Merc territory? Eesh. Although it would be advantageous to catalog their weak points. “Got it.” She kept her face stoic and strode past the men and into the war room. After she’d tapped out the night before, Tace had let her up, and she’d all but run for her quarters. A sleepless night later, and she still couldn’t forget his lips so close to hers. No way was she getting involved with a brilliant bad boy who freely admitted he was about to go dark—especially since he was smart enough to figure out everything she was fighting so hard to keep hidden.
Tace followed her. “You shouldn’t come with me,” he whispered, keeping pace past the table to the lockers.
What was happening with him? “Why not?” she whispered back, yanking open a locker to outfit herself.
He didn’t answer.
She fit a gun holster over her shoulder, pushing her green sweater out of the way. A knife went in her jeans pocket, and a couple more went beside her calf and in her boot. She looked up. “Well?”
Tace’s jaw flexed, and he stepped into her space. “It’s Merc territory.”
“No shit.” Heat flared through her at the nearness of his hard body. Man, she was off-center. “Would you move back?”
“No.” He tugged on her shoulder holster. “This isn’t secure enough.”
She slapped his hands. “Stop it.”
He yanked on the strap, and she smacked his wrist, engaging in a clumsy struggle. He leaned in. “You need to listen to me. Last night I dreamed of you beneath me, naked in bed, and coming hard. We need distance from each other.”
She didn’t back down even as her libido sprang right up into awareness. “What about Barbara?”
“It’s over,” Tace said flatly.
“That’s your problem and not mine.” Sami drew out a knife.
“Yeah, except you’re the one haunting my dreams,” he said, his voice gravelly.
She shook her head. “You’re just having more brain issues from the illness. It’ll go away once you heal. Nothing can happen between us because of our jobs.” And the fact that she was lying to everybody about her past. Oh yeah. That.
His jaw clenched. “I know that, which is why we could use distance.”
“I’m not neglecting my job because you’re horny, Justice.” She shoved him.
He tugged on the strap again, and she slapped his hand. Again. They engaged in a struggle for control, and she shoved his arm.
“What the hell?” Jax snapped from the doorway.
Her head swiveled the same time Tace’s did. Heat climbed into her face.
Jax frowned and looked from Tace to Sami and back. “Is something going on between you two?”
“No,” Sami burst out just as Tace snarled, “Hell, no.”
Jax rocked back on his heels, his face harder than usual. “All right. Keep it that way.”
Sami brushed by Tace. “No worries there.” When she reached Jax, he stopped her by the arm. She lifted one eyebrow and stared up into his sharply cut face.
He dropped his hand. “This isn’t an order. If you don’t want to go into Merc territory, you don’t have to.”
Sami stiffened. The men had never treated her differently because of her sex. Her abdomen cramped. “Did you give Tace the out if he didn’t want to go?”
Jax paused and then frowned again. “Actually, yeah. I did.”
“Oh.” She settled. “All right then. I’m fine on the mission.”
“Copy that.” Jax released her. “Learn everything about the Mercs that you can—I’m interested in their holdings and provisions. Well, and security. If we decide to take out Greyson Storm, who steps up?”
Sami paused. Sometimes she forgot what a cold strategist Jax could be. He’d mellowed a little since falling in love . . . but only a little. “You’re thinking of taking the leader of the Mercs out?”
