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JETT STRODE INTO HIS silent home on Friday night, taking in the quiet. He’d texted Anna to let her know he’d be staying late at the office. Again. Although he preferred spending his evenings with her, the situation couldn’t be helped. He’d pulled Nick from Boston this week, sending him along with Sam, Gray, Luke, and Ford to Sudan. That meant he’d had to fill in on the Boston op for a day. It was simple work, gathering intel by chatting up the people there and getting a feel for the situation. Jett hadn’t been able to stay in Boston since he needed to be at headquarters to monitor the situation overseas.
There’d been no additional leaks of classified information since the media blasted the news everywhere last weekend. None of the IT staff had taken the bait with the fake cables the Shadow Ops Team had sent. They were at a standstill. Jett turned over screenshots of the emails between Susco and the IT staff to the Defense Department, but they hadn’t ruled out the involvement of anyone else. Yet.
He rubbed his temples, his head throbbing. He’d been toying with the idea of hiring additional men, and it might be damn well time—after the new year, that is. Christmas was just over a week away. Anna had been busy wrapping presents and preparing everything, saying they needed to be ready for both Brody’s first Christmas and their tropical escape afterwards. She’d pulled out suitcases and bikinis and seemed to have purchased a random assortment of other things, with various packages arriving. She’d tucked most of it away into a spare closet, telling him not to worry about it.
Ha. Luckily, he wasn’t interested in snooping.
They’d have next weekend at home and then Christmas, with their getaway a few days later. Lena was a godsend and had taken care of everything regarding their travel plans. The nanny was set to stay at their home and watch Brody for several days, and he and Anna would be sitting in first class on a flight to a tropical paradise.
His gut churned at the idea of leaving his son, but he had cameras everywhere, monitoring his house and property. The team had offered to keep an eye on his home as well. He was a little surprised they’d encouraged the vacation, but he rarely took a personal day. Anna was more excited than ever, promising he’d get his big surprise before their vacation.
Jett pushed up his sleeves, revealing his muscled forearms, and moved into the quiet kitchen. The dishes were put away, and the lights from the Christmas tree out back shone brightly. He crossed over to flip off the switch and close the blinds, noticing that Anna had left him a note on the table.
Dinner’s in the fridge. Just heat it up a few minutes. xoxo
Something stirred in his chest. Leave it to her to take care of him even when she was no doubt exhausted. She’d been working more than the part-time hours they’d agreed upon after she’d returned from maternity leave, and guilt coursed through him. Although Jett had been the one to insist she not come back full time yet, he needed the help. He scrubbed a hand over the scruff on his jaw, deciding he wasn’t really hungry. He’d gotten a decent lunch and had made due with a protein bar earlier. He was tired, the strain from the past week catching up to him, and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed beside Anna.
Moving down the hallway, he stuck his laptop bag in his office. He’d have to be up bright and early to touch base with his team, but they could reach him by phone if needed during the night. He might not be at Uncle Sam’s beck and call anymore, but when his men were on a mission, he was always on duty. The responsibility weighed on him, but Jett wouldn’t have it any other way.
Quietly pushing open the bedroom door, he stilled. The dim light on the nightstand was turned on, and Anna rustled in her sleep, sensing he was there. She opened her eyes and drowsily smiled at him, looking so damn beautiful it made his chest hurt. He strode into their room, unable to stop the smile that spread across his face at seeing her. She’d been a much lighter sleeper ever since having Brody, but he still felt guilty he’d woken her up.
“Hi baby,” she said, her voice heavy with sleep.
Jett crossed the room and set his phone on the nightstand, then ducked down to kiss Anna’s forehead. She still smelled of peaches and cream, so damn ripe and tempting. They were both exhausted though because of the late hour, and as much as he’d enjoy making love to her, right now, they needed their rest.
His gaze drifted to the baby monitor on the nightstand, which was alongside a stack of presents.
“What are those presents for?” he asked, his lips quirking.
“Presents for the gift exchange at the office.”
“We don’t have a gift exchange,” Jett said with a frown.
“We do now.”
He chuckled despite himself, his head already feeling better now that he was home, about to crawl into bed beside Anna. He’d get a kick out of seeing the Shadow Ops Team exchange presents, but no doubt Anna would easily talk them all into it.
“Go back to sleep,” he said in a low voice. “You must be exhausted.”
“That was going to be my line,” she said sweetly. “Was your work stuff okay?”
“Hush,” he said, turning off the lamp. He ran his hand briefly down her hair in the dark, soothing her. His thumb skimmed over her plush lips, and he kissed her briefly. “I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she said, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn.
Jett pulled off his polo shirt and pushed down his pants, stepping out of both them and his shoes. He undid the clasp on his watch, listening to the heavy thud as he dropped it on the nightstand, then fell into bed beside his fiancée.
“Hold me,” she said, snuggling up against him.
His arms immediately wrapped around her, pulling her close. Anna’s head rested on his chest, her breasts pressing against him, and her bare legs twined with his. She seemed to be wearing a silky nightie, but he wasn’t about to start stripping her bare now. It was late, and they had no idea what time Brody would wake up. “Go back to sleep,” he said, his lips brushing against her temple. “We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Okay,” she whispered, her body relaxing against him. “I sleep better when you’re here.”
“I know.”
He felt her huff of amusement before she yawned again, nestling even closer. Jett ran his hand over her silky hair and began to drift off himself, exhausted yet content in the knowledge that he was home, his family safe and secure.
