Page 2 of Holiday Hijinks

Her lips parted slightly now, and he teased her gently with his tongue, a promise of what was to come. His cock twitched as he reluctantly pulled back, both of them breathing heavily as the cold air whipped around them in the parking lot.

“I think I proved my point,” he said huskily, enjoying the pink flush of her cheeks and arousal in her eyes.

“You did fall for me pretty quickly, didn’t you?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.

“I told you—as soon as I came out of the woods and spotted you there in the driveway, I was smitten.”

“You told me to leave,” she reminded him.

Slate muttered a curse. “That’s because I was trying to be good. Us alone in that cabin for the weekend was always going to end only one way. You’re far too tempting.”

She giggled, the sound doing something funny to his chest. “Anna is still so proud of herself for setting us up,” Ashleigh confided. “I’m amazed she hasn’t tried to match up Jett’s entire office over at Shadow Security.”

“How do you know she hasn’t?” Slate quipped. “She certainly has her own way of doing things,” he added as they stopped at the big SUV he’d rented. “Jett didn’t exactly oppose the idea. As much as I hate to admit my brother was right about something, I can’t exactly fault him for that. I was shocked when he first started dating Anna years ago, but it did end up bringing you straight to me.”

“I mean, it wasn’t the worst weekend I’ve ever had,” she joked.

Slate growled and squeezed her hand. “Not the worst. I’d say it ended pretty well, all things considered.”

He opened the back hatch, easily lifting Ashleigh’s pink suitcase, laptop bag, and his duffle inside. His lips quirked as he thought of what was already waiting at the cabin—some early Christmas presents he’d had wrapped and sent over, champagne, groceries, and his dress uniform. Slate had arranged for it to be tucked away in the closet where his fiancée wouldn’t immediately spot it and know something was up.

The wedding planner Slate’s sister-in-law hired had been in touch with him almost daily for the past few months. They had close friends flying in. Flowers. A wedding cake. He was taking a chance planning it all without his future bride having a say in things, but damn. Life had gotten away from them, and he didn’t want to wait another minute to call her his wife.

“Anna even wanted me to name our future children after her—and yes, she realizes neither of us actually wants kids,” Ashleigh said. “I think she secretly just wants a little Anna running around somewhere.”

“Maybe Jett can give her a baby girl someday,” he said, shaking his head.

Ashleigh bit her lip, trying not to laugh. “Honestly? I’m not sure what Anna would do with another version of herself.”

“Well, that’s the goddamn truth.

Slate guided her over to the passenger door of the big SUV he’d rented, opening it for her, and then helping Ashleigh inside. Her cheeks and nose were turning red from the cold, her blonde hair cascading over her white parka. She looked so damn cute at the moment, he felt his chest swell.

“You’ve got my laptop bag, right?” she asked, glancing up at him.

“Yep. It’s in the back with our other things,” he assured her.

“Perfect. Because you know I can’t go on vacation without it.”

“Think I figured that out, Ash,” he gently teased. “I’m addicted to current events unfolding around the globe, and you’re addicted to writing.”

“Well, someday you’ll retire from the military. Will you still be fixated on the news and latest intelligence then or will you give yourself a chance to relax?”

He chuckled. “Yes and Yes. Although if Jett has his way, I’ll be running ops for him out west.”

Ashleigh crinkled her nose adorably. “That sounds dangerous.”

“Yep,” he agreed before buckling her in, letting his hands brush over her denim-clad thighs. She smelled damn sweet, like vanilla or something else delectable, and Slate wanted to simply devour her. “Dangerous, yet a job that still needs to be done.” He kissed her slow and sweet, in no hurry to rush off despite the damn cold. It was cute as hell the way she worried about him. Slate wasn’t even going on missions anymore, just commanding things stateside. He squeezed one of her thighs gently, a promise of more to come. He couldn’t exactly ravish her right here, but when they were alone tonight? All bets were off.

Slate closed the door and rounded the front of the vehicle, his gaze scanning the parking lot out of habit as he thought once again about his brother’s offer. Slate had planned to retire from active duty in a few years but stick around Coronado, continuing to work with the teams there. That didn’t mean he’d never be interested in his brother’s suggestion. Jett was former Delta Force and headed up Shadow Security in upstate New York. The Shadow Ops team ran black ops for the government, doing jobs the feds couldn’t or wouldn’t do.

Slate lived by the rules, following the military’s strict chain of command and advancing his career. Jett loved to do things his own way, consequences be damned. Slate wasn’t sure he was cut out for that life, but if it meant ridding the world of further evil, it was hard to find fault with it.

His phone buzzed as he started the engine, and he lifted it to his ear.

“Striker here.”

“I understand you made it to Seattle, brother,” Jett said.

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