Page 15 of Operation Heartbeat

He nodded. “We’ll appear to be absorbed in each other while we honeymoon in Turkey—and get closer to our guy.”

She clenched her hand into a fist. In the middle of her palm, the ring felt strange and fragile.

Like her heart had been after she finally took off her wedding ring following her split from Benjamin.

Could she pull off this farce?

Did she have a choice? Despite the pressure of the military breathing down her neck to decode that cryptogram, she couldn’t, in good conscience, walk away. She could do some good here.

And after learning that the man had photographed the building a terroristic threat was made against, she was even more determined to find out what that puzzle meant.

She extended her fingers and shoved the ring down the length of her finger.

It fit.

It looked…

Well, she wasn’t going to think about that right now. She had bigger issues at hand.

“When do we fly?” She shoved her hair over her shoulder.

He eyed her like he was waiting for another outburst. Maybe she did have another in her—the day wasn’t yet over.

“Now.”

* * * * *

That damn ring fit her. And the warm gold metal caught the light when she flipped her long, thick brown hair over her shoulder.

Con’s throat was still tight from the bellow he held in check when his superior officer informed him that he and Sophie would be traveling to Turkey as newlyweds. He’d been in battles with less risk than dragging a woman who wasn’t trained in espionage halfway around the world and expecting her to perform under pressure.

He gave her outfit a once-over. “Change into something comfortable for flying all night.”

She straightened her shoulders that had slumped the minute she put that ring on her finger. “All right. Where is my bag?”

“Come with me.” He led her to a bathroom where her bag was already waiting. “You can shower too if you wish. You’ll find everything you need in the cabinets.”

“Thank you.”

As he walked away, he heard the door close with a quietsnick. By the time he reached the end of the hall, the low strains of the shower reached him.

Con started thinking about Sophie peeling her business clothes off her body.

Thinking about how she might look with nothing on.

Nothing but that ring.

His steps faltered. What the hell was he doing?

The whisper of the shower drove his steps faster, and he turned the corner that led to his own quarters.

Since the house was so large, they all had their own quarters and didn’t have to share with a teammate, but that didn’t mean the furnishings weren’t military issue. He had a set of bunk beds, for Christ’s sake. Each time he walked into the room, the bunks were a fresh insult.

With annoyance plucking at his already enflamed nerves, he walked over to his footlocker against one wall and started pulling out gear. Besides the usual things he needed for an op—body armor and weapons—he required civilian clothes.

He tossed in clothing any which way, but when it came to his gear, he packed more carefully. This wasn’t just any go bag, and required a bit more thought.

He double-checked his weapons and ammo, then showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes. After he tucked his sidearm in the waist of his jeans along his spine, he felt more himself than he had all day.

---