Black Ops Warrior

by Amelia Autin

  Which meant he couldn’t leave her unprotected. Not on this land tour, and not on the river cruise. Because the same thing that had made his government wary, the same thing that had caused him to be dispatched, still put Savannah at risk—the highly classified data in her brain.

  No one was going to take advantage of that. Not if he had anything to say about it.

  * * *

  Savannah unpacked and debated with herself over whether she should wear the same dress she’d worn the first night with Niall or go buy something new, then regretfully decided she didn’t have time to shop—Niall was coming to get her in less than an hour. Besides, much as she wanted to dazzle him with another killer outfit, she wasn’t sure she could carry off something more enticing than the dress he’d already said was perfect for her, which she’d had dry-cleaned at their last hotel. She’d pair it with other jewelry and do something different with her hair, but underneath she’d wear the same wisps of lace and silk she’d carefully washed out after Niall had left her at the door to her room the first night.

  He’d already promised he wouldn’t do that tonight, and she wanted to...well...she wanted to be particularly sexy to make up for the things she’d admitted earlier.

  “Awkward,” she muttered as she stripped and stepped into the shower. “Did you have to make a complete fool of yourself?”

  But Niall had taken it in stride. Hadn’t seemed to find her wanting in some way because of her admission. In fact, he’d seemed to think whatever had been lacking in her previous sexual relationships wasn’t her fault at all, which had a particularly freeing effect on her now.

  She was dressed and ready far too early, so she grabbed her laptop out of its case and booted it up to check her email. She frowned when her computer seemed to take an unusually long time to start up, but quickly forgot all about it when she checked her email and found a long chatty letter from Nancy. Her next-door neighbor, with her husband, Rick, was looking after Savannah’s house while she was gone.

  She replied with a quick note about everything she’d seen and done so far, including visiting the Great Wall with “a million of my closest friends” and the trip to the Forbidden City yesterday. She said nothing about Niall, however. She wasn’t quite sure why.

  She’d just hit Send when there was a rap at her door. She logged off quickly, slipped on the heels that didn’t even come close to making her as tall as Niall, then took one last look in the mirror.

  “Smile,” she reminded herself. “Breathe. It’s just dinner. Dinner and sex. Dinner and hot, steamy sex. Dinner and hot, steamy sex with a man who pushes all your buttons and sure as hell knows what he’s doing.”

  Chapter 7

  Niall thought he’d been prepared for the reality that was Savannah all decked out—he’d seen her in the same dress the first night, after all, not to mention the makeup that once again enhanced her delicate loveliness. She’d done something different with her hair this time, swept her wavy tresses up in a classical chignon that made his hands itch to take them down, but that wasn’t it. No, she had a certain glow that hadn’t been there either of the last two nights, almost as if she were lit up from within. As if she were eagerly anticipating what he’d promised her this afternoon—to-die-for sex.

  Savannah wasn’t beautiful the way his sisters-in-law were beautiful. She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous as Carly was, or a tall, slender Valkyrie like Angelina, or even fragilely angelic like Cate. But she had a physical appeal all her own, and something more. A frighteningly powerful intellect that could easily intimidate a man who wasn’t completely secure in his masculinity.

  Could she think rings around him? Probably, especially in math and engineering. He’d tested out of a bunch of classes in college after he’d left the Marine Corps and had finished in three years, but he’d never even considered going for a higher degree—he’d wanted to be doing, not studying, and had doggedly pursued his bachelor’s degree only because it was a requirement for the job he’d wanted all those years ago. And those three—nearly four—patents she held put her head and shoulders above most people in terms of creative thinking.

  Despite all that, though, they’d found common ground and had never had a shortage of things to talk about. And the sparks that flew between them? The sexual chemistry neither of them could hide?

  He shoved those thoughts aside for a moment. “You look lovely.” His voice was husky with repressed desire that had unexpectedly surged to the fore when Savannah had opened the door and smiled at him. He would have given his next paycheck to forget all about dinner and move right on to dessert.

  But that’s not an option, hotshot, the gentleman he’d been raised to be whispered in his mind. A gentleman didn’t pounce. A gentleman wooed a woman. Dinner. Small talk. Little gifts, such as flowers. Which reminded him...

  “I thought you’d like these,” he said, bringing his hand from behind his back, holding three long-stalked tiger lilies in not-quite-full bloom, surrounded by ferns in a crystal vase, wrapped in silver-gilt tissue paper. He’d scoured the hotel’s flower shop for the perfect offering, shaking his head against the more traditional roses, carnations, orchids. But when he’d seen the tiger lilies in a vase in the corner of the refrigerated case, he’d immediately known they were the ones.

  They were Savannah—lovely and unusual. Maybe not the way she saw herself, but the way she could be...if she let herself go. And he was going to make sure of that tonight.

  The hint of vulnerability that came over Savannah’s face made him wonder if no one else had ever given her flowers before. It didn’t seem possible, but...

  “Thank you,” she said in a voice that confirmed his suspicion. “I should put them in water but I don’t—” She stopped abruptly when she took the flowers and realized they were already in a vase.

  “Hotel and all, I figured you wouldn’t have a vase handy,” he explained.

  She looked up at him. “Do you always think of everything?”

  He allowed himself a small smile. “I try.” He wasn’t thinking of the flowers in that moment. He was thinking of the other things he’d bought this evening but left in his hotel room, where he’d stop on their way back from dinner.

  * * *

  The hotel restaurant lived up to the tour brochure’s promise of first-class dining for the discriminating traveler. White linen tablecloth and napkins, fine china, silverware and crystal wineglasses set the stage for impeccable service and haute cuisine. Niall didn’t usually patronize high-end establishments, but thanks to his mother’s training and a job that had taken him all over the world and required he fit in everywhere, he felt comfortable in that rarified element.

  Wine, on the other hand, was something he knew well. He perused the wine list and ordered a little-known but highly rated organic merlot from the choices offered.

  Savannah waited until the wine steward left before reminding Niall, “Alcohol is only included in the base price on the river cruise portion of this tour.”

  Niall smiled at how she seemed to be concerned for his wallet. “I know. They’ll charge it to my room. But I think you’ll appreciate this one.”

  They chatted easily throughout the meal, which consisted of lamb stir-fried with ginger and scallions for Savannah and Chinese roast pork for Niall, with salads on the side, all of which had been preceded by soup that seemed to accompany every meal in China.

  Savannah sipped at her merlot. “You’re right,” she told Niall. “This is wonderful. How do you know so much about wines?”

  He shrugged. “It’s a hobby of mine. I picked up the habit of drinking wine with every meal when I was in Europe. And since I’m single with no children, I can afford to indulge without putting a crimp in my budget. What about you?” The question was one to which he already knew the answer, but he was curious to see what she would say.

  Savannah shook her head. �
�I rarely drink. Neither of my parents did, and somehow that rubbed off on me. I’m not a teetotaler,” she was quick to add. “It doesn’t bother me when other people drink in reasonable amounts. I just can’t stand drunkenness.”

  “Same here. And not just because they’re a danger to others when they get behind the wheel of a car. A man who’s drunk isn’t in control of himself or the situation around him. That could be fatal in my line of work. And usually is.”

  “So what exactly do you do?” she asked. “You mentioned security a couple of times, but...”

  Niall had already decided what he’d answer if she asked for more details. “I guess you could say I’m a troubleshooter. I plug security leaks.” He smiled lazily, as if it was no big deal, and deflected her attention by focusing it on her. “What about you? I know you were an engineer working for—” he named her former employer “—doing what exactly?” It wasn’t until he’d asked it that he realized it was a trick question. But now that he had, he was curious what she would answer. If she was following strict security protocol she shouldn’t tell him.

  An expression of discomfiture crossed her face. “Does it really matter? I don’t work there anymore. Maybe I’ll go back after this year, or maybe I’ll do something different. I don’t know. All I know is my job is no longer going to be the be-all and end-all for me. I’m going to have a life outside of work. I’m going to do the things I want to do now, and not wait for ‘someday.’”

  Niall finished his excellent roast pork, then asked, “Other than traveling, what are some of the things you want to do?”

  Her face grew solemn. “I always thought I’d be a good mother—mine was a great role model—but it just never happened. I wasn’t willing to marry someone I didn’t love just to have children. So I’ve been giving a lot of thought to becoming a Big Sister through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program. I never did it before because it’s a substantial time commitment, if you do it right. But I’ve come to realize you have to make time for the things you really want.”

  He raised his wineglass to her in a sincere salute. “Noble cause and a worthy goal. I hope you follow through. What else?”

  “Well... I used to sing in a choir all through school, something I really enjoyed. And I’m told I have talent. But ever since I started working I’ve neglected my singing. I’d like to go back to it, join a choir again. But like Big Brothers Big Sisters, that takes time. Time I thought I didn’t have to spare before my parents died.”

  She’d just revealed something else Niall already knew about her. He’d viewed video of her in her high school and college choral groups, and she was right—she definitely had talent. Which made her something of a Renaissance woman. Multifaceted, not just brilliant in engineering and math.

  He nodded approvingly. “So you want to be a Big Sister and you want to sing again. What else?”

  Her gaze dropped to her now-empty plate, then back up at Niall. In a low voice, she confessed, “I’d like to...well... I’d like to find someone to fall in love with. To grow old with. I don’t want to live the rest of my life alone. I’ve left it rather late, I know. Statistics are against me. By the time a woman reaches my age, her chances have decreased dramatically. But I’m not giving up.”

  He hadn’t seen it coming. And all he could do was curse himself for encouraging Savannah in serious introspection. Because she was doomed to disappointment if she was thinking he might be that person. He wasn’t long-term relationship material. Make love to her? Yes, of course. Help her unlock her sexual potential, teach her everything he knew in that area? Absolutely. But he was not a man any woman should fall in love with, especially her.

  For one thing, he could never share anything about his job with a woman. Any woman. What kind of basis was that for the trust necessary in building a relationship?

  He’d killed people, for another thing. Yes, he’d done it at the behest of his government in order to save lives, much as a soldier on the battlefield. But still...

  And then there was the job he’d originally been sent to do, which he didn’t even want to think about now.

  If he was looking for a long-term relationship, however—which you’re not, he reminded himself firmly—it would be with someone like Savannah. Loving. Caring. Smart as a whip. And with a latent sensual streak he couldn’t wait to unleash.

  She wasn’t the first woman he’d wanted, not by a long shot. But he hadn’t wanted anyone the way he wanted her in...well...in forever. There was one thing about Savannah that put her in a totally different league from the women with whom he’d had discreet liaisons in the past nineteen years. Every other woman he’d gotten naked with had avoided looking at the scar over his heart, although he’d caught a few of them casting surreptitious glances at it when they thought he wasn’t looking. Followed inevitably by aversion, disgust or worst of all, pity.

  Savannah had done none of those things. She’d kissed the scar with a kind of reverence, as if acknowledging the physical manifestation of his act of courage was a badge of honor, which was how Niall thought of it when he thought of it at all. Which was why he’d never had cosmetic surgery to minimize the scar’s visibility.

  So what did all this mean? If he was honest with himself, he had a huge problem. He was dangerously close to falling for her. After knowing her for three days.

  * * *

  Niall took Savannah for a walk after dinner. Xi’an was a beautiful city at night; darkness and twinkling lights hid a lot of faults, just as they did with many American cities. She visibly relaxed as they walked and talked, which had been his goal. He hadn’t missed how she’d slowly tensed up as the evening wore on.

  He waited for a pause in the conversation, then said casually, “It’s okay to change your mind, you know.”

  She halted abruptly and raised startled eyes to his. “Change my—What do you mean?”

  “I’m not going to pounce, so you can stop worrying. Do I want to make love to you?” He smiled down into her upturned face. “Absolutely. More than you can imagine. But I can wait until you’re truly ready.”

  “I am. I mean... Well...I thought I was, but...”

  “But you’re having second thoughts.” His smile held understanding and reassurance. “I’d never hurt you, Savannah. But you only have my word for it. So if you want to wait, that’s okay by me.”

  * * *

  Savannah stared up at Niall, wondering how it was his reassurances about waiting made it seem completely unnecessary. “Would you kiss me?”

  An enigmatic expression crept into his dark brown eyes. “I’m not going to seduce you into bed. That’s not how this is going to work between us.”

  “Not that.” She scrunched her face with frustration, trying to think how best to word it. Finally, she said, “I’ve never been all that good at expressing what I want in my personal life, in bed or out. But with you, I... I don’t seem to have those same reservations. I want you to kiss me because when you do I know exactly what I want. And what I want is...you.”

  * * *

  Niall held her hand all the way back to the hotel, and in the elevator up to their floor. He only spoke once. “Your room or mine?”

  The condoms she’d once again secreted in her nightstand drawer were definitely on her mind when she said firmly, “Mine.”

  “Okay,” he nodded, then stopped at his room. “Hold on a sec.”

  He was in and out of his room in less than a minute, carrying a black leather case when he came out. “A few essentials,” he explained briefly.

  Savannah figured one of the essentials was probably condoms. She considered mentioning she’d already thought of it, but chickened out at the last minute. As they moved to her room, she wondered what else the leather case contained. She didn’t have to wait long for her curiosity to be satisfied. Once the door closed behind them, he unzipped the bag and removed
the contents, placing them on the nightstand. A miniature music player. A box of condoms as she’d expected, although she couldn’t help noticing these were extra large. And a tube of—

  “Oh. I never thought of that.”

  “Not saying we’ll need it.” His voice was deep and soothing. “But just in case...”

  Her nervousness returned out of the blue, but before it could take hold Niall switched on the music player. He held out his hand to her as swirls of soft, dreamy music filled the room. “Dance with me.”

  Then he smiled at her, a smile so filled with tenderness and understanding her nervousness dissipated, and she moved unselfconsciously into his arms.

  She couldn’t really call what they did dancing. More just swaying back and forth to the music as one emotionally evocative tune blended into another. Niall dipped his head and his lips found hers from time to time. Long, drugging kisses she gave herself up to without a qualm.

  She was so caught up in just enjoying the experience of being held in his powerful embrace, so taken with his kisses and the music, she scarcely noticed when he unzipped her dress and slid his hands inside the opened edges. Once that happened, however, she did notice, because his hands stroked. Caressed. And set off sparks that heated her blood and sent streamers of desire everywhere.

  She shivered with longing, then stopped swaying and leaned back a little while still in the cradle of his arms. Her hands moved of their own accord, and she began unbuttoning his shirt with fingers that weren’t quite steady.

  His hands closed over hers for a moment. “I can stop any time,” he informed her, his face serious. “I want you to know that before we go any further. It might get a little tricky toward the end, but everything stops when you say stop.”

  “Don’t stop,” she whispered. “Please don’t stop.”

  Afterward, Savannah could never clearly recall how they’d ended up on the bed, naked and—in her case—trembling with anticipation. Niall’s hands—oh, God, his hands! she thought disjointedly, when she could think at all—seemed to be everywhere, coaxing a response out of her she’d never imagined she was capable of giving. And when one large hand settled at the juncture of her thighs and he murmured, “Open for me, Savannah,” it seemed the most natural thing in the world.