Page 27 of Brawler
“Yes! It may be something frivolous to you, but it’s my lifeblood. I’ve worked too hard to give up because there’s gunfire or because some pushy alpha male thinks he gets to dictateedicts from the gods of war. I might be small, and a woman, and a zoologist, but I know my purpose. I have the guts to see it through. That’s something you should understand.”
His eyes narrowed. More than defensiveness there. “You fucking saw something…” He ground his teeth. “A paw print.”
Her glance skittered away. “What if I did? That’s my business. How could you understand my academic pursuit? It’s more than—” She cut herself off.
Too much. Jesus, too much. Buzzing from the firefight. Blood up, body primed to kill. Missed Beast’s cue. Nearly lost her. Her small frame alone, exposed, target painted red against green.
His assault-burn roared hot and jagged, training screaming,control the scene, control yourself, lock it down.Except he couldn’t lock down a goddamn thing. Not with her in his face, unapologetic, her stubborn fire daring him to do his worst.
His body betrayed him again, blood pumping low and hard, hips surging. Survival blurred with sexual hunger until he couldn’t tell the difference. Lust. Fury. Terror. All firing on the same circuit.
What kind of man reacted like this when she’d almost died? What kind of handler missed his dog’s warning because a woman got under his skin?
She scrambled off him, palms skidding in the dirt. He rolled to his feet like the ground was on fire, Beast shoving between them with hackles raised.
Brawler’s breath tore in, harsh and ragged. His voice came out rough, guttural. “Are you hurt?”
Emily blinked. “What?”
“Injured, for fuck’s sake,” he snapped.
She looked him up and down, mouth twisting. “No. Something big and annoying broke my fall.” Her eyes dipped, pointed.
He ground his teeth, fury tightening every muscle. “It was the assault-burn,” he rasped, the words low and raw.
But that wasn’t the half of it. Sometimes even a SEAL couldn’t control biology. Couldn’t shut down the surge that spiked through blood and muscle, the way nerves lit like live wire when danger collided with need. He could master his weapon, his breath, his goddamn heartbeat but not the way his body hardened against hers, urgent, demanding, shameful in its honesty.
It wasn’t weakness. It was the one thing he couldn’t fight. The one thing that made him feel less like a machine and more like a man. With her it wasn’t just biology. It was hunger.
Her brows arched, that damn smirk cutting him deep. “Assault-burn? You mean adrenaline? So, what? You’ve got trouble controllingallyour weapons? Locked and loaded takes on a whole new meaning.”
Heat spiked low and brutal. His jaw locked, teeth grinding.
She didn’t know how close she was to getting exactly what she was teasing out of him.
He leaned in, voice rough enough to scrape. “Careful. You’re one smart-ass comment away from me proving exactly how loaded I am.”
The words tore out before he could leash them, raw as the surge still ripping through him.
The worst part? It wasn’t a threat. It was the goddamn truth.
For a second, she just stared at him, lips parted. Then that wicked spark snapped in her eyes, her smile curling slow and deliberate, sweet as sin, and it knocked him hard.
“Is that an invitation?” she fired back, quick as lightning. “This smart-ass felt every inch of your impressive load, and my comments would fill up my field journal.”
Christ. The words hit him like another blow, low and brutal. His blood roared, every muscle coiled so tight it hurt.
Then her brows lifted, sharp as a blade, and she glanced at Beast. He could practically see the gears turning in her head as his partner gave the whole damn thing away. The Malinois slunk over, ears flat, and licked his hand like an apology.
“I was just wondering,” Emily said slowly, sharp eyes narrowing, “how you could have fallen.” She looked at Beast again. He gave a soft, guilty whine.
She leaned down, stroking his head, then straightened and pinned Brawler with that fierce little stare. “You tripped over your dog. Didn’t you?”
Brawler felt the heat flush up his neck into his cheeks. To add insult to injury, Beast’s tail thumped.
“So the big, bad operator, brought down not by the enemy but by his own alpha swagger. Beast, there’s more bacon in your future, sweet boy.”
He crouched, his body protesting every inch of it. “I’m going to ignore the fact that you may have sold me out for bacon, because you outrank me.” Rubbing a hand down Beast’s flank, he murmured, “It’s not your fault, buddy. You did everything right.”
