Her jaw dropped. Yeah, all that study of Shakespeare hadn’t been in vain after all. Who knew?
“Oh, Chase—what a cruel and wonderful girl this Jane was. I should write her a thank-you note.”
“No way in hell. She’s probably forgotten every line she ever knew, yet I can’t get rid of it.”
“That’s not a flaw. In fact, it’s kinda hot.”
He took her hand and pulled her up. Any more talk of being hot and sexy, and he’d bury his face between her legs and not come out until she’d screamed his name a few times.
“Come on, Sophie. Let’s go for a walk. We can stand under the Eiffel Tower, and I’ll conjure up some more lines. You’ll be mightily impressed, and then we’ll come back here and spend the night naked and sweaty. You’ll be willing to do anything for me, which will make me fucking happier than hell.”
She got to her feet and he caught her, kissed her quickly lest he give in to the temptation to strip her and fuck her here and now. She was warm and soft, and he loved the way she felt in his arms.
“You ready?”
“Yes,” she breathed. “I’m ready for anything.”
He hoped that was true.
25
“Sir, the new deputy commander is here. Should I show him in?”
Mendez got to his feet. “Send him in, Lieutenant Connor.”
Connor executed a perfect about-face and went out the door. Another moment and the door opened again. This time it was a different man who entered.
“Alex,” Mendez said, holding out his hand.
The other man took it, grinning as he did so. “Sir, it’s great to have the chance to work with you again.”
Mendez snorted. “You didn’t really want to leave that cushy assignment down at SOCOM did you? From palm trees and sandy beaches to the Beltway—what a letdown.”
Alex “Ghost” Bishop laughed. “Cushy my ass, and you know it. But yeah, I’m thrilled to be back at HOT. Thrilled to be your deputy commander.”
Mendez went over and took a seat behind his desk, indicating for Alex to sit across from him. He’d been going over Alex’s record right before he came in, though he knew most of it anyway. The Special Ops community wasn’t huge, and besides, they’d worked together before.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Cameron Bishop. Sixteen years in the Army, twelve as a Special Operator. Alex had been a Green Beret, recruited to Delta—and then he’d come to HOT where he’d transitioned into supervising operations rather than leading them. He brought a hell of a lot of experience with him, along with a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and countless commendations—though no doubt fewer than he deserved.
The truth of being a part of an outfit like HOT or Delta was that you didn’t have nearly as many medals as your regular Army counterparts—nor did you care. This wasn’t a profession for people who needed accolades. And Alex wasn’t the kind of man who wanted them.
In short, he was a good choice to be second-in-command of HOT. He was young enough at thirty-eight to have a lot of time left in his career but not so young as to lack the experience to lead. He wouldn’t make full bird for a while yet, but he had put on light colonel slightly quicker than the average. In short, Alex Bishop was just what HOT needed right now—provided Mendez could trust him.
These days he didn’t trust anyone, especially with Congressman DeWitt calling for investigations and inspections. Trust took time to build—but time was the one thing they had so little of.
Still, Alex was his deputy now, and this organization had to have a smooth and efficient chain of command in order to run the way it was supposed to. The mission was far more important than any one man or woman in the organization.
“We’ve got a lot to go over,” Mendez said. “It’s going to be like drinking from a firehose for a while. Operations have expanded and so has our mission. We’re bigger than the last time you were with us.”
Alex’s expression was serious and determined. “I’m looking forward to learning everything, sir. HOT is exactly what I want to do at this point in my career—and you’re who I want to learn from. I asked for this assignment. I’m ready for whatever you throw my way.”
Mendez grinned. “Then you’d better get ready, Alex, because the shit is about to hit the fan.”
They spent the next half hour discussing various missions and operational details. Alex asked good questions and had interesting suggestions a couple of times. He was the kind of man Mendez wanted to hand HOT over to someday—with Matt Girard as Alex’s deputy if he had his way—though that someday was far in the future. Mendez had no intentions of retiring and giving up HOT anytime soon.