Page 15 of Honor Code

There was a brief pause. The tension in the air wasn't just from the incoming pressure system. She was wearing his sweatshirt. It felt like him, smelled like him. Even though there was nothing between them, she couldn't get rid of the sensation of being covered by him.

Lord have mercy.

"This storm could delay the drilling," she ventured, grasping for a professional anchor. What the hell was wrong with her? Any longer and she was going to melt under that midnight-blue stare.

"Yeah, it'll rough up the seas. We’re going to secure the equipment and make sure everything’s locked down. Best to stay below deck when it hits.”

“We can monitor the weather system from the control deck,” she said, unnecessarily. He didn’t need to know that. She was babbling. Did he have any idea the turmoil her jetlagged brain was in?

"We’ll check the rig's stabilizers, make sure everything's battened down," he added matter-of-factly. “There’s no need to worry.” She wasn’t worried, she just wished he wouldn’t look at her that way, like she was something he had to protect. No one had looked at her that way in a long time. She’d forgotten what it was like.

And if her stomach would just stop fluttering, she’d be able to think straight. “When is landfall? I mean, when is it going to hit us?”

“Within the next twenty-four hours,” he confirmed. “It’s due to hit the Florida coastline at 0200 hours, so I’d estimate an hour after that. It moves pretty quick.”

“We’ve got some time to finish drilling on the fourth test site, then?”

He frowned. “How long will you need?”

“Another eight hours, give or take. According to Billy, the Operations Manager, we’re nearly there—then we can start collecting samples.”

“Eight hours is pushing it,” he said. “I’d advise him to shut down operations by 1700 this afternoon, so we have time to make sure everything’s secure before the storm hits.”

Fair enough. Personnel safety was more important than her test samples. “I’ll talk to him.”

He gave a quick nod. “Feeling better now?”

Were her nipples still misbehaving? Heck, yeah, but she suspected that was more to do with him than the cold.

“I am, thank you.” She could smell his aftershave on the sweatshirt, toying with her senses. It was like having him on top of her again, but instead of his hands holding her down, they were enveloping her.

Suddenly, she craved that. He was still giving off that hot, protective vibe, his clear blue eyes caressing her with their directness. Her gaze dropped to his lips—she couldn’t help it—and before she knew it, he’d taken a step toward her.

A large hand reached out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her toward him. Her heart throbbed manically. It was terrifying… but at the same time, exhilarating.

This isn't me, a voice screamed inside her head, but she wasn't listening. A deep, primal urge had taken over. It consumed her, drawing her to him like a magnet. She wanted to feel his arms around her for real.

A strong gust of wind pummeled her, pushing her toward him, until she was so close she could feel the heat emanating from his body. Phoenix stared down at her, his expression tense, like he was trying to fight this attraction, or whatever it was between them, and failing.

She wasn’t even trying to fight it.

He looped his other arm around her waist, locking her against him. Those rock-hard abs dug into her stomach, and her breasts pushed up against his chest.

Dear God.

She clung onto him, her legs suddenly wobbly, hearing a soft groan in the back of his throat as she did so. “Ellie.”

Damn, he was easy to look at with his glittering blue eyes that softened when he looked at her, and that stubbly jaw that made her want to reach out and touch it. Her heart was pounding like a drill bit. Could he hear it?

Slowly, he lowered his head. It was going to happen. Right here, on the deck. He was going to kiss her… but then a dark shape appeared from behind the rigging.

"Everything all right here?"

Ellie gasped and pulled away. It was his friend, the other security operative.

“Holy shit, Boomer,” Phoenix exploded, spinning around. “A little warning next time.”

This guy was as stealthy as Phoenix was. If only her heart would stop pounding…

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