She gave a rude snort but stayed still, letting him stride a few steps away from the other couple. He had to smile. She really didn’t want to hurt him.
He looked over at his cousin, who seemed to be having a more difficult time placating Marlena. “But Lena,” he heard Steve say, amusement in his voice, “she attacked me.”
“You didn’t have to enjoy it so much when she was on top of you trying to lick you off.”
Hawk slid Amber off him and brushed twigs from her hair. “Lick?” he murmured. “You licked another man in front of me?”
“I did not lick him! And I thought…never mind what I thought. Who are those two?”
“He’s my cousin and she’s his wife. She was just mad to see you licking her husband, so I don’t blame her.” He cupped Amber’s face. “Am I not enough for you, that you have to attack some other woman’s husband?”
Amber stuck a tongue out at him childishly. “He looked like you,” she said, and cast a glance at the squabbling couple a few feet away. “Well, in these shadows he did.”
Hawk and Steve had been mistaken for each other since they were kids, so he couldn’t blame her. His cousin was more like a brother to him, and they had both had their share of pranks blamed on each other through their childhood. “He’s uglier,” he told her.
Steve glanced over. “I heard that, Rocky Balboa. You’re the one with cuts all over your face.”
Lena turned to look at Hawk, too. “Are you injured, Hawk?” She sounded surprised, her anger gone. “Who hurt you?”
“Good question,” Steve said, and released his wife now that she was no longer trying to hurt him.
“But why would you suddenly bump into your cousin in the middle of the woods in Albania?” Amber asked.
“That’s another good question,” Hawk said, looking at his cousin. “Strange coincidence.”
“It’s part of our honeymoon,” Marlena said, smiling, as she and Steve walked over. “We thought since you didn’t show up for our wedding, we’d come see you for our honeymoon.”
Marlena Maxwell—Marlena McMillan now, he supposed—was one of GEM’s premier covert operatives. She was known in the underworld as the world’s most glamorous assassin. When Hawk had first met her, they were in the middle of a gun battle. Steve had asked him for help to save her, but from the way she had coolly picked off the enemy, she seemed able to take care of herself quite well. Hawk liked her. She was definitely a good match for his cousin.
“Well, then, I’d better make some friendly introductions,” Hawk said. “This is Amber, Marlena. Amber, this is Marlena, and Steve, my cousin.”
Marlena’s smile dimmed a little as she studied Amber. Hawk noticed Amber was doing the same thing to the other woman.
“Nice form,” Marlena said.
“You’re okay, too,” Amber said, eyes narrowing just a fraction. “Are you always so impetuous about starting a fight?”
Marlena deliberated for a second, then her face broke into a smile. “Yes,” she drawled, “but only with the worthy ones.”
Amber blinked, then laughed. “Good to know I’m one of them.”
“I’ll have to teach you other ways to get rid of the flies,” Marlena said.
“Flies?”
Marlena’s expression was mischievous as she looked at Hawk. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how delicious the McMillans can be,” she drawled, and comfortably leaned against Steve when he wrapped his arms around her. “Trust me. You’ll need to talk to me about the flies.”
Hawk grinned back at Marlena. “You haven’t changed a bit since I last saw you.” Always teasing. Never boring.
“Darling, you have.” The other woman looked critically at him. “Now tell me who beat you up like that so I can take care of them for you.”
Hawk felt Amber nudging his side. “I can take care of him,” she cut in smoothly.
He grinned at Steve and shrugged. “What are you good for these days, Kisser?” he asked.
Steve shrugged back. “If I tell you, you’ll be deathly afraid,” he deadpanned.
It was definitely great to see familiar faces from his real life. However, it also reminded him of why he and Amber were there. “So, seriously, you two didn’t just appear in this no-man’s-land to honeymoon,andhappen to bump into me. Tell me.”
