Bad Boy Jack (Mysterious Adventures

Book 4) Elizabeth Lennox

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 Bad Boy Jack
By Elizabeth Lennox

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Copyright 2022
ISBN13: 9781950451487
All rights reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the
product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any duplication of this material, either
electronic or any other format, either currently in use or a future invention, is strictly prohibited,
unless you have the direct consent of the author.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
Chapter 1

“Not a word!” Mindy whispered, trying to hide the shock of their mutual experience.
All four women nodded almost imperceptibly as they silently entered Jinx’s restaurant. All
four of them felt, and most likely looked, stunned. Maybe a bit horrified.
“I didn’t know…!” Nina whispered, slowly…carefully…sinking into one of the chairs. Her
lips pressed together and she left that statement unfinished, still…utterly stunned.
“None of us knew,” Jinx replied, her hands resting on her knees as she stared blankly at the
table. She couldn’t look at her friends. None of them could look each other in the eye. Not after…!
Nina cleared her throat, then slowly lowered herself into one of the chairs. “It was…!”
“Don’t say anything!” Mindy hissed furiously, but she couldn’t look at her friends.
Kaia nodded her head. “Yes, perhaps the events of this day should never be spoken of
again.” And she took the last chair at the square table.
All four ladies sat in complete silence, unaware of the movement of other customers coming
and going or the laughter drifting in on the breeze from the beach. The waves crashed against the surf
in the distance, but they didn’t hear any of it. They were too shocked to do anything more than just…
stare at the table.
“Hey there!” Donny called out with his normal cheer. As the head chef at Jinx’s restaurant,
Donny was smart, funny, and always exuberant. He was also a good friend to all of the ladies, loved
to cook just about anything and was currently carrying four cocktails on a brown tray. “How was
your…?” he paused, registering the stunned expressions, “…spa day?” The last two words trailed off
as his concern increased when he realized that none of the four women were speaking. Or looking at
each other. Or even moving!
“Oookay,” he whispered, almost to himself. He shook his head slightly, then stepped
forward, feigning happiness in order to cover his concern. “Obviously you ladies aren’t your normal
excited selves. But maybe these will help.” He set a pretty, fruity cocktail down in front of each of
them with a flourish. When none of the ladies touched their drink, he tucked the brown tray under his
arm, glanced at each of them, then walked away, knowing what he had to do.
“Not a word!” Mindy whispered again.

“Hey guys,” Donny called out as he approached the table on the opposite side of the
restaurant, giving the men time to pause their conversation. He had no idea why, but Jinx had warned
him that the men’s conversations were private. Donny couldn’t care less about what they were talking
about, but he’d protect their privacy. He worked in the kitchen here at Jinx’s for fourteen hours a day
and considered this to be his home, which meant that these men were part of his family.
James turned to wave at Donny as the other three men leaned back in their chairs, sipping
their beers. “Hey Donny. Are the ladies back yet?” James asked.
Donny ran a hand through his hair, unaware of the confusion clearly visible on his face.
“Yeah, sort of.”
The men had already started to stand up. But at Donny’s words, they froze, staring at him,
waiting.
Donny moved closer, still confused and concerned. Each of the men was tall, well over six
feet, and each was covered with muscles. All of that brawn tensed as the four men went into battle
mode. “What do you mean?”
Donny glanced over his shoulder at the ladies, then back at the men, adding a shrug and a
small shake of his head. “Something happened. They don’t look happy or relaxed like they normally
do after a spa day.”
The men were already moving towards the ladies’ table before Donny could finish. When
they spotted their women, each of the men came to a sudden stop, alert to danger as if they could
smell it.
“What the hell?” James muttered.
Buck and Diesel almost pushed James out of their way to get to their wives and James
snarled as he too hurried towards Jinx.
Jack held back, unable to stop the bitter taste of jealousy surging through his body as he
stared at Mindy and knew that he didn’t have the right to demand to be told what had hurt her. He
didn’t have the right to slay her dragons! He didn’t have any rights!
At that moment, Mindy lifted her emerald gaze and he felt it like a gut punch. Screw “rights”,
he thought with rising fury. Mindy might not be “his”, but she was a member of his team, dwindling
as it was. And…oh hell, he walked towards her, forgetting that she was a team member in his need to
find out what was wrong. The stunned, horrified look in her beautiful, green eyes tore at him.
He would kill the person who had put that look in her eyes! He would tear the guy’s limbs
off! Yeah, he knew that Mindy could take care of herself. She was beautiful, but also tough and
strong and…sexy as hell!
Jack walked over and knelt down beside Mindy. “What’s wrong?” he asked gently.
Mindy looked at him, eyes widening slightly. “I just…nothing is…!” She stopped, her soft,
full lips pressing together as she stared at him, then shivered slightly. “We can’t…!”
A snort of laughter pulled Mindy’s attention back to the ladies sitting at the table and Jack
turned to discover Jinx with her hand over her mouth.
Another giggle and Jack saw that Nina and Kaia were doing the same thing. Laughter? Or…
were they crying? Jack looked at the other three men, each of them staring at their wives. The guys
glanced at Jack, trying to figure out what was going on, then looking to each other for answers since
the ladies weren’t willing to explain.
Jinx burst out laughing, her hands over her face, as if she didn’t want anyone to notice.
“Stop it,” Kaia got out, before she burst into laughter, tears already pouring down her
cheeks. Nina buried her face against Buck’s neck, her shoulders shuddering as she laughed so hard
that her knees went weak.
 Jack turned, shooting a questioning look at Mindy. She was torn between laughter and
horror. “Don’t say anything!” she hissed furiously to her friends, then her lips quirked up. The
laughter was imminent and Jack’s shoulders relaxed slightly.
“What happened?” Jack asked again.
Mindy put a hand on his shoulder and a bolt of white-hot heat shot through his bones. Jack
ignored the surge of lust, concentrating on Mindy and trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
Now Mindy was laughing as well and Jack wanted to pull her onto his lap and…and what?
He didn’t have any right to pull her onto his lap, to kiss her and tease her until she told him what had
happened. He wanted to smother her in kisses and touch her everywhere! He’d had so many dreams
about that body since she’d been assigned to his team and, although he’d been furious at the time, Jack
had to admit that Mindy was a damn fine agent. It wasn’t her fault that he was more than half in love
with her.
James and Jack shared a glance from their crouched positions across the table. “So, none of
you are hurt?” James asked cautiously.
Jinx lifted her head and glanced at the other three ladies, which caused them to burst into
another round of hilarity.
Jack stood up, irritated and somehow deflated. He’d wanted a dragon to slay and…
apparently, there were no dragons. Damn! A good fight was exactly what he needed right now. Since
meeting Mindy all those months ago, none of the other women who had crossed his path had been
even slightly attractive. Since sex was out of the question, a knock-down, drag-out fight was his only
outlet for this increasing tension he felt.
Buck and Diesel stood as well. “We’ll get it out of them tonight,” Buck promised. Diesel
and James nodded, leaving Jack’s frustration to ramp up another notch. No fight. No information and
no right to use all those innovative and enticing tactics to find out what had happened. Jack wanted
to…? He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do other than to pull Mindy into his arms and…and? Damn
it! Jack rubbed a hand over the scruff on his jawline, wishing for something he could never have.
Buck scooped Nina up into his arms as Diesel pulled another square table closer. Then the
men arranged the ladies so that each was sitting next to her mate. Thankfully, that also meant that Jack
was able to sit beside Mindy. He might not have the right to touch her as his friends were doing to
their wives, but it was enough just to sit next to her.
At least, that’s what he tried to convince himself.
“What happened?” James asked yet again, his voice smooth and confident as he addressed
the group of women, even as Jack unconsciously leaned closer to Mindy.
“None of your business,” Jinx replied, softening her non-answer with a kiss to James’ cheek.
James growled, then looked to Diesel and Buck. The silent message was clear enough. They would
get answers from their ladies, one way or another.
Jack’s temper increased yet another notch, because Jack wouldn’t have Mindy in his bed
tonight. He couldn’t tease the truth out of her with sensual touches and…well, other ways of getting
the truth out of a woman when she was resistant to offering a simple explanation.
 Jack turned, taking in the view of Mindy’s full, round, amazing breasts. Breasts that were
made for a man…no, not just any man. Those breasts would fit into his hands perfectly! He didn’t
know this for an absolute fact, but there had been enough times over the past year when he and Mindy
had been in a tight situation and those breasts had been enticingly close to his hands. And his chest,
or his back or…hell, too many parts of his body. He’d white knuckled his way through the situation,
reminding himself that they were on a mission and making a pass at one of his team mates was wrong
on just about every level. Not to mention, it could get them both fired. Or worse, separated to
different teams.
Jack didn’t want her to be assigned to another team. First of all, she was a damn good agent.
Her intuition and creativity in gaining information had helped them succeed in several important
missions over the past year. And secondly…okay the second issue was that he didn’t trust the other
teams to protect Mindy’s back well enough.
One of the waiters brought out food that Jack didn’t remember ordering and everyone dug
into the meal. The beer was cold, Jinx’s food was perfectly cooked with interesting spices and
perfectly matched textures, and there was great conversation.
And yet, at the end of the evening, Jack couldn’t remember what was said, or if he’d even
participated in the conversation. That was pretty much par for the course when he sat beside Mindy
all night, her feminine scent hinting at the delicious female that he knew she’d be, and all of that
delectable femininity mixed with the soft scent of…roses? No. Lily of the Valley. Yeah, that was the
base of her perfume. It suited her perfectly. It was light and vivid, just like her.

Mindy didn’t accept the offer of a second round of drinks. She couldn’t. Sitting next to Jack,
hearing his soft, rough laughter as the conversation flowed around her, Mindy knew she needed to get
away from here. The whole day had been one shock after another. Hours ago, when the men had
thought something bad had happened to them today, Jack had looked directly at her. Not at the other
women, which she knew were his close friends. He didn’t hang back, assuming that she was fine.
No, he looked directly at her, staring into her eyes with that intensely blue gaze that never failed to
make her belly, and other parts of her, throb with the need to feel him, to have his arms around her
and…make love to her.
Damn it, she couldn’t keep thinking like that. But he’d thrown her off balance when he’d
knelt beside her, watching her as if he wanted to fix whatever ailed her.
Yeah, she was capable of taking down a man twice her size. Not just capable, she’d done it
on several occasions. She was a damn good agent. and too many people dismissed her because she
was so small. Mindy admitted, if only to herself, that she played up her petite size and feminine
curves. She hid her muscles with clothes. Her large breasts caused the loose shirts and sweaters she
wore to make her appear heavier than she really was.
Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. Mindy’s larger than average breasts and her
petiteness was both her strength and her weakness. She’d feigned the damsel in distress often over
the years, causing the targets of their mission to underestimate her.
That was on missions though. This was real life. Sitting next to Jack, feeling the heat of him
surrounding her and, did he even realize that he’d put his arm on the back of her chair? Was he
playing with her soft curls on purpose? She’d have to remember to pull her hair up next time she was
around him because every time she felt him touch her hair, it was like a current of sexual electricity
going straight down to her core.
“No,” she laughed when the waitress approached, asking if anyone wanted some dessert.
“Everything was wonderful!” she told Jinx. “Thank you again for dinner and I really wish that
you’d…”
“Don’t!” Jinx said, lifting her hand to stop Mindy from any offer of payment. “You’re part of
the family now.”
Mindy sighed, frustrated that Jinx wouldn’t take money from her. She vowed that she’d figure
out how to pay the beautiful woman back. They ate here all the time. It was their meeting place and
she loved the food. In fact, she adored spending time with Nina, Kaia, and Jinx! The three women
were like the sisters she’d never had growing up. When they’d included her in their group, she’d
been honored, touched, and excited to go along with whatever shenanigans they proposed.
Until today! Never again would she go through…what they’d done today! Never! No way!
Grabbing her purse, she pushed away from the table. Nina and Buck had already left and
Diesel and Kaia were fixing to head out as well. James was busy running his fingers along the back
of Jinx’s neck and Jinx had that dreamy, ‘I’m getting lucky tonight’ look in her eyes.
It was all too much. The sexual tension around the table pulsed through the air. Or was that
the sexual tension between herself and Jack?
Mindy shook her head, wondering how fast she could get away. “I’ll talk to you ladies
tomorrow,” she called out, waving goodbye as she slung her purse over her shoulder.
Hurrying out of the restaurant, she raised her face to the warm, humid night air. Taking a deep
breath, she dug the keys to her car out of her purse, clicking the button to release the locks to her small
hatchback.
“Mindy!” a male voice called out.
Swallowing a groan, she turned to face Jack, wondering if her sexually starved body could
handle another confrontation with Jack today. Maybe if he hadn’t been toying with her hair all
evening, or perhaps if his arm hadn’t been so close, causing her body to tingle with awareness, she
could handle him right now. But as it was, all she wanted to do was go home and…sit down with a
book about chemistry or…no, not chemistry because there was too much chemistry between herself
and Jack. History! Yes, a nice, boring book about the revolutionary war might calm her down.
Alas, escape was not to be. Not yet, anyway. Instead of racing to her car and diving inside
so that she could childishly lock the doors, she pasted a placid expression on her features and turned
to face Jack.
“What’s up, boss?” she asked, using the term to remind herself that Jack was off limits. She
couldn’t be anything more to him than a member of his team. Anything more would violate about a
zillion agency policies, not to mention mess with the dynamics of the team. Mindy absolutely loved
her job! She loved being an agent and bringing the bad guys to justice!
Jack stopped less than a foot from her, looming over her. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice
surprisingly gentle. Mindy suspected that he wasn’t just looking at her expression. He regularly saw
things that others didn’t. His mind worked in ingenious ways, finding the safest, most efficient ways
to finish their missions. It was one of the reasons she’d lobbied to be on his team. It was also the
reason she wanted to run and hide from him. No way could she allow Jack to see the need in her
eyes, the desperate, clawing ache that she felt every time he was nearby.
“Mindy?” he prompted. “What happened today? You all looked pretty stunned when you
came in. Then…” he stopped, his lips quirking up as he remembered their laughter. “Well, what
happened at the spa?”
“Nothing,” she replied firmly, then berated herself because her reply was too quick. Every
interrogator knew to slow down and think before answering.
Jack’s gaze softened, his head tilting ever so slightly as he watched her. “I think something
happened.” He reached out, tucking a curl behind her ear. “Why won’t you trust me?”
Mindy shivered, and hoped he didn’t notice. “I trust you, Jack. You know that. Just…” she
sighed, trying to pull her wits together. His touch was distracting her. “Today was a strange day.”
He paused thoughtfully before asking, “But no one…hurt you?”
She laughed, wanting to tell him that she could take care of herself. But this was Jack. He
was concerned because he was her boss. Her team leader. He needed to know that she was able to
accomplish whatever mission they were called out to next.
“I’m fine. Promise,” she replied, adding a bit of authority to her voice so that Jack knew that
she wasn’t going to fall apart because of their…uh…strange…day at the spa. “I’d better get home. I
really need some sleep.”
“Of course,” Jack replied, stepping back from her car. He shoved his hands into his pockets,
watching her with an intensity that she wasn’t used to having directed towards her.

Jack watched as Mindy backed up, wondering what the hell had happened to the ladies
today. He would have to wait until tomorrow to ask James or Buck. Diesel wouldn’t say a word, but
he would wheedle the information out of Kaia tonight. All of the men would.
Cursing under his breath, he got into his own car, a low slung sports car that he loved to drive
fast through the empty streets at night when he couldn’t sleep. There were too many nights when an
upcoming mission bothered him and he’d taken to driving through the streets, letting Florida’s
perpetually humid air drift over his face and ruffle his hair. The speed forced Jack to release the
excess thoughts flitting through his mind, leaving only the relevant problems. It was easier to work
out the underlying issue of his concerns when he didn’t have so many details going through his mind.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t late enough at the moment for his insane speeds. So instead of putting
other people in danger, Jack started the powerful engine of his car and drove home at a very sedate,
very responsible speed.
Chapter 2

Mindy paced through her small condo, not sure what about their last mission was bothering her. It
wasn’t Jack. Okay, Jack was definitely on her mind. Jack was always on her mind! She couldn’t
seem to get that man out of her dreams.
But tonight, something was off. For the life of her, she had no idea what it was that bothered
her so much.
Picking up her phone, she checked the time, and groaned when she realized that it was after
midnight. Sighing, she tossed it onto the white sofa. “Too late to call Jack,” she muttered, stepping
out onto her balcony. In the distance, she could see the ocean, but on the fifteenth floor, she couldn’t
hear the waves. Someday, she hoped to be able to afford a house closer to the beach. Yeah, the threat
of hurricanes was an issue. And now that global warming was in full swing, there was also the
problem of the ever encroaching tides.
Still, there was a magic about the ocean. Staring out at the vastness of all of that water, that
nothingness, it made her realize that her problems weren’t always of utmost importance. There was a
higher power at work here. The ocean was vast and amazing, and, on the surface, it seemed as if
there was nothing there. But underneath the surface, the ocean teemed with life.
A bit like Jack, she thought. Jack might appear laid back and charming. Others might assume
that he was just a pretty face and a hot, muscular, delicious body. But Mindy knew that his mind was
always working, always processing information. He saw everything, read every book he could get
his hands on regardless of the subject matter, and knew details that regularly surprised her.
Jack was a bit like “Spencer Reed” on Criminal Minds. The man retained every piece of
information he came across.
It was all part of the amazingness that was Jack.
Thinking about Jack, she stopped her pacing and eyed her phone. She knew it was late and
he was probably asleep. Jack could go from wide awake to a power nap in seconds.
Picking up her phone, she typed in a message. “When you wake up, can we talk? I have
some things I’d like to run by you.” Then she tossed her phone back onto the sofa and resumed her
pacing.
A second later, her phone pinged and she jumped. Moving over to the phone, she lifted it up
again and read Jack’s message. “I’ll be at your building in five minutes.”
Her heart sped, pounding against her ribs. Jack was coming here? Of course he knew where
she lived. He was her team leader. He needed to know how long it would take for each of his team
members to arrive at the agency building for emergency meetings or critical missions.
Exactly five minutes later, the doorbell rang. She didn’t pick up the phone to verify that it
was Jack. She could feel him, even fifteen stories up. And maybe she’d been out on her balcony
listening for his engine. At this time of the night, the rumble of Jack’s powerful car carried clearly
through the humid air.
Mindy calculated how long it would take the elevators to carry Jack up to her floor, then
pulled the door open. It wasn’t because she wanted to watch Jack approach, she told herself. Even
though she knew that was a lie. Watching Jack move was…breathtaking. He was beautiful. Although
she’d never say that to him. He was her boss, after all. Plus, he’d scoff at the term “beautiful” being
applied to him. He was classically handsome with dark hair and broad shoulders. And because they
lived in Florida, many women drooled over the muscles on display when he hung out at the beach in
just a pair of board shorts riding low on lean hips, revealing six-pack abs and a symphony of muscles
along his back.
“What’s up?” he asked, stepping into her condo. Jack took in her condo, his eyes lighting up
with approval. “Wow! This place is amazing!” he said, taking in the wide, brightly lit kitchen and
living room area. When she’d bought the condo, the kitchen area had been a small, galley kitchen, but
Mindy had hired a contractor to take down the wall between the kitchen and living area, opening up
the space. She’d had the team install white cabinets, a big, farmhouse sink, a massive stove, and a
gigantic refrigerator. “Do you do a lot of cooking?” he asked, pulling off his jacket and tossing it
over a chair.
“No, not really. I’m more into baking.” She loved baking cookies, breads, cakes; anything
she could decorate with colorful, elaborate designs. Not that she was willing to admit that to Jack.
He’d tease her endlessly over her baking quirks. “The kitchen design was a good investment. This
will increase the value of the condo when I eventually sell it.”
His eyes sharpened as his head swiveled towards her. “You’re moving?”
“No,” she replied, folding her arms over her chest. Did those magnificent shoulders relax
ever so slightly?
She was probably imagining things, she told herself. There was no reason Jack would care
where she lived. But looking around at her condo, Mindy felt a warm rush of pride at her home,
grateful that he liked it as well. Her living area always felt so wide, spacious, and beautiful. “I
just…want to keep my place updated.”
Jack shot an amused glance her way, as if he knew she was hiding something.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked, his lips quirking up at the edges.
Darn it, she didn’t want to amuse him!
Mindy took a deep, steadying breath. She was so tired. Maybe if she talked this through with
Jack, she could get whatever was bugging her out of her head and be able to sleep.
“Okay, so,” she walked over to her coffee table, shifting some of the papers around. They
weren’t notes about her thoughts as much as doodles where she’d tried to work through the
insufferably elusive problem.
“What’s all this?” Jack asked, peering over her shoulder.
Mindy jumped and…almost landed in his arms!
Startled, she froze. “Oh, I’m sorry…I didn’t realize that you were so close.” She backed
away, waving a hand at the papers. “Those are just doodles. I doodle when I’m trying to think.”
“I know,” Jack commented easily. “I’ve watched you.”
 He watched her? What did that mean?
Nothing, she reminded herself. Boss. Team member. That’s all they were!
“Yes, well,” she cleared her throat. “I was thinking about…” She looked up into those blue
eyes and…lost her train of thought.
“About?” he prompted, moving closer to her.
Mindy’s mind went blank. What had she been thinking about? For the life of her, all she
could think about was how amazing he looked without a shirt!
“What were you thinking about? You only doodle when you’re worried about something.”
Doodling. Doodling? Oh! Work! Right! Mindy sighed, closing her eyes. “Right. Well,”
she opened her eyes, pushing all thoughts of a shirtless-Jack out of her mind, and focused on the issue
that had been plaguing her all evening. “Okay, so remember last month when Kaia was kidnapped?”
There was an immediate subtle change in Jack’s demeanor.
“What about it?” Jack demanded, all business now. She was momentarily distracted by the
way the muscles of his arms pulled his shirt tight as he crossed those arms over his huge, wonderful
chest.
Mindy ripped her eyes away from those appealing muscles, reminding herself yet again that
Jack was her boss. “Well, it’s always bothered me that one of the agents that we work with, someone
who was trained in the same classes we were, would use duct tape to restrain Kaia.”
Jack nodded his understanding. “Instead of the zip ties,” he agreed. He ran a hand through his
hair. “Yeah, that occurred to me as well.”
“And there were other odd details.”
He paced the same path she’d been traipsing all night. “Such as why a guy like Randall, who
was perfectly trained in the same tactics as we were, knew how we would approach the road and
how we would infiltrate the house…” he paused and looked over at Mindy, “would stand in front of a
window, making himself vulnerable?”
“That, and why did he put Kaia right in front of the doorway?”
“To distract Diesel,” Jack replied.
“Or was there something more? Something…” she sighed, her shoulders sagging. “Hear me
out before you tell me I’m imagining some wild conspiracy, okay?”
“I’d never accuse you of wild conspiracies, Mindy,” he pointed out, his eyes serious.
“You’re excellent at thinking things through. So, tell me what’s been bothering you.”
Ignoring the surge of warmth from his praise, she focused on the issue. “The cameras.”
“What cameras?”
Mindy tapped a pen thoughtfully against her thigh. “Diesel installed cameras in Kaia’s
house. James and Diesel had gone through the house before she’d moved in but after the contractors
were finished renovating the space. James and Diesel had installed several cameras outside of the
house. Plus cameras that looked right at the foyer.”
 Jack’s eyes sharpened. “Right where Kaia was after the guy restrained her,” he filled in, his
tone revealing his dawning understanding.
Mindy nodded. “Exactly. And…” she sighed, bowing her head slightly. “This is where I
might have gone off the rails. But…have you heard anything about what happened to Randall? I
mean, he was taken into custody and put into an interrogation room within the agency. But I checked
with my friends in the data room. No one has received the transcripts of Randall’s interrogation.”
Jack paused in his pacing to process that. “Wouldn’t it have…?”
She shook her head, anticipating his question. “No. My friends in the analysis group go
through the transcripts of every interrogation. They analyze them for linguistics and other issues.
They sometimes use some of the questions and answers for training. They have brain-storming
meetings after each interrogation to figure out how the interrogators could have handled the job better,
or pass along the effective tactics to other interrogators.”
Jack’s shoulders tightened as he grasped what Mindy meant. “There wasn’t an
interrogation.”
“Exactly,” she replied, letting the impact of those words linger between them.
Mindy started pacing; moving to the front of her coffee table as she continued tapping the pen
against her thigh. “This doesn’t make sense, right?” she asked.
Jack kept pace with her on the other side of the coffee table. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought
to follow up on the details. I was just relieved that Kaia was okay.” He stared briefly out at the
darkness, then turned to Mindy. “Do you have anything else?”
Mindy shrugged self-consciously. “Just my gut telling me that there’s something more going
on.”
Jack nodded slowly, his brain still processing everything she’d told him. “That’s good
enough for me.”
They tossed ideas back and forth. Mindy gasped as a thought struck her, raising a hand, her
forefinger pointed upwards. But instead of poking the air, her finger stabbed Jack’s chin.
Horrified, she jerked back. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry!” she gasped, moving closer again as he
bent over slightly, one of his hands clutching at his chin. “I didn’t realize you were so close!” she
said, her hands coming up to cup his chin. “Did I hurt you?”

Jack froze, feeling Mindy’s fingers on his jawline. They were so damn soft and incredibly
delicate! Because he was a glutton for punishment, he lifted a hand and covered hers, not letting her
pull her fingers away.
His eyes met hers and the awareness thrummed between them. She felt it too, he could see it
in her eyes. Was she…? No, that’s impossible! And yet, a fraction of a moment later, her fingers
shifted, caressing his jaw.
She suddenly realized what she was doing and cleared her throat, trying to pull her hand
away. “Sorry about that,” she whispered.
 “I’m not,” he countered. Then he did something he’d been wanting to do ever since…
forever! He lowered his head and kissed her. It was just a gentle brush, a tentative test to see if
she’d pull back. When Mindy didn’t, when she simply stared at his mouth, he did it again. And
again! When he felt her lips tremble, he deepened the kiss, needing to taste her, needing to know what
it would feel like to hold Mindy in his arms. With that intention in mind, he cupped her head, holding
her in place as he deepened the kiss further, testing and tasting, exploring.
He didn’t mean to pull her into his arms, but damn, her softness felt good! She wasn’t all soft
though. The muscles in her arms and legs were alluring. He wanted to strip her clothes off and
explore all those muscles, compare that firmness to the softness that was so profoundly Mindy. When
she whimpered against his mouth, he almost lost control.

Mindy couldn’t believe this was happening! Jack was kissing her!
She felt his hands sift through her hair. His lips following the trail of his fingers as he
caressed her skin, sending fire through the very marrow of her bones as his lips caressed places she
hadn’t even known were sensitive. Shivering, she lifted her head so he had better access.
Unaware of her own hands, Mindy felt the heat in her fingers as she slipped her hands
underneath his shirt. Higher and higher, Mindy’s hands explored, her fingertips sliding along each
fascinating ridge of his stomach. If she’d been thinking properly, Mindy might have pulled away. She
might have done the “right” thing and told both herself and Jack that this was a mistake.
Instead, the only thing she could say was, “Take off your damn shirt!”
The material was whisked away and Mindy blinked, taking in all of that rugged, amazing,
glorious…the flow of adjectives stopped when Jack lifted her tee-shirt up and over her head, leaving
Mindy to stand in front of Jack in a plain, unamazing, unglorious sports bra.
“This is a crime,” he whispered as his nimble fingers released the catch on her bra. The
sudden freedom caused her lungs to fill up with air. But the desperately needed oxygen left her lungs
in a whoosh as he cupped her breasts, those magic thumbs sliding over her taut peaks and Mindy
gasped, clinging to him. “You’re so beautiful, Mindy,” he rasped out.
Suddenly, she was lifted up and…wow! Straddling Jack’s lap was even more erotic than she
could have anticipated! That hard erection pressed against the cotton of her shorts as he continued to
tease her breasts, kissing her until the world spun.
Mindy whimpered when he stopped kissing her, wanting his mouth back on hers. But then he
nibbled along her neck and…yeah! Yeah! Her own fingers tangled in the light dusting of hair on his
chest, seeking out his nipples in order to tease him in the same way that he was teasing her! As soon
as her thumbs drifted over one nipple, Mindy felt his hands tighten and she smiled slightly, enjoying
the burst of power that washed over her. So she did it again. And again!
The world spun harder. When she opened her eyes, Mindy was looking up at Jack. How had
they changed positions?
“I want to be on top,” she groaned, but his mouth latched onto her nipple and the heat…!
Dear heaven the heat! His mouth closed over her nipple and she wanted to scream! Her mouth
opened but sound wasn’t possible. The silent scream had her back arching as the intensity of need
raced through her veins. She wasn’t aware of her legs wrapping around his taut waist, but she felt his
erection press against her core and she rolled her hips against that hardness.
“Later,” he growled, leaning in to tease her nipple again, adding his teeth this time.
Mindy wanted to argue, but the things he was doing to her was driving her wild! She loved
it, but needed him to stop teasing and get down to business!
“Jack, I need…” he nipped at her nipple and she gasped, clutching at his head.

Jack was going to lose it! He’d barely touched her beautiful nipples and she kept pressing
her core against his erection. Every time she rolled her hips, he wanted to rip off her clothes and
thrust himself into her. And yet, he also wanted to savor every moment of this time with her. He
wanted to discover every place that made her squirm with lust.
Moving lower, he discovered that Mindy was slightly ticklish just under her breasts. He
grinned, but he was too turned on and too determined to discover more. “I’ll come back to that later,”
he promised, moving lower. And still lower!
Unfortunately, he forgot to strip off her clothes before getting into this position. Pulling back,
he knelt between her legs as he slid her cute, cotton shorts off. For a brief moment, Mindy resisted,
her eyes opening and staring right at him. “Tell me to stop if you don’t want this,” he told her, placing
a hand on the taut muscles of her stomach. He felt the trembling in her body underneath his hand and
he stilled, ready to stop and go home. But she smiled, her soft, white hand covering his tanned one,
silently urging him to proceed.
She lifted her hips, allowing him to remove her shorts and panties, which he tossed off to the
side, then stared down at the beauty he’d revealed. She was delicate pink, soft and glistening wet
with just a small tuft of red hair there. It shaded her alabaster skin and Jack’s only thought as he bent
to taste her was that she didn’t have any freckles here.
Then he was lost in her femininity and the sweetness of her. Her long, elegant fingers dove
into his hair as soon as his mouth covered that nub. She lifted her hips, rocking them back and forth
as his tongue moved against her. Slipping a finger into her, he teased, tickled, and tasted her body.
Those inner muscles tightened around his fingers and Jack wanted to bury himself to the hilt within
her, to feel those muscles tighten around his shaft. But he also wanted to know what she tasted like
when she was shivering with release.
That happened faster than he’d thought possible. Within moments, Mindy exploded, gripping
his hair to keep him there as she writhed. He continued to tease that nub, lightening the pressure as her
body slowly eased back down. He knew that her first climax was over when her fingers relaxed in
his hair.
Jack moved back over her body, bracing himself above her as she wiggled and writhed.
“Wow!” she whispered.
He chuckled, moving to that spot on her neck and nibbling again. “I agree. Wow!”
Mindy laughed, lifting her legs to wrap them around his waist. “You’re still…?”
He nipped at that spot, laughing softly as she squirmed closer. “Yeah, we’re not done yet,”
he said, then stood beside the sofa and bent down, lifting her into his arms as he carried her into the
bedroom. “Nowhere near done!”
Startled, Mindy yelped and clung to his neck, using her foot to push the door open for them.
“Oh, I don’t know. I had a very lovely ending,” and she faked a yawn. “Now I can go to sleep.
Thank...!” Another yelp as he tossed her onto her bed.
“I’ll be right back,” he growled. “Don’t move!” he told her, then disappeared out of her
bedroom. Mindy couldn’t help it. She moved. Sitting up and grabbing one of the pillows to cover
herself, she wondered what he was doing. If they weren’t done…? And boy did she hope that they
weren’t done! That thing that he’d done with his tongue…nope, that hadn’t happened in any of her
dreams or fantasies! She’d definitely like to learn more about that tongue thing! Oh, and what about
if he could…!
Her thoughts evaporated as he came back into the bedroom, carrying a condom. Correction,
several condoms!
“Are we going to need all of those?” she asked, staring at the four…no five…condoms on the
bed.
“You moved,” he commented, grabbing her ankles and pulling her back down the mattress,
then bent over her, pulling the pillow away and grabbing her hands so that they were pinned over her
head. “I told you not to move.”
“I disobeyed,” she whispered, her heart hammering as she luxuriated in the sensation of
feeling Jack’s skin against her own. He was so different, rough in places where she was smooth. Hot
where her skin felt cool. He was all man.
“I think I should spank your adorable ass for that bit of disobedience,” he commented, but
Mindy wasn’t worried since he was too busy admiring her breasts, almost as if he were
contemplating…! She hissed when his hot mouth covered her nipple once again. She tried to free her
hands, but he refused to let go and…goodness this sense of being utterly vulnerable was…delicious!
She wrapped her legs around his waist, rubbing her inner thighs along his hips. Delicious
sensations washed over her like rain! But even better was that throbbing erection against her belly…
no, against her core! “Jack!” she sighed, feeling all that urgency rise up again.
“I don’t think I can wait, love,” he rasped, his body rubbing against hers. “Especially when
you do things like that.”
Mindy might have smiled, but she wanted him inside her. She wanted to know what it would
be like to be intimately connected to Jack.
“Where’s the condom?” she asked.
He bent his head and kissed her, a slow, thorough, intoxicating kiss that made Mindy whimper
again.
Jack pulled back and grabbed a condom.
“Can I do that?” she asked, reaching for the condom. Unconsciously, she licked her lips as
she stared at that erect part of him, wanting to…Not wasting time asking permission, she leaned
forward and…tasted him. Vaguely, she heard him hiss, but she was too focused on discovering what
this part of him felt like, tasted like.
“Mindy!” Jack said, his voice barely above a whisper. She felt his hands in her hair, pulling
the curls back so that he could watch her. Mindy feasted on him with the assumption that she’d never
get another chance at this. If this was her one time with Jack, she didn’t want to miss anything.
But he stopped her, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her back. “I need to be inside of you.
Now!” he barked, grabbing the condom and rolling it down hurriedly over his shaft. Mindy watched,
fascinated. Before she understood what he was going to do, he grabbed her legs and flipped her onto
her back! One moment, she was kneeling in front of him, the next moment, he had her hands pinned
over her head and…and he was sinking into her wet heat.
“Jack!” she whispered, her eyes shuttering as she felt herself enfold his length.
Jack felt her, felt those inner muscles clench around his shaft and…! “Open your eyes, Min,”
he ordered, his grip tightening on her slender wrists. “I need to see your eyes.” He withdrew ever so
slightly, her eyes popping open as he moved. The sultry, sexy look of her was his undoing. He’d
wanted this first time together to be slow and powerful. But this was Mindy and he’d wondered what
it would be like to be inside of her, to feel and see and taste her for too long. Instead of the slow,
sensual buildup, he thrust into her heat, feeling her body clench around his shaft. She lifted her hips,
taking him deeper into her heat.
“Yes!” she groaned, arching her back. She wrapped her legs around his hips
Thrusting into her heat and, because she felt too good, too warm, perfect, and wonderful, he
was lost in her hot depths. He thrust faster and faster, feeling her body tighten as Mindy reached for
another climax. As much as he needed to explode into his own release, Jack wanted to give that to
her, he wanted to see her face as she climaxed, he wanted to be aware of what she felt like with his
shaft deep inside of her.
As soon as the first ripples of her orgasm started, his own surged as well. He couldn’t hold
back. All he could do was hold her close as he plunged into her again and again!
A long time afterwards, Jack opened his eyes to the sensation of Mindy’s fingers stroking his
hair. It felt so good, he wanted to stay like that forever. But he was probably crushing her. She was
tiny and he was over two hundred pounds. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her, gazing into her
eyes. She was smiling dreamily. Damn, that was really nice!
“You okay?” he asked, knowing he’d been pretty rough at the end.
Mindy, sweet, amazing, wonderful Mindy, laughed! She snuggled closer, pressing those
magnificent breasts against his chest as she hugged him.
Jack assumed that the hug and laughter meant that he hadn’t hurt her, he thought as he wrapped
his arms around her as well. A moment later, he wondered when he could start that whole process
over again!
Chapter 3

Mindy felt something hot and hard against her butt. For a brief moment, she considered investigating,
but she was just too comfortable. Snuggling into the warmth, she sighed with happiness.
Unfortunately, her dream-like state was shattered by a soft, deep chuckle. “If you keep that
up, I’m not going to be responsible for my actions, Min.”
Mindy’s eyes popped open. Holding her breath, she forced herself to work through the
clues. Warmth. A deep, male voice. A strong hand that was…cupping her breast? Soft kisses on her
neck that sent shivers down her spine.
“You’re thinking again,” Jack observed, stroking her nipple with his thumb, causing her back
to arch as her eyes drifted shut, delicious sensations washing over her as she fought the urge to roll
over and pull that big guy on top of her!
“It’s morning, right?” she asked, looking around as her mind processed the fact that her
bedroom was filled with sunshine.
“I always knew you were an intelligent woman,” he teased, nipping at the base of her neck
and shoulder and oh, it felt so good! That man knew what to do with his lips! And his teeth. And his
fingers, she thought as he pinched her nipple just enough to make her gasp. The release of pressure
was…dear heaven!
“I should brush my teeth,” she whispered. “Morning breath.”
Jack sensuously nibbled on her earlobe. “Mindy,” he bit her shoulder again, “shut up,” he
growled, then slid his hand down along her waist and thigh, pulling her leg back, exposing her body
to his wandering fingers. She’d thought his mouth was talented? His fingers were even better! Her
mind went blissfully blank as his fingers teased her feminine folds, making her shudder and quiver as
he slowly brought her body to the brink of an orgasm, then holding her there, breathless as she waited,
whimpering with need and hope and a lust that was so intense, she couldn’t think beyond praying that
his very inquisitive fingers would…please, dear heaven, please move over her just one more time!
“No, you’re not going to climax that way, Mindy,” he whispered into her ear.
She heard the foil wrapper tear, almost sobbing when his fingers moved away. She shifted
fretfully, trying to calm herself down, her hands fisting the sheet in front of her.
That heavy hand returned, rolling her to her side once more. He pulled her leg back and…
pressed against her opening, thrusting ever so slowly into her heat. She was so exposed, so open and
vulnerable to him. And Jack took full advantage. Thrusting in from behind was a new and shockingly
good experience. It helped that Jack used his fingers in front of her, sliding over that nub, making her
body grow tighter and tighter as….Mindy’s body exploded into pleasure, her back arching against
Jack’s chest as he thrust into her again and again, intensifying the pleasure more and…oh dear heaven,
another climax started to form in her body and she slapped a hand over Jack’s, showing him what she
needed and how to touch her, demanding that he keep going. His thrusts became wilder, his body
moving against hers and…it was all too much. Mindy screamed, her body dissolving into another
orgasm just as Jack found his own release. For a long time, neither of them moved, shocked by the
intensity of that experience. Finally, Mindy let out a slow, unsteady breath as she curled away from
him.

Jack knew what Mindy was trying to do and he wouldn’t allow it. Pulling her back, he
pressed his chest against her back and kissed her neck. “Good morning,” he whispered into her ear.
Mindy laughed, but the sound was self-conscious, as if she weren’t sure how to handle
morning sex.
“How about a shower?” he suggested.
Mindy nodded, not speaking as she shifted towards the edge of the bed. Slowly.
Jack chuckled to himself, proud that he’d done that to her.
He walked around to her side of the bed, completely unselfconscious, and took her hands.
“Come on. We have some investigating to do today.”
Mindy followed him into the bathroom, but he could tell that she was…wary?
“Talk to me,” he ordered, turning on the water and adjusting the temperature. “What’s going
through your head right now?”
She laughed. “Well, I was thinking that…we probably shouldn’t have done that last night.”
He took her hands again and led her under the water, wrapping his arms around her from
behind her. “You’re probably right,” he sighed. “But it sure as hell felt incredible.”
Mindy peered at him over her shoulder, a small smile on her pretty features. “Was it…?” she
started to ask, then stopped herself.
“It was absolutely incredible,” he assured her, kissing her shoulder. “Mind blowing.” He
kissed her other shoulder. Then he grabbed the shampoo and started lathering her hair, fascinated by
the mix of colors.
“I just…well,” she took the bar of soap, turning around so that she faced him and started to
lather his chest.
“Talk to me, Mindy. I can’t read your mind.”
She sighed and moved her ministrations to his arms and shoulders. He didn’t think his chest
had ever been this clean before. “We work together,” she whispered. “And you’re…,” she stopped,
looking up at him with worried green eyes.
“A player,” he filled in, knowing where this conversation was going. “Yeah, I used to be.
Until I met you.”
“Me?” she squeaked.
He chuckled softly, turning her by the shoulders so he could rinse her hair. “Yeah. You. You
and your pert little ass and your lush breasts and your amazing intuition that makes missions so much
easier and safer.” Jack pulled her close, kissing her lips briefly, then ducked her head back under the
water. “I haven’t been with anyone since you joined the team. And that’s not a comfortable situation,
I guarantee.”
 “But…I’ve been on the team for months now!”
He pulled her forward, her long, dark lashes blinking in disbelief. “Yeah, almost a year.”
He kissed her again, this time a long, slow, wet, lingering kiss. When he straightened this time, there
was mischievous intent in his eyes. “You have a lot of time to make up for, Mindy.”

Mindy heard his words, but she couldn’t process them. Jack hadn’t had sex in a year? No
sex at all? “But all those women! You flirt all the time!”
He shook his head. “Not anymore. Not since you, Mindy.”
“But…”
“If I flirted with anyone, then that’s all it was. Flirting. I never went home with any of
them.” He bent down slightly, looking into her eyes. “By the way, I have been tested and everything
is clear. Nothing to worry about and I’ve been abstinent for long enough and tested twice.”
“Oh,” she gasped, startled by that news. “I…umm…I haven’t gotten any test.”
“When was the last time you had sex with anyone?”
She bit her lip, trying to recall….
He chuckled and kissed her softly. “That long, huh?”
“I’ve been on a dry spell,” she admitted, feeling self-conscious because…well, because she
wasn’t a bed hopper. She liked to get to know the men she slept with. If that meant that she’d had
only a couple of partners in her lifetime, well…! “It’s difficult to really get to know someone with
our job,” she said, feeling defensive. “And I just…!”
He twisted their bodies so she was pinned against the tiles of the shower, his rock hard thigh
sliding between her legs. “Hey,” he interrupted softly, shifting ever so slightly, just enough to cause
friction on that overly sensitive nub, making her gasp. “I like the fact that you aren’t in a relationship
right now.”
“That doesn’t mean that we can be,” she pointed out. “In a relationship, that is.”
He shifted his thigh again. “Yeah. I know. The agency doesn’t condone significant others
working together.”
Mindy closed her eyes, but she wasn’t sure if that was because she didn’t want him to know
that his movements were affecting her. Again! Or if she didn’t want him to see the pain in her eyes
when he agreed so easily that a relationship with her was a bad idea.
“So, we keep things quiet,” he said, his voice going lower. “We’ll be discreet.” He nibbled
on her lips, teasing her into full participation. When she did, his leg shifted again. “And we will be
very,” he shifted again, “very,” and again, “careful.”
“Yes!” she gasped, leaning into his leg, unable to stop the shudders as she rode his thigh,
feeling as if her whole world was centered on his limb and the words he whispered into her ear.
Sliding her hands lower, she explored his arms, his shoulders, and the rock hard planes of his waist
before moving to his butt. Her hands really loved his butt! It was harder than she’d thought possible!
There wasn’t an ounce of fat on this man! Good grief, how many squats did he do every day to make
his butt that hard?!
But her goal wasn’t his glute muscles. Nope, she had another appendage in mind. And when
her fingers wrapped around him, she heard him hiss through his teeth. Oh, she loved that reaction!
Two could tease and torment! As she let her fingers glide along his length, he shifted his thigh against
her. One thrust, and she caressed his erection in rhythm with his movements. Another thrust, and
Mindy rolled her hips, pressing against that thigh more perfectly. Mindy wasn’t even aware of her
hand moving up and down over his shaft, tightening as he pressed against that sensitive nub. Nor was
she aware of his hand on her butt, helping her move against him, or his other hand covering hers
where she clasped his shaft. He pressed and she slid, he shifted, she tightened her hand, letting her
thumb rub over the top, then down around the edge just under the hood. Shift and slide, shift and
slide. By the time Mindy climaxed yet again, her hand had tightened around his shaft and she was
unaware of his own groans of pleasure, too focused on enjoying one more release as the warm water
washed over them.
“Wow!” she whispered, opening her eyes to smile up at him.
He was grinning down at her and she gazed at their clasped hands, shocked at what she’d just
done. What she’d allowed him to do! And shocked at how much she wanted to do it all over again!
“I agree,” Jack whispered, and since she was literally riding his thigh, she was several
inches off the ground and he easily kissed her.
Because her body was still humming, Mindy couldn’t stop the laughter from bursting out of
her. Jack lowered her feet to the floor and she sighed, leaning against the wall for support. He
grabbed the soap and started to reach for her, but Mindy squirmed away. “No way! You keep your
hands to yourself!”
He only laughed and pulled her against him, rubbing the soap into lather as he washed her
very thoroughly!
Chapter 4

“What’s up?” James asked when they were all gathered in his basement. The monitors beeped
urgently as data came in from the various sources James had hacked into. His systems were just as
good, if not better, than what the agency maintained. James just didn’t have the human resources that
the agency had. Yet!
“We have a problem.” Jack looked at Diesel and Buck, then at James and Mindy. “Mindy
had a thought last night that I think everyone should hear.”
James lifted a hand. “Is this something that you should talk to Cecilia about? I’m just a
subcontractor now. Buck and I do the work that Cecilia doesn’t want to assign to her agents.”
Jack heard Diesel sigh. “I did want to talk to you about that,” he admitted.
James shot a glance at Diesel, a slow smile forming on his rough features. “Glad to have you
on the team!”
Jack laughed, shaking his head, giving James a mock glare. “You know that I’m going to have
to kill you, right?” he told James. “You keep stealing my team members!”
James crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah. I figured I’d have to deal with your fury at
some point.”
Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Right,” and he shook his head. “Anyway, back to
the original issue.” He turned and looked at Mindy. “Why don’t you explain your thoughts from last
night?”
Mindy fought not to let her admiration for the man show on her face as she nodded and
stepped closer to the “table”. It was actually a high tech piece of equipment with a computer system
that projected images to either the tabletop screen or into a 3D image above the screen. Right now,
all she needed was the flat screen, so she tapped a button that immediately listed several of the bullet
points she’d discussed with Jack over the weekend.
“I don’t think I can bring this issue to Cecilia. Actually, I think she’s involved, but I’m not
sure why or how. I just…” she shook her head. “Something isn’t right, that much, I’m certain of.”
With that vague explanation, she went over the issues she and Jack had talked about, but this time, her
concerns were more organized, her points laid out in a way that built up her argument that the agency
leader, Cecilia, might be manipulating them for some reason that they hadn’t grasped. Yet.
When she was finished, she looked up, glancing to each of the men in turn to gauge their
reactions. Diesel looked furious while Buck…was leaning over the table, rereading the listed
points. When he looked up, there was rage in Buck’s eyes as well.
James nodded. “I’d been thinking those thoughts as well,” he admitted, “but nothing this
organized. I just had a vague sense that something was off. Too many issues that didn’t make sense.”
Jack nodded. “I had that sense as well, but until Mindy tied each of the issues together, I
hadn’t grasped the enormity of the problem.”
“What is Cecilia’s motivation though?” Buck asked, straightening up and crossing his arms
over his chest. “I mean, we all know that Cecilia is lobbying hard to be next in line for the
directorship. Everything we’ve done, hell, everything all of the various teams have done for the
agency, has given her unprecedented visibility.”
James nodded. “I agree. What’s her motivation?”
Mindy cringed. “I haven’t figure that out yet. But you all agree that something isn’t right?”
“Yes,” Diesel and Buck said together as James nodded firmly.
Jack let out a breath. “Okay, so now, what are we going to do about it?”
The team stepped closer, each of them thinking for a long moment. Finally, they started
tossing out ideas. James typed them into the system to be analyzed later. Today was only a brain
storming session. They would each walk away from this meeting and come back tomorrow to
develop a strategy.
Chapter 5

“Do you know what this is about?” Mindy asked as she and Jack hurried down the long, beige
corridor.
“No clue,” he replied, shooting her a glance, silently warning her to keep silent about
everything they’d discussed the previous day in James’ basement.
“I know,” she whispered, pulling her eyes away from him even as memories from last night
came washing over her. And this morning. And what she hoped to do later on today.
Better not get her hopes up, Mindy told herself. The previous two nights had most likely
been just a fluke. Jack would go back to his old ways eventually. He’d flirt with a blond or a
brunette and she’d go back to her nightly ritual of fantasizing about the man.
But…he’d told her that he hadn’t been with anyone else since she’d joined his team. That
had to mean something, right? Or did it just mean that he’d gotten her out of his system last night?
She pushed all of that out of her mind and focused on the meeting.
“Is she ready to see us?” Jack asked as they stepped into the anteroom of Cecilia’s office,
stopping in front of Bill Meyers’ desk, their boss’s assistant.
Bill managed to look up and yet, down his nose at them, as if he was somehow better than
them because he guarded Cecilia’s office. “I’ll see if she has time for you,” he said, lifting the phone
and staring them down as if to silently say, “Please step back from my desk, you aren’t worthy of
hearing what I tell her.”
Mindy watched as Jack folded his arms over his massive chest in a rejection of Bill’s
unspoken command. Bill’s lips pressed together with palpable irritation, but he pressed the intercom
button to connect with his leader.
“They are here, ma’am,” he whispered into the phone. Did he really need to try and make it a
secret conversation? Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, putting Bill in his place as an inferior gnat.
Bill looked up, appropriately intimidated, which was exactly the reaction Jack had intended with his
“warrior stance”.
Mindy took out her phone and typed a message to Jack. “You’re so bad,” she said, then sent
the message.
He glanced down at his watch and saw the message, then gave her a look.
Bill put the phone down, then pursed his lips before he said, “You may go in.”
“Thanks Bill,” Jack said, his tone dismissive. Mindy followed, silently chuckling at the
interplay between an alpha male and a beta male who wanted desperately to be an alpha but knew he
never would be. And honestly, after having experienced an alpha male in bed last night, Mindy
completely understood what she’d been missing all these years.
But as soon as they stepped through the doorway, their amusement drained away.
“What’s going on, Cecilia?” Jack asked, stopping directly in front of her desk, then realizing
what he was doing and stepped to the side so that Mindy could stand beside him.
Mindy appreciated the gesture. He was showing her, and Cecilia, that Jack saw her as his
equal and that counted for a lot.
“I have an assignment for you,” she said, looking at Jack, then Mindy. “For both of you.”
There was a very brief pause, before Jack nodded. “Sure. What do you need?”
She handed him a blue file folder marked “Top Secret” with a bunch of information listed on
the outside. The notes and warnings were guaranteed to make someone curious enough to want to
peek inside the folder. Jack flipped it open, then turned it so that they could both see the information.
“Dumond Catieri has been sighted in Paris.”
Jack’s head snapped up. “Isn’t he the man we suspected set up the bombing in San
Francisco?” he demanded as he flipped through the file to an astonishingly clear picture of the man in
question.
“Yes, the one that the news reported as a gas explosion. He killed five people that day. Plus,
there’s evidence that he carried out the same type of bombing in Minneapolis, San Diego, and
Atlanta. All of those incidents were made to look like a gas leak. And all of them had very specific
targets. He has to be stopped.”
“How the hell did we finally get an image of him?” Jack demanded, his eyes alert and intense
at this news.
Cecilia smirked. “I might sit behind a desk now, but I still have my sources.”
Jack smiled faintly, but then went back to the file, appearing to skim through the words, but
Mindy knew that he was memorizing every detail. “Okay, I can put a team together,” Jack said, his
mind already working at full speed, forming a plan.
“No, we’ve tried that before. I’ve sent in several teams whenever my analysts have a lead as
to his whereabouts. They’ve never been able to even get close to Catieri. The man has a legion of
spies.” Cecilia leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers as she surveyed the pair. “I want you
two to fly out to Paris, your cover is a newlywed couple on your honeymoon. If you look in the file,
I’ve set up your itinerary. You’ll stay at the hotel where we’ve spotted Catieri several times. Do
your thing and get some background on him. If you can bring him back, do it. If you can’t, take care
of him.”
Jack flipped the file folder closed and nodded his head. “Got it,” he said to his boss.
“According to this, our plane leaves in two hours. You’ve cleared us through security?”
Cecilia nodded, an oddly calculating look in her hard, hazel eyes. “Yes. It’s all arranged.”
Jack glanced at Mindy, who nodded as well. “Okay, we’ll check in at regular intervals. I’ll
let you know what we find.”
They turned around and headed out of the office, leaving the file folder on Cecilia’s desk.
Neither of them spoke as they walked through the hallways. At the entrance to the locker rooms,
Mindy nodded to Jack, then pushed through to the women’s lockers to get her go-bag. Jack did the
same, double-checking to make sure that he had everything he needed.
 Nodding to several of the other agents and analysts, he tossed his bag over his shoulder as he
made his way out of the building. He saw Mindy and jerked his head towards her car. They dropped
their bags into the trunk, then got into the car, still silent as they drove out of the parking lot, heading
to a silently agreed upon destination.
Mindy parked her car and Jack stepped out, his thoughts running rampant. But they still
didn’t speak until they were both several hundred feet down the beach, their shoes in hand and their
pants rolled up as they stepped into the surf, letting the cool Atlantic water wash over their feet.
“Something isn’t right,” Mindy said, chewing on her lower lip.
“I agree. We need to get James involved. We’ll need him for backup.”
Mindy turned, facing the ocean so her voice wouldn’t carry on the air. “Diesel and Buck
would be a huge help out in the field,” she added.
“Yeah. Do you have your special bag?” he asked.
Mindy didn’t nod. “It’s at the airport, stored in a locker.”
“Good. I have one there too. All documentation up to date?”
“Fresh and lively,” she confirmed with a grim smile.
Jack smiled in agreement. This is what they did best, she thought with quiet satisfaction.
A moment later, Jack’s smile disappeared. “She’s never organized a mission like this
before.” Jack spoke the words that both of them were thinking. “She’s always let us plan the mission
ourselves.”
Mindy nodded her agreement. “So, why the hell did she book our plane tickets and reserve
the hotel rooms this time? It doesn’t make sense!’
“Agree. We’re on our own until we can figure out what the end game is.”
“Do we head to Paris? Or figure it out from this end?”
Jack considered the options, working through the details. “We need to get to Paris. But
separately and in a way that allows us to get there on our own. She’ll have a team already there
watching for us. If my suspicions are correct, Catieri really is in Paris. And he really does need to
be taken down. But…” Jack didn’t finish his sentence, letting the unspoken words linger between
them.
Mindy said what they were both thinking. “But the setup is a trap.”
“Exactly,” Jack nodded. “I just don’t understand why Cecilia would do this. She’s basically
setting her own agents up to fail. It would look bad on her.”
Mindy looked contemplative. “So, boss, what’s the plan?”
“I have burner phones in my bag. I’m calling James in. And you’re right. We need Diesel
and Buck, as well as James, to watch our backs. Something doesn’t feel right. We need to move
forward with caution.”
“And the flights?”
 “How good are your documents?” he asked.
Mindy’s grin widened. “Better than yours,” she replied.
Jack laughed, slinging an arm over her shoulder. “We shall see.” They turned, heading back
to her car. “We’ll meet up in Paris,” he told her, naming a time and place.
Mindy nodded, then got back into her car while Jack turned and headed off down the street.
Mindy wasn’t sure where Jack was going, but she allowed her eyes to linger for a moment on his very
nice butt.
Chapter 6

“You were looking at my butt,” an elderly man growled into her ear, hunched over and sporting a
cane. Mindy snorted quietly into her cup of coffee. The elderly gentleman huffed a bit as he settled
into the chair opposite her, sighing as if the effort of sitting was more than he could handle.
“It’s a very nice butt,” she replied, feeling her shoulders drop a little in relief now that he’d
arrived. “And you’re late.”
“I was followed.”
The tension was back. “Did you lose him?”
“Yeah, with the disguise, I was able to lose him at the airport.”
“Good. Told ya my credentials would be better.”
Jack grunted. “I’ll have to use your person for future documents,” he said, lifting a gloved
hand to signal the waiter. “Un café, s’il vous plait,” he requested in a scratchy voice. The waiter
immediately bowed and hurried to get Jack’s coffee. “Where are you staying?”
Mindy named the hotel where she’d left her gear, then leaned forward as if she were showing
him an article in her magazine. “I checked out the hotel where we were supposed to stay. I found two
other agents, but I wasn’t sure if they were on our side or Catieri’s.”
“I don’t think it matters,” Jack replied. “James did some digging and found that Randall, the
guy who broke into Kaia’s place last month, has disappeared. I don’t know if he’s gone into the
prison system or if he was…disposed of, but Cecilia did something with him, and I think it was so
that she could cover her tracks.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I still don’t know why she would send someone to kidnap
Kaia and try to harm Diesel.”
“Maybe because Diesel was planning to leave the agency?” Jack offered.
Mindy pondered that, pointing to another place in the article. “Okay, if he was planning to
leave, why would that bother Cecilia?”
“She likes all of her ducks under her thumb,” Jack replied, nodding as if he were agreeing
with the article. “Maybe it was her way of punishing Diesel?”
“Maybe,” Mindy replied, but she wasn’t convinced. His explanation was plausible, but
using one of the men in the agency was a rookie mistake. He was too easily identifiable. And the
lame excuse that the guy wanted Kaia? Yeah, it didn’t ring true. The explanation came across as…
feeble at best.
“You’re not convinced.”
Mindy shook her head. “No. It’s weird. And I don’t like weird. It makes my skin tingle.”
Jack chuckled. “I know other ways to make your skin tingle.”
Mindy blushed and their eyes locked. “I like the way you make my skin tingle,” she
whispered.
 Jack winked at her, but the waiter brought him a pot of hot coffee and a cup, bowing away.
For the next few minutes, Jack and Mindy discussed strategy. If Catieri was in Paris, they’d find him.
Capturing him was another issue, but Jack had a plan. And getting him back to the United States?
Well, that was a bit trickier still, but Jack had several strings to pull. They sipped their coffee as they
strategized, also watching out for other agents that might have figured out their disguise.
“There’s a museum right across the street from the hotel where Cecilia registered us. I
suggest that we explore the museum and, while we are there, get a better grasp of the layout of
streets. Maybe we can even place a few cameras.”
Mindy smiled, then remembered her disguise and hid her smile behind her coffee cup.
“You’re hot when you’re plotting,” she blurted, then gasped when she realized how revealing that
comment was.
Jack looked up from the magazine article they were pretending to read, a slow smile forming
beneath his fuzzy mustache. “You’re pretty hot yourself,” he replied, letting his eyes move over the
heavy wool coat, scarf, and antique broach she’d donned. “I like the thick stockings rolled around
your ankles. Makes me think of tearing them off and discovering what kind of panties you paired with
that disguise.”
Mindy’s mouth fell open, but as the waiter came out to deliver the check, she snapped it shut.
Mindy wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw Jack wink at her from behind his dark sunglasses. But he
tossed some money down on the bill, enough to cover both of their coffees as well as a good tip, then
he levered himself up with his cane and winged his arm, offering it to her.
Mindy stood, slower than she normally would, and took Jack’s arm, shuffling as she
“maneuvered” around the café chair. “To the museum?” she asked, patting her heavy purse as if she
needed to ensure that it was on her wrist.
“To the museum!” Jack confirmed. They slowly walked the few blocks from the coffee shop
to the museum, placing small, barely visible cameras along the route in strategic places that might
give them a good view of the street and hotel’s entrance. They chatted as well, looking to be just an
ordinary, elderly couple strolling along one of Paris’ beautiful avenues. They nodded to other
couples along the way, speaking only in French. In fact, when an English couple approached, asking
for directions to the Louvre, Jack pretended not to speak English, conferring with Mindy as to what
they might be saying. His French was flawless and beautiful and Mindy knew she was in trouble
when his eyes twinkled as he offered her wild suggestions as to what to tell the couple.
In the end, Jack pointed a shaking finger towards one of the streets. The Louvre was only
about three blocks away and, even from this distance, the black and glass pyramid was visible. The
couple sighed with relief and thanked Jack profusely before heading towards the palatial museum.
“You’re horrible,” she whispered to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. It was easier
to whisper into his ear because Jack was bent over, trying to hide his height and bulk. Somehow, Jack
appeared to be only of average height as they walked side by side into the museum.
Mindy had learned the hard way not to pay attention to the artwork when she used museums
as a cover for surveillance. So this time around, she was careful to use her peripheral vision as she
looked for additional places to put a camera. The windows looking out towards the hotel were the
best option, but it would be difficult to place them without the museum’s security staff noticing, and,
even more difficult to retrieve them. It was imperative that the cameras not be discovered by the
museum staff or law enforcement agency. So Mindy and Jack decided to place the cameras outside of
the museum, only using the windows to figure out the best line of sight.
Still, they made their way through every room in the museum, sitting down occasionally to
“rest”, when in fact, they were making sure that their disguises were effective and no one was
following them.
Two hours later, ten cameras had been set up and they made their way back to their hotel.
Not the hotel Cecilia had arranged for them to stay at, but a different one, about three blocks away.
That was far enough away that they couldn’t be detected as easily, but close enough that they could get
to Catieri, if they found an opportunity to capture him.
Jack and Mindy made their way to their hotel, continuing to move at a snail’s pace to
maintain their cover. But once they were inside the hotel room, Jack spun Mindy around, pinning her
to the door.
“Damn you’re hot!” he growled, then lifted her up and kissed her, his leg pressing between
hers to hold her in place while he peeled away the layers of her disguise.
“Get them off,” she rasped, pushing at his clothes in return.
When he was naked, he pushed her hands out of the way and finished the de-robing process,
kissing every inch of soft skin he revealed.
“Bed!” he growled, lifting her up. Mindy wrapped her legs around his waist as she kissed
and nipped her way along his throat, loving the way his hard body pressed into her softness. Jack laid
her down on the bed and she pulled him down with her. Lifting her hips, she pressed herself against
him.
“We should check to make sure the cameras work,” she whispered, running her nails lightly
along his back, then cupped his tight butt. She wanted to pull him in closer, but Jack pressed her
hands back against the mattress, moving against her as he kissed her neck and her shoulders, then
moving lower to tease her breasts. Mindy arched into his mouth when he sucked on her nipple, crying
out as her legs tightened around his waist.
“Screw the cameras,” Jack replied, shifting his attention to her other breast.
Mindy laughed, flattered and more turned on than ever because Jack was choosing her over
the mission. If only for a few minutes, she mattered more to him.
Because of that, she pushed at his shoulders, pressing him back so that she could straddle his
waist, pinning his arms down against the mattress. It was only an illusion of power, but he allowed
it. For now.
“You’re mine,” she whispered, then lowered her head to kiss him lightly. When she moved
lower, she experimented with his chest, releasing his hands so that she could touch him. Immediately,
she felt his hands in her hair, soothing her scalp and almost directing her mouth towards one nipple,
then the other. She moved lower, loving the rippled muscles of his abs.
Mindy didn’t spend much time there though. She loved his abs, but she had a goal. When her
mouth wrapped around his shaft, she heard Jack hiss, his back arching. As she slid her tongue over
his erection, she felt his abdominal muscles tighten. She stared up the line of his body, watching him
as she let her tongue flick against the head of his shaft as her mouth moved up and down, her hand
covering the space that she couldn’t fit in to her mouth.
She heard a few expletives and almost smiled, but his swearing only turned her on more and
she intensified her efforts. But Jack was too close to the edge and he sat up, grabbing and tossing her
onto her back. “Damn it, woman!” he growled, pinning her hands over her head. He was obviously
riding the edge of his control because Mindy could feel his grip tightening almost painfully around her
wrists. To push him further, she lifted her legs, sliding her inner thighs along his hips the way she
knew drove him wild and watched as he gritted his teeth, his control slipping even further.
“Let me find the protection first, Min,” he hissed, but instead, he lowered his head, taking one
of her nipples into his mouth.
“Ah!” she screamed, frustrated fury ripping through her. “Condom! Now!”
He chuckled, then moved his head to the other nipple, making her scream once more. She
tried to pull her hands from his grip, but he held her steady, his hands tight, but gentle as he restrained
her.
“Oh, am I teasing too much?” he mocked, then lowered his head again, sucking at her nipple.
“Jack!” she moaned. “Damn you! Now!”
He laughed, but he also reached into a pocket on his suitcase, grabbing protection. He
released her arms and ripped open the package so that he could roll it down his shaft. When he was
finished, Jack reclaimed possession of her hands, pinning them above her head. “Now I will show
you how to behave, my lady,” he murmured as he pressed into her heat.
Mindy arched into him, tilting her hips to take all of him into her body. “I thought…I thought I
was behaving perfectly!”
Jack couldn’t reply. Not when she did that thing with her inner muscles. He closed his eyes,
trying to regain some semblance of control. But Mindy didn’t relent. She was too perfect, so hot and
tight and amazing. Thrusting into her, he tried to slow down, but she kept lifting her hips, meeting him
thrust for thrust. It was just…too perfect! As soon as he felt her body shiver, felt her climax begin,
Jack released his wavering control, allowing himself to thrust wildly into her. When his own release
started, he roared, as the pleasure of Mindy overwhelmed him.

Mindy closed her eyes, feeling the tears burning behind her eyelids and wishing she could
just push them away. Ignore them. She wanted to pretend as if…as if what?
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jack asked, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she whispered, trying to hide her face in the pillow. She inhaled deeply, trying to pull
herself together. But it was no use. The tears kept coming, her shoulders shaking with the aftermath
of that lovemaking.
Jack didn’t force her to face him, to explain something that Mindy didn’t completely
understand herself. Instead, he shifted so that his body was spooning hers, kissing her shoulder and
her neck, and caressing her arms and legs, soothing her until her sobs eased into sniffles, and then
silence. Even then, he simply held her, letting her know that he was there when she was ready to
talk.
Mindy wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready to talk about what had just happened. She knew that,
for her peace of mind, it couldn’t happen again. Not ever! It had been glorious but…already she
wanted to turn into his warm, wonderful chest and start it all over again. She couldn’t! This had to
stop!
“Go to sleep,” he whispered, kissing her shoulder again before pulling the covers over her.
He got out of the bed and Mindy couldn’t stop her eyelids from drifting shut. After the sleepless flight
to Paris, then the search for the hotel that would give her and Jack the temporary headquarters they’d
need for this job, setting up the equipment, and then going to the coffee shop and museum…then
making love with him like that…Mindy was beyond exhausted. Completely and utterly drained. So,
for the first time in her career, even when she knew that she should get up and start monitoring the
other hotel, looking for signs of Catieri, she let herself fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 7

Jack knew the moment Mindy started to wake up. He’d been watching her more than the monitors, so
he noticed when her deep slumber started to recede. Her lashes fluttered and he admired her soft
curves as she stretched, wishing that the blanket wasn’t hiding so much of her.
She was gorgeous, inside and out. What was he going to do about her? She’d gotten under
his skin, infiltrated his dreams and now they would be locked in a hotel room for at least the next
week. Being closely confined with a woman like Mindy wasn’t conducive to a great deal of control.
She opened her eyes and smiled dreamily at him. He desperately wanted to crawl back into
bed beside her, kiss her awake and ask her why she’d started crying last night.
“Did I hurt you?” he blurted, and then blinked in surprise. He clearly surprised her as much
as himself with his question. Mindy lifted her head, looking around as she pushed her hair out of her
eyes. Blinking, she looked like a cute, cuddly kitten as she tried to remember where they were and
why they were in a strange hotel room together.
“Hurt me?” she asked, holding the sheet to cover those magnificent breasts as she pushed the
pillows behind her and sat up. “Of course you didn’t hurt me.” She glanced at the monitors set up on
the desk. There were three of them, two of which had four scenes and the last was half filled with the
final two camera views as well as a chat screen. “What’s going on?”
Jack leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he clasped his hands together. “You
were going to tell me what made you cry.”
“I was?” she asked, tilting her head to the side quizzically. “No, I don’t remember putting
that on the agenda.”
Jack sighed, shaking his head as he watched her carefully. “No teasing, Min. What
happened?”
Mindy let out a breath. “It was just…intense,” she said, not lying. Not completely lying, she
corrected. His lovemaking was always intense. But it had been more than just the sensation of his
touch or that mind-blowing climax. “I should shower and get dressed, give you a break.” With that,
she wrapped the sheet around herself and padded barefoot into the bathroom.

Jack watched Mindy, wondering what the hell he’d done wrong. She’d been so into it, but he
must have hurt her. He must have been too rough, too aggressive with her soft body. Next time, he’d
take it slower. He’d tie her down if he had to. She couldn’t make him lose control like that if she
couldn’t touch him.
And yeah, there damn well would be a next time! They weren’t anywhere near done yet.
Hell, he couldn’t imagine ever being done with Mindy, and that was such an unexpected thought, he
had to think it through a little further.
Sex with women was…well, it was just that. It was sex. It was a pleasant, bodily function.
He had never really thought about it that much. The women were nice, but, until Mindy, there hadn’t
been a whole lot to differentiate one from the next. He doubted that he’d made much of an impression
on any of the ladies from his past either.
But Mindy was different. That was probably why he’d been so angry with Cecilia when
Mindy had first been assigned to his team. Jack had known from the beginning that Mindy would be
different. At the time, he hadn’t wanted to let her be the one who broke through his callous way of
moving through the world. He hadn’t wanted his bubble penetrated. He’d liked his life as it was. He
loved his job, loved the missions, and the mysteries. He was good at it, but the job didn’t leave a
whole lot of time for sincere romance. It barely left time for temporary romance.
But Mindy…he made time for her. He watched the cameras, but most of his attention was
focused on wondering what he’d done wrong with Mindy last night. He went over every second,
trying to remember exactly when her tears had started, what had prompted them.
“Anything?” Mindy asked, coming out of the steamy bathroom completely dressed. She
wore a pair of leggings and a big, shirt, and he could tell she’d donned a bra. That was a sure signal
that there would be no more lovemaking just now.
Or did it?
His eyes noticed that she’d left open the third button on the shirt. It gave him a very nice
view of her delectable cleavage.
Her green eyes peered at him, clearly wondering if he’d noticed.
“No. Not yet. But it’s early still.”
“Yeah,” she sighed, sitting down on the bed and pulling a comb through all of that lustrous,
red hair. “Do you think that he’s really here? That he is real?”
Jack stretched his legs out on the edge of the bed beside her, folding his arms over his chest
as he contemplated her question. “Why would Cecilia send us here to Paris if he wasn’t real?”
Mindy stood up, nibbling thoughtfully on her thumbnail. “I don’t know. Just…everything
about this situation feels wrong. From the way she booked our travel to where she told us to stay
while here in Paris…it just doesn’t fit the way we’ve always done our jobs.”
“The other teams do it this way,” he replied back, interlocking his fingers behind his head.
He looked laid back, but his mind was working overtime. “But we never have. Which is why I agree
with you.”
“James is looking into the situation?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “Buck’s flight landed twenty minutes ago and Diesel’s will land tonight
around midnight. They came in from different countries as a countermeasure.”
“That’s good. Maybe it will throw Cecilia off and…”
Mindy stopped and frowned.
“Why did you say it like that?” Jack asked, his eyes narrowing.
Mindy dropped her hands, her fingers twitching by her sides. “I don’t know. But–”
“Your gut,” he continued in her silence, “is never wrong.”
“I wouldn’t say never,” she countered, then started pacing.
 “Min, we’ve had this conversation before. Our instincts are actually our brain telling us that
we’ve seen something, noticed something, which our mind hasn’t processed yet. We grasped the
issue at a subconscious level, but now I need you to relax enough so that you can figure out what your
mind isn’t letting you see yet.”
She resumed pacing, then paused and stared out the window. “I don’t know if I can relax,”
she admitted.
Jack spun around, his eyes taking in her lithe form in the leggings. “I know a good way to
relax,” he teased. Well, sort of teased.
Mindy spun around, her green eyes wide and…and hungry.
Jack saw the look and came over to her. “Hey,” he said softly, taking her hands in his.
“Don’t push it. Let’s order some dinner and I’ll go pick it up while you watch the monitors. We’ll
talk and relax and maybe watch a movie while we keep an eye on the cameras. But I don’t think
anything is going to happen. Not yet anyway. From the intelligence Cecilia gave us, Catieri won’t
show his face for at least two more days.”
“How does she know that?” Mindy asked. “I mean, how does she know that our target is
going to be holed up in a hotel room for however long she thinks he’ll be there? And how much of
what she said can we trust?”
Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know. Except that she got the information
from someone on the analyst team. Maybe he’s supposed to meet someone in three days’ time?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t think so.”
“It didn’t make sense to me when I said it either.”
“Pizza.”
Jack’s hand stopped rubbing his neck and he turned to look at her. “Pizza? That’s how
you…?”
“No,” she laughed. “How about pizza for dinner tonight?”
He chuckled. “We’re in Paris, well known for some of the best restaurants in the world, and
you want Italian?”
She rolled her eyes. “American pizza is just a bastardized version of the Italian stuff. But
it’s delicious. And I know a place three blocks away that has the best American pizza.”
“New York style or Chicago?” he asked, frowning down at her as if this were a very
important question.
“Chicago, of course!” she scoffed. “I don’t eat that sissy New York stuff. Chicago knows
how to add the grease and make it right!”
Jack laughed and pulled her into his arms. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, but
when he felt her stiffen, he wondered if he’d over stepped. But a second later, she melted into his
arms, pressing her face against his chest and Jack closed his eyes, savoring this moment.
It was over too soon and he felt her sniff and pull away. “Okay, what do you want on your
half?”
 “Mushrooms, pepperoni, and sausage,” he told her, settling back down in the chair. “And if
you order it, I’ll go pick it up.”
“You don’t know where it is,” she argued. She lifted her phone up and started typing. “I’ll
order the pizza and have it delivered to the front desk. I’ll use a different disguise this time too. No
need to doll up in my grey-haired wig.”
He chuckled. “What are you going to dress up as this time?” he asked, always impressed
with her disguises.
She whipped out a black, silky wig. “How about a dominatrix?” she teased.
Jack laughed, knowing she wouldn’t wear that. Not to go down to get the pizza. It would be
too overt. The deal right now was to lay low and not be noticed.
“How about a mousy librarian?” he suggested, tugging out a brown wig with curls.
Mindy wrinkled her nose, nodding with a sigh. “I guess that’s a better idea. Still,” she eyed
the black wig longingly. “A dominatrix is so much more fun!”
He chuckled in agreement. “I agree. Maybe later though.”
She twirled the black wig on her finger, then picked up the brown wig. “You’re such a party
pooper.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll talk about that other disguise when we get home.”
Mindy laughed, grabbing the rest of the librarian costume, some of which was part of what
she’d worn to the coffee shop to meet Jack, and headed into the bathroom. Mindy knew she should
feel comfortable enough with Jack by now to dress in front of him. But there was just something…
oddly intimate about dressing in front of a man. It implied…what did it imply? She couldn’t really
figure it out, so she took everything into the bathroom and changed.
Coming out, she’d hidden her red hair and put on a pair of thick glasses that hid her eyes as
well. “How do I look?” she asked, twirling so her long, pleated skirt swirled around her ankles.
“Excellent,” he announced with admiration in his voice.
She picked up her phone and put in the order, then sat down on the bed, watching Jack as he
did something on the computer. He was communicating with someone, probably James, but she didn’t
recognize the code he was using. It was something personal between those two. She had her own
code words that only she and Jack knew. It was a safety measure that Jack had instituted as soon as
she’d joined his team.
When her timer went off, Mindy stood up and headed towards the door, intending to head
down to the lobby to get the pizza. But some instinct whispered to turn back and, when she spotted
Jack watching her, his hands frozen over the keyboard, she kissed him sweetly. “We’re good,” she
whispered to him.
“Thanks,” he replied, and she saw the relief in his eyes.
Mindy walked out, smiling now. She’d needed the reassurance just as much as Jack had.
As soon as the elevator doors opened for her, she spotted the pizza delivery guy walking into
the hotel. She pushed her glasses higher onto her nose and dropped her head slightly, smiling shyly at
the guy and giving him the money along with a reasonable, but not exorbitant, tip. The trick was to not
be memorable.
The delivery man in a leather jacket accepted the money, nodded to her, and headed out to
make his next delivery.
On the way up in the elevator, Mindy frowned at the pizza. The delivery guy’s eyes lingered
in her thoughts. They’d been hidden behind dark sunglasses but…his nose. There was nothing about
his nose that should have caught her attention. So, why did she keep picturing his nose?
“Everything okay?” Jack asked as she reentered the room, his fingers flying over the
keyboard.
“Yep. Pizza is hot and smells amazing,” she announced, putting the box down on one of the
beds, then she sat down beside it and flipped open the box. “I hope you’re not the type who needs
plates and napkins to eat pizza,” she said as she picked up the first slice of pizza, taking the tip into
her mouth and closing her eyes. “Oh, this is just as good as I remembered!” she sighed.
Jack came over to the bed and took a slice himself. “Pizza isn’t meant to be neat and tidy,”
he agreed as he took a bite.
“James is looking into Cecilia’s financials. He smells a rat. And not the kind of rat that she
had us chasing recently.”
For the next hour, they talked about the mission. Mindy pulled out a paper map of the city and
started drawing lines through the streets, forming exit strategies for emergencies. Jack worked on the
computer and they tossed questions back and forth as they occurred.
When midnight rolled around, Mindy noticed Jack looking a bit fatigued. “Why don’t you get
some sleep? I’ll watch the monitors for a while.”
“We don’t have to watch them continuously,” he said. “We can both get some sleep and
review the tapes in the morning.”
Mindy agreed. She was rather eager to get back into that bed with him. She wanted nothing
more than to curl up in Jack’s arms and make love with him again. But she knew that wasn’t wise.
She knew that…that it would be foolish!
“Come on, Min. I won’t touch you,” he promised and took her hand, making a liar of himself
with the first touch. “You can even keep your clothes on.”
Mindy laughed, feeling self-conscious. They’d literally torn each other’s clothes off several
hours ago. Why was she so wary now?
But she was tired, and he looked exhausted. Traveling overseas wasn’t easy on the body or
the mind. The dehydration was the hardest part. The air on planes was extremely dry in order to
make the plane lighter. But that caused the body to need more water after the flight.
“Will you tell me what’s going on?” he asked, rubbing his thumb soothingly over the back of
her hand.
Mindy stared up into his gorgeous blue eyes, her heart aching for him. She’d always given
him the truth and she wasn’t going to stop now. “That last time, earlier today,” she began, but she
wasn’t sure how to continue.
Jack’s fingers tightened over hers. “It was more, wasn’t it?”
Mindy felt her heart lurch. He understood! “You…?”
“I felt it too,” he told her, pulling her into his arms, gently and carefully, letting her know that
she could pull away if she didn’t want his embrace. But Mindy needed him. She needed his arms and
the warmth of his touch.
“I don’t understand,” she told him as she buried her nose against his chest. “It doesn’t make
any sense. A week ago, we didn’t even like each other.”
He chuckled, but the sound was more derisive than amused. “I liked you,” he said, kissing
the top of her head. “I like you a lot, Min.”
“No, I don’t mean like that,” she argued, pulling away from him, needing to see his eyes.
“We have always worked well together, but outside of work, we argue about…everything!”
He chuckled, keeping her hands in his light grip. “Apparently, not everything.”
Mindy blushed. “That’s now. I’m talking about before.”
Jack sighed heavily, looking away for a moment before he explained, “I argued with you to
keep you at a distance, Min. I knew I was attracted to you. I didn’t want to lose you from the team. If
Cecilia discovers that we’re…intimate, you know that she’ll pull you off my team in a heartbeat.”
She nibbled at her lower lip, considering his words. “Maybe that would be the best thing for
us.” She didn’t want to leave his team. Jack was one of the best and she’d learned so much over the
past several months with him!
His hand shot up, cradling her neck and his eyes hardened to flinty, determined blue. “Not
going to happen!” he told her firmly. “We’re staying together. If we have to hide what we feel for
each other in order to make that happen, then that’s what we’re going to do.”
Her smile brightened and she moved closer, her fingers tightening on his. “Really?”
He sighed, and pulled her back into his arms. “Yeah. We’re a great team, Min. You see
things I don’t.”
“And you are brilliant at planning missions.”
He tightened his arms around her for a moment. “So, why don’t we get some sleep? We can
discuss this further tomorrow.”
She laughed. “See? A brilliant plan.”
He merely rolled his eyes and swatted her bottom. “Into bed with you!” he growled
teasingly.
Smiling, Mindy turned around and walked saucily into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
When she came out, Jack went in and Mindy pulled a soft, well-worn tee shirt on to sleep in. Getting
into bed, she pulled the pillows close, snuggling into the softness of the mattress and pillows. A
moment later, she felt the bed dip as Jack slipped in behind her. The pillow at her back was tossed
away as Jack spooned with her from behind.
 For a long time, Mindy couldn’t sleep, her mind alert and her body snuggled up against Jack.
As she listened to his steady breathing, she wondered what it would be like to have this every night.
To be held in his arms, feeling safe and secure.
Finally, she fell asleep, but her dreams continued the wonderful fantasy.
Chapter 8

“Anything?” Mindy asked, cutting more cheese, and placing it on a cracker before feeding it to him.
They were sitting out on the grass in front of the museum today. Their surveillance disguise was of an
older man and younger woman, which was why she was feeding Jack.
“Not a peep,” Jack replied, his fingers linked behind his head as he reclined back against the
half-chair.
Mindy rolled her eyes. “You’re really enjoying this disguise, aren’t you?” she grumbled as
she refilled his glass with lemonade.
He allowed a brief grin before he fell back into the character of a gruff, wealthy man. “It
allows me to watch the entrance more easily,” he explained, nodding to the grapes. “Can you peel one
for me?”
Mindy threw the grape at him. Jack chuckled and caught it in his mouth.
“You’re so annoying,” she told him, then shifted so that she could lean back against the
second half-chair. “I think this stakeout is a bust, Jack.”
“I think you’re right.” She couldn’t see his face, but Mindy knew that he was thinking hard.
“I wonder why we’re here then. Was the intel that Cecilia gave us incorrect somehow?”
Mindy shrugged and picked up her magazine, curling her legs to the side slightly. To people
passing by, she looked like she was showing off her legs to her lover. But the shift allowed her to see
around one of the trees. She tucked her hair behind her ear. She’d finally found a reason to wear the
black wig, even if it wasn’t as a dominatrix. “So far, none of her intel has panned out.” She plucked
another grape as she turned the page in her magazine.
“You’re not worshipping me,” Jack commented in a conversational tone.
Mindy froze, her lips curling slightly. She turned and looked at him, then shifted slightly.
Lifting her finger, she decided to be a bit naughty. “Darling, what more can I do to worship at your
feet?” she asked in a breathy breath, running a finger down his “bare” chest.
His chest wasn’t actually bare. The shirt he’d put on over the body suit was unbuttoned to
about the middle of his chest. It just looked like it because of the body suit Jack had donned for this
excursion. Because of his height, Jack needed to find different ways to disguise his body. Today, he
wore a body suit that made him look about a hundred pounds heavier. He’d also put on a heavy beard
and thick glasses.
Mindy heard the sharp inhalation of his breath and could feel the additional heat emanating
from his body. They’d been in Paris for a week now, and hadn’t come up with anything new. But
they’d spent many of those hours in bed, getting to know each other’s bodies, discovering what each
of them liked and disliked.
So far, Mindy had liked just about everything Jack did with her. His touch was slow and
gentle at times, then he’d become fired up by something she said or did and…he was no longer slow.
Or gentle! Mindy wasn’t sure which type of interlude she liked best. She was just too…
overwhelmed with his passion.
 “You’re thinking again,” he commented, sliding his hand along her back.
“Yeah, I was just…” she paused, dropping out of character for a moment as she bit her lip
with worry.
Behind his sunglasses, Mindy felt his eyes sharpen. “Mindy, talk to me.”
Mindy sighed, laying her head on his chest. At least that was in character. It also allowed
her to turn her head away from Jack. It was easier to think when she wasn’t looking directly at him.
Plus, he moved his strong hands to her shoulders, kneading the tense muscles there, which felt
incredibly good!
“I don’t know if I can keep up with you,” she admitted.
His hands stilled briefly before resuming their ministrations. “Keep up with me how?”
“Sexually,” she admitted. “You’re a very sexual person, Jack.” She shifted so she could see
his face. “What if I can’t keep up?”
His lips quirked slightly. “That implies that you’re thinking about our relationship in the long
term.”
Mindy’s heart jumped! “I wasn’t…I didn’t mean that–”
“I want to marry you, Min,” he interrupted her stammering reply.
That statement stopped her mumbling immediately. For a long time, Mindy simply stared up
at him, trying to process what he’d just told her. Finally, she blinked, trying to speak.
“Why does that surprise you?”
Mindy shifted but Jack’s hand at her back stopped her from pulling away. “Because you’re
not the marrying kind. You like to play the field.”
He shook his head, his fingers digging into the tight muscles. “No. I just hadn’t found
someone like you. Someone who makes me feel…whole. I want you, Mindy. Not a series of
nameless women in a tedious parade.”
She blinked at him, her heart thudding against her ribs. “You don’t mean that,” she
whispered, shocked and…and all the love she felt for this man probably shining in her eyes.
“Of course I mean it,” he countered, chuckling slightly. “I’ve been more than half in love
with you from the first time you took down that guy in Aslastan. It was so hot!”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s what you admire about me?” she demanded, sadness
unexpectedly hitting her like a hammer.
Suddenly, Jack turned serious. With a quick motion, he flipped their positions, glaring down
at her, even though his body suit got in the way. “No, the things I love about you are your dedication,
the way you tackle every task with intelligence and determination, the way your eyes sparkle when
you laugh, the way your voice feels against my skin when you say my name, the way you push yourself
harder than anyone else I know, the way you kiss and touch me, as if you can feel my heart beating
against your hand or your lips.” He paused, shaking his head. “Those are just the obvious things.
But there’s more. I just can’t put them into words yet. You’re like this mysterious person who burst
into my life, driving me wild with your tenacity and your inability to tell a joke and your bad singing
in the shower and…”
He stopped, but only because she put a hand over his mouth. “I love you too,” she
whispered.
He nibbled at her palm and Mindy gasped, pulling her hand away. “Good. Then marry me!
Let’s stop this pussyfooting around and get serious.”
She held her breath for a long moment, trying to figure out if he was serious. A moment later,
she was wiggling to get out from underneath him. “We can’t. You know the rules!” She straightened
her clothing, smoothed the hair of her wig down and adjusted her sunglasses. “The agency will either
fire one or both of us, or I’ll be reassigned. And if that happens, we’ll never see each other. You and
I both know what kind of time and mental commitment this job requires.”
He rested his forearm on his uplifted knee, staring at the door through which they’d been
waiting for their target to appear for the past two hours. “I think we should apply the same strategy
that we’d use for any mission, but apply it to figuring out how we can do this job and still be
together.”
Mindy stared at him, stunned for a long moment. “Is that even…?” She stopped suddenly,
staring at Jack.
When she didn’t continue, he pulled his eyes away from the doorway and looked at her.
“What?” he asked.
Mindy didn’t reply. Instead, she reached out and traced her finger down his nose. For a long
time afterwards, she was silent, her expression troubled.
Jack whipped his sunglasses off, understanding that she’d just thought of something
significant. “Mindy? What did you just think of?”
Mindy jumped to her feet. “We need to get back to the hotel. I need to check something.”
Jack didn’t hesitate, although he remained in character. Lumbering to his feet, he shuffled
around a bit, breathing heavily as he collected the picnic items. For her part, Mindy remained
standing off to the side, tapping her foot impatiently, which was also in character.
“You’re a bit too good at this ‘impatient mistress’ role,” he told her as he lumbered beside
her back to the rental car. He stuffed everything into the back, then walked around, opening the
passenger door for her.
The drive back to the hotel was silent. But as soon as they stepped inside their room, having
discarded their disguises, Mindy grabbed the files they’d been given and flipped to the picture of
Catieri.
Her finger moved over the man’s nose, then she lifted the picture up so she could compare it
with Jack’s face.
“What is it?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.
Mindy sighed, shaking her head. “I knew that there was something off!” Dropping the file on
the bed, she lifted her phone and took a picture of Jack. Then she put her cell phone right next to the
picture. “Look at the nose,” she announced. “It’s your nose!”
 Jack bent over the pictures, his eyes going from one to the other and back again. “I’ll be
damned!” he muttered. He grabbed his phone and pulled up a picture of Diesel. Comparing Diesel’s
image to the photograph in the file, he shook his head. “She used Diesel’s eyes.” He flipped to
another photo and Buck’s image came up on the screen. “And Buck’s chin.”
“Is James in the Catieri photo?”
Jack pulled up a picture of James, glancing back and forth between the two pictures. “No, I
don’t see…!” He hesitated once more, scanning both images.
“Cheekbones. And the hair.” Mindy pointed to the characteristics and Jack nodded, seeing
the similarities.
“What the hell?” he muttered, straightening up.
He moved to the computer, looking at the monitors. The facial recognition software still
showed no indication of any sighting of the man in the photograph.
He sent a message to James, explaining what they’d discovered. James replied that he’d
have his technician check the picture and get it analyzed.
Mindy waited until Jack turned away from the computer. They stared blankly at each other.
“We’ve been played,” he announced.
Mindy nodded. “She wanted us out of town. But why?”
Chapter 9

Cecilia slammed her car door closed harder than was necessary, then stalked across the parking lot.
She was beyond furious! Where the hell were they? Jack and Mindy, two of her best agents, should
be at the hotel where she’d personally booked them. Yeah, it was a little unusual for her to book
rooms for her agents. But she’d assumed that everyone would just accept that this was a special
situation. A special mission!
That wasn’t happening! Sure, Jack and Mindy checked in on a regular basis. But she had no
idea where they were. She had no idea what they even looked like. This was the first time that she’d
heard that Jack and his team used disguises on their missions.
Damn them! Jack would know how to circumvent all of the facial recognition systems.
Cecilia noticed a group of analysts glaring at her. They were lingering outside of the
building, which damn well wasn’t allowed! What the hell were they doing? And why were they
glaring at her?
A moment later, the analysts turned away, purposely turning their backs to her. A snub? Or
were they just overworked and tired? That happened. The missions could be intense and the analysts
sometimes stayed all night, helping the agents in the field.
Their rudeness was understood, but unacceptable. Everyone hired into the agency knew that
their missions, and the agents tasked with accomplishing the missions, were a top priority and
keeping them safe was paramount.
A stab of guilt hit her as she thought of the subterfuge she’d used during Jack’s latest mission.
It was necessary, she told herself. Yes, it was more of a wild goose chase, but the ends justified the
means.
“Good morning,” she greeted the guards at the front desk. “How is Amanda today?” she
asked, using the codes that would give the all clear to the guards. If something were wrong, Cecilia
would have asked about a man.
“Fine, ma’am,” the guard replied flatly. He scanned her bag through the x-ray machine, then
handed it back without meeting her eyes. No “Good day” or anything else.
Very strange, Cecilia thought as she continued on towards the elevators. There were two
more checkpoints before she reached the elevators, and the guards, both obvious and not so obvious,
were just as standoffish as the first set.
Yes, something was very wrong, she thought. Whatever it was, she was going to get to the
bottom of it! She absolutely would not allow this kind of disrespect!
Heading to her office, she found Bill standing beside his desk, clearly worried. “Good
morning,” she greeted her assistant. “What’s going on?”
Bill cleared his throat nervously. “Jack and Mindy are already in your office. I tried to keep
them out. I told them they needed an appointment but….” He sighed and shrugged.
Stunned, she stared at her assistant for a long moment before she mentally shook herself.
Another random document with
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 HOW TO KNOW THE WILD
FLOWERS

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER

Until a comparatively recent period the interest in plants

centred largely in the medicinal properties, and sometimes in the
supernatural powers, which were attributed to them.
—O who can tell
The hidden power of herbes and might of magick spell?—

sang Spenser in the “Faerie Queene;” and to this day the names of
many of our wayside plants bear witness, not alone to the healing
properties which their owners were supposed to possess, but also to
the firm hold which the so-called “doctrine of signatures” had upon
the superstitious mind of the public. In an early work on “The Art of
Simpling,” by one William Coles, we read as follows: “Yet the mercy
of God which is over all his works, maketh Grasse to grow upon the
Mountains and Herbes for the use of men, and hath not only
stamped upon them a distinct forme, but also given them particular
signatures, whereby a man may read, even in legible characters, the
use of them.” Our hepatica or liver-leaf, owes both its generic and
English titles to its leaves, which suggested the form of the organ
after which the plant is named, and caused it to be considered “a
sovereign remedy against the heat and inflammation of the liver.”[1]
 Although his once-renowned system of classification has since
been discarded on account of its artificial character, it is probably to
Linnæus that the honor is due of having raised the study of plants to
a rank which had never before been accorded it. The Swedish
naturalist contrived to inspire his disciples with an enthusiasm and
to invest the flowers with a charm and personality which awakened a
wide-spread interest in the subject. It is only since his day that the
unscientific nature-lover, wandering through those woods and fields
where
—wide around, the marriage of the plants
Is sweetly solemnized—

has marvelled to find the same laws in vogue in the floral as in the
animal world.
To Darwin we owe our knowledge of the significance of color,
form, and fragrance in flowers. These subjects have been widely
discussed during the last twenty-five years, because of their close
connection with the theory of natural selection; they have also been
more or less enlarged upon in modern text-books. Nevertheless, it
seems wiser to repeat what is perhaps already known to the reader,
and to allude to some of the interesting theories connected with
these topics, rather than to incur the risk of obscurity by omitting all
explanation of facts and deductions to which it is frequently
necessary to refer.
It is agreed that the object of a flower’s life is the making of seed,
i.e., the continuance of its kind. Consequently its most essential parts
are its reproductive organs, the stamens, and the pistil or pistils.
The stamens (p. 11) are the fertilizing organs. These produce the
powdery, quickening material called pollen, in little sacs which are
borne at the tips of their slender stalks.
The pistil (p. 11) is the seed-bearing organ. The pollen-grains
which are deposited on its roughened summit throw out minute
tubes which reach the little ovules in the ovary below and quicken
them into life.
These two kinds of organs can easily be distinguished in any
large, simple, complete flower (p. 10). The pollen of the stamens, and
the ovules which line the base of the pistil, can also be detected with
the aid of an ordinary magnifying glass.
Now, we have been shown that nature apparently prefers that
the pistil of a flower should not receive its pollen from the stamens in
the same flower-cup with itself. Experience teaches that, sometimes,
when this happens no seeds result. At other times the seeds appear,
but they are less healthy and vigorous than those which are the
outcome of cross-fertilization—the term used by botanists to
describe the quickening of the ovules in one blossom by the pollen
from another.
But perhaps we hardly realize the importance of abundant
health and vigor in a plant’s offspring.
Let us suppose that our eyes are so keen as to enable us to note
the different seeds which, during one summer, seek to secure a
foothold in some few square inches of the sheltered roadside. The
neighboring herb Roberts and jewel-weeds discharge—catapult
fashion—several small invaders into the very heart of the little
territory. A battalion of silky-tufted seeds from the cracked pods of
the milkweed float downward and take lazy possession of the soil,
while the heavy rains wash into their immediate vicinity those of the
violet from the overhanging bank. The hooked fruit of the stick-tight
is finally brushed from the hair of some exasperated animal by the
jagged branches of the neighboring thicket and is deposited on the
disputed ground, while a bird passing just overhead drops earthward
the seed of the partridge berry. The ammunition of the witch-hazel,
too, is shot into the midst of this growing colony; to say nothing of a
myriad more little squatters that are wafted or washed or dropped or
flung upon this one bit of earth, which is thus transformed into a
bloodless battle-ground, and which is incapable of yielding
nourishment to one-half or one-tenth or even one hundredth of these
tiny strugglers for life!
So, to avoid diminishing the vigor of their progeny by self-
fertilization (the reverse of cross-fertilization), various species take
various precautions. In one species the pistil is so placed that the
pollen of the neighboring stamens cannot reach it. In others one of
these two organs ripens before the other, with the result that the
contact of the pollen with the stigma of the pistil would be
ineffectual. Often the stamens and pistils are in different flowers,
sometimes on different plants. But these pistils must, if possible,
receive the necessary pollen in some way and fulfil their destiny by
setting seed. And we have been shown that frequently it is brought to
them by insects, occasionally by birds, and that sometimes it is
blown to them by the winds.
Ingenious devices are resorted to in order to secure these
desirable results. Many flowers make themselves useful to the insect
world by secreting somewhere within their dainty cups little glands
of honey, or, more properly speaking, nectar, for honey is the result
of the bees’ work. This nectar is highly prized by the insects and is, in
many cases, the only object which attracts them to the flowers,
although sometimes the pollen, which Darwin believes to have been
the only inducement offered formerly, is sought as well.
But of course this nectar fails to induce visits unless the bee’s
attention is first attracted to the blossom, and it is tempted to
explore the premises; and we now observe the interesting fact that
those flowers which depend upon insect-agency for their pollen,
usually advertise their whereabouts by wearing bright colors or by
exhaling fragrance. It will also be noticed that a flower sufficiently
conspicuous to arrest attention by its appearance alone is rarely
fragrant.
When, attracted by either of these significant characteristics,—
color or fragrance,—the bee alights upon the blossom, it is
sometimes guided to the very spot where the nectar lies hidden by
markings of some vivid color. Thrusting its head into the heart of the
flower for the purpose of extracting the secreted treasure, it
unconsciously strikes the stamens with sufficient force to cause them
to powder its body with pollen. Soon it flies away to another plant of
the same kind, where, in repeating the process just described, it
unwittingly brushes some of the pollen from the first blossom upon
the pistil of the second, where it helps to make new seeds. Thus these
busy bees which hum so restlessly through the long summer days are
working better than they know and are accomplishing more
important feats than the mere honey-making which we usually
associate with their ceaseless activity.
Those flowers which are dependent upon night-flying insects for
their pollen, contrive to make themselves noticeable by wearing
white or pale yellow,—red, blue, and pink being with difficulty
detected in the darkness. They, too, frequently indicate their
presence by exhaling perfume, which in many cases increases in
intensity as the night falls, and a clue to their whereabouts becomes
momentarily more necessary. This fact partially accounts for the
large proportion of fragrant white flowers. Darwin found that the
proportion of sweet-scented white flowers to sweet-scented red ones
was 14.6 per cent. of white to 8.2 of red.
We notice also that some of these night-fertilized flowers close
during the day, thus insuring themselves against the visits of insects
which might rob them of their nectar or pollen, and yet be unfitted
by the shape of their bodies to accomplish their fertilization. On the
other hand, many blossoms which are dependent upon the sun-
loving bees close at night, securing the same advantage.
Then there are flowers which close in the shade, others at the
approach of a storm, thus protecting their pollen and nectar from the
dissolving rain; others at the same time every day. Linnæus invented
a famous “flower-clock,” which indicated the hours of the day by the
closing of different flowers. This habit of closing has been called the
“sleep of flowers.”
There is one far from pleasing class of flowers which entices
insect-visitors,—not by attractive colors and alluring fragrance—but
“by deceiving flies through their resemblance to putrid meat—
imitating the lurid appearance as well as the noisome smell of
carrion.”[2] Our common carrion-flower, which covers the thickets so
profusely in early summer that Thoreau complained that every bush
and copse near the river emitted an odor which led one to imagine
that all the dead dogs in the neighborhood had drifted to its shore, is
probably an example of this class, without lurid color, but certainly
with a sufficiently noisome smell! Yet this foul odor seems to answer
the plant’s purpose as well as their delicious aroma does that of more
refined blossoms, if the numberless small flies which it manages to
attract are fitted to successfully transmit its pollen.
Certain flowers are obviously adapted to the visits of insects by
their irregular forms. The fringed or otherwise conspicuous lip and
long nectar-bearing spur of many orchids point to their probable
dependence upon insect-agency for perpetuation; while the
papilionaceous blossoms of the Pulse family also betray interesting
adaptations for cross-fertilization by the same means. Indeed it is
believed that irregularity of form is rarely conspicuous in a blossom
that is not visited by insects.
The position of a nodding flower, like the harebell, protects its
pollen and nectar from the rain and dew; while the hairs in the throat
of many blossoms answer the same purpose and exclude useless
insects as well.
Another class of flowers which calls for special mention is that
which is dependent upon the wind for its pollen. It is interesting to
observe that this group expends little effort in useless adornment.
“The wind bloweth where it listeth” and takes no note of form or
color. So here we find those
Wan flowers without a name,

which, unheeded, line the wayside. The common plantain of the

country dooryard, from whose long tremulous stamens the light, dry
pollen is easily blown, is a familiar example of this usually ignored
class. Darwin first observed, that “when a flower is fertilized by the
wind it never has a gayly colored corolla.” Fragrance and nectar as
well are usually denied these sombre blossoms. Such is the
occasional economy of that at times most reckless of all spendthrifts
—nature!
Some plants—certain violets and the jewel-weeds among others
—bear small inconspicuous blossoms which depend upon no outside
agency for fertilization. These never open, thus effectually guarding
their pollen from the possibility of being blown away by the wind,
dissolved by the rain, or stolen by insects. They are called
cleistogamous flowers.
Nature’s clever devices for securing a wide dispersion of seeds
have been already hinted at. One is tempted to dwell at length upon
the ingenious mechanism of the elastically bursting capsules of one
species, and the deft adjustment of the silky sails which waft the
seeds of others; on the barbed fruits which have pressed the most
unwilling into their prickly service, and the bright berries which so
temptingly invite the hungry winter birds to peck at them till their
precious contents are released, or to devour them, digesting only the
pulpy covering and allowing the seeds to escape uninjured into the
earth at some conveniently remote spot.
 Then one would like to pause long enough to note the slow
movements of the climbing plants and the uncanny ways of the
insect-devourers. At our very feet lie wonders for whose elucidation a
lifetime would be far too short. Yet if we study for ourselves the
mysteries of the flowers, and, when daunted, seek their
interpretation in those devoted students who have made this task
part of their life-work, we may hope finally to attain at least a partial
insight into those charmed lives which find
—tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.
 EXPLANATION OF TERMS

The comprehension of the flower descriptions and of the

opening chapters will be facilitated by the reading of the following
explanation of terms. For words or expressions other than those
which are included in this section, the Index of Technical Terms at
the end of the book should be consulted.
The Root of a plant is the part which grows downward into the
ground and absorbs nourishment from the soil. True roots bear
nothing besides root-branches or rootlets.
“The Stem is the axis of the plant, the part which bears all the
other organs.” (Gray.)
A Rootstock is a creeping stem which grows beneath the
surface of the earth. (See Blood-root and Solomon’s Seal. Pls. I. and
X.)
A Tuber is a thickened end of a rootstock, bearing buds,
—“eyes,”—on its sides. The common Potato is a familiar example of a
tuber, being a portion of the stem of the potato plant.
A Corm is a short, thick, fleshy underground stem which sends
off roots from its lower face. (See Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Pl. CIV.)
A Bulb is an underground stem, the main body of which
consists of thickened scales, which are in reality leaves or leaf bases,
as in the onion.
A Simple Stem is one which does not branch.
A Stemless plant is one which bears no obvious stem, but only
leaves and flower-stalks, as in the Common Blue Violet and Liver-
leaf (Pl. LXXXIV.).
A Scape is the leafless flower-stalk of a stemless plant. (See
Liver-leaf (Pl. LXXXIV.).)
 An Entire Leaf is one the edge of which is not cut or lobed in
any way. (See Rhododendron, Pl. XVI., and Closed Gentian, Pl. C.)
A Simple Leaf is one which is not divided into leaflets; its
edges may be either lobed or entire. (See Rhododendron, Pl. XVI.;
also Fig. 1.)

Fig. 2.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 3.

A Compound Leaf is one which is divided into leaflets, as in

the Wild Rose, Pink Clover, and Travellers’ Joy (Pl. XXXI., also Fig.
2).
 A Much-divided Leaf is one which is several times divided
into leaflets (Fig. 3).
The Axil of a leaf is the upper angle formed by a leaf or leaf-
stalk and the stem.
Flowers which grow from the axils of the leaves are said to be
Axillary.
A cluster in which the flowers are arranged—each on its own
stalk—along the sides of a common stem or stalk is called a Raceme.
(See Cardinal-flower, Pl. LXXXIII.; Shin-leaf, Pl. XVIII.)
A cluster in which the flower-stalks all spring from apparently
the same point, as in the Milkweeds, somewhat suggesting the
spreading ribs of an umbrella, is called an Umbel (Pl. LXXXI.).
A cluster which is formed of a number of small umbels, all of the
stalks of which start from apparently the same point, is called a
Compound Umbel. (See Wild Carrot, Pl. XXVIII.)
A close, circular flower-cluster, like that of Pink Clover or
Dandelion, is called a Head. (See Oswego Tea, Pl. LXXXII.;
Sunflower, Pl. LVII.)
A flower-cluster along the lengthened axis of which the flowers
are sessile or closely set is called a Spike. (See Vervain, Pl. XCII.;
Mullein, Pl. LI.)
A Spadix is a fleshy spike or head, with small and often
imperfect flowers, as in the Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Skunk Cabbage
(Pls. CII. and CIV., also Fig. 4).
 Fig. 5.

Fig. 4.
 Fig. 6.

A Spathe is the peculiar leaf-like bract which usually envelopes

a spadix. (See Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Skunk Cabbage, Pls. CII. and
CIV., also Fig. 5.)
A leaf or flower which is set so close in the stem as to show no
sign of a separate leaf or flower-stalk, is said to be Sessile.
A Complete Flower (Fig. 6) is “that part of a plant which
subserves the purpose of producing seed, consisting of stamens and
pistils, which are the essential organs, and the calyx and corolla,
which are the protecting organs.” (Gray.)
The green outer flower-cup, or outer set of green leaves, which
we notice at the base of many flowers, is the Calyx (Fig. 6 Ca). At
times this part is brightly colored and may be the most conspicuous
feature of the flower.
When the calyx is divided into separate leaves, these leaves are
called Sepals.
The inner flower-cup or the inner set of leaves is the Corolla
(Fig. 6, C).
When the corolla is divided into separate leaves, these leaves are
called Petals.
We can look upon calyx and corolla as the natural tapestry
which protects the delicate organs of the flower, and serves as well,
in many cases, to attract the attention of passing insects. In some
flowers only one of these two parts is present; in such a case the
single cup or set of floral leaves is generally considered to be the
calyx.
The floral leaves may be spoken of collectively as the Perianth.
This word is used especially in describing members of families where
there might be difficulty in deciding as to whether the single set of
floral leaves present should be considered calyx or corolla (see Lilies,
Pls. XLV. and LXXX.); or where the petals and sepals can only be
distinguished with difficulty, as with the Orchids.
The Stamens
(Fig. 7) are the
fertilizing organs of the
flower. A stamen
usually consists of two
parts, its Filament
(F), or stalk, and its
Anther (A), the little
sac at the tip of the
filament which
produces the dust-like,
fertilizing substance
called Pollen (p.).
Fig. 7.
The Pistil (Fig. 8)
is the seed-bearing
organ of the flower. When complete it consists
of Ovary (O), Style (Sty.), and Stigma
(Stg.). Fig. 8.
The Ovary is the hollow portion at the
base of the pistil. It contains the ovules or
rudimentary seeds which are quickened into life by the pollen.
The Style is the slender tapering stalk above the ovary.
The Stigma is usually the tip of the style. The pollen-grains
which are deposited upon its moist roughened surface throw out
minute tubes which penetrate to the little ovules of the ovary and
cause them to ripen into seeds.
A flower which has neither stamens nor pistils is described as
Neutral.
 A flower with only one kind of these organs is termed
Unisexual.
A Male or Staminate flower is one with stamens but without
pistils.
A Female or Pistillate flower is one with pistils but without
stamens.
The Fruit of a plant is the ripened seed-vessel or seed-vessels,
including the parts which are intimately connected with it or them.
 NOTABLE PLANT FAMILIES

Although the great majority of plant families can only be

distinguished by a combination of characteristics which are too
obscure to obtain any general recognition, there are some few
instances where these family traits are sufficiently conspicuous to be
of great assistance in the ready identification of flowers.
If, for instance, we recognize at sight a papilionaceous blossom
and know that such an one only occurs in the Pulse family, we save
the time and energy which might otherwise have been expended on
the comparison of a newly found blossom of this character with the
descriptions of flowers of a different lineage. Consequently it has
seemed wise briefly to describe the marked features of such
important families as generally admit of easy identification.
Composite Family.—It is fortunate for the amateur botanist
that the plant family which usually secures the quickest recognition
should also be the largest in the world. The members of the
Composite family attract attention in every quarter of the globe, and
make themselves evident from early spring till late autumn, but more
especially with us during the latter season.
The most noticeable characteristic of the Composites is the
crowding of a number of small flowers into a close cluster or head,
which head is surrounded by an involucre, and has the effect of a
single blossom. Although this grouping of small flowers in a head is
not peculiar to this tribe, the same thing being found in the clovers,
the milkworts, and in various other plants—still a little experience
will enable one to distinguish a Composite without any analysis of
the separate blossoms which form the head.
These heads vary greatly in size and appearance. At times they
are large and solitary, as in the dandelion. Again they are small and
clustered, as in the yarrow (Pl. XXVIII.).
 In some genera they are composed of flowers which are all
similar in form and color, as in the dandelion, where all the corollas
are strap-shaped and yellow; or, as in the common thistle, where
they are all tubular-shaped and pinkish-purple.
In others they are made up of both kinds of flowers, as in the
daisy, where only the yellow central or disk-flowers are tubular-
shaped, while the white outer or ray-flowers are strap-shaped. The
flower-heads of the well-known asters and golden-rods are
composed of both ray and disk-flowers also; but while the ray-
flowers of the aster, like those of the daisy, wear a different color
from the yellow disk-flowers, both kinds are yellow in the golden-
rod.
If the dandelion or the chicory (Pl. XCVIII.) is studied as an
example of a head which is composed entirely of strap-shaped
blossoms; the common thistle or the stick-tight (Pl. LVIII.) as an
example of one which is made up of tubular-shaped blossoms; and
the daisy or the sunflower (Pl. LVII.) as an example of one which
combines ray and disk-flowers—as the strap-shaped and tubular
blossoms are called when both are present—there need be little
difficulty in the after recognition of a member of this family. The
identification of a particular species or even genus will be a less
simple matter; the former being a task which has been known to tax
the patience of even advanced botanists.
Mr. Grant Allen believes that the Composites largely owe their
universal sway to their “co-operative system.” He says: “If we look
close into the Daisy we see that its centre comprises a whole mass of
little yellow bells, each of which consists of corolla, stamens, and
pistil. The insect which alights on the head can take his fill in a
leisurely way, without moving from his standing-place; and
meanwhile he is proving a good ally of the plant by fertilizing one
after another of its numerous ovaries. Each tiny bell by itself would
prove too inconspicuous to attract much attention from the passing
bee; but union is strength for the Daisy as for the State, and the little
composites have found their co-operative system answer so well, that
late as was their appearance upon the earth they are generally
considered at the present day to be the most numerous family both
in species and individuals of all flowering plants.” While those of us
who know the country lanes at that season when
 —ranks of seeds their witness bear,

feel that much of their omnipresence is due to their unsurpassed

facilities for globe-trotting. Our roadsides every autumn are lined
with tall golden-rods, whose brown, velvety clusters are composed of
masses of tiny seeds whose downy sails are set for their aerial
voyage; with asters, whose myriad flower-heads are transformed into
little puff-balls which are awaiting dissolution by the November
winds, and with others of the tribe whose hooked seeds win a less
ethereal but equally effective transportation.
Parsley Family.—The most familiar representative of the
Parsley family is the wild carrot, which so profusely decks the
highways throughout the summer with its white, lace-like clusters;
while the meadow parsnip is perhaps the best known of its yellow
members.
This family can usually be recognized by the arrangement of its
minute flowers in umbels (p. 9), which umbels are again so clustered
as to form a compound umbel (Wild Carrot, Pl. XXVIII.) whose
radiating stalks suggest the ribs of an umbrella, and give this Order
its Latin name of Umbelliferæ.
A close examination of the tiny flowers which compose these
umbrella-like clusters discovers that each one has five white or
yellow petals, five stamens, and a two-styled pistil. Sometimes the
calyx shows five minute teeth. The leaves are usually divided into
leaflets or segments which are often much toothed or incised.
The Parsleys are largely distinguished from one another by
differences in their fruit, which can only be detected with the aid of a
microscope. It is hoped, however, that the more common and
noticeable species will be recognized by means of descriptions which
give their general appearance, season of blooming, and favorite
haunts.
Pulse Family.—The Pulse family includes many of our
common wood- and field-flowers. The majority of its members are
easily distinguished by those irregular, butterfly-shaped blossoms
which are described as papilionaceous. The sweet pea is a familiar
example of such a flower, and a study of its curious structure renders
easy the after identification of a papilionaceous blossom, even if it be
as small as one of the many which make up the head of the common
pink clover.
The calyx of such a flower is of five more or less—and sometimes
unequally—united sepals. The corolla consists of five irregular petals,
the upper one of which is generally wrapped about the others in bud,
while it spreads or turns backward in flower. This petal is called the
standard. The two side petals are called wings. The two lower ones
are usually somewhat united and form a sort of pouch which
encloses the stamens and style; this is called the keel, from a fancied
likeness to the prow of an ancient vessel. There are usually ten
stamens and one pistil.
These flowers are peculiarly adapted to cross-fertilization
through insect agency, although one might imagine the contrary to
be the case from the relative positions of stamens and pistil. In the
pea-blossom, for example, the hairy portion of the style receives the
pollen from the early maturing stamens. The weight of a visiting bee
projects the stigma and the pollen-laden style against the insect’s
body. But it must be observed that in this action the stigma first
brushes against the bee, while the pollen-laden style touches him
later, with the result that the bee soon flies to another flower on
whose fresh stigma the detached pollen is left, while a new cargo of
this valuable material is unconsciously secured, and the same
process is indefinitely repeated.
Mint Family.—A member of the Mint family usually exhales an
aromatic fragrance which aids us to place it correctly. If to this
characteristic is added a square stem, opposite leaves, a two-lipped
corolla, four stamens in pairs—two being longer than the others—or
two stamens only, and a pistil whose style (two-lobed at the apex)
rises from a deeply four-lobed ovary which splits apart in fruit into
four little seed-like nutlets, we may feel sure that one of the many
Mints is before us.
Sometimes we think we have encountered one of the family
because we find the opposite leaves, two-lipped corolla, four
stamens, and an ovary that splits into four nutlets in fruit; but unless
the ovary was also deeply four-lobed in the flower, the plant is
probably a Vervain, a tribe which greatly resembles the Mints. The
Figworts, too, might be confused with the Mints did we not always
keep in mind the four-lobed ovary.
 In this family we find the common catnip and pennyroyal, the
pretty ground ivy, and the handsome bee balm (Pl. LXXXII.).
Mustard Family.—The Mustard family is one which is
abundantly represented in waste places everywhere by the little
shepherd’s purse or pickpocket, and along the roadsides by the
yellow mustard, wild radish, and winter-cress (Pl. XLII.).
Its members may be recognized by their alternate leaves, their
biting harmless juice, and by their white, yellow, or purplish flowers,
the structure of which at once betrays the family to which they
belong.
The calyx of these flowers is divided into four sepals. The four
petals are placed opposite each other in pairs, their spreading blades
forming a cross which gives the Order its Latin name Cruciferæ.
There are usually six stamens, two of which are inserted lower down
than the others. The single pistil becomes in fruit a pod. Many of the
Mustards are difficult of identification without a careful examination
of their pods and seeds.
Orchis Family.—To the minds of many the term orchid only
suggests a tropical air-plant, which is rendered conspicuous either by
its beauty or by its unusual and noticeable structure.
This impression is, perhaps, partly due to the rude print in some
old text-book which endeared itself to our childish minds by those
startling and extravagant illustrations which are responsible for so
many shattered illusions in later life; and partly to the various
exhibitions of flowers in which only the exotic members of this
family are displayed.
Consequently, when the dull clusters of the ragged fringed
orchis, or the muddy racemes of the coral-root, or even the slender,
graceful spires of the ladies’ tresses are brought from the woods or
roadside and exhibited as one of so celebrated a tribe, they are
usually viewed with scornful incredulity, or, if the authority of the
exhibitor be sufficient to conquer disbelief, with unqualified
disappointment. The marvellous mechanism which is exhibited by
the humblest member of the Orchis family, and which suffices to
secure the patient scrutiny and wondering admiration of the
scientist, conveys to the uninitiated as little of interest or beauty as
would a page of Homer in the original to one without scholarly
attainments.
The uprooting of a popular theory must be the work of years,
especially when it is impossible to offer as a substitute one which is
equally capable of being tersely defined and readily apprehended; for
many seem to hold it a righteous principle to cherish even a delusion
till it be replaced by a belief which affords an equal amount of
satisfaction. It is simpler to describe an orchid as a tropical air-plant
which apes the appearance of an insect and never roots in the ground
than it is to master by patient study and observation the various
characteristics which so combine in such a plant as to make it finally
recognizable and describable. Unfortunately, too, the enumeration of
these unsensational details does not appeal to the popular mind, and
so fails to win by its accuracy the place already occupied by the
incorrect but pleasing conception of an orchid.
For the benefit of those who wish to be able to correctly place
these curious and interesting flowers, as brief a description as seems
compatible with their recognition is appended.
Leaves.—Alternate, parallel-nerved.
Flowers.—Irregular in form, solitary or clustered, each one
subtended by a bract.
Perianth.—Of six divisions in two sets. The three outer divisions
are sepals, but they are usually petal-like in appearance. The three
inner are petals. By a twist of the ovary what would otherwise be the
upper petal is made the lower. This division is termed the lip; it is
frequently brightly colored or grotesquely shaped, being at times
deeply fringed or furrowed; it has often a spur-like appendage which
secretes nectar; it is an important feature of the flower and is
apparently designed to attract insects for the purpose of securing
their aid in the cross-fertilization which is usually necessary for the
perpetuation of the different species of this family, all of which give
evidence of great modification by means of insect-selection.
In the heart of the flower is the column; this is usually composed
of the stamen (of two in the Cypripediums), which is confluent with
the style or thick, fleshy stigma. The two cells of the anther are
placed on either side of and somewhat above the stigma; these cells
hold the two pollen masses.