Page 48 of Hostile Extraction

“Amorosi’s men won’t be looking for you in this storm. They’ll hole up somewhere, too. Gives us a nice reprieve, so you can relax and stop worrying.”

“How do you know I was worrying?”

He lifts his hands and squeezes the tight muscles where her neck met her shoulders. “This is how. You’re all tense.”

She rolled her neck and moaned. “Mmm. That feels amazing.”

“Then I won’t stop.”

“Where’s Stan?”

“He went to catch some shuteye, since he doesn’t have to stand guard right now.”

“Oh.” She turned her head and asked over her shoulder. “How long will he sleep?”

Dusty chuckled. “If I know him, he’s out for the count. He probably won’t wake until morning.”

“He can sleep through the storm?”

“That boy can sleep anywhere, anytime. I once saw him sleep standing up, leaning against a building while the city we were in was being bombed.”

She giggled. “Are you making that up?”

“Nope.” He leaned close to her ear. “So, it’s just you and me.”

She stared out the window, a smile tugging at her lips. “Remember the first time we were alone?”

“Yep. I was thinking about that earlier, as a matter of fact.”

“We never did see that meteor.”

“We were occupied with something even better.”

“I always wished Carter hadn’t interrupted us.”

“I was ready to kick his ass.”

She huffed a laugh. “You should have.”

“We couldn’t have done much more than we did. You were young and innocent, and as bad as I wanted you, I knew I couldn’t have you.”

She turned in his arms, meeting his eyes. “You wanted me?”

“I’ve always wanted you.” He reached up a hand and brushed a strand of hair from her face. His eyes going over her long locks. “Your hair is longer now. I like it.”

She reached up and touched her fingertips to his lips, her touch gentle, hesitant, but he didn’t want her to stop. When she moved to withdraw them, he reached up and grabbed her wrist, turning her hand and pressing a soft kiss to her palm.

Her eyes widened, and her lips parted.

“Look, Asia. I’m sorry about last night.”

She grabbed his waist. “I’ve been thinking about it all night. At first, I wanted to push you away and keep our distance, but now I’m wondering if that’s the right choice. I’m a virgin—”

“Someday you’ll find a man who deserves that gift.”

“What if I’m tired of waiting for someday?”

“Asia—”

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