Page 5 of For the Love of Animals

“Shh,” he told the puppy. “Good dog. Go in the bathroom.”

With the mutt shut away, he stood to one side of the door. It had a peephole, but using it would be suicide if there was someone who wanted to kill him on the other side.

“Who is it?”

A pause. “Carmen Hernandez. I work at GAFE High Command. Captain P… Captain Benitez sent me with some paperwork.”

“What kind of paperwork?”

“I don’t know. It’s in an envelope. You’re Nathaniel Wood, yes?”

Nate cracked the door open, and sure enough, the brunette he’d seen in the mess hall the day before yesterday stood there. The hot one who’d made his dick twitch then stared him down when she caught him looking. But she was empty-handed.

“Nate Wood. So, where’s the envelope?”

“There isn’t one. I just wanted to talk to you.”

She did? At lunch, he’d asked the guy sitting next to him about her, but he’d just shaken his head. “Don’t waste your time with Carmen,” he’d said. “The colonel panicked and hired her after the army got hit with a sexism lawsuit. Great shooter, but she’s frigid as fuck.”

But now she was standing on Nate’s doorstep, and up close, she looked even prettier. Smelled good too—some sort of flowers in her perfume or maybe her shampoo. His heart sped up as he inhaled again, and then he caught himself. What the fuck was he doing? Hell, if the SEALs had let women like Carmen in, he’d never have gotten any work done.

“Come in. Sorry the place is a mess. I wasn’t expecting visitors.”

“I’m surprised you’re still here. Isn’t your course finished now? Hostage negotiation, right?”

“Yeah, but I stuck around to catch up with friends.”

She stepped inside and perched on the edge of the dining table, a flimsy thing made out of plastic that Nate hadn’t eaten a single meal at.

“Friends? You mean friends like Miguel Lozano?”

Oh, shit. Nate stiffened, then forced himself to relax. She’s just fishing. She doesn’t know anything. She couldn’t. Unless… What had the asshole in the mess hall said about her? That Carmen was a great shooter.

“I don’t follow,” he said.

Dark-brown eyes scanned the room, and she jerked her head in the direction of the bed.

“Do you pee on the floor often?”

That fucking dog. “I must have spilled a drink.”

“Where’s the puppy?”

“What puppy?”

She didn’t answer, just listened, and the damn animal started whining on the other side of the bathroom door. Carmen rose gracefully and strode across the room before Nate could protest, and two seconds later, the mutt was leaping all over her. He should have been pissed at both of them, but when Carmen smiled for the first time, he forgot how to scowl.

“I suppose you’re going to tell me you’ve never seen her before and you’ve got no idea how she got here?” Carmen said.

“Well, you obviously know. Which means you must have been the shooter on the grassy knoll.”

She didn’t try to deny it, just looked adorably confused for a second. “Grassy knoll?”

“Never mind. Why did you do it?”

Carmen gathered the dog up in her arms and sat on the edge of the bed. “He kicked the puppy. What have you named her?”

“Huh?”

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