Page 26 of Code Name: Phoenix

JACK

When Dana told me why my name was written over and over again in Jessa’s notebooks, I dared to hope everything we had was still here.

The moment Jessa’s back pressed up against the wall and I pinned her body in place, I knew she was still mine.

Her body trembled under my weight, no doubt partly from the cool air hitting her wet flesh after her shower. The goosebumps that swelled along her skin betrayed the calm composure she failed to project.

Her eyes flit around wildly, as I’m sure the man here with her now is nothing like she remembers.

She’s a survivor and a fighter, doing what’s necessary to stay alive. She created her own controlled atmosphere, but it’s time to relieve her of that. She needs to know that the responsibility of keeping her safe can be shared. She doesn’t need to walk alone any longer.

I never thought I would get the chance to tell her I never stopped loving her. I stopped looking. I stopped thinking, but I always loved her, and I open my old wounds as I tell her just that. “You were mine, and I was yours.”

I’ve never wanted anything as fiercely as I want her right now, and this isn’t up for discussion.She belongs to me.The thought is as natural as breathing, and a fervent urge to show her just what that means settles in.

“Jack, I—”

This conversation isn’t hers to lead. I’ve suffered years without her, and this is my time.

Dropping my free hand under her towel, I gently touch her inner thigh, reining in her attention and bringing all of her focus to me.

Her eyes snap to mine, and I don’t give her a chance to process her thoughts. “This is mine, Jessa.”

It’s not a request. It’s not a question. This is me telling her we aren’t done.

My need to know every inch of her pushes me dangerously close to insanity as I reach the apex of her thighs, which are firmly pressed together.

She watches me with rapt attention, waiting for me to lead. I’m seconds away from completely unraveling my barely contained calm and embracing the chaos.

“Jessa. You. Are. Mine.”

Her mouth parts with a soft gasp; her lower lip trembles before she bites it. She exhales a shaky breath as she listens to my words. Closing her mouth, she swallows and steps her feet apart to allow me to continue—and I do.

Her eyes close as her head falls back, and I intensify my touch. In response, she lifts both hands to hold on to my shirt, leaving herself open to me. A heady need to see her bare consumes me, and I grab the towel from between us and remove it.

There are protocols to follow. There are rules that ensure we operate at peak performance—but none of them matter in this moment. As I return to touch the wetness between her thighs, she gives herself to me in a beautiful moan that I devour in a punishing kiss.

Her weight shifts. She lifts her leg to circle my waist when I step into her, and I pull her up and against me, carrying her across the room to the table.

The rest of the room fades into the background. There’s only her.

My heart could explode, and I would be okay with that. I have the only thing I’ve ever wanted lying in front of me, giving herself to me.

Her curves are firm, and her breasts bounce softly as she adjusts herself for me on the table.

Then, not wasting another moment away from her, I move my hand to the waist of my pants and tear open the button, taking the zipper down with it. In one swift move, my pants are halfway down.

There’s a place in the back of my mind where I wish we could go slow. I wish I had the control to be gentle and the time to show her how much I hurt when I lost her, but those are luxuries I no longer possess.

In one move, I end our anticipation.

I want the rest of the world to slip away—one ornery business partner included—but we can’t be here together forever. These walls aren’t soundproof, and I’d be surprised if no one was listening outside the door.

I should be the strong one who puts an end to this, who listens to reason, but the discord consumes my rationality. My need for her outweighs the castigation that awaits me.

Thick shadows fill the room around us, and only her silhouette against the small amount of light entering through the window is visible.

I want to turn the light on, to see all of her clear as day, but I can’t risk the possibility that the camera might come back on at any minute.

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