Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
nobody had been in the room. “Come in.”
He ushered her inside and shut the door. Ratty orange shag carpet covered the floors, and a maroon
flowered bedspread covered the king-sized bed. Two dented chairs perched next to a particleboard table.
The television was circa 1980 and the prints on the walls were of dogs playing golf. Not poker… golf.
Audrey glanced around the room and at the bed before turning toward him. “It smells like death in
here.”
“Not even close.” The room stank like smoke and sweat, not death. He’d been around enough death to
know the difference. “Have a seat.”
She swallowed and glanced at the rickety chairs but didn’t move. “Okay.”
“You won’t need a tetanus shot,” he said. “Probably.” The woman was clearly used to much finer
things. He glanced down at her form. The black dress hugged her body, revealing the tops of her incredible
breasts. The heels elongated her legs in a way that made him want them wrapped around his hips. She’d
tossed her dark hair up on her head, revealing a slender and vulnerable neck. High cheekbones, full mouth,
and eyes that defied description as merely blue, Audrey had grown even more beautiful in the five years
since he’d last touched her.
But he’d never really known her, now, had he?
“Sit.” He pulled out a chair for her and dropped into the remaining one, hoping it held his weight. “Now
talk.”
She gingerly slid onto the chair, eyeing the dented table. Her gaze rose to meet his. “There’s no child,
Nate. I’m sorry.”
The words cut into his heart like a spike. He studied her face, her breathing, her movements, eye
flickers, and changes in skin temperature to ensure he received the truth. “Were you pregnant?”
“Yes.”
His gut heaved. He didn’t need to ask the next question as to whose kid it was. Audrey had been a
virgin when they’d gotten together. “What happened?”
“Miscarriage.” Her voice remained calm, but a flash of pain lightened her eyes. “Eight weeks in, and I
miscarried. It’s common and not a reflection of your ability to have more children.”
Sorrow wanted to choke him, so he numbed his feelings. “Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That you were pregnant when we broke up?”
“No.” She tapped pink nails on the table. “I found out a week later.”
He eyed her closely. No signs of lying, and the truth ripped through him with painful blades. A kid. A
real kid. “Were you going to tell me?”
“Yes.” She lifted a shoulder. “I was trying to figure out a way to get to you without my mother
knowing, and the world exploded. You disappeared, I lost the baby, and I thought that was the end of
things. I always wanted you to find freedom, and you finally had a chance.”
He leaned toward her. “Why didn’t you leave?”
Her gaze dropped to her hands. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
A lie. Or rather, an evasion. She wasn’t telling him something. “This is the time that you tell me
everything Audrey. No secrets.”
Her head jerked up, challenge firming her chin. “Or what?”
He lifted an eyebrow. Good question. “You know I can make you talk.”
She smiled, unveiling a dimple he remembered well in her left cheek. “I know you’re trained, Nate. But
I also know that you don’t torture women to get information. I’m not exactly scared here.”
He reached for her hand, flattening it under his. Fire lanced up his arm, settling through his body. One
touch. All it took was one touch for his body to light on fire. Yet he kept his voice calm and his face
expressionless. “Who said anything about torture?”
She swallowed, a flush sliding from her chest up and over her face. “Get real.”
He didn’t speak, just kept his gaze on hers. Knowing and hard. The way she met his stare impressed
him, but he wouldn’t let her win the little contest of wills. Time was running short, and he required her
cooperation.
She gave in first with a little huff. “Fine. What do you want?”
His gaze unwillingly shot to the bed before focusing back on her. “Information.”
“About what?” A little frown settled between her arched eyebrows.
“Everything. Where’s the commander, where’s the headquarters, where’s your mother, and more
importantly, how do we defuse the chips?”
“What chips?” she asked.
Fury rushed through him so quickly his ears tingled. He grabbed her arms and hauled her up, stepping
into her space and staring her down. “Don’t ever play dumb with me, Audrey. I promise you won’t like the
result.”
Sparks burst in her eyes, and she shoved him two-handed in the chest.
He didn’t move.
“I’ve never played dumb, and I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her hands remained on his
chest, nails curling into his pecs.
The idea she couldn’t help him was unthinkable, and he gripped her tighter. “The chips near our spines.
Where’s the computer to defuse them, and who has the damn codes?” Only stubborn will kept him from
shaking her.
She blinked and bit her lip. “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re lying.” She had to be.
She shook her head, pursing her lips. Soft, kissable lips he still tasted in his dreams. Far too tempting
for any man to ignore. “I’m telling the truth.”
The denial cut him deep, and he struggled to maintain clarity. The woman stood so close—touching
him. Her nails bit into his skin, sending electrical zaps through his body. His mind shut down. He yanked
her closer, and his mouth took hers.
* * *
taking.
Even so, she kissed him back, losing herself in his storm, her hands flattening across his hard chest.
She’d missed him. Missed this. The feeling of being swept up, of being everything. His passion made her
feel alive. Although the kiss was full of fury, her body ignited for the first time in five long years.
His tongue swept inside her mouth, tasting her, taking everything. One broad hand slipped to the small
of her back, pressing her against a rock-hard erection full of demand.
Her cleft swelled, and her knees trembled. A cramp started in her bad leg, and she ignored it, caught up
in the moment.
With a low growl, his free hand tugged down the top of her dress. Wrenching his lips free, he nipped
her earlobe, wandering lower, taking one nipple into his mouth. Electricity shot from her breast to her clit.
She bit her lip to stop from crying out.
Her legs gave out.
He swept her up, her legs straddling him, and pressed her against the wall.
This couldn’t happen. She stilled, her hands sliding through his thick hair. “I wondered if you’d grow it
out.” Was this her voice? Husky and needy?
He scraped her nipple with sharp teeth.
Need zinged through her body to settle between her legs. She gasped. Nate had always been beyond
gentle with her, and she’d wondered at the primal male she knew lived within him. But in their short time
together, he’d treated her as something fragile and delicate.
Now the real Nate was unleashed.
At sensing the real man, her heart thumped. For so long, she’d wondered about him. Very few people
in the world were allowed to see who he really was, and for the first time, she was on the
inside.
Where
she’d always wanted to belong.
With a soft
pop
, he released her nipple to glance up. Even behind the contacts, those eyes darkened,
glittering with hunger. His nostrils flared as he exhaled. As he regained control.
That cut jaw hardened. “Now tell me about the chips.”
Vulnerability competed with the desire raging inside her. Her skirt had pooled up, and her legs were
spread, his erection pressing against her panties. The top of the dress remained down, revealing her breasts.
“Put me down, and we’ll talk.”
“Oh, we’ll talk now.” His hands clenched on her buttocks.
She began to struggle and only succeeded in brushing her breasts against his chest and her sex against
his cock. Lust caught her breath in her throat. “Now, Nate.”
“No.” Determination lived in every line in his chiseled face. “This is a perfect position for you to tell me
everything.”
She couldn’t physically take him, and she knew it. A punch to his eyes would result in an irritated smile
from him—and she wasn’t armed. She tried to harden her expression, but her leg cramped, and she winced.
His gaze narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
She wanted to lie, but it was really starting to hurt. “Leg cramp.”
He glanced down at her left leg and stilled. “What the fuck?” Moving quickly, he pivoted and deposited
her on the bed, sliding the dress up farther. “What happened to you?”
She sighed and reached down to rub the area right above her knee. “My leg broke in several places and
needed a few surgeries to repair.”
“How?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
She’d give anything to be able to lie, but Nate was a human lie detector. “The day you escaped the
military organization, I was at the facility.”
“No.” He shook his head and released her, stepping back. “I made sure you were off base when we
blew it apart.”
She nodded. “I started bleeding and went to the infirmary.” They had the best medical facilities in the
world, and she had hoped they’d be able to save the baby.
He coughed, going pale. “So I did this?”
“No.” She shook her head. “The ceiling collapsed, and debris trapped me. You were right in that I
wasn’t supposed to be there.”
He paled further. “D-did I kill the baby?”
“No.” She swallowed, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. “I promise. You didn’t.” She’d done
everything possible to protect the baby, but what if the stress and fear about the military organization had
caused the miscarriage? Logically, she knew better. But emotion, not logic, kept her up at night anyway.
She couldn’t forgive herself, and there was no doubt Nate would ever forgive her. His world had to be
black and white, and she had understood that from the beginning.
He rubbed his chin, his shoulders relaxing. “All right.”
She wiped her nose. “I’d already seen an ultrasound, and the baby was gone. I promise, the explosion
didn’t harm the baby. It was already too late.” Nate would never be able to live with having caused the
miscarriage. “I’m sorry.”
He ran a hand through his thick hair, looking more out of sorts than she’d ever seen him. “Promise me.”
She nodded, her gaze meeting his. “I give you my word.”
He blinked and dropped to his haunches. Wide hands settled on her knees. Dark sorrow and
determination angled his features. “I don’t want any more hurt between us, Audrey. I’m sorry about the
baby, but I need to save my brothers.”
“I understand.” She’d been trying to save both him and his brothers since the beginning. “But the best
thing for you is to stay hidden from the commander. He’s looking for you.”
Nate scowled. “I don’t have a choice, and you know it. Tell me about the chips.”
What in the heck was he talking about? “Again, I don’t know about any chips.” She placed her hands
over his.
He frowned and studied her for several tension-filled moments. Then he closed his eyes on a strong
exhale. “You really don’t.”
“No. What chips?”
His shoulders slumped. “The ones planted near our spines that are set to detonate in less than three
weeks.”
“Detonate?” Fear prickled her skin. “How did this happen?”
“During routine surgeries, the doctors implanted the devices near our spine.” He rubbed his chin.
She gasped. “My mother had a part in this?”
“Yes.” He stood and pushed away from the bed. “If we don’t find the computer program and right
codes, the chips will detonate, and we’ll all be killed.”
Nate threw his duffel bag on the bed in the rustic cabin. The dump where he’d taken Audrey was rented
by the hour, and he’d had no intention of staying there. After their discussion, he had taken Audrey home
before returning to his home base a few miles away. The commander’s soldiers had remained out of sight,
but he heard their hearts beating and their breath panting out. They were near her apartment, and he didn’t
like that at all.
He’d wanted to take them both out, but that would alert the commander he was in town. So, he’d
headed back to his quaint cabin to get some work done.
His hands shook as he allowed himself one moment to feel. No child. For the briefest time, he’d almost
been a father. Sorrow and anger roared through him, and he took several deep breaths, his chin dropping to
his chest. What would his kid have been like? What would he and Audrey have been like as parents?
His brothers would’ve made wonderful uncles. Shane could’ve taught the kid sports, and Matt
would’ve taught him hunting. Josie, Shane’s wife, could’ve helped with his or her math homework, and
Matt’s love, Laney, would’ve helped with science.