One man versus the CIA. The idea made her head pound. “That’s not very comforting.”

“If someone comes for you, if they find us and I get taken out, you run to one of the two sites where I’ve stashed supplies and weapons. Each has a satphone. There’s a pack at each with directions, but you call Andy and follow his instructions about reinforcements and extraction.”

She didn’t bother to ask about the two drop points. “Okay.”

Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “Do you actually plan on doing any of what I just said?”

“I’ll stop and grab the food and weapons—” His frown deepened and the rest of her answer cut off. “What? You would do the same thing.”

“True.”

The defensive words died in her throat. “Wow.”

One of his eyebrows lifted. “What?”

“I didn’t expect the honesty.” With some of the fury gone, she let her gaze wander. Not far and trying not to be obvious about it, she glanced at his tight abs and the deep vee running from his shoulders to his trim waist. For a big guy, he was all muscle, no fat.

His chest bore more scars. Because she’d done her homework the minute Bast introduced them, she knew the wounds spoke to Gabe’s time in battle. He wasn’t the guy to rip his skin open as he tried to climb a fence in some immature drunken stupor. He’d earned every scar through fighting and bleeding and sometimes withstanding days of torture. Knowing that made it harder to hold on to the last of her anger over being manhandled and hustled away. Made it even harder to ignore the attraction kicking her ass.

The harsh lines of his face softened. “The one thing you can count on from me is honesty.”

“Then you know that the two of us, locked up here . . . alone . . .” The need spun around inside her, threatening to knock her over. She knew if she even mentioned the word “sex” she’d be all over him, desperate to release some of the adrenaline pumping through her.

He glared at her. “Since I’m trying not to crawl all over you, I’m specifically not thinking about that scenario.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding in. At least they were in this together. That knowledge provided some relief. It also made it clear that they were just running out the clock on the inevitable.

“We’re grown-ups.” Maybe a round or two between the sheets would burn off all this energy and they could go back to mutually glaring as they sized each other up from opposite corners.

His hands balled into fists at his sides. “I don’t fuck on the job.”

She tightened the blanket around her, hugging it closer to her body. “You mean you haven’t.”

“Right.”

Now that reaction proved interesting. She couldn’t help but poke around. “You ever been tempted?”

“Not before you.”

The words washed over her, leaving her insides jumping. Not a sensation she particularly needed or wanted right now. “I don’t believe that.”

“I don’t lie.”

“Maybe you just haven’t had the chance yet.” She stepped out of the shower stall, because standing in there felt like hiding from a conversation that had the power to strip her raw inside. “None of the women you worked with did anything for you.”

“Now you’re pissing me off.” He made a sound that came close to a groan. “Women are more than interchangeable body parts for me.”

For some reason she believed him. It didn’t sound like a line coming from him. Not with that rough edge to his voice. “Most guys would play games and lie.”

“Then most guys are idiots. It’s pretty clear I want you. Or I do on those rare occasions when you stop talking for two seconds.”

He could ruin a mood faster than any man she’d ever met. “Charming.”

“I’m accustomed to quiet.”

“Well, I’m used to sitting at a desk, setting up operations and guiding my team.” In her early CIA days, she’d walk into danger prepared never to walk out again. Looked like her life had circled back around to that position.

His gaze roamed over her face, as if he was studying her. “Those days are over.”

“Yeah, they are.” She accepted that. Pissed her off, but she’d known that protecting her team would seal her fate. That was the bargain she’d made. The CIA left her team alone—Elijah and Becca got to live their lives in peace—and in return she stayed quiet and walked away from all she’d worked for in her career. Everyone’s ass would be covered except hers.

Gabe took a step closer. “If you stop fighting me, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you stay alive long enough to build a new life.”

He didn’t touch her, but he didn’t really have to. Having all that intensity aimed right at her as a wall of shoulders blocked out the world in front of her held her attention. He’d enveloped her without ever lifting his arms.

“What does that look like?” she asked, because she really wanted to know. He’d navigated these waters and moved from government-paid sniper to businessman. He might be able to provide some perspective to a life that looked pretty bleak and spare right now. “The CIA is pretty much all I know.”

He nodded as he shifted again, bringing them closer and shutting out the steady dripping from the faucet and the strange look of the coffeepot sitting on top of the homemade water heater. “I thought the same thing when I left the Army.”

“With your firearms skills and contacts.” That was just it. She had nothing else. “My extraction agreement doesn’t really let me go into some random country and take down a dictator.”

The corners of his mouth kicked up in a smile. “That’s a shame, because I bet you could take a guy like that out without backup.”

His confidence in her abilities left her more than a little breathless. “I do have skills.”

“So you’ve said.” He lifted his hand and his thumb brushed back and forth over her bottom lip. “Damn, woman. You make me want to break every promise I’ve ever made to myself about mixing business with pleasure.”

She fought off a shiver, because she refused to be the man-touches-me-and-I-go-tingly type. “You did say you were in charge. That you decided every move we made.”

“Proves I’m a dumbass.” He continued to swear under his breath as he adjusted his towel.

She got it then. He really wouldn’t make a move until she gave him the green light. Even then, he’d need to be convinced they were safe. If she wanted a few hours of mindless sex—and she still wasn’t sure that was a great idea—she’d have to push. To test the limits of his control. “You seem to think your work will be done at some point.”

“Of course. You’ll be safe and able to move on at some point, hopefully soon.”

“And I won’t be a job to you.” Her fingers slipped over the edges of the blanket before balling her hands in the cloth. “Not then.”

He shook his head. “Don’t tempt me.”

She felt the pull. Something in the air wrapped around her and tugged her closer. She wanted it, wanted him . . . wanted to forget.

The reality of that last one broke the spell. She stepped back. “I better get dressed.”

“Good call.” But the grumble in his voice said he thought otherwise.

That made two of them.

FOUR

Andy MacIntosh sat at his brother Gabe’s desk, double-checking work emails and generally keeping Tosh running as promised while Gabe was away. Not that those were easy shoes to fill. Gabe might only be six years older, but he’d been an adult and responsible, stepping into family roles since Andy hit puberty.

That bone-deep dependability and solid work ethic only increased when Gabe opened Tosh four years ago. Instead of the usual floundering small company routine, Gabe’s contacts and reputation launched them into a stream of steady work. Most days, too much work.

They had three on-the-ground assignments rolling at the same time right now, all high priority and all involving life-or-death scenarios. Safe houses with complex security measures and big gun protection. Usually Andy headed up a team, but Gabe’s sudden willingness to hit the field one-on-one with Natalie grounded Andy this time. He got stuck behind with the paperwork, file preparing and directing the rest of the group as they guided operations from a distance. Andy knew the men depended on him for intel and surveillance, but that didn’t make the big desk job any more interesting.