Page 28 of For the Love of Animals

For once, he slept well too. Usually, he dreamed of death, of the horrors he’d seen over the past decade in various wars and operations that only Black and a handful of others knew about. But tonight was different. Tonight, he dreamed of the woman he’d fallen in sudden, terrifying, messy love with.

CHAPTER 12 - CARMEN

NATE WALKED OUT of the bathroom wearing only a towel, and I didn’t know where to look. Well, I did, but it wouldn’t have been appropriate, and nor would licking away that single drop of water running down his solid chest. Last night, I’d had this weird dream that he’d come home and kissed me, and now I couldn’t think straight.

“Let’s go over the plan one more time,” he said.

“Sure.”

The drop of water had reached his abs now, leaving a shiny trail behind it. How long did he spend in the gym? Muscles like that didn’t happen overnight, and—

“Carmen? You okay?”

“Perfect,” I snapped. All I had to do was facilitate a man’s death while Nate had sex with a leggy brunette. I’d never met Verónica Camacho, but I’d looked her up on the internet and I hated her already. “Never better.”

He paused halfway through buttoning up his dress shirt. “I know this isn’t how you usually work, and I get that you’re nervous, but it’s the best option right now. Lozano’s security is at an all-time high.”

“I’m not nervous.”

Not about the job, anyway. How hard could it be to deliver a costume? What worried me was the aftermath. If Lozano died, Nate would return to Virginia, and my decision over my future would be a step closer. Should I stay here in Mexico with my family, working for a man I hated, or take a huge risk and quit?

If I left the army, I’d have two choices—get a normal job, one where I didn’t have to shoot people, or move further afield and keep my guns. Last time I’d considered that, the only people hiring had been private security companies looking for contractors to work overseas in the Middle East and Africa. I’d never even left Latin America before.

“Everyone gets nervous, querida. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Turn around.”

“What?”

“Turn around. I’m about to drop the towel, and I don’t want you screaming harassment.”

Seeing him naked, I’d be screaming something else, but I could hardly admit to that. I turned around, but thankfully I could still see his reflection in the glass of the kitchen cabinets. Holy fuck. The man was hung like a donkey. Heat flashed through me as he slowly pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and adjusted himself, and I bit my tongue—hard—to stop myself from groaning as he put on a pair of flannel pants that hugged his ass.

“I don’t make complaints over little things like that.”

It was true; I didn’t. More than one of my colleagues had let it all hang loose in front of me, some because they were perverts and some because they were trying to shock me, but I’d mastered my poker face. Letting them know they’d gotten to me would only have made the problem worse.

Nate just chuckled. “There’s nothing little about me, querida. Okay, it’s safe now.” Once I’d turned back, he motioned me over. “All you have to do is drop the costume off and leave. Nothing more. If anything makes you feel uncomfortable, abort, and we’ll come up with a new plan.”

“Not before Monday, we won’t.”

“Your commanding officer’s an asshole. Sometimes these things take longer, and he’ll have to accept that.”

“He won’t.”

“As I said before, there are other jobs out there.”

“For a man like you, maybe.”

“And a woman like you. Your skill set is unique.”

“Well, if you hear of anyone looking for a twenty-three-year-old sniper with a moral code and a strong dislike of male chauvinist pigs, feel free to let me know.”

Nate flashed me a grin. “I might just do that.”

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I.” His smile faded, and he squeezed my hand. “I’m very serious, Carmen. Don’t do anything risky today. Taking an extra month to deal with Lozano isn’t a problem. You getting hurt? That’s a big problem. Promise me.”

“I won’t take any risks.”

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