Page 85 of Over the Edge

“I beg your pardon?”

“Look. I know “beg your pardon’ is British for fuck off and mind your own business. But you can forget it. I’m a SEAL and a woman, which makes me nosy as hell.”

She was not wrong on either count. A snort of humor escaped him and it broke the tension of the moment. He had to admit. She did know him like no other woman he’d ever been around. He couldn’t slip a thing past her. She called him on his bullshit, too. Which, while irritating, he reluctantly allowed was good for him.

She was good for him.

Take making love with her.

What they’d just done had gone way beyond sex. It had been emotional. Intense. Adult. They’d made love, and he’d felt a deep bond forming with her as it had happened. He felt bound to her, now, in a fundamental, unbreakable way. Part of him belonged to her.

Which was new and different. Scary. But also…intriguing.

Did she feel the same way? It wasn’t as if he was going to ask her outright. Nope. Not going there. There would be no profound personal conversations about their feelings for each other. Not yet.

And certainly not here. Not now.

It still remained to be seen if they could find a way to rescue Kenny that didn’t involve dying. Maybe if—when—they got back from this mission alive, the two of them could have that conversation.

Decision made, he tried to focus on getting some rest. His mind drifted, not surprisingly, back to their sex. He’d actually felt a shift in his chest in the aftermath of their lovemaking. As Anna had lain in his arms blissfully sated, happiness—real, no shit happiness—had coursed through him.

“What’s going on inside your complicated head?” she asked, surprising him out of his ruminations.

As if he was going to answer that one honestly. Hell to the no. He chose his words cautiously. “I’m hoping I haven’t destroyed your ability to concentrate on the job.”

She snorted. “Have I destroyed yours?”

“No.”

“Give me a little credit, Trevor. I’m capable of compartmentalizing my feelings as well as the next SEAL. Leo doesn’t get wrapped around the axle about his wife when he’s on a mission, and Cal doesn’t fret about his daughter when he’s in the field. The guys with families set them aside and do the damn job. You and I will do the same.”

“Do you always have so much common sense?”

“Yes. Yes I do. Don’t overthink it, Trev. We made love. It was awesome. I want to do that again, and I hope you do, too. Now isn’t the time to figure out where this is going between us, but I’m okay with taking the ride for now.”

Well okay, then. “I have no idea what to say in response to that.”

“Say good night and go to sleep.”

He snorted under his breath. “Good night and go to sleep.”

“Ha ha. Very funny. G’night, Trev.”

“G’night, Anna.”

Anna woke with a start,shocked to see that it was light outside. She rolled over quickly and was doubly startled to see that she was alone in the tent. Where was Trevor? He hadn’t ditched her after they’d made love last night, had he?

Panicked, she yanked on her clothes as fast as she could in the awkwardly small space and crawled outside frantically. Most of Trevor’s gear was tucked under the edge of the flap just outside. He would never leave so much of his equipment behind. Which meant he was still nearby.Oh, thank God.

Where was he, then? She scanned the remains of the compound and saw no movement. As tempted as she was to poke her head outside of the ruined walls or to call out for him, she followed protocol and geared up, putting on her web belt and utility vest, donning her floppy hat and picking up the Tavor assault weapon that Trevor had relegated to her. She liked its compact size and relatively light weight. It was easy to handle and perfect for tight spaces.

She headed out.

It took a few minutes, but she finally spotted a hint of movement up the west slope, a ways north of the compound. She sank slowly to the ground, taking cover behind a bush until she was able to spot the movement through the telescopic sight mounted to her weapon. Yep. That was Trevor.

He appeared to be emerging from some sort of cave or tunnel. Like her, he was moving cautiously, taking his time and inspecting the area before traveling. She waited until he was about a hundred feet from her, and then she whistled quietly, imitating a song sparrow from back in North Carolina.

Trevor’s head snapped up. He whistled back, and she stood up from behind her bush. She waited for him to join her, and he signaled for her to fall in behind him. They returned to their little camp without saying a word. Any necessary communication happened via hand gesture.

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