Page 7 of Lethal Pursuit

“How did you learn Spanish, by the way?”

“My mom worked two jobs when we were kids, so she hired a nanny and she was Mexican. My accent’s not perfect and I can’t speak it as fast as you, but I understand it well enough.”

“Yeah, you sure do.”

He admired that she took responsibility for her attitude that day. He hadn’t expected her to. “If you can’t find a ride, let me know. I’ll go with you.” Even as he said it, he knew she’d never take him up on it.

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Come on, guys, let’s get you home.” She tossed him a cocky grin. “See you.”

NoSergeanttag, so she wasn’t hung up on protocol like Ace had been with Ryan. That had to be a good sign. “Yeah. Take care.” He admired the sway of her hips and the lean lines of that taut body as she walked away. The woman was sexy as hell. Her self-confidence and take-charge attitude even more so. And while he liked her harder side, that soft, feminine glimpse he’d just seen was what drew him in.

Jackson pulled off his ball cap to drag a hand through his hair and shook his head at himself. Damn, he was in bad trouble here. Growing up in a household of women, he’d developed an appreciation for the fairer sex early on. But Maya was different. When she was nearby, hefeltit. When she walked into a room, she owned it. Knowing she was interested in him made it that much harder to resist temptation and stay the hell away from her. He couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman this badly, and he had no idea what the hell to do about it. Maya was unlike any other womanhe’d known. It was like trying to navigate through a minefield. One false step could blow his legs off, yet he couldn’t resist the lure. But he was most definitely up for the challenge she posed.

“Hey, Thatcher, you done getting shot down for the day? Cuz we’re waiting to finish the game over here.”

Turning around to glare at his fellow PJ, Jackson sent the soccer ball hurtling back at him.

Game on.

THREE

MAYA CLIMBED INbehind the Humvee’s wheel the next morning and slammed the door shut. “Ready to rock?” she called to the gunner in the back manning the .50 cal.

“Yes, ma’am.” He rapped twice on the top of the vehicle.

“Just waiting for my copilot. He should be here in a minute.” She went back to checking her radio and weapon one last time, not paying much attention to the personnel milling around the line of vehicles.

“Guess this means I get to ride shotgun?”

She jerked her head up to find Jackson leaning his roped forearms on the open window frame of the passenger door, a mischievous smile on his face. Her heart stuttered. What was he doing here? And why did her heart always beat faster when she saw him? He had his full kit on, a large ruck and his M4 slung around his shoulders. “You’re going to FOB Chapman?”

“Yes, ma’am. I volunteered for the MEDCAP.”

Huh.The medical civil action plan was part of a hearts-and-minds campaign dreamed up by the brass in an effort to “reach out” to the people in some of the isolated villages down south. PJs often took part in them, giving medical care and other critical supplies to the civilians.

“That right?” It didn’t surprise her that Jackson had volunteered for it. She already knew he wanted to be a doctor because she’d caught him studying for the MCAT a few months ago. Of course, back then she’d misinterpreted his laid-back demeanor as passivity. Now she knew that beneath his calm, quiet facade beat the heart of a formidable fighter. The man was a sexy, walking contradiction. “I’ve kinda got a lead foot.”

“Even better.” He straightened, tall and strong and ready to rock.

Weird. She knew he could handle whatever came his way in the field, since he’d earned his maroon beret for a reason. And yet, even though he was bigger and stronger than her, for some reason she still wanted to watch out for him. Maya eyed him for a second, letting her gaze roam over the impressive contours of muscle in his chest and shoulders, reminding herself that he could be lethal in addition to a gentle healer. He wanted a ride with her? Why not? “All right, throw your stuff in the back and get in.”

He did, then climbed in next to her and shut the door. And suddenly the Humvee didn’t feel big enough anymore. It was like he took up all the space, all the air. Every cell in her body was attuned to him. She could smell the faint scent of wintergreen and clean male musk. Her skin prickled with awareness and he hadn’t even touched her. This was gonna be a long five-plus hours drive, but an interesting one. “Okay, let’s roll,” she announced.

When everything was in place, the lead vehicle exited the main gate and started outside the wire into the Afghan equivalent of the Old West, driving south along the main highway toward Kabul. Maya pulled out into line, third from the front of the convoy. Behind her, four more supply trucks and another Humvee brought up the rear. The mountains rose to jagged peaks on their left, the crests still tipped white with snow that was only beginning to melt in the spring runoff. Mudslides had wiped out a few of the mountain passes recently, and there would be plenty more before the snow melted completely.

The silence in the vehicle wasn’t awkward, but she still felt the need to initiate conversation. “So, how’s the studying coming?” she asked Jackson.

“For the MCAT? Good.”

“When do you write?”

“June.”

She bit back a smile when he didn’t offer anything further. He was quiet and definitely comfortable in his own skin, yet bold in other ways that continued to surprise her. No way he’d landed a ride in her truck by dumb coincidence. She couldn’t figure out why he’d gone to the trouble of arranging it. Wasn’t like he was planning to make a move on her or anything. He was way too polite and respectful tocross that line with her. She felt so far out of her depth with him it might have been funny if it hadn’t confused her so much. “What made you want to be a doctor, anyway? I mean, it makes sense that you’d want to, since you’re a PJ and all. But there must be a reason.”

Jackson stretched out his long legs a bit more and leaned a forearm on the window ledge in an unconsciously sexy alpha male pose she knew he wasn’t even aware of making. That made it even hotter. “My dad died of a heart attack when I was a kid. Guess since then I’ve always wanted to save people.”

A solid reason, for sure. She respected and admired that. Most of all, she loved that he was motivated to help people. “What sort of doctor do you want to be?”

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