He stripped out of his gym clothes and reached for the clothes always stacked on the chair in readiness for the next mission.
He felt Ellory’s stare on him and knew she had questions, but she didn’t say a word as she settled on the edge of the bed.
“Order came down the chain,” he said.
She was still before but now she froze.
“One of the properties. Tonight. The window’s right for us to get in.”
His mind had already split—part of it was in this room, part of it already on the other side of that door.
He yanked a shirt over his head.
“So you’re going.”
“Now.”
“My brother?” Her voice came out small.
“If he’s there, we’ll get him out.” He met her gaze then, losing himself for a beat too long in the deep blue and the love sparkling there along with tears.
He zipped his bag.
“Can I go?”
He shook his head. The last thing he wanted was a replay of the time before. “We can’t risk it.”
She spread her hands and stared down at them, blinking. “So I’m just supposed to sit here and worry about you?”
“You do what the other women do. They stay busy. Cook. Do whatever activities women do to keep their minds off the wait.”
She didn’t snap back at his suggestion.
His chest flexed at the sight of her sitting on the edge of the bed, head bowed and her glasses sliding down her cute nose.
“Angelo.”
He pulled her up and kissed her—hard, claiming. A moan escaped her and her head dropped into his palm that was there to cradle it. As their lips met in urgent kisses, he felt his internal clock counting down.
Breaking the kiss, he lifted his head slowly, letting his nose graze hers. He only allowed himself to study her eyes for a heartbeat.
He turned back to his bag and checked the zipper pull. Didn’t look at her.
Fear was a live thing sitting in his chest, and he didn’t have language for it. But he was about to walk out that door in approximately four minutes and the feelings inside him were getting loud in a way he didn’t know what to do with.
The men he served with knew better than to hold back. But he just couldn’t make the words come out of his mouth. Not standing here. Not with the clock running.
When he finally told her how he felt, he was going to have hours and hours to show her too.
But he could do something.
He reached for his phone and opened a message. Typed three numbers and stared at them for a second.
459
He hit send.
Her phone lit up on the bed beside her. From his peripheral, he saw her reach for it and read the screen.
