Casanova In Training (4 page)

“Thanks, Keel. Man, I’ve missed this.”

Her voice was full of pleasure and she made that sexy little rumble in the back of her throat, the same as she’d done in his hotel room. His cock throbbed uncomfortably.

Forcing his attention to his own job, he and the rest of the squadron took to the air. The adrenaline hit him and he couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face. As his jet burst through the clouds and he was presented with the pure blue of the sky, things felt right again in his world.

Most people never get to see the world like this.
Higher and higher, they pushed until they reached the stratosphere.
Here’s to you, Sidewinder. Here’s to you.

Orders came into the cockpit and, with a grin at Lizard, who would assume the role of mission commander if they ever got called out, he put his game face on as the bomber streaked through the sky. He and Lizard were a unique team—normally a mission commander held a higher rank but, since this was a test facility and he and Lizard had worked together in the past, it worked for them. Not to mention that they were Navy and typically only Air Force flew the B-2 Spirit.

Once they’d made it back to base, Jason was touting how impressed he was by Dusti’s ability up there. Grinding his back teeth as they climbed down, Giovanni tried to keep his comments to himself.

Fool sounds in love.
The real disturbing part about that was it made him jealous to think that Jason and Jaydee could have a thing. He wanted her.

Giovanni would admit, albeit reluctantly, she had been impressive. Her voice had stayed calm throughout the exercise. Even during the tests they’d had to put the jets through. She’d completed everything asked of her with cool efficiency.

Shades on, he paused slightly when he caught sight of Jaydee slipping into a hangar. He waved goodbye to Lizard and followed her. He knew the hangar. The remains of Mike’s plane were housed there.

What could she possibly want in there?
Hesitation hit him before he entered the massive building. While he knew what was in there, he’d not wanted to see the wreckage. Clenching his fists, he stepped out of the sun and into the artificially lit hangar.

Twisted metal chunks lay across the floor and he closed his eyes against the memories for a brief second before pressing on. His target stood by a section of wing that concealed one of the B-2’s four engines. He nodded at the guard and headed for her. She stood with her hands positioned on her hips, which only served to enhance the tininess of her waist.

He gulped as warring emotions fought within him, the powerful desire to gather her close and protect her with the wish for her to be prohibited from flying. The arrogant male side of him hated the weak-willed emotions of lust he experienced around her.

His object of focus crouched down and he groaned as his cock hardened at the way her flight suit tightened around her firm ass. Jaydee didn’t have a butt, she had an
ass
, handcrafted for him to grab and squeeze as he powered deep inside her liquid heat. Ignoring both lust and hesitation at being in there, he strode up behind her. Her hair was confined in a double French braid. As he stared down at her, all that ran through his mind was how much he wanted to take it down and let it flow over his skin.

“Something I can do for you, Commander Cassano?” Her voice flowed over him, modulated and calm.

“Why are you in here?” he demanded.

She sighed and pushed smoothly to her feet before pivoting and facing him. Her eyes flickered with something akin to irritation before they became devoid of any emotion.

“I may be new to this squad of test pilots, Commander, but I don’t answer to you. So, while I’m extremely sorry this incident took your friend’s life and you may think I’m trying to replace him, believe me when I say I’m not. I was ordered here. If it’s all the same to you, keep your damn chauvinistic and irritable attitude away from me.”

She raked her eyes up and down him, unable to disguise the heat. Lord help him, he wanted to kiss her. All over.

“What’s going on here?”

With a snarl close to escaping, he glanced to his left to see Lizard and a few others walking up. Crossing his arms, he focused back on Jaydee. A seductive and challenging grin lifted his lips.

“I was just telling Dusti here how we’d love to have her join us at Kerrigan’s. Help us get to know one another better.”

“Wonderful idea,” Lizard said. “We’ll see you then! Seven o’clock. Come on, guys.”

Jaydee held his gaze as they were again left alone. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot,” he said.

She blinked and said coolly, “I don’t need a ride. I’ll be there.” That said, she gave him her back and crouched back down by the wing.

Giovanni muttered under his breath before striding away. He made short work of a shower—a cold one at that—and was soon at his car. Peering over his shoulder, he gazed back to the hangar.
What possible reason could she have for scanning the wreckage?

With a groan, he drove back to his apartment after stopping for some groceries. He sat around for a bit trying to forget his feelings for Jaydee.

“It’s worse now that I know her name,” he mumbled.

His mood was near foul when he left to hit Kerrigan’s. A feeling that faded when he stepped through the door. Making his way back to where his squad hung out, he snorted when there was no sign of Jaydee Amos.

“Hey, Casanova.”

He returned the greetings and caught the eye of a waitress for a beer. “Where’s Keel?” he asked.

“Getting to know his pilot,” Puck said. “They’re over there, throwing darts.”

Instantly he found her. A possessive growl rose from his chest, threatening to escape. She made his mouth water and his cock harder than steel. Tonight she wore a light blue fitted T-shirt and body-hugging jeans. No heels tonight, but plain white tennis shoes.

She laughed and chatted easily with Keel. Giovanni wanted to rip the man’s head off and shove it down his throat.
What the hell is wrong with me?
He had no reason to be jealous—Keel was a devoted husband and father. But there he was, furious and hating that she was having a good time with someone other than him.

He forced himself to remain there and participate in the ongoing conversation. Unfortunately, his mind and attention continued to meander back to her. Eventually, they returned and she sat almost across from him.

“Nice to see you made it,” he said.

Her full lips curled around the bottle and she took a swig. His cock pulsed. Her tongue swiped along her lower lip before she shrugged. “The place is not hard to find.”

“Tell me about you,” he ordered. “Do you prefer Dusti, Amos, or Commander?”

“I answer to all three, so it’s up to you. Most people call me Jaydee.” She blinked. “What about you?”

“Hi, Casanova!” A brunette wrapped her arms around him and kissed him straight on the mouth. “I’ve missed you. Call me and we’ll…well, you know.” Then she was gone with a flirtatious wink.

He met Jaydee’s gaze and saw comprehension. “Does everyone call you Casanova?” Her question shocked him. He expected a comment on the woman and the kiss.
What was that one’s name?
For the life of him, he couldn’t recall.

“Some call me Cassano. Or Giovanni.”

Keel touched her, taking her attention. Giovanni observed them through narrowed eyes. The blond was showing her his new tattoo.

“You seem like a tattoo woman,” he said across the table, bringing her gaze back to where he wanted it. On him. “A rose? Or a heart?”

Flames flickered in the depths of her unique eyes but her expression remained composed. The others jumped in, trying to guess location and type. He let them guess a while before he spoke up again.

“I’ve got it.” Everyone looked at him. His fingers curved about the cool bottle. “A fairy.”

Her grin was more a baring of teeth. He knew exactly what her tattoo was and its precise location. It was a fairy on her lower back, left side.

“Fairies are important,” she said with a warning glint in her gaze. “Men I meet tend to be…um…lacking, and, hey, a little pixie dust to help things along is always appreciated. I hate being left wanting.” She got to her feet. “Thank you for inviting me, but I have a previous engagement. I’ll catch you all tomorrow.”

His pride smarted, for he knew damn well she’d been satisfied in his bed. “Perhaps you should meet different men.”

“I’m on my way to do that now.”

Anger burned in his gut. Lizard smacked him in the arm. “Casanova here has no problems with the ladies.”

She nodded. “I’ve heard about Casanova. I’m still not convinced he was the world’s greatest lover. Seems more likely he sleeps…slept…with so many because he couldn’t get repeating…customers. He lacked what women wanted.”

Jaydee sent him a sugary-sweet smile before walking away without a look back. The table howled with laughter as he watched her leave Kerrigan’s.

“What is with you two? Hell, the way y’all are going at it makes me think there’s some serious attraction there,” Puck said around her laughter.

You have no idea. You just have
no
idea.

“Or,” Lizard began, “she despises you, like you seem to do her.” Another shoulder smack. “Be nice to her, man. We were new too.”

He planned to be nice. Very nice, as he stripped her bare and fucked her until neither could move for hours. He shifted on his feet and tried to ignore the insistent press of his cock against his jeans.

“Sure,” he muttered before draining the rest of his beer and deliberately turning his back to the door, so he couldn’t see her if she and her ‘previous engagement’ came back in.

He went home not long after and his dreams passed full of the temptress. When morning rolled around, he was surly. In the shower, he closed his eyes and jerked himself off to the replay of him and Jaydee together.

The week was tense and he was ready for his day off. It passed all too quickly, however. Back at work, he nodded briskly to a fellow commander but didn’t stop to talk. Stepping from the building, he began walking towards the building Mike’s plane was in when, beyond it, he spied a B-2 partway out of its hangar.

Morning sun had barely begun to creep over the horizon. The fog seemed to hover a foot above the ground, adding to the impressive aura the Spirit gave off.

His breath caught in his throat as his mind identified who the lone person was, walking around the bomber. Jaydee. He readjusted his course and headed for her. Her flight suit was only half on, bunched at her waist to expose bare arms to the cool morning air.

“Morning, Jaydee,” he said, leaning against the landing gear.

Jaydee inhaled deeply. The crisp air carried with it a raw masculine scent that belonged to Lieutenant Commander Cassano. Or, as he was more aptly called, Casanova.

It’s too early to deal with this. With him. With the lust he slams into me.

“Morning, Commander,” she said, flicking a glance over her shoulder. Her heart pounded hard at the man standing there. Sex. That was what he brought to mind. All-day, no-holds-barred sex. Like they’d shared already.

“Giovanni.”

“Excuse me?” she asked, tearing her gaze from his impressive physique to focus back on his face.

“Call me Giovanni.”

She raked hungry eyes over him one more time. “That’s a mouthful.”

“You’d know.” A mocking lift of his lips nearly made her groan.

She coolly arched a brow. “So something shorter then. Gio?”

His eyes narrowed and he stepped closer, again making her focus on other things.

“What are you doing here so early?” he asked in a low tone that bordered on intimate.

“Working.”
Which you tend to distract me from.

“That’s a very vague answer. Why are you out here so early?”

Instead of answering, she peered up at the black jet that loomed over them like a large, dark shadow. She could feel a soft smile teasing the corners of her mouth.

“Have you ever taken the time to just
look
at these birds. You can
feel
their power. The majesty.”

He moved up behind her, cloaking her with his warmth. Without glancing at him, she allowed him to close in near. His breath fanned the back of her neck as his hands settled upon her waist.

Her heart skipped a few beats before returning to the breakneck pace it had around him. This contact was highly improper and yet she couldn’t find it in her to pull away. Hell, she could hardly keep from sinking into his strong chest.

“Why?” he asked, the question rumbled in her ear.

Jaydee licked her lips and weighed her words. She knew he was asking about her being assigned here, to the squadron.

“I already told you, I am here on orders.”

“Bullshit!”

His fingers, strong fingers, dug into the flesh of her hips and she swallowed. Those fingers had brought her such ecstasy. Her nails scored into her palms and she fought to keep her control intact.

“What reason would I have for lying?”

“I pulled your record. You’ve never been assigned to a squadron, so why the hell would they send
you
here to this test facility?” He spun her around to face him. In the early morning’s light, his hazel eyes flashed dangerously. “Who the fuck are you?”

Her heart pounded erratically. Holding his angry gaze, she removed his hands from her waist.
I’m not even going to ask how he managed to pull my record.
“I’m not lying about who I am or why I’m here. I’m just here to do the job they tell me.”

“You’re lying. I don’t know yet how much, but you can bet your cute little ass you’re full of shit.”

She ground her jaw. “My ‘cute little ass’ is no concern of yours,” she said. “In fact, none of me is.”

He moved like the wind, grabbed her arms, and spun her out of the open into the immediate inside of the empty hangar. Pressed against the cool metal wall, she had nowhere to go. He blocked her in with his hard muscled body. She could barely make out his features in the foredawn light but it didn’t matter. The desire poured from him—she could have been blind and still seen it.

“The hell it doesn’t,” he growled by her ear. She plastered herself further back against the wall, praying the metal would keep her from reacting. “Damn you!” he swore before covering her mouth with his own.