Page 66 of Honor Code

“I hope so,” she murmured, feeling the tension of the last few hours weigh down on her.

They pulled into the hotel parking lot. Ellie stared up at the gleaming high-rise and then at her filthy attire and cringed. “I can’t go in there looking like this.”

“I’ve got a clean shirt if you want to wear that,” Blade offered.

“Okay, thanks.” It was something, at least.

Ellie changed into it in the car—it was like a dress, reaching her all the way to her knees. Coming up with a plan, she asked Blade if she could use his belt, and buckled it around her waist.

There, that wasn’t so bad.

Hopefully nobody would notice her filthy tennis shoes.

“Are you okay to share a room with Phoenix?” Pat asked, casting a sideways glance at her.

She flushed, but nodded, her heart doing a funny little flip at the thought of sharing a luxurious hotel room with Phoenix.

“It’s probably best you don’t check in under your real name, just in case they’ve got people out looking for you.”

That was a sobering thought. He must have sensed her trepidation, because he put a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry, we’re right next door if you need us.”

“Thanks, Pat.” He was a sweet guy, for a former SEAL Commander.

“And tonight,” Blade added, sticking his hands in his pockets. “We’ll figure out how we’re going to deal with these guys once and for all.”

“You really think that’s possible?” She didn’t miss the look that passed between him and Pat.

“Oh, you can count on it.”

CHAPTER 29

Holy hell.

The first thing Phoenix saw when he let himself into the hotel room was a sleeping Ellie, dressed in nothing but a man’s white shirt, her legs bare. She lay on top of the massive bed, her freshly washed, still damp hair spread out over the pillow. She looked like an angel.

A fucking sexy angel.

If he wasn’t so exhausted, he’d have taken her into his arms right there and then and removed that shirt, especially as he was pretty sure it was exactly like the one Blade had been wearing earlier.

On top of the exhaustion, he was filthy and probably didn’t smell too good after two days in the jungle. Peeling off his soiled clothing, he tossed it into the corner of the room then stalked, naked, into the bathroom. Seconds later, he was luxuriating in the best shower he had ever experienced—or at least it felt that way.

The police questioning had been intense, and they’d kept him and Boomer there for nearly four hours, verifying every last detail of their statements. Finally, they’d been allowed to leave but were told not to go far.

One thing he had managed to discover was that they were still going through everything found at the wrecked rig site. So far, forensics hadn’t managed to figure out what had caused the blast—or who. But with Boomer’s accurate description of the IED and Phoenix backing him up, they would be able to refocus their search in the right place.

As for the lab equipment, electrical devices, and reports, it didn’t look like anything had survived, and anything they retrieved from the water would be damaged by now.

After emerging from the shower, he dried himself off then lay down next to Ellie on the bed. It was big enough that they didn’t touch. Phoenix pulled a sheet over himself, seeing as he was naked, but the thought of putting on his dirty clothes was not appealing. The hotel room was nice and cool, the blinds drawn. Ellie’s breathing beside him soothed his galloping mind, and soon he was dozing off.

Phoenix didn’t know how long he’d been sleeping when he felt Ellie stir. He was about to drop off again, when he felt her roll over and snuggle up beside him. A slender arm draped over his waist, and he felt soft breasts under the shirt press against his side.

Oh, boy.

Any notion he had of going back to sleep evaporated as his body sprang to life. He couldn’t help it. She was so beautiful, so angelic with her wild hair, and her shirt riding up to expose her long, pale thigh and a hint of perfect butt.

He ran a hand down her arm, making her shiver. Then her eyes fluttered open and her delighted gasp made his dick turn to granite.

“Phoenix, you’re back.”

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