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"Right." He wanted to touch her, to stroke her cheek, and to pull her close enough to breathe in the scent of her skin. But he felt dirty, and he didn't want to put his hands on her until he was clean.
"Well, she's not the one I'm in love with, so you made the right choice."
He heaved out a relieved little laugh, the tension draining from his body. "She had the taza, too, which is really fucking convenient since we're not going to make it down to Ensenada."
As she regained her composure, her chin lifted and her shoulders went back. "Should I get out the supplies?"
They'd been cautious and brought along a medical bag of emergency items. Their life together was a dangerous one and neither of them ever forgot that.
"Not here," he said. His injury recovery time was rapid compared to humans, but he'd discovered that a stitch here and there could cut several hours of healing down to one or two. "Let's head back toward the border. We'll stop somewhere private."
There was an Army-issue shovel in the trunk, part of a kit he'd picked up at the local military surplus store. He knew Lyssa was thinking of it, too.
"What about the statue for McDougal?"
"I'll tell him I was mugged and got injured, which cut our trip short."
Lyssa raised a brow. "You, big guy?"
Aidan shrugged. "He can't prove me wrong."
"Alright." She stepped back and opened the front passenger door for him. "Let's hurry."
Losing the battle to keep his distance, he pressed a kiss to her cheek before he gingerly attempted to get in the car.
"I love you," she said.
"Thank you." His gaze met hers. "I needed to hear that."
She blew him a kiss. "I know."
Within minutes, they were on the road heading north.
Stacey watched Co
He gri
"My hips don't."
"Your hips don't know what's good for them."
"Ha."
Co
Gorgeous.
She was still having trouble processing the fact that they'd had sex, although her body still tingled from the aftereffects. They were sitting cross-legged on the living room floor watching The Mummy, one of her favorite movies. She was a sucker for a blow 'em up action flick with a hot hero and a touch of romance. Co
"So why are you here?" she asked, setting her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm.
"I have some information for Aidan."
"You couldn't call?"
He shook his head with a smile. "I tried that. He doesn't remember a damn thing I tell him."
"How like a man," she teased.
"Watch it, sweetheart."
Stacey liked it when he called her that. There was something in the rich brogue that lent sincerity to the common endearment. "Are you ex-Special Forces like Aidan?"
"Yeah." There was a melancholy tinge to his response.
"You sound as if you miss it."
"I do." He reached over and snatched the half-eaten wonton from her plate and popped it into his mouth.
"Hey!" she protested, frowning. "There are fresh ones in the box."
"They don't taste as good."
Her eyes narrowed and he stuck a playful tongue out at her. On the screen, Rick O'Co
"Same thing as Cross."
She'd tried to get Aidan to name an actual branch of the military and country affiliation, but he was tight-lipped. Lyssa said it was super-secret covert stuff.
So, what? Stacey had said. If he tells me, he'll have to kill me?
Lyssa laughed. Of course not. 'Cuz seriously, Stacey muttered, the curiosity is killing me, Doc. He might as well tell me. That would be a kinder way to go.
Of course, Aidan elected not to put her out of her misery. She knew Co
"You know," she said, "in romance novels the Special Forces heroes usually become high-tech security experts when they retire. Not… researchers… or personal shoppers."
Co
Her mouth watered. Dear god, he was savagely beautiful. There was nothing tempered about him. Nothing refined. Even at rest, as he was now, she sensed an alertness to him, an i
"You're staring," he purred, his blue eyes watching her with predatory intensity. She knew if she gave him even the tiniest bit of encouragement, he would have her on her back in a minute or less.
The image made her shiver.
"I know," she said, mimicking his earlier statement.
The corner of his shamelessly luscious mouth lifted in a half smile. "So… are you telling me that I'm not romance hero material because I don't install security systems?"
He was romance hero material, all right. At least on the outside. And in bed.
"I didn't say that." Stacey shrugged lamely and dragged her gaze back to the television. It was torture to look away from all that golden skin, but it was self-preservation, too. "I'm just saying that I wouldn't expect guys such as you and Aidan to be interested in hunting down old stuff for old guys with too much money. I'd think you would be bored after all the… excitement of what you used to do."
"The Black Market isn't without danger," he said softly.
"Anytime different people want the same thing, it can get ugly. If they want it bad enough, it can get deadly."
She glanced at him. "Doesn't sound like a dream job."
Co
"Really?"
His shoulders lifted in a small shrug, which did wonderful things to his pectorals. "Really."
"So you never had something else you wanted to do?"
"I never considered anything else."
"That's sad, Co
The sound of his name spoken in her voice shocked them both. Stacey could tell it affected him, because he blinked rapidly and looked a little confused. For her part, she knew that the way she was thinking about him was far from friendly. It was obscene. She wanted to lick and nibble on all his yummy looking skin. His dark honey-hued hair was a little too long, curling over his nape and around the tops of his ears. She wanted to touch it. Run her fingers through it.