Page 23 of Exposed

“You okay?” he asked her, peering over her shoulder at the laptop screen while she typed away.

“Hmm.” She paused and looked up at him, her expression determined. “I’m fine. I ordered us a couples’ massage.”

“What?” Eric balked. “We’re supposed to be playing it safe here. For all we know, the whole staff is out to get us. You really want to invite one into our private space?”

“I need to interact with the staff and see what I can find out. Since we can’t get off this island, I might as well do the job I came here to do.” She closed the computer and leaned forward to set it on the coffee table in front of them then stared back at him over her shoulder. “I know you want to protect me, and I appreciate that, but I can’t let Robert Hart and his cohorts hereat the resort go on hurting people. I have to help. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way I’m built.”

Crap. Eric scrubbed a hand over his face. Part of him wanted to argue with Beth, tell her that her security was more important than the safety of a bunch of strangers, but he couldn’t. Because the other part of him knew he felt the same damned way. It was why he’d taken care of his mother the best he could after his dad had left again, even though he’d just been a kid. Why he’d joined the Navy right out of high school and never looked back. Why he was still sticking it out here with Beth when he could’ve refused to participate in her plan. What his father had done to him as a kid had messed him up in a lot of ways. But it had also honed his protective, heroic instincts to a needle-sharp point. He took care of others. That’s what he did. That’s who he was. Period. If Beth was staying, then so was he. No way would he leave her to face whatever this island and Robert Hart had in store for them by herself.

He opened his mouth to tell her so, but a knock on their door pre-empted his response. Beth got up and walked over to answer it and a small Asian woman walked in with a portable massage table under each arm and a huge bag of supplies strapped across her chest.

Good manners had him rushing over to help her with the load despite the tension curdling through his bloodstream like toxic sludge. “Where do you want these set up?”

The woman pointed to an open space near the veranda doors and Eric walked over to get the tables ready for her. While he worked, he could hear Beth talking to the massage therapist and damn if she wasn’t questioning the woman about Hart and the resort. Sure, she was subtle about it, but still. He had to give it to Beth. She had bigger cojones than most SEALs he knew. Anodd mix of admiration and terror flooded him because of it. Her courage and determination and heart made his chest squeeze with warmth for Beth. But at the same time his old fears kept him cautious. Their lives were possibly on the line here and allowing his emotions to get in the way would only put them in more danger. Beth might be an ace reporter, but she had no clue about real combat. Things could turn on a dime and go downhill fast. No. He had to stay ready, stay alert, stay prepared to fight or flee for cover at any second.

And he had to make sure Beth knew what they were in for and stop taking stupid chances.

“I think there are some extra towels,” Beth said, pointing toward a small linen closet down the hall toward their bedroom and the master bath at the rear of the bungalow.

The minute they were alone, Eric strode over and took her arm, turning Beth to face him. “What are you doing? Hart’s already suspicious of us. How do you know that masseuse won’t go running to tell him everything we say?”

“I don’t, but I have to try.” She pulled free, crossing her arms. “I plan to make the most of the two days I have left. It only makes sense. Hiding won’t help. But don’t worry, I can take care of myself.” She tilted her head and studied him. “Or is that it? You don’t think I can? You don’t believe in me and what I’m trying to do here?”

Cursing under his breath, Eric shook his head and looked away. “That’s not it. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Or worse. I care about you, Beth.”

More than I should.

“Do you? Then remember that the only reason we’re here is because of my job.” The words hurt more than he cared to admit, even though they were true. He glanced down the hall to see the masseuse still fiddling with the towels in the closet, thankfully. “I’m not going to abandon this story. I became a journalist, to tell the hard stories, the dangerous stories. To shine a light on the world’s injustices and help people in need. I thought you felt the same. Isn’t that why you do what you do?”

Eric blinked at her. She wasn’t wrong. He did want to help people too. He fought for justice every day as a SEAL. But that sense of morality that was woven into his DNA was currently warring with his ever-growing feelings for Beth.

Dammit.

This was exactly why he stayed out of relationships, stayed away from entanglements, stayed far from the emotions churning inside him. All of it made him conflicted and compromised and confused. And now, more than ever, he had to remain clearheaded and rational and hyperaware of everything around him.

“Look, Beth I?—”

“Right, Mr. and Mrs. Holman,” the Asian woman said, returning to the living room and handing them each a terry cloth towel from the bathroom. “Please remove your clothing and put these on. Then get up on the tables.”

Beth felt boneless after the massage and more than a tad sleepy. She was face down on her massage table and didn’t want to movea muscle. Truth be told, she hadn’t been sleeping well since she’d gotten to the island, for obvious reasons. In fact, now that she thought about it, the only time she’d really rested had been after making love with Eric. That realization both surprised and sobered her.

This was not going as she’d planned. At most, she’d expected a fling, a no-strings-attached tropical affair that would blow over as soon as they set foot back on the mainland. But this thing with Eric had quickly blossomed out of control in her heart, causing her to picture how things might be after they returned to San Francisco—dating, a real relationship, maybe more.

Ugh. No. She’d been down that road before with Devon and still had the skid marks on her back from his leaving her. She wouldn’t put herself in that position again. She couldn’t. No matter how the ache in her heart said it might already be too late.

And Eric hadn’t offered her anything past the week, so why was she so caught up with that in her head?

The massage table beside hers creaked as Eric rolled off and onto his feet, giving her a nice view of his taut tanned backside before he slid his board shorts back over his hips. The masseuse was busy cleaning up in the bathroom after their couples’ massage and unfortunately had been either unable or unwilling to provide Beth with any more information that she already had.

“I’m going out to walk the perimeter again,” Eric said before disappearing out the veranda doors.

Lord help her, just the sight of him walking turned her on like nobody’s business. She had it bad for the guy and that wasn’t good. With a sigh, she buried her face in the towel on the tableagain and closed her eyes, enjoying the last few minutes of relaxation before it was time to go back to battle.

Waves crashing on the beach outside and the movements of the massage therapist in the room lulled her into a sort of meditative state, where her mind was free to work on the puzzle of her story. What did all the clues she had thus far add up to? She had those pages she and Eric had found in the business center, listing bank accounts and balances. And from their conversation with Hart, she knew that the man gathered information about his guests—way more than he had any reason or right to know. Though she supposed he had an advantage when it came to digging for information, since that much-touted Wi-Fi system really did offer exceptionally fast, reliable service…

Wait. No. It couldn’t be that simple, could it?

She thought about all the standard, boilerplate warnings she’d seen a million times when signing on to use a free public Wi-Fi signal. Didn’t they say something about the connection being unsecured, meaning that information could be seen by other parties?

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