”
Jane nodded. She liked that he worried about her.
“I’m glad your men are coming home,” she told him.
“Me too. I’ll talk to you later, and we can make plans for the weekend,” he said.
“Okay.” She backed up and turned at the last second to open the door.
“Thanks for bringing up my mail,” Storm said loud enough for the lieutenant who was waiting in the outer office to hear.
“You’re welcome,” she responded, knowing he was doing what he could to protect her reputation, not his own. She nodded at Storm’s admin, who winked at her, then she headed out into the hall and toward the stairs.
Bringing a hand to her lips, she touched them and smiled. Yeah, she could safely say she was looking forward to the weekend more than she had in a very long time.