Page 73 of Fire and Ice

Maia avoided his eyes and stared at the base of his throat, not responding.

He threaded his fingers through her hair a few times before cupping her chin, tilting it up to look down into her eyes. "It's not just sex," Jack repeated softly. "I wouldn't even try making love to you in your condition. You're injured." He brushed her lips gently with his before continuing, "I just want to spend more time with you."

"I thought you didn't do relationships. This is beginning to sound like one."

"I do when it comes to you."

"You can't keep changing the rules, Jack."

"I know. So let's just throw out the rules and see where this goes," Jack suggested while making sure to flash Maia his most charming smile.

Her eyebrow shot up, her expression wary. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

Jack was at loss for words and he was also starting to lose his patience. Though he always made the first move with women (women who made the first move turned him off and he just stayed away from the type), they always threw themselves at him in the end. He had no experience whatsoever in trying to talk them into staying with him. Jack felt his smile quickly devolve into a frown.Why was this woman being so damned difficult?

"You are so damned infuriating," Jack murmured finally.

The corners of Maia's lips tipped up. "I must say Mr. McCord, you need to work on your relationship lingo. That's no way to charm a lady into staying with you."

"You'll drive a saint into chaining you to the bed," Jack muttered, and then trying not to let his annoyance show, he continued, "The sexisgood. No, wait. Sex with you blows my fucking mind. You're smart, sexy and sassy—you don't take shit from me— and I crave to be with you even when all my survival instincts tell me to run the other way. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever fucking laid eyes on." He grasped both her hands and brought them together over his chest. "Now, Miss Pierce, will you stay until Friday?"

Maia burst into laughter. "Okay, that will do. I'll stay until Friday."

Jack exhaled a breath of relief. "Thank God, I thought I'd have to start quoting fucking Byron. What time do you want me to take you to Baltimore?"

"You don't have to take me all the way to Baltimore."

He looked at her sharply. "This," gesturing between them, "is happening."

"There are many things I may have to do that might piss you off."

Jack knew exactly what would piss him off. "Does that involve sleeping with anyone else?"

Maia's gaze sharpened as she retorted, "I've told you before, I don't let stuff get that far, remember?"

"Does this have anything to do with Lee in Baltimore?"

Maia nodded.

"We'll deal. Maia, you are not fucking sleeping with anyone else. But we'll deal with all the other stuff."

"I'm not good at this, Jack," she said softly. "I can't bring myself to belong to anybody."

"Sweetheart, it's too late," Jack said with a trace of bitterness. He did not like feeling this way, that another person had this much power over him, but he was tired of fighting it. It was only fair that she shared this unsettling feeling with him. "You're mine. And I take care of what is mine."

Maia sighed in resignation. Jack smiled inwardly; he had finally gotten through to her.

***

Maia was furious. She had just gotten off the phone with Viktor. Sometime between her last videoconference with him and her confrontation with Jack, the Baltimore plans had changed. Apparently, Jack was now part of the team—surveillance, of all things. So now she had to brief him and Derek on the Baltimore playbook.

The three of them were huddled around the conference table near the main control room. Maia printed a summary of the playbook and emailed the rest of details.

"I don't know how you wormed your way into this Jack, but I have a feeling Derek had something to do with it," she looked at her friend accusingly.

"Didn't I tell you we'll deal?" Jack smirked.

Maia fumed.

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