Page 8 of A Very Titan Christmas (Titan #14)

Titan Group Headquarters, Virginia

Titan Group’s war room had transitioned from a tactical planning center to a special ops conference room with twinkle lights and holiday cheer.

A small Christmas tree took up space in one corner, an ornate menorah held nine candles on the sill of an oversized window, and a pile of sticks, holly, and evergreen branches were tied together as a yule log.

At the head of the oversized conference table, Jared crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Mia, who walked in carrying a container in her outstretched arms like a shield.

“Don’t bark at me. I come bearing gifts.” Her reindeer earrings matched her necklace, and he would put that on his list to give her hell about later.

“Don’t make that face at me.” Mia set the tin on his desk. “I brought you Christmas trash.”

His eyebrow went up like an antenna receiving a signal. That was one of the few holiday snacks he could be bribed with, and she knew it. “You’re buttering me up.”

“Not exactly.”

He pulled open the lid. The sugary, salty pretzel, Chex, and M&M mix made his mouth water. “You’ve got bad news.”

“Not that either. Don’t say anything before I finish talking.”

“Jesus fuck. Really? Fine.” He swiped a handful of trash and let the sugary, salty chocolate crunch distract him from his irritation.

“Actually, I need to be in my office for this.” He couldn’t handle whatever she would say when surrounded by a representation of all the holiday hope his team had. “Let’s go.”

Mia kept up with him. Jared threw open his door and moved behind his desk. At least in his office, he had more semblance of control over situations that “weren’t bad news,” but that he couldn’t interrupt. How the fuck was he supposed to get questions answered if he couldn’t ask them?

“We can’t have our weekend holiday bash at the—” Mia sat in one of the chairs facing his desk. She held up her hand as his mouth opened with a protest. “Listen first.”

“God, you’re lucky I like you.”

“Same could be said about you, big guy.” Mia reached for the trash and ignored his swatting hand.

She pulled out a pretzel clumped with M&Ms and finished chewing before she continued.

“We have to change locations, and booking as many rooms as we need and a facility to hold the party the first week in December is next to impossible.”

Jared grumbled but didn’t cut in. Truthfully, he knew whatever Mia had come up with was the best solution. That didn’t mean he would be easygoing about it.

“Titan has a team on a job in Vermont,” she said.

He nodded.

“They’re there through a security summit right before Christmas.”

“Affirmative.”

Mia got down to business. “Well, I’ve had a few conversations with the resort, and they purposefully left most of the cabins unbooked.

Something about not wanting the public involved with whoever is attending the summit.

By the time the politicos and their security teams leave, we could practically have the whole place to ourselves. ”

“You want to bring everyone up to Vermont?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Jared leaned back in his chair and bounced the idea around. “If we did that, Jax would stay in Vermont instead of flying home to Iowa. He could ask his wife if she wanted to fly in.”

“Exactly. It’s been a while since Seven and their kids joined us for a group trip anywhere.”

Sugar walked in with the Malinois she’d been working with lately and stopped beside his desk, feet spread shoulder-width apart. The dog positioned itself behind her like a sentry guard, waiting for anyone to make the wrong move.

“Oh, yum, trash.” Sugar reached for the tin, and her dog inched over to match her stance. “Release.”

The Malinois relaxed.

“Can I pet Sarge?” Mia asked now that the dog had been allowed to relax—as much as a Malinois could.

“Yup. He’s doing really well today.” Sugar took another handful of trash.

“That’s mine,” Jared half-joked.

“What’s mine is yours, baby.” Sugar sat on the corner of his desk. “You tell him we’re going to Vermont yet?”

“I’m letting him come to that decision on his own.” Mia rubbed Sarge behind the ears and let the dog lean against her.

Sugar snorted. “The cabins are already booked.”

Jared tossed up his hands. “I don’t even know why you need me.”

“Because you’re so damn sexy.” Sugar scooted across the desk and planted a kiss on his cheek. “And we need to ensure you don’t plan assignments when we’ll be in Vermont.”

He snagged Sugar around the waist and pulled her into his lap. Her giggles and kicks caught the Malinois’s attention, but Sarge only watched, head cocked and ears twitching as the dog listened for Sugar’s commands.

Mia jumped up. “On that note, I’ll let you two—” she gestured vaguely—“talk.”

The door shut behind Mia, and Jared lifted his woman in his arms and planted her ass back on the desk. “Tell your dog to turn around.”

She wriggled her eyebrows. “Don’t you know how to sweep me off my feet?”

“I’m gonna do a whole hell of a lot to you, but not with an audience.” His mouth touched the spot on her neck that turned Sugar to putty in his hands. The softness of her skin rolled through him. She was the supple to his brash, the sweet to his surly. He brushed his lips to her earlobe.

“That feels”—she tilted her neck—“amazing.”

He captured her chin in his hand and turned her face to his. Their lips met. Sparks flew. He’d kissed this woman a hundred thousand times, and it never failed to ignite the fire in his blood.

She inched back. “Guess what?”

“Don’t distract me, baby cakes.”

“The kids are spending the night at friends’ houses.” She hitched her legs around his hips. “Which means after this pit stop here, we go home and…”

“Have all night long.”