Page 16 of Over the Edge

Not that she was fooled for a second. She knew exactly how his chest rose and fell when he was actually sleeping. Which was probably a wee bit stalkerish. No help for it. She’d been fascinated by him from the first moment he opened his mouth a year ago and that smooth, sophisticated British accent had emerged.

She got that they dared not get cozy in front of the boss, but it still sucked that he acted like she was toxic to touch. She was such an idiot for ever thinking he might find her attractive, or even interesting.

The two of them checked in for their flight to New York and headed for security. As if either of them would try to smuggle a weapon aboard an airplane. The amusing bit was that both her hands and Trevor’s were lethal weapons in their own rights. But hey. If the TSA wanted to check her for firearms, more power to them.

They sat by themselves in the back corner of the waiting area, with Trevor so tense beside her she thought he might shatter if she touched him. Did he really hate being with her so much?

They’d been in such a rush to process the paperwork and run a few training scenarios that they hadn’t had a chance to talk at all about what had happened between them at Mabel’s. Or maybe he was staying so busy to avoid talking with her about it. And now, he was too busy sulking to have a decent conversation with.

The guy really needed to chill out at least a little around her. It had been one kiss. Granted, an amazing kiss. But this wasn’t sixth grade. He hadn’t gotten cooties from kissing her.

Glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot, she asked under her breath, “Is there any chance I can talk you out of being mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you.” His voice was calm, inflectionless, but his shoulders tightened even more and lifted slightly toward his ears. Stress lines became visible around his eyes as he stared out a floor-to-ceiling window at the tarmac.

“Liar.”

That made his gaze snap to hers for a moment, at least, before he looked away.

She spoke doggedly to his left ear. “I know you hate having me come along on this trip. But like it or not, I can help you. And, like it or not, you need to let me.”

“Why should I?” he bit out.

“Besides the training scenarios proving clearly that two SEALs are better than one, I’ve already lost one teammate. I don’t want to lose another. I’m afraid that, if you insist on acting pulling a John Wayne and going it alone, you’ll die.”

He glanced at her and then looked away. “I get that. But I didn’t ask for help.”

She was tired of throwing logic against the brick wall of Trevor’s determination to show everyone just how big a hero he was. “Fine. You were willing to go on a suicide mission and die nobly. Good for you. Now, how about you shift your focus to saving Ken and surviving, yourself?”

“Why are you obsessed with whether or not I live or die?”

“Seriously? We’re teammates, you idiot.”

“Is that all?” he challenged angrily.

What the hell. He already hated her guts. Why not tell him the truth? She took a deep breath and confessed, “I don’t know how I’d survive if something bad happened to you.”

As she expected, he threw himself backward in his chair, crossed his arms, and stared at her in something akin to horror. “Anna. It’s a little late for—“

She cut him off. “Don’t say anything. I neither need nor want a response. You asked, and I answered. I know all of the reasons it could never work between us, and I get that you’re not interested.” She added in a rush, “But I also know that if you die on this mission, I’ll be mad at you till the end of time for abandoning me…and for abandoning the rest of the team.”

“I—“

“I told you not to say anything,” she interrupted. “Really. You owe me nothing.”

Professionally speaking, that was a lie. As her fellow Reaper, he owed her a hell of a lot of consideration. But he seemed so intent on sacrificing himself in the name of saving Kenny that he couldn’t see why she was freaking out.

She just wished they had enough of a personal relationship for him to owe her some consideration in that way, too. Even if he thought she was a creepy stalker chick, being his swim buddy should count for something…shouldn’t it?

He said heavily, “I appreciate your concern. It’s sweet.”

Great. Just what she wanted to be known for. Sweetness.

“It’s flattering to know you care for me so much.”

Oh, God. Flattering. The kiss of death at having any chance with him.

“I wish we had more time to explore our feelings, but we don’t.”

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