You Only Love Twice (Masters and Mercenaries #8)(41)

Ten cursed and held his nose. “You *.”

Taggart grinned. “Oh, I’m never going to be able to hoard them properly. It’s too much fun. And I’ve got nine more of them. I should have gone for an even dozen. Imagine how much fun meetings will be. We’ll be sitting at some briefing and I’ll just punch you right in front of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Good times are coming our way, buddy.”

“I thought you were done with me,” Ten managed to say.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know you had a family. We do strange things for a family, and sometimes we forget who our family is and we walk away without saying the things we should,” Taggart allowed, and Phoebe got the feeling he wasn’t just talking about today. “I’m still pissed about you keeping things from me.”

“He was going to tell you about Case and Theo.” She could clear one thing up very quickly. “He just needed time to get them on the team. If you had met them in the beginning, they would probably be working for you. Ian, we need men like them. I know you do good work, but this country still needs the Agency and the Agency needs men like your brothers. Like you.”

“I walked away because of my family. I suppose I could walk back in for them, too. Don’t think this means I answer to you, Ten. It just means I’m willing to work with you if it means getting to know my brothers. And you. I walked away when you needed me. I’m not without blame here. Now, Phoebe, go and read the contract and talk to Jesse because I’m sick of the drama. It’s getting late. Ten and I need to drink some Scotch and discuss how we’re going to torture and kill the asswipe traitor when we find him.”

“Are you going to punch him again?” She wasn’t sure she should go.

Ten waved her off. “Go. Let us talk about manly stuff. Call me if you need me, but I’ll be back when the club opens for business. Maybe I can look at some pretty girls. I can’t say I want to have anything to do with the whipping crap, but the costumes are nice.”

“Your sister’s going to be in one Friday. That is if she doesn’t hide in her room,” Taggart pointed out.

“Maybe I’ll just stay outside then,” Ten said, going a little green.

Taggart laughed and poured Ten another. Someone was going to have to drive him back to base. “Do you have any idea how happy I am that my * dad only knew how to make boys? I’m so glad that baby in Charlie’s belly has a penis. I have no idea what to do with girls.”

As she walked away, she kind of hoped whatever sonogram Charlotte Taggart had proved false. If any man deserved a daughter, it was Ian Taggart.

What did Jesse deserve? A woman with a whole heart. A woman who could love him without reservation or regret. Unfortunately, for the next few days, all he had was her. So why did a little piece of her thrill at the idea of walking the club with him? For the first time in forever, she had no idea what was going to happen that week.

It made her feel alive. Yeah, that was dangerous.



Jesse stared at the bed. Damn Tag. What the hell was he thinking forcing him to share a bedroom with Phoebe for god only knew how long?

They should have let him go back to Wyoming. He had half a mind to bust out and leave anyway.

“Hey, we brought your things,” a soft voice said behind him.

He turned and Chelsea Weston stood in the doorway, her husband behind her. Simon towered over his wife, but his eyes were soft as he looked down at her. “She packed for you. She claims I would pick the most uncomfortable things possible. I tried to tell her you don’t own anything that qualifies. And you should really prepare yourself.”

He was about to ask for what when Chelsea flew across the room and threw her arms around him.

Simon laughed indulgently, picking up the bag she’d dropped. “Sorry, she hugs now. I can’t quite stop her.”

Jesse sighed and hugged her back. How had he ever doubted Simon? Simon was his partner, and maybe it had started out with Simon being forced to watch him, but they were friends now and Jesse promised he wouldn’t question that again. He would be grateful for the friends he’d made in this place. “I don’t mind.”

He’d spent so much time with no one to hold on to that he liked the fact that the women of McKay-Taggart hugged often and well.

Phoebe had started hugging him about three months after they’d met. She would wrap her arms around him and lay her head on his shoulder for a long while before breaking it off and saying good morning or good night.

Chelsea broke away, sniffling. “I can’t believe she nearly killed you.”

He hadn’t thought about the fact that Chelsea could get a little protective. Chelsea likely wouldn’t listen to logic, but he had to try. “In her defense, she didn’t pull the trigger.”

“There is no defense for what she did,” Chelsea said with complete conviction. “I don’t understand why Satan hasn’t taken her out yet. She should be strung up. You know what, if Ian won’t do what needs to be done, then I will. I will make her life a living hell. She will wish I’d just put her on the no-fly list. I’m going to put an APB out on her ass. I’ll get her on the sex offender list. Hell, I’ll put her number up at Craig’s list with a long menu of sexual services she’s willing to provide for very little money. See how she likes that.”

Chelsea could be a little fierce when she cared about a person, but Jesse thought she was also being the slightest bit hypocritical in this case. “Uhm, aren’t you kind of doing the same thing to Ten’s unit? He knows about that now, by the way.”