Free Fire and Ice (Guardians) by Victoria Paige

lead. Might as well get down to the specifics. "Have you been checked?"
    "Yes. About two weeks ago. I'm clean," Jack replied quickly. "Are you..."
    "I'm clean and I'm on birth-control," Maia answered.
    Jack laughed softly and in a husky voice that made her shiver all over again. "Babe, if I were there right now, I'd be fucking you."
    "Can you not be crude?"
    "You like me talking dirty to you."
    "I do not."
    "Liar."
    Maia rolled her eyes.
    "I can see you, you know," Jack said.
    Not knowing where the cameras were, Maia raised her arm sideways and gave him the finger.
    Jack burst out laughing.
    "You are too cute to be doing the job you do," Jack said, now chuckling.
    "Two to three weeks, this is how far this goes," Maia said firmly.
    "Derek schooled me on that." All the humor had left his voice.
    "Damn it, he is so nosy," Maia grumbled. "And stop sounding like you're the aggrieved party here. We're equally relationship-challenged; Viktor had briefed me on your girlfriend parade."
    Jack was quiet for a beat before replying, "Glad we're getting all the nuts and bolts sorted out. I don't think we'll spend much time talking once I get back."
    "You like to talk, can you follow through?" Maia challenged with a smile.
    "Oh, you're being cute again," Jack replied in what Maia thought was affection.
    Maia's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Cute, huh?"
    She threw on a Juicy Couture velour hoodie over her sleepwear of silk camisole and drawstring pajama bottoms when Viktor texted her. With the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder, she slung one leg over the arm of the office chair and spread her thighs wantonly.
    "What ..." Jack started over the phone.
    Maia proceeded to unzip her hoodie, shoved it partly off her shoulder, flicked the left cami strap off so it exposed her left breast, and smoothly gave it a squeeze while brushing a thumb over a nipple.
    "Fuck!" Jack exploded.
    Smiling, Maia righted herself and returned the phone to her right hand.
    "Talk is cheap, I prefer action," she murmured seductively over the phone. "Sweet dreams, Jack."
    All she heard was a strangled groan over the receiver. Smiling, she flicked a two-finger salute, stood up and left the control room.

    Two strokes was all it took and Jack emptied himself into his hand. He was standing in the shower. Stretching his arms out, he leaned against the wall and bent his head trying to catch his breath. He shook his head in bemusement. What had just happened? Damn her, he had not lost control like that since he was fourteen. He had gotten hard imagining her in that black lacy bustier, and then seeing her spread her legs and fondle herself like a siren just sent him over the edge. Hell, he was still extremely aroused. Cursing Maia again, Jack turned the lever of the shower to the maximum blue mark and let the cold water assuage the blood pumping furiously from his head to his groin.
    It was appalling the way she made him lose control like that but it was also exhilarating, and he couldn't wait to see her again later that night. He wondered how he was going to make it through the day.

    ***
    It was 10:00 am. Maia had just come back from her run on the beach with no incident and was now freshly showered and pouring over some transcripts of some chatter that had been captured over the Baltimore area.
    Viktor beeped in his intent to videoconference. Maia clicked accept and her blond mentor appeared on the small inlay screen.
    "Anything?" Viktor asked.
    "There's a mention in a conversation about Benny in Westcove and the Russian is impatient . Also something about all Hallow's eve and they'd pay with their blood ."
    "That's not much."
    "I know. But can you do a voice match with those lines with anyone in our audio database."
    "On that."
    "I need to be on the ground in Northern Virginia and Baltimore," Maia declared. "My hands are tied over here."
    "Give it two weeks. I'll see what I can arrange," Viktor said carefully.
    "You're planning something," Maia guessed. She and Viktor