Page 24 of Securing Jane

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.

Chapter Six

Storm parked his car and eagerly climbed out and headed for the lobby of Jane’s apartment. He’d been glad to see for himself that all of the SEALs on his team were alive and well when they’d arrived back into the country. He’d just spent two hours in a debrief meeting with them and was now clear to enjoy his forty-eight hours of leave.

He’d offered to cook for Jane, but she’d declined, saying there was no way she was going to make him cook after working late into the evening.

It was now seven-thirty, and he’d been at the office for over twelve hours. Storm was more than ready for a break. He walked down the hall to Jane’s apartment and knocked on the door. It took a few seconds, but then she was there, smiling and welcoming him into her home.

“You look tired,” she blurted, then wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, that was rude. Come in.”

Storm didn’t take offense. “I am tired,” he told her.

“Your guys are all right, though?”

He liked that she asked about them. “They are. The mission was tough, but they’re all back relatively unharmed.”

“Ugh, I hate that,” she said, more to herself than him. “I mean, I’m glad they’re home, but ‘relatively unharmed’ can have so much hidden meaning to it. It could mean they’ve all got bullet holes in them, but are still walking and talking, or it could mean they’ve got a few little bruises.”

Storm chuckled, and when she turned to face him after closing and locking her front door, he pulled her into him. She let out a small oof of surprise but recovered quickly. Her hands rested on his chest, and he could smell that she’d showered recently.

“Storm?” she asked.

“Sorry,” he told her. “The guys are all right. One got shot, but it was only a graze. The mission went a little sideways, but they got done what needed to be done.” Storm knew he was being vague, but he couldn’t talk about where his team had been or what they’d been doing. He tensed, waiting for her reaction, remembering too many other conversations like this with women that had also gone sideways.