Read Online Sapphire by Taylor Lee - Free Book Online Page A

was an asset in most circumstances but not on a mission as dangerous as the one he was bringing Sapphire into the center of. Knowing the depth of evil that lived in Roberto Ventrilo’s soul, Jase almost wished he hadn’t seen the beautiful Sapphire. But he had; and he’d known instantly that she was the perfect fit for the op.
    But, even as he congratulated himself for finding the agent to help him take down Ventrilo, Jase was man enough to admit that holding Sapphire at bay might be one of the more difficult things he’d done. Stunned by the erotic feelings strafing his body, Jase acknowledged how challenging it was going to be to maintain a professional relationship with this woman.
    For a fleeting moment he questioned if he was crazy to think that he could ignore what was clearly between them. It didn’t take his lifetime of experience reading women to know that Gabriella was as rocked by him as he was by her. Her tremulous body-shaking shiver when he pressed his lips against the soft skin beneath her ear was a dead giveaway. No, Jase wasn’t crazy. He knew the azure-eyed bombshell was attracted to him. Her flushed cheeks and stormy eyes signaled her desire. But she was also determined not to give in to him in any way. A fact that Jase admitted only made her more interesting. Strong, confident women were a turn on. Even if they didn’t look like Megan Fox in the flesh—or, Jase decided, looking at the stunning woman gaping at him, if she put Ms. Fox to shame.
    Jase almost laughed as he watched her struggle to deal with his assertion that he wanted her on the mission. It wasn’t surprising that she didn’t trust him. The primary need driving Sapphire was her passionate desire to be a member of the LOTN team. And he was the key to whether she would be hired. He literally controlled her future and they both knew it. It was no wonder she wanted to be part of the “ Ladies. ” In the short time that Riley Davis had been operating her company, the cheeky female agents had become the gold standard among women special agents. Not only did membership in the elite organization mean prestige, it also was the highest paying agency available. Riley had decided before she opened the doors, that anyone who wanted an agent of her caliber would need to pay and pay well. To date, the women she’d hired had never failed to exceed the high standards their imposing boss had established.
    Disbelief filled Sapphire’s voice when she tried to respond to his shocking assertion.
    “You...you really are hiring me? You aren’t taunting me, Jase. Are you?”
    Jase allowed himself to chuckle. “Look, Gabriella, I may be an arrogant son of a bitch, but I know how important this mission is to you both personally and professionally. I would never tease you about something this critical. Besides, this mission is too important for me and a helluva lot of other people to settle for anything but the best.”
    Obviously still not believing him, Sapphire persisted.
    “And you…you think I’m the best?”
    Jase nodded. “Suffice it to say that I know quality when I see it. I know you’ve had a hard time with Riley Davis. She’s not an easy person to impress or to tangle with. That said, both she and Ian Ross had serious questions about your temperament, whether you could handle an op as highly charged as this one.”
    Sapphire frowned. “That surprises me, Jase, and frankly annoys me. I know they were frustrated with me when I ignored a couple of their orders, but, for God’s sake, I killed one of the leaders of the gang we were after. Not to mention that I found the documents that will send the rest of the sorry bastards to prison for life. Neither of which would have happened if I had left the room like Riley ordered me too.” She shook her head in disgust. “You would think that kind of success would be acknowledged, appreciated, not dismissed as unimportant.”
    Jase arched a brow at her obvious misrepresentation of Riley and