***3RD POV***
He banged shut the door behind him. His head was spinning, his vision getting blurred by the seconds.

   In staggering steps, Jack made his way to the king-sized bed awaiting him. Feeling like he weighed ten times more, he plonked his weight on it.

He groaned pulling up the hem of his black t-shirt to reveal a nasty stab wound with two bandaids hanging from the edges, made weak from the blood that was slowly seeping out.
        
      "Shiiit!" The male howled running fingers over the nearly infected wound.
How could he be so careless? Why hadn't he called in Laura?
Oh, right! He had been distracted by the sight of a half-naked Annie on her bed. But she looked so damn gorgeous. Her twins yearned for a touch. For a fondle. And his hands ached to give that service.

    For weeks now, he had been struggling on how to act around Annie. She was like his stepdaughter even though their relation had never felt like a father-daughter one.
Bloody hell, she was nineteen years younger than him. That was still a huge age gap, not to mention she was still a minor in the eyes of the law.

      As he laid there staring at the ceiling, his mind drifted away, carried to the memories of his encounters with her. She was his strength on most tough days, his mate when he felt like playing around. Heck! She could cool down him in most of his fury episodes.
Bit by bit, the normal memories faded till his mind fell in the ones he was trying so desperately to forget...her kissing him.

   Her lips had felt tender and so soft.
There had been a wild fire behind that kiss as she had held him close. Could it be that she actually liked the kiss? That she had longed for it?

Jack couldn't find a straight answer in his fogged mind.

   Finally, the last memory from about five minutes ago of her tits bouncing as she faced him. Her dark nipples had looked so damn beautiful, just like the rest of her body.

He knew...he was well aware that if any of that got out, it'd be straight to court as he was Annie's legal guardian. The only way he could even attempt to explore this crazy adventure was waiting for her to turn eighteen. Maybe then, he could be honest with her about the kind of work he really did.

     CEO his ass.
Jackson Raynatt owned Shadows, a spy agency that was an underground organization, mostly dealt with high profiles that were in need of dirt on their opponents.

In rare occasions, Jack actually took part in the tasks. And when he did, he was sure to break someone's leg or arm.

   But today didn't go so well.
He was ambushed by five men from Black Blood, a Mafia organization based in Canada but with its tendrils all over America.
They were one of his many enemies in the business.

          
         A knock from somewhere nearby pulled him out of those memories.

   "Jack? Jack?" Annie called from the other side of the frame.

When she tilted the knob, Jack quickly grabbed the duvet he was lying on and pulled the edge to fly across his chest and torso.

  "I...I heard you groan!" She spoke with such innocence that it made his heart bleed. Why had such a sweet little thing ended up in his care?

It was all because of a promise he made to her dying mother as she breathed her last in a pool of her own blood. She had been a member of Shadows and had died protecting him. A truth that he kept from Annie. It was easier having her hate her mother than knowing he was the reason she died.

    The two hadn't even dated, not even a single day. It had been a white lie to have Annie trust him. With a bit of cash, Jack had made the CPS look the other way and adopted Annie.

    "I'm...fine!" He let a strained grunt.

But Annie saw it, the thick layer of sweat covering his forehead...the tremble of his visible hand...the unstable pupils struggling to concentrate on her.

   She quickly ran in the room, ignoring Jack's warnings.
"No don't! Get back to your room!"

   But he knew better, Annie was one stubborn girl.