Page 25 of Hidden Attraction

Something one beat away from real.

She took a step to enter the safehouse first. “Come on, soldier,” she murmured. “We have work to do. We need to find out what the commander is hiding.”

He gave her a small, lopsided grin. “Lead the way, ambassador.”

And together, they stepped into the unknown.

SIX

The door clicked shut behind them, muffling the distant hum from the street. Inside, the safehouse was dim, only a single light left burning in the corner. Chase bolted the door and held up a hand to Alyssa, indicating she should stay right there while he had a look around.

In general, safehouses were…well, safe. But he never took chances. He edged his fingers over the warm steel of his weapon where it was concealed along his spine while making a quick circuit through the small rooms.

When he returned to the front of the house, he met Alyssa’s gaze. Her eyes were wide, just as they were the other times he performed a sweep of the place. She might travel with a security detail, but dangers probably didn’t come this close to her on a daily basis. Knowing that threats existed in the world was much different from experiencing it firsthand.

He gave her a small nod that all was clear.

Alyssa moved past him into the simple living area. A worn rug, a low table and the sofa that wrecked his back were the only furnishings. The bedroom featured a double bed and a shuttered window.

As he watched her, he couldn’t shake the feel of her, the press of her lips against his. He hadn’t planned to kiss her—it just happened. Not for show, he’d told her. He’d wanted to.

He wanted to again.

Why did he feel like that kiss had shaken something loose in him?

She walked to the sofa and touched the faded, thin blanket he’d left neatly folded and draped over the back. “Cozy.”

He smiled at her attempt at a joke. “My spine says otherwise.”

She issued a subtle noise of amusement.

“It’s not the Ritz, but it’s safe.”

“That’s all we need, right?” She swung to face him. Though she was average height, nothing else about Alyssa was average. From her thick dark hair that glinted with copper streaks in the sun to the confident way she carried herself.

She sank to the sofa, elbow propped on the arm. She threaded her fingers through her hair. “Hard to believe we’re here to untangle mysteries that are years old.”

He took a seat next to her. “And we’re walking into it blind.”

“How deep do you think we need to dig to find out what really happened to that helicopter?”

“Deep. Military secrets are buried because they’re not supposed to be unearthed.”

“I can’t make sense of all these events or how they’re tied together.Ifthey’re tied together.”

“That’s because we only see what’s on the surface right now.” When he shifted his shoulders, his arm glanced off hers.

The hitch of her breath made his gut clench. It was the same sound she made when he leaned in and claimed her lips.

He turned his head slightly, studying her out of the corner of his eye. She was close enough that he could see the shadows of fatigue under each eye. Despite the hours of sleep she managed, she was still jetlagged.

He also saw how she went taut when he looked at her, almost with anticipation.

“You hide it well, Julian.”

He twisted his head to look at her directly. “Hide what?”

“The weight you carry.”

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