There was an edge of threat behind her words, cold as steel and sharp as a blade. Reece had known it was a mistake to approach her so soon, but his feet kept carrying him along beside her anyway.
This wasn’t like him at all. He’d never been one to chase. But there was something different about Fairchild. A lot of things, actually. She was a Merc, like he was. A killer born and bred.
“I didn’t know they were going to make us do that,” he said.
“I thought you’d already been briefed.”
“About the mission, yes. I didn’t know they were going to test us like that, right there in the damn briefing room.”
Fairchild didn’t even blush.
“If this is an apology,” she said, “it’s not necessary. You were just following orders, like a good Merc. If you and your team hadn’t done it to me, somebody else would have.”
Those words—somebody else—sent a sudden fire coursing through Reece’s veins. It was a particular species of rage to which he was unaccustomed. In fact, he could only remember experiencing it once before, and that was a few minutes ago inthe briefing room when Fairchild had called herself that word he didn’t like.
Before he even knew what he was doing, he had grabbed Fairchild’s arm and jerked her to a stop. It was not, he realized, a particularly bright move.
With a cat-like quickness, Fairchild spun and caught his throat in her right hand. Her grip was like an iron vise.
“Let me go,” she snarled.
Reece released her arm and raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. It wasn’t that he was defeated, per se. He could think of at least a dozen ways to get her hand off his throat and regain control of the situation. He was aware, however, that other Mercs had stopped to watch the confrontation.
He was also aware that his cock was rock hard in his pants.
Fairchild tightened her grip.
“Don’t you ever grab me like that again,” she growled.
“If we go through with this mission,” he said softly, “I’m going to be doing a hell of a lot more than just grabbing you. React like this, and it’s liable to blow our cover.”
Fairchild dropped her hand from his throat, but her eyes still held firm, and they were full of fire.
“You know what else is liable to blow our cover?” she said. “If you decide to turn all jealous and possessive in the middle of the mission. Shit, you almost blew it back there in the briefing room with that whole nobody’s-slut-but-mine business.”
Reece heard murmurs and chuckles from the onlookers.
“Fairchild—”
“Shut up,” she said, cutting him off again. “Look, I get it, okay? You’re protective. You think of me like your kid sister or something. But I’m not.”
She didn’t get it—she didn’t get it at all—but Reece wasn’t about to try and explain it to her here in public. Besides, she wasn’t letting him get a word in edgewise. She stepped closer, until Reece could swear he felt little threads of electricity crackling between their two bodies.
“I want revenge,” she said in a voice that lifted the hairs on the back of his neck. “And I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to get it. Whatever. It. Takes. If you’re not down with that, I’ll tell Lennox to get me a Merc who is.”
Reece felt another scorch of jealousy inside his chest, but this time he managed to keep it contained. There was no way he was going to let Fairchild embark on this mission with a different team of Mercs. No way in hell.
“I’m down.”
Fairchild held his gaze a moment longer, as if searching for any signs of weakness lurking behind his eyes.
“Good,” she said at last. “In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow for loadout.”
And with that, she turned and marched off down the length of the concourse. Reece stood and watched her go, letting his eyes trail downward from her muscular shoulders to the firm, round shape of her butt twitching back and forth as she walked. His cock strained against the front of his pants. He cursed under his breath.
“Fuck.”
Reece had just learned two important lessons about Sonia Fairchild. One, she was tougher than he’d given her credit for—a hell of a lot tougher. And two, it was going to take more than brute force to tame her. He would have to be smart about it, think with his brain instead of his dick. That was fine by Reece. Strategy had always been his strong suit.
