Page 2 of Reclaimed (Hostage Rescue Team)

He noticed the man at the end of the hall was still waiting for her, watching them. Adam indicated for her to head down the hall. He fell in step beside her as they walked toward the elevator. Her boss and the other man were both waiting for her there.

When they reached them a slight awkwardness took hold as they both stared at him in surprise and Adam wondered how much they knew about his and Summer’s marital problems. Probably more than he would like, but he didn’t fault her for telling them.

“Jim, you remember my husband Adam?” Summer asked.

“Sure I do.” The man held out a hand.

Adam shook her boss’s hand, then did the same with the other man, whose name was Mark.

“So, Adam, you and your team here for the summit?” Jim asked.

“Yes.”

“Do we have anything important scheduled for tonight?” Summer asked Jim. “I was hoping to show Adam around town a bit if I could sneak away for a few hours.”

“Well he won’t find a better tour guide than you,” her boss joked as he pulled out his phone. He checked something and shook his head. “Just a dinner with some locals. Mark and I will handle it. You take the night off. You deserve it.”

Summer gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

Adam was thankful too. Their last date had been nearly a month ago and it had been one of the best nights of his life. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d had that much fun together, and he knew she’d enjoyed herself too.

The only downside was that they’d both returned home to their separate places with a raging case of sexual frustration. But the counselor had warned them not to rush back into having sex, so he’d put on the brakes that night and held firm, his only consolation that they were both suffering equally. In spite of all the emotional damage she was struggling to overcome, she still wanted him. That had to mean something.

The elevator reached the underground parking garage. Summer hung back with him as Jim and Mark strode to the line of shiny black SUVs idling there, and climbed into the back of the second one.

“So,” she asked softly when no one else was within earshot. “Are you glad to be back with the team?”

“Definitely. Especially now with the bonus of getting a date with you out of the deal.” He’d requested a leave of absence from the HRT a couple months ago, so he could give saving their marriage a real shot. Getting time off was a problem though, given how busy the team had been, and they’d temporarily lost one of their teammates, Vance, to an injury back in September. So he and Summer hadn’t had as much of an opportunity to focus on each other as he’d hoped.

He was supposed to be off right now but his commander had asked him to join this protection detail, and Vance was finally back. DeLuca had wanted all of Blue Team for this one and the truth was, Adam missed the guys as well as the action when he took time away.

“Good. So can you pick me up at my hotel at six?”

“Absolutely.”

So many emotions played out across her face as she gazed up at him. Affection. Sadness. Hope. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

His heart thudded harder. “Me too.” She was so damn beautiful standing there, and he was so proud of her. She was an amazing woman, had worked hard to get where she was. He needed to make sure he reminded her of that going forward, make sure she understood what she meant to him. God knew he hadn’t done a very good job of that in the past.

She glanced over at the waiting SUVs, regret on her face. “Well, I guess I’d better get going…”

“Yeah.” They still had a long way to go before she’d be ready to move back home with him and live as husband and wife again, but at least he knew he was steadily gaining ground with her. For the first time in forever, he believed they might make it through this mess after all.

“Take care of yourself,” he murmured, hating to let her go. The distance between them felt wrong on every level, and it drove him insane. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and cupped the side of her face with one hand, letting his fingers coast over the softness of her cheek.

She stilled, surprise filling her eyes at the intimate touch, but she didn’t pull away, just kept staring up at him with that mix of hope and uncertainty that made his heart pound.

“I still love you, you know,” he told her. As little as two months ago he would never have said it aloud because it made him feel too vulnerable, but over the past few weeks he’d realized that if he wanted her back, he had to lay it all out there and risk it all. If it all blew up in his face, well, at least he’d given it his best shot and gone down fighting.

At his words the uncertainty in her eyes disappeared and a tremulous smile curved her mouth. “I still love you too.”

But sometimes love isn’t enough.

The thought echoed in his head and he immediately banished it. He was done with the whole sullen, nursing his wounded pride routine. The only thing that mattered wasthem. She was his and he was hers, period. He took his marriage vows seriously and he’d be damned if he was going to walk away from what they’d built together over the last decade. He wouldn’t let her leave here without another reminder.

Adam rubbed his thumb across her chin. “We’re gonna make it, Summer. If we keep fighting for each other, then we’ll make it.”

She opened her mouth to respond but her boss suddenly called out from the SUV. “Summer! We’ve gotta go.”

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