Page 57 of Zero Hour

“One of my operators has gone into the school to get him,” he assured her. “We’ll get confirmation as soon as Ryan is secure.”

“Okay.” She exhaled, shoulders dropping slightly. “I was worried something had gone wrong.”

“No, we’re just waiting for an update.”

He made to walk past her back to the living room, when she put a hand on his arm. A warm, delicate touch that sent heat rolling through him.

He froze. It wasn’t normal how drawn he was to her. This close, he felt magnetized, unable to step away, fighting the urge to move even closer.

“Patrick—”

Even his name on her lips did something to him.

“Yeah?”

She lifted her gaze to his, holding him there. It was a strange sensation—like drowning in slow motion. Fucking hell. This woman was tearing him apart.

He needed to pull himself together. Pronto.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I know you sacrificed a lot rescuing me. Just so you know, I appreciate it.”

He cleared his throat, resisting the urge to cover her hand with his own. “You’re welcome.” His voice came out gruffer than he intended.

She gave him a small smile. “Have you eaten?”

That caught him off guard.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, looking almost shy. “I could repay you by making supper.”

The offer was so normal, so domestic, that for a split second, he could almost pretend the last twelve hours hadn’t been a fucking mess.

But her hand was still on his arm. And that was a problem.

He shook his head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“But you must be hungry. You haven’t eaten.”

“Maybe some other time,” he said, breaking into a grin. It helped dissolve the weird tension coiling between them. Truth be told, his appetite was shot. “Let’s go back into the living room.”

“Deal.”

She walked ahead of him, and his gaze dipped to the sway of her hips before he caught himself and looked away.

What was he? Eighteen.

Shaking his head, he followed her.

“Do you want to watch something on TV?” he asked, suddenly unsure what to do with her now he had her here. His primary objective was to protect her, but he still had work to do. They still had to figure out what the Falcon’s target was. Somewhere in the city, that much was clear. He wouldn’t be here otherwise.

“Sure,” she said. “I’m pretty tired, so I won’t last long.”

Shit. That reminded him—he hadn’t thought about sleeping arrangements.

“I’ll be right back.” He handed her the remote. “Go wild.”

Surprised, she took it. “Oh, okay.”

“I’ll be right back.”

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