by Em Petrova
Dylan made a noise of warning, but Sean continued to glare at Hawk as he accused Elise of slacking on the job.
Except he didn’t have to—she was laying into the man with the sharp edge of her tongue. “Why don’t you give it a go, you know-it-all man?”
“Fifteen pages is hardly worth carrying.”
“It has some excellent intel. Things we—”
“Elise, it’s not enough. Do you understand the pressure they’re putting on me to give them the jump they need? I don’t have time for this.”
“Well, then give us some damn help. This isn’t a few short love letters, Bo. It’s a fucking bible worth of information to decipher, and it’s by far one of the most complex…”
“Lay off her,” Sean said quietly.
Oh shit. That wasn’t good. When he went quiet, shit went down and heads rolled.
Hawk spun to pierce him in his glare.
“She’s been at it forty hours with just a few of rest.”
Hawk lifted a brow, and Sean took a menacing step forward. If this was how it had to be, then he was prepared for hand-to-hand combat.
“If it’s not fast enough for you, then do as Elise suggested and give us help. More teams and some fucking better accommodations, for Chrissakes.”
Elise stared at Sean, wide-eyed. Then she raised a hand and rested it on Bo’s forearm. “We have a world to save—getting it right is as important as getting the intel in time.”
“Fine. Consider it done. I’ll move you right now and get you the help you need.” Hawk didn’t look down at Elise as he spoke but gazed at Sean. “Your team’s heading out.”
Dylan and Sean exchanged looks. Would Dylan argue about who stayed and who joined the Knight Ops? Frankly, Dylan was the better man for the job, but Sean couldn’t walk away from this challenge.
Dylan nodded. “I’ll go.” He moved around the table and picked his way across the crowded space to reach Sean. He held up a hand, and Sean clasped it, squeezing.
“Take care, bro. Guts and glory,” he recited what had been their motto the past few missions.
“Guts and glory.” Dylan clapped him on the back with his free hand and then disappeared.
Sean faced Hawk once more. Elise stood next to him, no longer touching him. That was something to celebrate, at least. Sean needed something good to think about rather than the fact that he was abandoning his team—his brothers—to do a job he was unskilled at.
For what? So he could remain close to Elise?
But a thrum deep inside him told him he was doing the right thing. He folded his arms across his chest and stared back at Hawk. “Get those accommodations made. And make sure Elise has her own bed.”
Chapter Four
When Bo had agreed to a new HQ, Elise had expected an abandoned office building or even a top floor of a hotel. But the man had commandeered an entire inn overlooking the coast and installed two other two-man teams so they could work around the clock.
And she had gotten her own bed, a private room decorated very similarly to her bedroom in her place. Upon opening the dresser drawers, she hadn’t been surprised to find fresh clothing—jeans, T-shirts and cozy sweats as well as undergarments—all in her size. Having a metrosexual best friend ex-husband with enough power to pull strings was definitely a perk.
And Sean… She couldn’t quit thinking about the way he’d stood up to Bo, who was known to be a bit of a ball-breaker, especially to any Marine ranked beneath him. But Sean had stood his ground and made demands of his own.
One of those demands had been for her comfort, and thinking about it gave her a small quivery feeling all over. She firmly put it out of her head for the dozenth time since arriving at the inn.
What had been the dining room of the place was now decked out with state of the art technology, and the four people working with them had nerded-out over the systems as much as Elise had. While Sean stood back watching with amusement on his handsome face, she and the others had talked over the system’s features like PMS-ing women talked about chocolate.
It had taken all of twenty minutes before it became a battle of teams. Or battle of nerds, as Sean had called it. His lumping himself into that group made her smile even now. He wasn’t the typical Brainiac she knew. No, he was more hands-on, trained for combat.
But she couldn’t help but admire how quickly he’d caught on to deciphering the codes. That was sexy as hell, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
And she most certainly did not.
Elise dressed in a soft pullover top and jeans that hugged her perfectly. Bo was a much better shopper than she was—he knew what would flatter her shape, and she didn’t mind giving the task up to him. When she stepped out of her room, Sean was waiting for her.
Leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway, his chiseled form looked entirely out of place against the floral wallpaper. He pulled away from the wall and offered her a crooked smile.
She went totally still. Staring at him. A dream flashed in her memory. It had been lost upon waking but that little half-smile had brought it to the surface, smacking her square in the face with the dream of her tracing her fingers over those well-shaped lips just before she leaned in and kissed him.
Hell no. She had to ditch the dream ASAP. She couldn’t be recalling those slow kisses or the wet flip of his tongue against hers that her stupid mind had conjured in a state of total exhaustion. No, she was responsible and couldn’t let him see what she was thinking.
Except he was staring at her closely with an amused crinkle at his eyes.
“Ready?” she asked breezily, striding past him down the corridor at a speed that had never been made for this coastal inn where vacationers lounged and found a slower pace in life.
She felt his hot gaze on her backside. Or she was imagining it. She had to be.
But she was a woman, and women had instincts. Sean Knight was checking out her ass, she was sure of it.
As they hit the dining room to relieve the other team, she recalled Bo’s words as he’d given them the tour of their accommodations. Access to the shore.
Sean’s response had been, “Good, I can train.”
The urge to turn and look at him again, to see if his muscles were bulging from exercise and the veins snaking down his arms a result of hard work claimed her. She pivoted to look at him.
He smiled again, and she spun away. Dammit, what was with this guy? Bo had asked her the same before practically stalking out, leaving her wondering what the hell his problem was.
But Sean had voiced it. “What’s with him? You hook up?”
She’d given a short, tense laugh. “He’s my ex. No. Absolutely no hooking up.”
Sean’s face had been unreadable, a mask lowered over his normally expressive face.
She looked to him now. “Let’s get to work.”
The other team got up and passed the proverbial baton to Team Elise and Sean. The blonde woman looked exhausted, with slumping shoulders and rings under each eye.
She glanced between Elise and Sean. “You two don’t look like the type to do this job.”
Elise started. “What do you mean?”
“You’re both too good-looking, too debonair. You’re like a couple of international spies posing as a married couple.”
“You’ve been up too long staring at numbers, Marissa.” Elise laughed, but the sound was too sharp. Being lumped with Sean in the way Marissa had said was unnerving.
The pair left, and Sean and Elise took up their seats.
“International spies,” Sean mused.
“Let’s get to work. The clock is ticking and we’re so close to having what we need.” Her tone was more snappish than she intended, and he just stared at her. His direct gaze burying too deep inside her skin, making her feel restless in a way she never had before and couldn’t understand.
Ignoring her partner and diving into her work was best—and essential to her sanity. She tried to focus on anything but how good he smelled as she began
working the codes.
* * * * *
“Oh my God, why isn’t this obvious to me?” Elise said for the third time. She had run her fingers through her hair, making it fluffier, more exotic looking. Even in the height of her frustration, she was sexy as hell.
Sean pushed out a sigh. “We’ve hit a wall, cher.”
She eyed him the way she had each time he used the Cajun endearment. He was growing to like her glares as much as her rare smiles.
“We aren’t doing any good right now. We either skip this part and come back to it or let another team take over. Their minds are fresh. We’ve been at this seven hours,” he said.
“No. No, I’m not walking away. It’s right there—I can almost see it just out of reach. Why won’t it come to me?”
He leaned closer. “Because you need a break. C’mon.” He nudged her shoulder. “Get up. Let’s go for a run.”
“What?”
“You know, when you make your legs move to carry you faster across the ground?”
She compressed her lips, but he saw a flash of laughter in her eyes. “I can’t go for a run now. I’m—”
“Not dressed for it. I agree. So go change into workout clothes and meet me out front.” With that, he got up and walked out.
She sat there a long second, staring at the indecipherable words on the screen. She could continue to work and try to crack it or—
Sean was right—she was burnt out. Maybe a run would do her good.
She abandoned her post and waved to the next team seated in the lounge with a chessboard between them. “You’re up,” she said and went to her room to change.
Minutes later, she stepped outside to see Sean in shorts, running shoes and low socks. Nothing else.
She blinked at the sight of his chest, arms and shoulders on full display. Tattoos that hadn’t been visible sneaked down his shoulder and a huge eagle with wings spread took up one pec, a part of him that seemed to fit like nothing else could. He’d probably come out of the womb looking like this.
The man was a damn powerhouse, that was sure. Tanned, chiseled, each dip and swell looking as if he’d spent time oiling himself up. She wouldn’t put it past him—he did seem full of himself.
Hadn’t she also thought that of Bo a few months after meeting him? They’d worked together closely, become a team. Then one day he’d kissed her, said they should make it a team in all ways and asked her to marry him. From the start, she’d known it was a bad decision. She and Bo just weren’t cut out for that kind of relationship.
But Sean…
He was grinning at her as he lifted his knees to limber up. “Ready? You’d better stretch first. Don’t want you pulling anything.”
Ideas of him stretching out over her, tongues entangled, popped into her head.
She jerked into action, holding her knee to her chest and feeling a light pull along her thigh from sitting too long.
“You’re in great shape.” Sean’s gaze wandered over her tank top and compression shorts.
“Thanks. So are you.”
The grin was back, wider this time. Terrific—she’d fed his ego. Just what she needed.
After another few moves, he said, “Ready?”
“Sure.”
“Can you keep up?” He took off in a jog that quickly became a sprint. Then Elise was laughing, legs and arms pumping as she gained on him. He was messing with the wrong woman—she was known for her speed.
He tossed her a grin, feet flying across the shore, and kicked it up a notch. His longer legs shot him forward, leaving her behind too many paces to recover. So she slowed to a natural pace and just enjoyed the feeling of heat in her unused muscles.
Sean realized she wasn’t keeping up and circled back to her side. “Sorry. I have four brothers. But it’s my younger sister who’s really competitive. I can never run without making it into a competition.”
They ran alongside each other for another couple steps. Then she took off, calling out, “I have brothers too!”
“Damn, woman!” His footsteps pounded behind her, but she had hit her stride and she could run for miles at this speed. She’d proved with Bo that just because he had longer legs didn’t mean he could beat her. She planned to show Sean the same thing. He might be built for speed but she could go the distance.
After half a mile, his voice reached her. “Okay, you win!”
She slowed and let him catch up. Throwing a glance his way was a mistake, because the man was even hotter with sweat glistening on his chest.
She could get into some major trouble with a guy like Sean.
Especially since her radar was telling her to steer clear. He liked women, that was obvious, and he knew how to charm. But she wasn’t interested in being one of his conquests.
Except one night would be fun.
No. Absolutely not. She shushed her libido and focused on her breathing so she could hold a conversation.
“You’re fast,” he said.
“Thanks.”
He held out his fist for her to bump her knuckles. Okay, this she could do—bros fist-bumped and the action would keep him firmly in the friend zone.
“How many brothers?” he asked.
“Two.”
“Both military?”
“Yes.”
“When did you join up?”
“2010.” She wanted the attention off her. For some reason, she didn’t want him to get too close. And did he wear that adorable smirk nonstop? He hadn’t lost it since they’d gone outside the inn. She didn’t want to admit that the quirk of his lips was growing on her and that she could trace the outline with her eyes closed.
That same quivery feeling inside her stomach made her increase her pace.
“What’s the hurry? The operation is in good hands. We don’t need to rush back.”
Her mind snapped to their work. “I don’t like leaving it unsolved.”
He nodded. “I get it. We’re trained to complete a job at all costs. But the longer we sat there, the more frustrated we got.”
She chewed her lip. “You’re right.”
He leaned forward, putting his face in hers. “Wait—what did you just say?”
She slapped him aside, but he came right back, those hazel eyes full of mischief and his hair damp with perspiration. “Get out of my face, Knight.”
“I didn’t hear you clearly. Can you repeat what you just said?”
She cuffed him in the jaw, making him stumble right in her path. She slammed into him and they pitched forward, hitting the ground. The breath whooshed from her as she landed on top of his chest, which was like hitting a brick wall.
Her bare thighs were twisted at odd angles, the sole of his running shoe digging into her calf. She shifted, which only brought her hips flush against his.
His gaze met hers, forcing the last of her breath out of her. She stared down into his eyes, thinking of how the colors reflected the forest, when she came to her senses.
She pushed off, rolling in the dirt and coming up into a sitting position.
He got to his knees and reached for her. “Are you okay? I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have been screwing off. Did you twist your ankle or anything?”
She panted. “I’m fine.” Except she wasn’t—her body was on fire after the barest touch of his.
Leaping to her feet, she brushed the grains of sand and dirt off her clothes. Sean stood with the swift move of a Marine at the ready. Oh, he was locked and loaded, all right. She’d felt every hard inch of him through his shorts.
How did a man even run with such a beast between his legs?
And why was he sporting it to begin with?
She burned to glance down at the front of his shorts but kept her gaze trained on her arms as she wiped away the dirt. Her concentration was crap, and she dropped her gaze.
Heat climbed her cheeks. Yeah, he was packing. Sweet mother, was he.
Reaching out, he used his knuckles to brush away some grains of sand from her cheekbone. “You sur
e you’re okay? We can turn back.”
“No, let’s go on. I need the exercise to think.”
The case was far from her mind, and what she needed to think on had nothing to do with codes. No, it was the way her body had reacted to falling on top of him.
* * * * *
Sean had been hard for most of the day. Okay, not just hard—aching. After watching Elise’s shapely legs and ass and then her falling on top of him… well, he was only human.
And he was also lying to himself. He wanted her—had from the first time he laid eyes on her. He was finished with fooling himself. Also, his reason for being irritated with Hawk had to do with how much he desired Elise.
Even a cold shower after their run hadn’t cut the need inside him. Now she was seated so close, smelling delicious and wearing a fitted T-shirt and sweatpants rolled down at the waist to bare her flat belly, and he was losing his fucking mind.
At least he’d thought he was losing his mind before he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra and the cloth of her shirt molded to her small breasts and tight nipples. Then he was really losing it.
He ran a hand over his face for the third time, trying to wipe away the nonexistent drool. She was oblivious to his self-control issues as she stared at the screen for the second minute straight.
He was about to nudge her when she let out a gasp.
She slammed her hands onto the table and cried, “That’s it!” She jumped up, as if she held too much energy to remain sitting. He gazed up at her, but that was worse—her soft breasts were hovering somewhere around his eyeballs, the centers beaded.
He couldn’t take it anymore.
“What’s it?” he grated out.
She blinked at him, a confused smile on her face. Then she shook her head. “I got it! I figured out how to crack this code!”
Her breasts jiggled in her excitement, which only caused more… ahem… excitement in him. His cock was bursting.
Taking a risk on his life, in case she decided to use her Marine training on him, he placed his hands on her hips and urged her back into the chair. His fingers flexed on her flesh, hard and soft at the same time. Christ, what was he going to do now? It would take an explosion to peel his fingers off her.
