Casanova In Training (20 page)

“Damn it,” she muttered, kicking an imaginary object.

“Hmm. Now here’s a sight, the great, unflappable Jaydee Amos swearing.”

Gio’s voice made her close her eyes briefly before she summoned up the courage to face him. Her breath caught as she stared at him. He wore jeans that hung from lean hips—they had worn spots on them. A tan shirt hugged along powerful shoulders and arms before falling around his rock-hard abs. She lowered her gaze and moved it down to where his black shoes were on the carpet.

“Gio.”

His name was dragged from her on a sigh. A sigh of longing. The past week had been hell on her. Each day, the looks he’d given her had grown less and less personal. She continued to tell herself it was for the best, but it wasn’t easy. Not at all. Until finally she ignored it and went on with her work.

“Dusti.” He strode in and gestured with his chin at the boards behind her. “Find anything?”

Hurt speared her before she understood why. Liar, she knew exactly from the first second. He’d come for information, not her.

You’re the one who told him to end it,
her subconscious took much pleasure in reminding her.

Info. Right. She nodded and presented him with her back. With a slight dig of short nails into her palm, she composed herself. Time to forget emotion and do her job. It didn’t matter—despite her resolve, her body reacted sexually when he appeared next to her.

“What’d you find?” he asked on a thread of urgency.

“It wasn’t personally against you or Mike.” She rubbed her eyes before picking up the eraser and cleaning off the board.

“How can you be certain?”

Sitting on the edge of the nearest table, she swung her legs. “I went back and pulled some records. The struts between the leading edge sections…” She trailed off.

“What? What about the struts?”

“Do you have time to accompany me to the shelter?” She paused. “Or do you have someone waiting?” Hopefully he didn’t pick up on any bitterness in her voice with the final query.

“Mike’s more important than anything. Let’s go.”

She ignored that he never denied having someone waiting for him and finished straightening up before heading to the door. Gio fell into step beside her as they strode from the building. She knew he’d automatically adjusted his stride for her shorter one. Silence stretched between them and she could feel his gaze assessing her.

Bypassing the hangar where the pieces of Mike’s plane were housed, she froze at the strong grip of Gio’s hand around her upper arm. Heat flushed her and it took incredible calm to merely glance at him over her shoulder with an eyebrow raised.

“His plane is here.”

“I know. And there are people in there. Do you want to answer their questions?”

He couldn’t release her fast enough it seemed, before he continued on his way. She followed and soon they were inside the hangar where her bomber was kept.

The front and back large doors were closed so they entered through a small side door. She flicked on the lights and felt the familiar buzz in her blood as the Spirit was highlighted. The black shape never failed to take her breath away.

Gio moved up behind her, nearly overwhelming her with his presence. There was no actual contact, but she could feel his heat.

“The struts segment the leading edge into sections. The ten-centimetre-wide pieces are there to allow each section to be electrified individually.” Her belly tightened.

“Okay.” He stepped beside her, arms crossed, and gave her his full attention.

“This setup allows us to actually steer the craft gravitically.”

“More of that EG stuff.”

His wry tone brought a smile to her face. “Precisely.” She sighed. “Anyway, for it to work, everything else has to align as well, you know this. I had not taken as big a look at this before but going back through I did. I double-checked his maintenance logs.”

“What’d you find?” He reached out to touch the landing gear before he sank to the floor beside the large wheel.

She hesitated, taking a moment to look at him. Right here, right now she faced the true Giovanni Cassano. His pilot arrogance still remained, but it was not as prevalent. His thick, gorgeous lashes weren’t partially shielding a sexually infused gaze, with just enough to get the woman he wanted. No, right now they rested on his cheeks as he sat there. She knew he still paid attention even though his eyes were shut, so she answered him.

“There were some discrepancies in the logs so I’m digging deeper. But one of his struts was wrong. From the wrong batch or something. Whatever it is, it didn’t belong.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. This job had become draining and she needed some rest. A gasp escaped her when she opened her eyes. Gio stood right before her. The look in his incredible hazel eyes could be summed up in one word. Hunger. Pure, undiluted, raw, and ravenous hunger.

She stepped back, trying to focus on something other than how he made her feel. “Th…that’s all I know for the moment.”

He stalked her until a wall at her back prevented any further retreat. One hand on either side of her head, he boxed her in, his gaze travelling from her eyes to mouth and back. His desire clear.

“I thought we were doing this together.”

She swallowed. “We are. I’m doing my job. If you start nosing around someone may become suspicious. You keep doing what you are. I will keep you in the loop on what—if anything—I find.”

A dangerous growl rumbled from him. Her own desires flared up but she quickly and efficiently put them in a compartment. It was her way of doing things. Compartmentalisation. So no matter how much she lusted after the hot Italian-American pilot before her, her focus could, and would, remain on her job.

Confident in her ability, she stared at him. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re alone in here and you’re standing there like there is nothing between us.”

“We’re alone to ensure people don’t overhear us. And there isn’t. Were you not with that brunette, Shelly, recently? Perhaps you should return to her for some relief.” She ducked by him. “When you’re up next keep an extra eye on the AI and let me know if it even flickers.”

Her cell phone rang, cutting off whatever he was about to say. “Amos.”

Captain Fentress.

“Yes, sir. Right away. Oh, I know where Casanova is, sir. I’ll pass along the message. Right away, yes, sir.”

Gio stared at her, a scowl on his face and his arms crossed. “What’s that about?”

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “My replacement is here and Fentress wants us to meet him.”

A myriad of emotions passed over his face. “He said it was a man, did he say who it was?”

“No. We should go. Look at the bright side, Casanova, you won’t have to fly with me anymore.” She headed for the door.

Gio’s arm reached around her, stopping her from opening it. “This isn’t over between us, Jaydee, not by a long shot. And, for your information, I’d fly with you any day.”

His words made her feel mushy. “There is no us,” she stated.

His chuckle wasn’t the least bit humorous and was definitely menacing. “Whatever you have to tell yourself, sweets.”

The door opened and she walked through. He kept pace beside her as they approached the main building. The doors opened before they arrived and a man in shorts, flip-flops and a tank top stepped out.

“You must be Casanova,” the man said, stepping forward with a smile.

Gio reached out a hand when the man pulled back and tilted his head forward. He stared at her over the top of his aviator glasses and his lips curved up into a wide grin.

“Lieutenant Amos? As I live and breathe. It’s good to see you again.”

Beside her Gio stiffened. Recognition hit her. Thomas Hirsch. “Colonel Hirsch, how nice to see you.”

He smiled, transforming his handsome face to downright mouth-watering. She took his offered hand, somewhat mollified this was the man taking her place.

“You know Lieutenant Commander Amos?” Gio butted in.

“Lieutenant Commander now, is it? Congrats, Dusti, that is well deserved.”

She reclaimed her hand. “Thank you. This is Lieutenant Commander Cassano, aka Casanova. This”—she indicated the newcomer—“is Colonel Hirsch.”

The men shook hands. “Got time for dinner, Jaydee?” Tommy asked.

Gio growled again but she refused to acknowledge him. “That would be great.” A slight hesitation. “Would you like to join us?” She addressed Gio.

“No, thanks, I’ve got a date. Nice to meet you, Colonel.”

“Call me Beast. Or Tommy.” He put his attention back on her. “Let me get changed and I’ll give you a call around…nineteen-hundred? I hope you still prefer to eat then.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Thomas walked off before turning so he moved backwards and calling out, “Number still the same?”

“Absolutely.”

Another knee-knocking smile before he pivoted and jogged off to the parking lot.

“He knows when you like to eat and has your number?”

The question came on a low rumble of fury. She slanted her gaze to Gio’s face. He reminded her of a warrior, a tic in his clenched jaw.

“Everyone has my number. I should get going.”

“Who is he to you?” A dangerous undercurrent surged between them.

“No more your business than your date is mine. Goodnight, Cassano.” She veered away from him and headed for her bike. As she geared up for the ride home, she glanced back to where she’d left him. Gio had vanished. Stifling her sigh, she went home.

A short time before seven she climbed off her bike and this time made her way into a restaurant. Thomas waited right outside the door for her.

“Hi, Jaydee,” he said with a smile.

“Tommy.”

She couldn’t help but notice his looks. Military cut on his medium brown hair, tanned skin, a perfect smile along with a magnificent body. Enough to make women swoon. Probably some men, too.

He held her chair for her and waited until they’d placed their drink order before saying anything. The unpleasant churning in her gut returned and she shifted in her seat. Tommy’s clear blue eyes sparkled and he grinned at her.

“So, tell me about this place and the one I’ll be flying with. Follow that up with all the information on this Commander Cassano.”

Chapter Thirteen

Gio scowled. He sat outside eating his lunch. Two days had passed since Air Force pilot Thomas Hirsch had arrived, which meant that in less than a week Jaydee wouldn’t even be flying. Then he and this newcomer would be competing to see which of them would be seeing combat. And Jaydee would still be leaving.

His scowl deepened. A feminine squeal split the air and he jerked his head up and around. Jaydee ran towards another woman and they embraced. Squinting against the sun, he stared at the one with Jaydee.

She wore heels, a short skirt, and a tight skimpy top. It hit him. Her friend Lexy from the first night. He watched Tommy as the man went over and also said hello to Lexy. Another mark against the man in his opinion. He knew her friend, which begged the question
how
well did Jaydee and Thomas know one another? He breathed a bit easier when Tommy left.

All he could glean about their past was they’d flown together before. And respected one another greatly. His gaze drifted back to where Jaydee stood talking to her very animated friend. This woman brought out an entirely different side to Jaydee.

Dr Thompson approached the duo and Gio watched avidly, ignoring Lizard when he sat at the table. Jaydee quieted down a bit and it didn’t take a genius to understand Dr Thompson wasn’t a huge Lexy fan.

“Who’s the babe?”

“Jaydee’s friend, Lexy.”

Jason gave a low whistle. “Is she single?”

“Lizard!”

“What, man? She’s smokin’ hot.”

Gio rolled his eyes. Sometimes there was no stopping Lizard.

“We should welcome her as well.” Lizard stood and tugged on his shirt. “It’d be the gentlemanly thing to do.”

This time he snorted. “What the hell do you know about being a gentleman?”

Lizard’s grin was shameless. “For a piece of that ass, I’ll learn. Come on.”

He groaned even as he followed his friend. By the time they reached the women, Dr Thompson had left. Which was fine. Personally he still felt a bit uncomfortable in the knowledge that he’d socked her father in the face.

“Good afternoon, Dusti. Ma’am.” Lizard broke the ice.

They fell silent and faced them both. Lexy’s grey gaze snagged his and it hardened briefly, yet enough so he knew that she recalled exactly who he was. Then her stare drifted over Lizard in a long, drawn-out perusal before a foxy grin turned up the corners of her full mouth.

“Aren’t y’all just gorgeous.” The thick, syrupy Southern drawl made him smile. Although he’d been verbally included, he couldn’t help but feel left out. “N’ don’t call me ma’am, handsome. I’m Lexy.”

“Lieutenant Jason Armstrong, at your service.” Lizard jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “That’s Casanova.” The way his friend said it made him feel like an afterthought.

Lexy smiled and he could practically see the heat between those two. Over their heads, he met Jaydee’s gaze. Hers was a bit unfocused and he knew she no longer paid attention to the conversation around her. He was amused—it was like her mind never took a break.

Unless she is exhausted after a long session of hard, sweaty sex. Then she tends to sleep like a baby.

He realised something. She was logical. He was Italian and went on emotions. Not that it was an excuse, it was just how he was. Part of his DNA.

“What do you say, Casanova?” Lizard nudged him in the side.

He had no idea what had been said. “Sure.”

“Wonderful. So, we’ll get the food and see you two around eight.”

“Awesome!” Lexy said before dismissing them and putting all her attention back on Jaydee. The women linked arms and strolled away. Only Lexy peered back.

“So tell me, Romeo, what I just agreed to.”

“A cookout. You, me, Tommy, and Keel with his family. And of course those two ladies. Tonight. At your place.”

Shit. He wanted to go home and crash, not entertain. On the other hand, Jaydee would be there.