Ice (Elite Forces #1)(12)

Not only did Pierce and I serve for years together, he’s like a brother to me, along with Kase Flynn. While Pierce continued to serve our country, both Kase and I had enough after serving twelve years.

We now run a tight private military firm, which is contracted with the government. Pierce and Kase are the two I directly work with to lead our team through the missions. I’m still serving my country by training or guarding significant military personnel who may travel in or out of The United States. We get called on special dangerous missions, and this is no exception to that. It feeds my craving for living the life without all the f*cking rules of being in the Army, and I f*cking love every damn second of it.

I know this country as if it were my own. It's one of the reasons I was selected to get this team in and out of there as quickly as possible. I know the process, the drills, and still have the desire to f*cking blow the enemy apart until there’s nothing left of them but a pile of ashes. Yeah, I f*cking know the routine and can’t wait to feel the rush again.

Pierce and I spent hours, days even, going through files, searching for the perfect team. I thought I had them all, until I opened her file. The blonde with the most captivating eyes I have ever seen. I swear to Christ those eyes popped out of that file and bewitched my ass. I knew nothing about her but her name. For the first time since I’ve met my military brothers, I’m keeping something from them. They have no idea I have a woman on this team. And they definitely don’t know I can’t take my damn mind off of her.

Captain Jade Elizabeth Elliott. Fucking beautiful. I scoured every bit of information I could find on her to the point of being her stalker. I’ll admit it. I’m drawn to her in a way I can't even comprehend to my own f*cked-up mind. It's fate, or maybe destiny, f*ck if I know. All I know is she has fascinated me from the moment I laid eyes on her.

At first it was her outer beauty, then it became her drive, her determination to be one of the first women to enter and graduate special ops training. Then it became her agility. Her voice when I heard her speak in the many videos I watched her in. I’m obsessed, not to the point of placing her in danger, but to the point of making her mine.

“I need to brief Captain Harris and Captain Elliott on a few things. See you all in a few hours.” I grab my tray, dump the scraps into the garbage, and walk past her tent. I pause when I step in front of it for a brief second. I can smell her. She’s addictive. I clench my hands into fists and plow forward to my office, where I kick a few boxes over. My frustration at my own actions deepens.

There’s a knock on my door the minute I collapse into the chair behind my table.

“It’s open.” I don't even bother to look up and see who it is. I know it’s the two of them here to work their punishment off. One I have no damn right to give either one of them after the shit I’ve done, but as the Commander of this unit, I have to. Both of them need to understand. Jade already does, or at least she f*cking better. Harris on the other hand won’t get it through his head if I don’t lay down a few rules somehow.

I would love to shove Harris’ head in the f*cking sand and tell him to stay the hell away from her, that she will never be his because she’s mine; or at least she will be when I'm finished. But I won’t.

I have nothing but respect for Captain Harris when it comes down to his intelligence, his ability to endanger his life like the rest of us, to kill a man who has done nothing but bring heartache and destruction to our men and women of the armed forces. The man can speak the native tongue of this country just as well as he can speak English. His ability to interpret is imperative to accomplish what we came here for, but after this is over, I hope I never see the man again.

“Good evening, Sir.” Harris speaks. It’s then that I lift my head, clasp my fingers together under my chin, and zone in on the two of them. Neither one of them will look at me. They stand at attention. Oh, how I would love to see him sweat. I may be a heartless son of a bitch for doing this, but I need to make a goddamn point to both of them.

“Captain Harris. The next time you need to get your dick wet, may I suggest you spit on the f*cker and yank his goddamn chain. Fuck your hand. Fuck a damn hole in the wall. I don’t care what you f*ck, but you will stay away from Captain Elliott. Do I make myself clear?” The power in my speech backs up every muscle in my body when I stand to face him. Eye to eye. Man to motherf*cking man.

“Yes, Sir,” he bellows out his answer with no hesitation at all. He may think he has me fooled, but he doesn’t. The man may keep his pin dick in his pants for the rest of this mission, but I know good and well he’s been secretly in love with her for a long time. I know everything about them all. I dismiss him with my eyes and move to the beautiful creature who has enthralled her very existence on both of the men standing in this room. The great thing about it is, she has no f*cking clue what she does to us.

“Captain Elliott.” Mother. Fuck. My resistance wavers all over the damn place, my insides twist, my cock twitches, and my mouth waters desperately to latch onto hers. She should not have this much f*cking control over me.

“Sir.” God. I’d give anything for her to look at me. She won’t though. She’ll see this through. She’s more than confirmed her loyalty by letting me have her. I want her loyalty to be to me and not to this man standing next to her.

“Are your fingers broken?” I snap.