him a brilliant smile when he entered the room. “Mornin’, sleepyhead.”
He gave her a faint smile, but she didn’t expect him to say more. She’d already figured out he was a “man of few words” or so she’d told him last night over dinner, chiding Jax when he kept peppering him with questions about his last tour in the desert.
Wolf couldn’t help letting his gaze slide over Suri’s lush curves. How Jax had landed a bombshell like that… He shook his head. Jax had met her on his first mission with the Charter Group. He’d rescued her from a drug lord’s compound. A school teacher, she’d been reluctant to set foot in Mexico again, but Jax had been persuasive, waving the carrot of this prime piece of real estate to tempt her back south of the border, if only just long enough to settle his pal Wolf into the beach house.
Besides, the drug lord who’d threatened her was dead. His son was in protective custody, having turned snitch to save his own hide from a long prison sentence. He’d revealed enough about his father’s organization that the DEA, with contracted help from the Charter Group, had managed to dismantle his organization piece by piece. Now that the job was nearly complete, Jax and Suri were planning to marry in Austin in the fall.
Wolf watched as Jax moved toward her, sliding an arm low on her back as he bent to kiss her cheek. He envied the other man’s ease with the woman. Envied the fact he had someone. While Wolf had never had much trouble finding partners for one-night-stands, he’d never made a real connection with a woman.
Suri pointed her spatula toward the kitchen table. “Help yourself. Eat as much as you want. Charter keeps the kitchen well-stocked.”
Wolf gave her another faint smile, filled a plate, and joined Deke at the table.
“You have a chance to look over the packet?” Deke asked as he crunched on a piece of bacon.
“Read it before I went to bed. Benefits look good.” He looked up to meet Deke’s gaze. “Just as good as what GAPS is offering.”
Deke gave him a wry smile. “They’re a solid organization. I know Jon Rudnick well. Served a tour or two with him in the sandbox. He’s good people. It’s your choice. But we’d love to have you come onto our team.”
Wolf picked up the bottle of maple syrup and began streaming it over his tall stack of flapjacks. “Would I be working with you?”
“Every mission,” Deke said, nodding. “Depending on the scale of the op, we might not scramble everyone on the team. But you will train with all the people you’ll work with on the ground.”
“You’re in charge?” He hoped so. He hated the thought of joining a special ops team and not knowing or trusting a soul.
“Yeah.”
Wolf glanced across at Jax who gave him another nod, and then took a bite of fluffy pancakes.
“Think about it,” Jax said, tapping his forefinger on the table. “These are the kinds of missions we’re trained to do. Quick and surgical. But without all the freaking red tape and dumb-ass rules of engagement that change at the whim of a desk jockey.”
Wolf kept his gaze on his plate, but watched both men from under his eyelashes. He didn’t like giving away what he was thinking with a look. “You’ve been doing a lot of work south of the border.”
“Only some mop-ups are left,” Jax said. “Can’t tell you what’s coming next. Could be a hostage rescue, security for a political event, or covering a transport ship in the Gulf of Aden. But we will be leaving Mexico.”
Suri set a stack of pancakes in the middle of Jax’s nearly empty plate. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m feeling a little nostalgic. I kind-of miss our hut in the compound…”
Jax smiled and pulled her across his lap.
She laughed and held the pan high. “Stop. The pan’s hot.”
“So are you, beautiful.” Then he gave her a noisy kiss, before pushing her off his lap and smacking her ass. “Behave. This is man-talk. Go flip some more
He gave her a faint smile, but she didn’t expect him to say more. She’d already figured out he was a “man of few words” or so she’d told him last night over dinner, chiding Jax when he kept peppering him with questions about his last tour in the desert.
Wolf couldn’t help letting his gaze slide over Suri’s lush curves. How Jax had landed a bombshell like that… He shook his head. Jax had met her on his first mission with the Charter Group. He’d rescued her from a drug lord’s compound. A school teacher, she’d been reluctant to set foot in Mexico again, but Jax had been persuasive, waving the carrot of this prime piece of real estate to tempt her back south of the border, if only just long enough to settle his pal Wolf into the beach house.
Besides, the drug lord who’d threatened her was dead. His son was in protective custody, having turned snitch to save his own hide from a long prison sentence. He’d revealed enough about his father’s organization that the DEA, with contracted help from the Charter Group, had managed to dismantle his organization piece by piece. Now that the job was nearly complete, Jax and Suri were planning to marry in Austin in the fall.
Wolf watched as Jax moved toward her, sliding an arm low on her back as he bent to kiss her cheek. He envied the other man’s ease with the woman. Envied the fact he had someone. While Wolf had never had much trouble finding partners for one-night-stands, he’d never made a real connection with a woman.
Suri pointed her spatula toward the kitchen table. “Help yourself. Eat as much as you want. Charter keeps the kitchen well-stocked.”
Wolf gave her another faint smile, filled a plate, and joined Deke at the table.
“You have a chance to look over the packet?” Deke asked as he crunched on a piece of bacon.
“Read it before I went to bed. Benefits look good.” He looked up to meet Deke’s gaze. “Just as good as what GAPS is offering.”
Deke gave him a wry smile. “They’re a solid organization. I know Jon Rudnick well. Served a tour or two with him in the sandbox. He’s good people. It’s your choice. But we’d love to have you come onto our team.”
Wolf picked up the bottle of maple syrup and began streaming it over his tall stack of flapjacks. “Would I be working with you?”
“Every mission,” Deke said, nodding. “Depending on the scale of the op, we might not scramble everyone on the team. But you will train with all the people you’ll work with on the ground.”
“You’re in charge?” He hoped so. He hated the thought of joining a special ops team and not knowing or trusting a soul.
“Yeah.”
Wolf glanced across at Jax who gave him another nod, and then took a bite of fluffy pancakes.
“Think about it,” Jax said, tapping his forefinger on the table. “These are the kinds of missions we’re trained to do. Quick and surgical. But without all the freaking red tape and dumb-ass rules of engagement that change at the whim of a desk jockey.”
Wolf kept his gaze on his plate, but watched both men from under his eyelashes. He didn’t like giving away what he was thinking with a look. “You’ve been doing a lot of work south of the border.”
“Only some mop-ups are left,” Jax said. “Can’t tell you what’s coming next. Could be a hostage rescue, security for a political event, or covering a transport ship in the Gulf of Aden. But we will be leaving Mexico.”
Suri set a stack of pancakes in the middle of Jax’s nearly empty plate. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m feeling a little nostalgic. I kind-of miss our hut in the compound…”
Jax smiled and pulled her across his lap.
She laughed and held the pan high. “Stop. The pan’s hot.”
“So are you, beautiful.” Then he gave her a noisy kiss, before pushing her off his lap and smacking her ass. “Behave. This is man-talk. Go flip some more
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