Under Fire (Elite Force #3)(9)
Author: Catherine Mann

The part that acted on instinct.

She was in danger. And the heightened awareness was all about imprinting her deeper inside himself, keeping her close. Safe.

The water shut off on the other side of the door and he heard the rustle of her dressing. His mind filled in the blanks, given the small stack of folded clothes on the corner of the sink. Navy blue panties and a matching sports bra, jeans, and a tank top. She was a no-frills woman. But that just increased her appeal, since there was nothing to distract from her natural beauty. Her curves. Her soft, full lips—no makeup, just her mentholated lip balm.

And how screwed up was it that when he’d had a cold two months ago, a whiff of Vicks VapoRub on his chest had made him go hard.

He cleared his throat and almost managed to clear his mind. Almost. Not quite. “Hey, lady, I thought we were going to talk while you put your clothes on.”

The bathroom door slammed against the wall as Rachel burst into the hall and charged past him, hips twitching as she fast-tracked away. “I’m a quick dresser. We can talk on the way.”

He jolted, then pivoted on his heels to follow her. “Slow down.” He cupped her shoulders. “Take a deep breath. Where do you think you’re going?”

She gripped his elbows, the top of her head barely reaching his chin. “I need to get to my dogs.”

“You can’t go to your house. The whole block’s on fire. And didn’t you say your other animals are at doggy day care?”

Rachel went pliant under his hands. “Right. I forgot for a moment. How do you know for certain it was my place that blew?”

“I looked in your wallet and checked your address on your driver’s license.” He wanted to stroke away the worry from her eyes, but the scent of burning stir-fry stung his nose. He steered her into the kitchen again and turned off the stove before he burned down his own house. “Where exactly are your other dogs?”

She pulled a hair tie out of the pile of mess scattered from her backpack and scraped her hair into a ponytail. The sounds of a car insurance commercial drifted from the kitchen. “The two dogs I’m working with right now… I took them to an in-home doggy day care, since I didn’t know how long I would be gone. I should call her… Or should I?” Swaying, she gripped the back of a chair. “God, you’re right. My mind’s a jumbled mess right now.”

His arm went around her before he could think. “Um, what exactly is a doggy day care?”

For a second, she rested against his chest. Her hair left a moist spot on his uniform, the dampness cool against his overheating flesh.

“It’s called Wags and Whiskers, and it’s located in a home environment. My dogs get run of a house without being kenneled…” Her voice trailed off. “I’m babbling, which is not wise when I’m trying to prove to you I’m rational. What does it matter where they are, as long as they’re not in my house? Which according to you is burning to the ground.”

“You said you’d told her you would be gone for a week.” He stroked her head as she leaned into him. “But did you say where you would be going?”

“I didn’t tell her where. Thank God. Only that I needed some time away and could be gone as long as a week.” She looked up at him. “If they told someone, then why blow up my house?”

“I don’t think they did. I’m more concerned with someone finding out you’re not in your house.”

“Oh, right. But if someone was following me here, they already know, which doesn’t make sense.” Her hands drifted up to clasp the front of his uniform. “Maybe it wasn’t meant for my home after all.”

Her touch heated through his uniform. He wanted her now every bit as much as he had six months ago, all of her, her body and her smile. And he could swear he saw awareness in her eyes. Could she be as frustrated and distracted as he was? She might not return his deeper feelings, but there was no denying the chemistry between them.

The reality of her being right about a threat sunk in deeper. In spite of her discussion of burnout, she’d been levelheaded when he knew her in the Bahamas. If someone was actually trying to pass along secrets, the timing and possibilities couldn’t be worse, with a worldwide military confab only a week away, right here in his own professional backyard.

Was that coincidental? Or could it actually all be tangled up together?

No more time to think. Time to move.

“The house—hell, damn near a city block—was blown up hours ago. We need to get back to base and talk to authorities. Higher up this time.”

“But what about Brandon?”

Brandon Harris. The veteran she’d been helping. Helping, right? Nothing more… Something that felt too much like jealousy kicked around in his gut.

Rachel was reaching down inside of him and taking hold just as firmly now as she had before.

Not. Wise. “I’ll see what we can do about having someone pick him up and bring him in and I’ll have someone check on the doggy day care place.”

“Staking out a doggy day care? Oh my God, Liam.” She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. “This is crazy.”

“Damn straight, it is.” He tossed the burned stir-fry down the disposal and yanked open the pantry. “You need to eat something on the way over. It could be hours before you get a chance.”

He pitched a protein bar her way, snagging another for himself along with two cans of juice. Taking charge. What he did best. What she needed most from him now. And if what she feared was actually true, a lot more people needed him to get to the root of this mess before the unthinkable happened.

“You’re a health-food nut.” She eyed her candy bar beside her wallet on the table.

“And I’m guessing that comment means you aren’t.” He’d checked out books from the library on cooking healthy for his mom. “You can critique my food choice later. Come, Disco.”

Her dog plunked onto his butt. Liam ground his teeth. Apparently no one had told the dog who was in charge. “No more steak for you.”

“He only listens to me.” She patted her leg and the dog walked up beside her. “Let’s go. We can talk in the Jeep. And I can call Brandon while you’re driving.”

***

Brandon Harris had been told he possessed nerves of steel—on the football field. But he didn’t play college football anymore and his nerves sucked, courtesy of his last deployment to the Middle East.