It had been a month since Mandy and Jason's encounter and his lips on her bare skin was still the only thing he could think about when he closed his eyes. A couple days after that night Mandy had been called to Langley and hadn't returned since. Dare Jason say he missed her. As much as he had enjoyed their time between the sheets, he realized he missed talking to her. The banter. The way she understood him in a way most people didn't. How comfortable she made him. How she pushed him, but still stood her ground. The way she demanded respect and honesty without even trying. All of this was running through Jason's head as he raised his knuckles to knock on the door frame of her ajar office door. "Secret Agent Ellis." He said in deep tone.
"Master Chief." Mandy responded without looking up from the files she had been studying. She loved the challenge of being Bravo team's Intel officer, but it was just that, a challenge.
"May I enter?" Jason asked playfully.
Mandy looks up from her desk, her eyes meeting Jason's. "Since when do tier one team leaders ask for permission to enter an office." Damn she missed him. This was a new feeling to Mandy; she had never let anyone get close enough to miss them.
Jason smirked, her quick wit. "Since I am attempting to be a gentleman."
Mandy cocks her had at him. "Is that so?"
Jason studies her for a moment before responding. "Are you trying to say I'm not a gentleman?" He asks, pretending to be offended by her retort.
"Come on now Mr. Hayes, you're a bigger boy than that." She smirks.
"Glad to know what you think." He winks.
"Speaking of that." Mandy pauses and lets out a breath. "As great as it was, I don't think we should make it a regular thing." She watches him, attempting to gage his reaction.
Jason sits in the chair opposite her desk. "I don't necessarily think you are wrong." He sees the displeasure for his unelaborated comment play across her face. "I think we can work really well together, and I don't want to ruin that getting into your pants a few times. Because let's face it, one of us will screw that up."
Mandy nods. "In addition to being a ninja are you also a mind reader?" She chuckles. "That was exactly what I was thinking."
A smile plays across his face. "When it comes to women normally no, but for some reason you make sense to me."
"I can honestly say that is the first time I have heard that one." Mandy says with a shake of her head. "Normally, I have this deep and twisting mystery."
"No way Miss Ellis." Jason chuckles. "People think you are hard to read?"
"Don't be an asshole, Jason." Mandy laughing before throwing a pen at him, nailing him in the forehead.
"Hey." Jason protest as the pen pings off his head. "That was not nice Secret Agent Ellis."
"Who says I have to be nice?" Mandy smirks. "I am a CIA secret agent, after all."
"You can be whatever you want to other people, but I have a very strong feeling that we are going to be special people in each other's lives." Jason states ever sure of himself. "Let's be real here, we understand each other, Amanda Ellis."
"Is that so?" Mandy counter. As much as she agreed with him, she was having trouble letting him be in control of the conversation.
Jason smiles. "You know damn well that's true. What am I watching here?" He wags his pointer finger around Mandy's face.
Mandy readjusts herself in her chair. "I'm the one that asks the questions and pushes for the answers I want."
"Feeling a little out of control, are we Miss Ellis?" Jason inquires.
"You're doing it again." Mandy declares.
Jason leans in. "I can promise you; you are very much in control."
"That's good to hear." Mandy says with a warm smile. "How do you feel about me sending you into the line of fire now?"
"Much more comfortable." Jason smirks.
"That is going to come in very handy in about 20 hours." Mandy says with her signature grin.
"Should have known." Jason chuckles. "There's no way we could have made it to that two week mark without a spin up."
"The life of a tier one operator." Mandy teases.
"Yeah, yeah." Jason laughs. "How are you feeling about your first official tier one op?"
"I have lost count of how many times I have read and reread all of this intel." Mandy says.
"If you're half as smart and detail oriented as you seem to be, you haven't missed a damn thing." Jason looks her deep in the eyes. "I know you're going to do everything in your power to make sure all of the guys come home, just like I do."
Mandy smiles. How had he just caused a wave a calm wash over her with just a few simple words. "Thank you for the vote of confidence and the pep talk." She pauses. "I needed to hear that."
"One big Bravo team family." Jace returns.
"Family, there is a word I'm not used to." Mandy says softly.
Jason reaches out and strokes her hand that's lying on her desk. "You're part of the team now. The same team that will jump to help you without even being asked. And you can always count on me."
"But do they trust me?" Mandy counters.
"If I trust you then they trust you. Being the boss counts sometimes." Jason says leaning back in his chair.
"Well again Jace, thank you for the pep talk. But I need you to get out of here so I can finish getting ready for the brief."
"You got it Secret Agent Ellis." Jason stands and walks towards the door, pausing before opening it. "This is the first one, make it good."
"Bye Jason." Mandy shakes her head.