Rebecca Zanetti - Blind Faith

“I have a job to do.” Her chin tilted at a stubborn angle that made him want to take a bite.

“No.” His gaze dropped to her lips—so pink and ready for him. “You wanted to go back to school, maybe get a master’s, and work in early childhood development. Work with little kids. What happened?”

“Life happened, and I grew up.” Her gaze shuttered. “Now, if you’re done playing with me, we really should get back to the meeting.”

Playing with her? Nate inhaled her natural gardenia scent. “Ah, baby, I’m just getting started.”

After the disastrous meeting with Nathan, a luncheon with the senator, and three more meetings with special interest groups, Audrey wanted to head home for a hot bath and a stiff drink. The drive home took longer than usual because of traffic, and she finally sighed in relief when she walked into her quiet apartment in Virginia, rain dripping from her coat and umbrella.

She’d been unable to spot the men tailing her, but she felt their presence. These two or three were so much better than the last couple at disguising themselves. When would they make a move against her?

The door closed silently behind her, and she jumped. Turning, she took in the man lounging against the heavy oak. The scent of wild male filled her feminine apartment. “You have a death wish,” she muttered.

Nathan lifted an eyebrow, muscled arms crossed. “You going to kill me?”

The man had no clue how tempting the thought suddenly became. “No, but I’m being watched, and maybe they’re waiting for you to show up.” She slipped her arms out of her coat. Lying to him kept her on full alert, while the guilt of doing so leavened her limbs.

“I saw the two men watching you,” Nate said, rolling his eyes.

“Lucky you.” Darn it. She’d been unable to spot them. “Get out of town, and I promise I’ll find out what I can about the kill chips.”

His eyes darkened to a dangerous gray. He’d ditched the contacts. “Your promise doesn’t mean much to me.”

Hurt chilled her throughout, partially because he was spot on. “I’m sure that’s true.” Lying to him about her plan with the senator was a mistake, but even so, she threw down the gauntlet. “But you don’t have a choice.”

“Don’t I?” he asked, his voice lowering to a softness that was all the more deadly for the low tenor.

She shivered, and not from fear. The tone he used… she’d known it well. Southern promises and heated nights. Her nipples sprang alive, and her sex softened. “I’m telling you, the commander has people watching me.”

“I know.”

Was he crazy? “You won’t be able to hide from them for long.” Sure, he was trained, but so were the men watching her.

“Sure I will. Especially with this cover as Jason McGovern from the technology firm you’re working with.” His gaze warmed as it traveled from her feet to her face. “In fact, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

“No, we won’t.” Panic awakened inside her on the heels of raw desire. “They might be waiting for you to show up, and I’m bait.”

“Why would you be bait?” he asked, no expression crossing his chiseled face.

Not because he still loved her, obviously. Pain cut into her, and she rubbed her stomach. “I’m your way in, and you know it. They know it. We all know it.” She shook out her umbrella. “Now get out of my apartment.”

“No.” Curiosity glinted in his eyes.

Her hold tightened on the wood as she lifted the umbrella. “Don’t push me, Nate.”

His arms dropped to his sides. “Or what?” he drawled, male cockiness in full force.

She swung. God help her, she knew better, but she did it anyway. With all her strength, with all the emotion she was tamping down, she swung the umbrella full force at his face.

He caught it easily in one hand, pivoting and trapping her against the door. Over two hundred pounds of hard muscled male pinned her in place.

She’d forgotten how quickly he could move. Her breath panted out while her knees weakened.

He stared down at her, fury glinting in his eyes, a vein standing out along his neck. “What did I teach you?” he ground out.

She blinked. “What?”

“Self-defense. What’s your first lesson?” Anger rode every word.

The door cooled her back while the warm male vibrating with temper heated her front. “Um, to aim for the neck or eyes?” What was his point?

“Exactly.” He stepped into her, still glaring. “Swinging an umbrella at a guy like me? Never let temper put you in more danger.”

Her mind swam. He was angry because she hadn’t really tried to harm him? She couldn’t deal with the confusion on top of everything else. “What do you want from me?”

“Answers.” He tossed the umbrella to the floor.

There was no way to physically kick him out. Her shoulders slumped along with her spirit. “Fine. Do we have to talk here in the entryway?” she asked.

“No.” He stepped back to allow her to hang her coat in the closet by the door. “I put noodles on.”

She stilled. He cooked dinner? Almost in a dream, she followed him through the small apartment and into the kitchen.

“Sit.” He gestured toward the petite mahogany circular table that had come with the apartment and then turned toward a pot sitting on the stovetop.

Her leg cramped, but she walked without a hitch to take one of the chairs, her mind fuzzing. Somehow Nate had found matching aqua placemats, ivory napkins, and pasta bowls. “I think I’ve entered the Twilight Zone,” she muttered, unfolding her napkin.

Nate grinned, skirting the kitchen bar to dump aromatic pasta on her plate.

The smile warmed her heart and spread to unfurl desire in her abdomen. She shook her head to focus. “I didn’t have fresh tomatoes and garlic.” Or Parmesan cheese, for that matter.

“I hit the store first.” He served pasta into his bowl before reaching for a bottle of wine breathing on the counter. “Shiraz, if I remember right.” The light hit the dark red liquid as he filled two wineglasses.

“You remember right,” she murmured, trying to find some sort of balance. The one man she’d ever loved, the only man she’d ever slept with, the one whose heart she had broken… had cooked her dinner. What in the holy heck was going on?

He sat and glanced at the tidy and quaint kitchen. “Your place doesn’t reflect you much.”

She looked around at sterile silver appliances and faded birch cabinets. No personal touches had been placed anywhere in the apartment, much less in the kitchen. “The apartment was furnished when I rented it, and I haven’t had time to nest.” In fact, she needed to be able to move in minutes if necessary.

He nodded and took a swallow of the wine. “I found your ‘go bag’ hidden behind the false cabinet in the bathroom.”

Her hand stilled in reaching for the wineglass. “Nosy, aren’t you?”

He took another drink of the wine. “Who are you planning to run from?”

She wrapped her fingers around the delicate stem. “You.”

He didn’t move, but tension instantly spiraled around them. “Don’t lie to me, Audrey.”

“Or what?” she asked, taking a sip of the potent wine, her breath speeding up.

He leaned toward her. “Do you really want to know?”

Hell, no. The scent of wild male, all Nathan, slammed into her, sending her system into overdrive. How could he be so sexy after all this time? Even with the new edge of danger riding him hard, he all but promised rough sex that would be worth it. “I’m not afraid of you, Nate.” She took a bigger swallow, her stomach heating instantly from both the man and the drink.