Page 67 of Broken
Using two hands, he picked up the small glass, and drank it down.
“Oh, sure, for you he drinks water,” Mac said. “Good job, Ethan.”
“Can I have more?”
She poured more, and Ethan gulped it down.
Jacqueline never thought she’d see Mac in her apartment. It felt surreal, but there he was.
“I’m still waiting on the groveling.”
Mac wiped Ethan’s mouth with a napkin. “Did you like the calamari?”
“Uh-huh,” he replied. “I like Jack’s water. It’s sooooo good.”
“We have water like that in Virginia,” Mac said before eyeing Jacqueline. “Can we talk in the living room so Ethan can play?”
Once there, she sat on the floor while Mac opened the oversized tote bag, pulled out some mid-size trucks, and set them on the floor. Ethan rolled them over the carpet, making adorable engine sounds.
“I need your help,” Mac began.
“I heard,” she replied. “I was on a plane earlier being escorted by four Secret Service agents to track down someone who’s taking out a group of elite agents. When I was told I’d have to work with you, I got off the plane.”
His laughter made her heart soar. She soaked up the joy on his face, taking a mental picture of the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, the dimple on his chin, the way his bedroom eyes came alive.
Then, his breathtaking expression fell away. “I agreed to do a job, and I can’t do it without you. I’m not good at groveling, but here goes.”
He sat beside her, collected her hands in his, and gazed into her eyes. Common sense was telling her to pull her hands away, but she couldn’t. Being touched by him sent streams of butterflies whizzing through her. Staring into his eyes made her feel safe. A feeling she craved every moment of every day.
“I will do whatever it takes to get your career back on track, even if it means sacrificing my own… and I’m not talking about my job at Armstrong,” he began. “I’m talking about myotherjob.”
“I’m listening.” She loved the tender way he stroked her skin, the sincerity in his eyes. Her traitorous heart leapt… until reality crept back in.
She wouldn’t be working on a damn task force, if it wasn’t for him. But… maybe this was her chance to get back in the game, prove she could handle the pressure of hunting down a killer, all while teaming with her nemesis.
“On a personal level, where you know me as Mac, we’re very compatible,” he continued. “As a show of my commitment to you, I’ll make you a proposition. I will take care of you. Only you. Nothing for me. I will ensure you’re satisfied… all the time.”
She hitched a brow at him. “You must be desperate.”
“There’s a lot at stake, a lot going on, that I can’t get into right now.” He tossed a nod toward Ethan. “But we have to be able to trust each other completely—”
“Mac is the best l-o-v-e-r I’ve ever had,” she murmured.
Up went his eyebrows. “I love a direct woman.”
“But, Prescott, former HRT team lead, is unreliable and untrustworthy. You did whatever the H you wanted, and there werenowinners in that scenario.”
Darkness flashed in his eyes, but he stayed silent.
She studied him for a beat. “Therewasa winner? Seriously? Who won?”
“Jack, I’m begging you to get on that plane with me. You don’t have to like me. We don’t even have to work well together. I just need you to do your job, so I can do mine.”
There was a certain sense of satisfaction watching a powerful man like Prescott Armstrong begging her to help him. She held all the power… and she liked it.
While his offer to satisfy her every sexual desire was tempting on its own, sheneededto get her career back on track.
On a nod, she said, “You’ve got yourself a partner, Prescott Armstrong.”
