Hot Shot (A Hostile Operations Team Novel)(#5) (21 page)

“You’re a badass, Jack Hunter,” she said. “I’m thinking of writing a song about you.”

He laughed, though Ice was still doing shit that hurt. But it wasn’t as bad as the probing, so at least there was that.

“Oh yeah? What’s it gonna say?”

Her eyes sparkled, but he wasn’t sure if it was humor or tears. “I’m not sure yet. But it’ll be flattering.”

“That’s good.”

Ice gave him another shot and pronounced him done. “Better get into one of the cabins and lie down. That shot’s going to knock you out in about ten minutes.”

“I’ll be fine here,” he said. “What if I’m needed?”

If those helicopters came after them, he would need to be ready with a rifle. Everyone on the team was an expert marksman, but Jack was the best.
 

“I think we can handle it for a while, Hawk.” Ice looked at Gina. “Can you get him to go, please?”

She glanced over at Eli, who was now moving the animal along the floor like it was a car. Lucky grinned. “I’ve got this. We’re having fun. Take the big sissy to a room so he’ll sleep it off and the rest of us can do our jobs. We’ll be right here when you get back.”

Gina got to her feet and tugged on Jack’s hand until he stood too. “Come on, Jack. You heard them. Let’s go.”

Jack sighed. “Fine. I’m going. But when you fuckers need something shot, you’ll be sorry you sent me away.”

Gina put her arm around his waist. He didn’t need to lean on her, but he liked the sensation of her next to him enough that he didn’t stop her. He hobbled toward the staterooms with her, and she opened one and helped him inside. When the door snapped shut, he yanked her into his arms. She gave a little gasp, but her arms went around his neck.

“It killed me to stand there during that sham of a wedding,” he said, his mouth against her skin, moving along the smooth column of her throat. He didn’t want to be saying this, and yet he couldn’t help it. It was as if any guard he’d had on his tongue had disappeared when Iceman gave him that shot.

He was still mad at her, dammit. And yet he couldn’t seem to dredge up that anger when she was in his arms.

“All I could think about was you and Eli,” she said. “Getting out of there with you both. Kissing you again…” She stood on tiptoe and slanted her mouth over his. Her tongue slipped inside and rolled against his.
 

He pulled her back toward the bed, his cock hard and aching. She arched against him, her hips rolling into his and making him groan at the sweet pressure. His leg hurt like a son of a bitch, but he thought if he could just get inside her, it would all be better.

“When you said ‘I do’ to him…” He pushed her back until he could see her eyes. “I wanted to smash something.”

Her fingers slid along his jaw. “Jack…” Her gaze dropped and her lashes fanned over her cheeks. Her gorgeous blond hair had come loose during their run to the yacht and it hung down her back, wild and curly.
 

He tipped her chin up and made her look at him. “What is it, babe? Are you pissed at me because I didn’t do anything to stop him?”

She shook her head. “If you’d tried any sooner, he would have killed you. And that would have killed me.”

His heart was starting to pound, and so was his head. He tried to smile, but he felt like his gut was filled with broken glass. So many emotions were swirling through him and he just couldn’t separate them all. Damn Iceman and his painkillers.

Jack glided a thumb over her lips. “No, it wouldn’t. You’re a survivor, Gina. You’d keep on living and you’d forget all about me.”

“That’s not true. I couldn’t forget you. Not ever.” She put her hand over his mouth when he started to speak. “There isn’t anyone else like you, Jack Hunter. There’s only you.” Her hand fell away and her voice dropped to almost a whisper. “And whether you like it or not, I’ve fallen in love with you.”
 

If she’d shot him in the belly, he couldn’t be any more stunned. His jaw fell open and he couldn’t think of one damn thing to say. Not one…

She squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, her lashes were spiky with tears. One fell free and slid down her cheek, and his heart ached.
 

“There, I’ve said it. I love you. Whether you like it or not, now you know. So stop with the no-illusions speech. I have plenty of illusions for us both, so please don’t shatter them just yet, okay?”

All he could do was kiss her.

CHAPTER TWENTY

GINA TOLD HERSELF NOT to be hurt that he didn’t say anything. He was kissing her, and that meant something. Or maybe it didn’t. Maybe he was just hot for her body and he wanted to shut her up. No matter what he said about seeing her with Stavros, that didn’t mean he’d forgiven her. Or that he envisioned a future with her.

He reached for the hem of her dress, and she broke the kiss and put a hand on his chest. “Wait. You’re hurt.”

As if that was the only reason not to do this. But she had no idea how he was still standing, much less trying to get into her panties. If she’d been shot, she’d be in agony.

His blue eyes gleamed. “Yeah, I’m hurt—and I’m going to burst if I don’t get inside you.”

“You’re also drugged up, and Garrett said you’d be asleep in ten minutes. We’ve used up five.”

“Babe,” he said on a sigh, “I’m not going to fall asleep when I’ve got you wrapped around me. After, hell yeah, but not during.”

He ran a hand up her thigh, stopping when he reached the holster. She’d forgotten she was wearing it, which said something, considering she didn’t really like guns all that much. She thought back to the way he’d yanked it from the holster and fired, and a shiver slid down her spine. Jack was one lethal dude. His team called him Hawk. She didn’t have to be a genius to figure out why. He’d hit everything he’d fired at, even when he’d been firing from between her legs with his vision partly obscured.

“Damn, that’s so fucking sexy. I want you to wear that while I’m inside you.”

She put her hands on his chest when he tried to kiss her again. She was wet and hot, and under ordinary circumstances she’d want nothing more than to fall on this bed and let him rock her world again.
 

These circumstances definitely weren’t ordinary. Plus she was still reeling from telling him she loved him. Her emotions were wound tight, and she didn’t think she could handle sex with him right now, even if they weren’t fleeing from the bad guys.

“Later, Jack. I want you too, but I’d like us to be in a bed that’s not currently part of an escape plan.”

He swayed on his feet before shaking his head and fixing his gaze on her face. “Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea.”

The bed was behind him so she gave him a little push—and he crumpled onto the mattress. His eyes were glazed as he looked up at her. He looked so adorably confused that she wanted to laugh. Well, he’d been warned, hadn’t he?

“Go to sleep, Jack. We’ll talk about everything when you wake up.”

“’Kay,” he mumbled before turning onto his side. A second later, he was snoring softly.
 

Gina stared down at him. Her belly churned with hot emotion and she pressed a hand to her mouth. Dammit, she was in so much trouble here.
 

There was a soft knock on the door. Lucky stood on the other side, her expression soft and concerned. “You okay?”

Gina sucked back hot tears. “Not really.”

Lucky peered past her to where Jack lay on the bed. “He’ll be out for a while. I just wanted to let you know that Eli fell asleep on the floor. I made a pallet of blankets, and he’s tucked away in front of one of the couches.” Lucky gave her an encouraging smile. “If you want to talk about it, I’m a good listener.”

“Are we being followed by Stavros’s men?”

“Doesn’t seem like it, no.” She shrugged. “The compound exploded, Metaxas is MIA, and the orders have stopped flowing.”

“Is he dead?”
 

“It would be a miracle if he wasn’t. Identification of all the bodies will take some time though.”

Gina went into the hall and closed the door behind her. She wanted to stay with Jack, and yet it was probably better if she didn’t. She needed the space to think and prepare for when he woke up again. And she needed to be with her baby.

“Do you do this kind of thing often?”
 

Now that they were safe on the yacht and Jack was taken care of and sleeping, it was starting to sink in that she’d been shot at as she’d run across the compound. In the moment, she’d had no time to think about what was happening. Her entire focus had been on keeping Eli safe.

But now, when she could replay it all, she could see Stavros’s evil face, feel his hot breath on her skin and read the disgusting intention there. And then there’d been gunfire, bodies falling, and her and Jack creeping through the house until Garrett had burst in.

She couldn’t even recall the run across the compound, not really. She’d had Eli in her arms, the air had been thick with smoke, and all she could do was keep up with Jack while he fired his weapon and got her closer to the yacht.

When they’d jumped onboard, her heart had been pounding so hard she’d felt faint. She tried to remember when Jack had been shot, but the truth was she didn’t know. She didn’t recall it at all. Seeing the blood on his skin, watching Garrett clean it, had brought back to her forcefully that what they did was dangerous. And they hadn’t just been doing it for her.

It’s what they did on a regular basis. And this woman did it with them.

She was pretty, but not quite as soft as Evie, Georgie, and Olivia had been. Her eyes said she’d seen things. She was watching Gina carefully. “It’s the job,” she said. “We do what we have to.”

“You could be killed. Your husband…”

“I know.” She shrugged, though Gina didn’t think she felt in the least bit casual about that statement. “But that’s what makes it important. We help people. We stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves. And we try to rid the world of assholes like Metaxas who think it’s okay to get rich by selling guns to people who will use them to hurt others.”

“I didn’t know he was in that business at first. Athenasios, I mean. He was handsome, a bit thrilling in a way…” She felt like she was babbling, and she pulled in a breath to steady herself.

Lucky put a hand on her arm and squeezed. “We all make mistakes.”

Gina’s gaze landed on the fine scars on the other woman’s arm. She didn’t say anything, but Lucky withdrew her hand and turned her arms over, baring the network of scars to Gina’s sight.
 

“You never know what life is going to hand you. I got these, but they don’t define me. They did for a while, though. I was afraid of people. Afraid of being touched or touching. And then I got stronger and I stopped letting it rule my life.” She put her arms down again and looked plaintively at Gina. “Don’t apologize for your experiences. They brought you Jack, and they brought you Eli. That can’t be all bad, right?”

Gina blinked. She hadn’t thought of it like that at all. She’d just been embarrassed that she’d let a man like Athenasios fool her so completely. But yes, if she hadn’t come to St. Margarethe with him three years ago, she wouldn’t have met Jack. And she wouldn’t have Eli.

“Right,” she said, and the other woman smiled.
 

“Let’s get back up front. Jack will sleep it off for a while yet.”

Gina glanced over her shoulder. “He’ll be okay, right?”

“Iceman said the wound was clean and the bullet went through the outer fleshy part of his thigh. Basically, it winged him. But it’ll hurt like hell, and he’ll have to stay in bed for a while, but he’ll be okay. If it makes you feel better, he’s going to the hospital as soon as we get home. Standard procedure.”

“Somehow, I don’t think he’s going to like that.”

Lucky laughed. “Probably not.”

* * *

Jack’s head hurt when he woke. A side effect of the medication Iceman had given him. He sat up carefully, his head and leg pounding, and blinked at his surroundings. He wasn’t onboard the yacht anymore. The whine of the engines told him he was on a plane instead. Gina’s plane? He threw the covers back and swung his legs toward the floor.

Pain radiated through his body and he stopped moving, cursing instead. Shit. Not the first time he’d been shot, but he always hoped it was the last. It fucking pissed him off. He was the one who did the shooting, not the one who got shot. And he knew what a well-placed bullet could do to a body, so he was damn glad that whoever’d shot him wasn’t as good with a gun as he was.

He focused on the walls and recognized the door to the bathroom where he’d found Gina naked. His body responded to that memory, his dick hardening in spite of the pain throbbing through him.
 

Jack scrubbed a hand through his hair. He remembered her telling him she loved him on the yacht, but he wasn’t sure if he’d dreamed it or not. He tried to concentrate on the memory, tried to separate it out and determine if it was real or his imagination. But he couldn’t be sure.

He dragged himself to his feet. Someone had put a pair of his jeans on the small couch next to the bed. He grabbed them and tugged them on. He was no longer wearing a shirt, and he suddenly realized there was an IV bag hanging nearby, dripping drugs into his system. He hadn’t noticed it at first, but now he could feel the chill in his blood.