Page 59 of Silk Shadow

"I'll just get changed." Viper made sure the door was locked behind them, then headed for the bathroom. With only the one room between them, the bathroom offered the only privacy.

Izzy was so not prepared for how he looked when he emerged a few moments later.

Whoa!

That gorgeous body, perfectly honed, a smattering of chest hair, military ink over a bulging pectoral and… Holy crap! The swim trunks were on the small size, leaving pretty much nothing to the imagination.

"Oh," she stammered, eyes wide and failing miserably to look away. "I'm sorry, that was the biggest size they had."

"It's okay. They're fine."

She sure as hell wasn’t complaining.

He turned his back on her and she gasped, noticing the two coarse, circular scars on his back. One was positioned above his shoulder blade, the other on his right side below his ribs. "Are those...bullet wounds?"

Viper reached for his shirt and pulled it on. "Yeah, happened a couple of months back."

"You were shot?"

He grimaced. "Occupational hazard." His tone told her he didn't want to talk about it. She watched as he pulled on the shorts, then picked up the towel, slotting his gun between the folds.

Scarred hands. Bullet wounds. Firearm. His life was so different from hers. Filled with violence and death.

Yet, he was also so gentle. The way he'd held her...

"Ready?" He cut into her thoughts.

Slightly breathless, she picked up her towel and followed him out of the room.

The swimming pool and surrounding terrace was deserted, everybody else having left, so they had the whole place to themselves.

"This is even better than San Diego,” Izzy called, as she slipped into the water. As earlier, it was still the perfect temperature. Warm and caressing, and totally relaxing.

"It's a lot more private," he agreed, his midnight gaze fixed on her.

She leaned against the edge of the pool. “You coming in?”

Viper carefully placed his towel on the lounger, then, with a confident stride, he walked around to the deep end and dove in.

She watched, mesmerized, as he swum toward her. His powerful strokes sliced through the water, creating hardly a ripple. When he stood up, water cascading off his broad shoulders, her mouth went dry.

There were no words.

He grinned at her. "You were right, this is great."

Her heart lurched at the relaxed, carefree expression on his face. It was the happiest she’d ever seen him. "You like the water, don't you?"

"Love it. That's why I joined the SEALs."

Izzy’s gaze fell to the intricate design of his tattoo. It was the first chance she’d had to really study it up close. A fierce eagle with its wings spread wide, clutching a U.S. Navy anchor, a flintlock-style pistol, and a trident. The detailed lines and shading of the tattoo highlighted the eagle's feathers and the sharp edges of the trident. “I didn’t know you were a Navy SEAL.”

He blinked, as if realizing what he’d said. “Yeah, that’s where I met Phoenix, on the SEAL training course.”

She exhaled, the pieces clicking into place. The rescue, the precision, the ease with which they’d extracted her and brought her here. “Pat didn’t say.”

He shrugged, the movement causing small waves around them. “We don’t usually talk about it, but I guess it’s okay, since I’m out. Most of the guys your uncle hires are ex-special ops. That's why they have such a good track record."

"Except for me." She rolled her eyes. "I was a failed operation."

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