Page 20 of D-Day

“Sure, you won’t.”

She stared at him, a slightly tenacious set to her chin, and he raised his eyebrows in a knowing see-what-I-mean expression. Realizing that he had her cornered, and that she’d get nowhere trying to argue her way out of it, she yielded with a grin and tipped her head in unwilling agreement. “Okay, so maybe I do get a little carried away, but I’ll do my best.”

His jaw tightened. “You’re here for health reasons, not to be a commando or—” He paused for emphasis. “—to prove a point.”

She didn’t say anything as she assessed her best line of attack, but there was a sly gleam in her eye. “How about we make a deal? I’ll curb my tendency to be…a hellion, and you can teach me to shoot.”

He frowned. Damn her for playing him. “Shoot? How much?”

She gave him a halfhearted grin. “Some.”

He nearly smiled as he responded. “Define “some.”

“I can hold it steady and pull the trigger. Center mass, right?”

He shook his head, grabbing her and swinging his body on top of hers. “You’re slick, slick, but I already know that Buck taught you to shoot, and you’re a better shot than he is or anyone in your family, including your father, huh, dead-eye? I know all about that coyote incident. You saved him some serious injuries by putting that animal down.”

She laughed softly. “Damn him for bragging about me,” she said, her voice taking a rather husky edge.

There was something deep and riveting in her eyes, disturbingly intimate, and his heart melted all over again. “He can’t help it. You’re worth bragging about,” he said softly. Unable to stay neutral, D-Day cuddled her close, wishing he and Helen could have just one day to themselves, that they could close out the world and just be together, maybe it would give him the time to figure this whole thing out. Just be nothing else—not SEAL and aid worker, not undercover combatants, not her brother’s best friend and his sister, not a line he’d crossed and couldn’t uncross—just two people who had found something so intense and special that it made him ache just to think about it.

She took his face between her palms. “All joking aside,” she whispered, “we’ll get through this together.” She molded herself to him and pressed her mouth to his. She held nothing back—nothing. And he felt the fire in her—the wonderful, hot, all-consuming fire that seemed to come from her very soul. It was so overpowering.

She shifted and pushed him over onto his back. Her gaze went over him, slow, assessing, and she frowned. “Dammit, Drew,” she whispered, her voice filled with annoyance. “You’re nothing but skin, muscle, and bones. I can feel every one of them when you move.”

She stared at him, her eyes held his so solidly, so certainly. “Is that the nurse talking, or the woman?” he said, going for levity, but she was having none of it.

“Both. Please tell me you’re not starving yourself over me.”

Experiencing an acid rush to his belly, he tried to shift away from her, but she held on to him so tightly, and it felt so fucking good. “Maybe a little,” he said gruffly. “Maybe working out a tad harder to get through the day.”

Helen made a sympathetic sound, and he winced, swallowing back his dreadful unhappiness. “And what else?”

“Drinking,” he said with shame. Experiencing a sharp, clenching pain in his chest, he buried his face in her neck, trying not to think. “Fighting, too.”

“No wonder you look like hell,” she whispered, exhaling unevenly and looked up at him, the light revealing the pain in her expression. His gut churned with regret and more shame.

As he looked down at her, something broke open in him, something he couldn’t contain. This was likely not the time, or the place, to discuss such a critical point in his life. He may not get another chance. But sometimes a person had to take the only moment available and find a way to make it work. He would have to leave soon, and their jobs would make it impossible. He seriously couldn’t continue on this path he was on, not without something giving, and he couldn’t afford anything he held dear to break. He drew a deep, uneven breath, his voice raw with emotion. “I don’t know how to do this anymore, darlin’,” hemurmured hoarsely. “I’m completely lost without you in my life…your family. It’s killing me.”

Her eyes darkened, and there was a light quiver of her chin as she took a steadying breath, blinking at the moisture accumulating in her eyes. Except she didn’t have a moment to speak. His cell buzzed, and he separated from her, heading for his jeans. He pulled it out, expecting the message to be from his team, but he froze.

Hey mate, meet me at Bang Bang Brew in town now. I have a deal for you.

The message was from Graham’s best mate from where they grew up. Adelaide. Charlie Fisher was the closest to the dead gunrunner except his family. He would have to be careful if he expected to pull this off. He could blow everything in this meeting.

He turned to look at Helen and she nodded. “Go,” she said softly. He quickly dressed, then walked to the bed swearing softly. He dragged her up in a crushing embrace, tucking his head against hers. He held her for only a moment, then stroked his thumb across her cheek, his voice unsteady as he whispered, “I’ll see you later.”

Helen tightened her hold, emotion thick in her voice. “We’ll figure it out, Drew. I promise.”

Shifting his hold, he gave her a deep, drugging kiss, then hugged her hard. “I don’t know, Helen. I’m afraid to hope,” he said gruffly. He had so much baggage, his past…this sneaking around, these broken vows. It scored his heart. Her face softened. “I’ve got to go.” He continued to hold her for another moment, then kissed her again and reluctantly released her. “Stay safe,” he murmured.

She grabbed his arm. “All I can do is ask you to trust me. And to think, perhaps, a bit more broadly where solutions toproblems are concerned. That’s your deal, isn’t it? Work the problem?”

Damn if she wasn’t right. Adjusting his thinking?—

His cell buzzed again, and this time it was from Buck’s undercover phone.Where the fuck are you?

Since he couldn’t reply with,I just finished fucking your sister and pouring out my heart like a weak, heartsick fool, he said, “Work the problem, huh? You make it sound easy. But right now, I’ve got to go, or I’ll be in much deeper hot water than I am now.”

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