Page 19 of Knot Guilty

“And you don’t want to tell me.”

“I’d rather not.”

He nods his assent, having always been one to honor personal boundaries. “I’ll respect that. Just tell me one thing. Do we have a personnel problem?”

In this, I’m confident. “No, sir. And I’ll make sure it stays that way.”

“Good enough.”

Knot stands and drops his empty cup in a nearby trash can. “While I don’t like what I’ve seen the last two days, you have my confidence to handle your team. Do what needs to be done and get your asses back home safe.”

With a tip of my chin, I turn back to the map in front of me. Knot walks from the room, and seconds later, his deep timber growls, “Gates.”

“Sir.”

My head springs up from the glowing screen, totally unprepared for this first post-coital confrontation. Wow, you really didn’t think this through, did you?

Silence reigns briefly before Knot’s footsteps resume their trek down the hallway. I pull in a breath and hold it, knowing Maxen can approach without even a whisper of sound and wanting to be prepared.

Seconds pass without him advancing into the room or turning on the lights. He’s watching, waiting to see what I’ll do. Funny, I’m doing the same thing. I wonder which one of us will cave.

“We still green to deploy?” he finally says.

I turn my face in his direction, releasing the breath I’d been holding, more than a little surprised that he broke first. What’s more surprising is that I’m not hearing any teasing or smugness in his voice.

Maxen blocks the doorway, feet shoulder-width apart and with his impressive arms crossed over his equally impressive chest. The light from the hallway glows around his silhouette, but there’s still enough light inside the room to see his face. He looks every bit of business-as-usual.

“Um… We’re… Yes, we’re clear.”

Maxen nods and loosens his arms. With a double tap of his knuckles on the doorframe, he walks away, leaving me staring at his back with my mouth hanging open.

What the fuck?! He didn’t acknowledge last night at all. I guess he’s over me. Turning back to the desk’s integrated screen, I tap out of the satellite view of Shindand Air Base and slam the monitor to its lowered position. After fuming for a moment, I’m tempted to pull the screen back up so I can search Norfolk for a good place to hide Maxen’s body.

Instead, I rest my elbows on the surface and drop my head into my hands. What did you expect, Sadie? At least things aren’t messy.

“You forgot these.”

Not having heard anyone approach, the unexpected whisper in my ear has me swinging my elbow backward. Maxen catches my arm and chuckles, amused with himself for sneaking up on me.

He pries open my still-fisted hand and lays my missing pair of panties in my palm. Now, I get his smile that speaks of wicked nighttime things. Before I can respond, he winks and walks out of the room a second time. His steps leaving the room aren’t silent, suggesting that he was baiting me, and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.

The notion leaves me a little pissed off but, at the same time, oddly relieved. Wearing a satisfied smile of my own, I shove the panties in my pocket. It’s four-thirty now, and time to gear up and get out of here.

On the way to the garage, I stop to collect my bags and weapons from my equipment locker, feeling the familiar buzz I always get before a new mission. At the motor pool, I retrieve keys to the closest two of Knot Corp’s many black, armored SUVs that we’ll use to transport to the airport. Chelsea arrives then and sets her gear down on the curb near the elevator.

The cargo hatches open with the press of two buttons, and I stow my gear in the first vehicle. A bag lands in the back beside mine, and I turn my head to see Aaron standing next to me. I look up to find his eyes focused squarely on me. “What?”

“Nothing. Just wondering if something is going on with you.”

Caught like a deer in headlights, I barely keep from squeaking. “Why would you think something is going on with me?”

Aaron lifts a brow and makes a show of looking down. Curious about where he’s going with this, I follow his gaze to where a baby blue thong sits on the concrete. The same thong that had been in my pocket a moment ago. “Oh, for fuck’s sake!”

With reddening cheeks, I snatch the panties off the ground, stomp to a nearby trash can, and toss them in. I pass Maxen on the way back to the vehicle, and he whispers as I walk by. “I guess they were safer with me.”

I roll my eyes at him and keep walking until I’ve planted myself in the front passenger seat of the leading SUV. Over the next few minutes, Bastien and Brock arrive and join the others waiting to load. Brock adds his stuff to the pile and climbs in behind me. Aaron slips behind the wheel, leaving one empty spot.

Zach, the only member of my team joining us, jogs through the motor pool door and continues in our direction. I glance down at my phone, looking for any last-minute updates as he tosses his bag in and takes the seat beside Brock.

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