Amelia Autin - Black Ops Warrior

And how are you going to do that, hotshot? How are you going to guard her 24/7?

The only answer that came to him was the one he was most afraid of—becoming Savannah’s lover for the remainder of this trip. Afraid, because he wanted this deep down in the secret recesses of his soul. Not just to keep her safe, but because he wanted her. Plain and simple.

But he didn’t just want her in his bed. He didn’t just want to sate himself with her body, although that urge was getting stronger by the minute. He wanted the woman who’d kissed the scar on his chest as if it were a sacred badge of honor. He wanted the woman who’d cried for his pain.

And that scared the hell out of him.

* * *

Savannah woke early and was dressed and downstairs before the hotel restaurant opened for breakfast at six. She was hoping she’d run into Niall and invite him to join her. But though her eyes searched everywhere, she didn’t see him.

Her attention was caught by the waving arm of Mary Beth Thompson, who was sitting with her husband, Herb. She didn’t want to eat breakfast with them, but she didn’t think she had a choice. Then she saw Tammy and Martin Williams at a table near the front door. She waved back at Mary Beth and shook her head, pointing toward the Williamses as if to indicate she had a previous assignation with them. Then she carried her tray over to their table.

“Mind if I join you?”

Tammy smiled. “Please do.”

Savannah sat with a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I just couldn’t bear Mary Beth’s brand of chattiness at breakfast.”

Tammy laughed and signaled to the waiter. “Coffee?” she asked Savannah.

“Yes, please.” She smiled at the waiter. “No cream.”

Tammy reached into her purse. “Do you need some no-sugar sweetener? I have some here.”

“Oh no. I brought my own. I did my research before I came on this trip. ‘Don’t drink the water. Don’t even brush your teeth with it,’” she intoned, checking items off her fingers as if ticking them off a list. “‘Bring your own no-sugar sweetener, because very few places will have it. Lock everything you don’t want stolen in the safe in your hotel room.’” She made a face. “That last thing applies everywhere, unfortunately, not just here in China. I had my iPhone charger stolen out of my hotel room in Washington, DC, one time.”

“What were you doing in DC?” Martin asked, buttering a roll.

Mindful of her security warnings, Savannah merely said, “Oh, I was there on a business trip.” She didn’t mention that, except for a cab ride around the city to see a few of the monuments from a distance, all she’d really seen was the view from her hotel—she wasn’t about to go into her fear of crowds with mere acquaintances. Which hammered home the difference between them and Niall. She hadn’t hesitated to confide in Niall her deepest secrets, because...well...because she felt as if she’d always known him. As if she could trust him.

And one other thing. She was falling for him. Hard.

Was she going to get her heart broken? Probably. But she didn’t care. She wasn’t foolish enough to think he was Mr. Right. But if she played her cards well, he could be Mr. Right Now.

She looked up from her plate suddenly, and there he was, standing in the entrance to the restaurant. So tall. So ridiculously fit. So reassuringly male. And all at once she remembered how he’d kissed her last night, then left her because he was a gentleman.

Their eyes met across the short distance, and she beamed at him. Her gaze slid to the empty chair next to hers, a blatant invitation. One he seemed to have no hesitation accepting.

“Mind if I join you?”

Savannah just smiled her welcome, but Tammy said, “The more, the merrier. Grab a plate of food. Want me to order coffee for you?”

“Sure. Black.” He glanced down at Savannah’s now-empty plate. “Come keep me company,” he invited. “You can tell me what was good.”

He didn’t really need her recommendations, but he wanted her company. That was all Savannah could think of as she followed him to the buffet. She took an empty plate and added some fruit, watching while Niall piled his plate high with protein, no carbs and no fruit. “Is that how you stay in such great shape?” she asked. “Mega protein?”

He smiled lazily down at her. “I eat things other than meat. But not where you can’t trust the water that comes out of the tap.”

“Oh.” She glanced at the cut fruit on her plate.

“You think they wash the fruit in bottled water?”

“Oh,” she repeated blankly. “I never thought of that.” She mentally reviewed what she’d already eaten, and felt slightly queasy. Her expression must have given her away, because he said, “It’s probably not an issue, so don’t start second-guessing yourself. Just keep it in mind going forward.”

* * *

Niall and Savannah left the restaurant together. “Don’t forget the tour bus leaves at eight,” Tammy called after them. “And the tour guide said they wouldn’t wait for us if we weren’t on the bus. You don’t want to miss the Forbidden City.”

“We’ll be there,” she assured her new acquaintance. “No way would I miss that.”

Niall steered her toward the front door. “Let’s go look at the fountain,” he told her. “There’s something I want to discuss with you in private.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“It’s not meant to be,” he began, then amended, “Well...maybe it is. It’s about last night.”

“You mean the attempted break-in?”

“I don’t think it was a break-in, Savannah,” he said, his voice very deep. Very serious. And obviously very concerned. “I think you were targeted. And I don’t think they planned to rob you.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I talked with hotel security last night and this morning—that’s where I was before breakfast. This hotel has extensive security cameras at all the entrances, and they reviewed the tapes. No one wearing the clothing I saw entered or left the hotel last night, with or without masks. Which means they didn’t leave the hotel. Which means they either work here...or they’re guests.” He paused, then added softly, “And if they’re guests, my money says they’re on the tour.”

Chapter 5

Savannah stared up at Niall, an arrested expression on her face. “Okay,” she said slowly. “Maybe they work here. Or maybe they’re a sophisticated gang of thieves who’re masquerading as guests, maybe even on the tour. But how do you get from that to thinking they weren’t just planning to rob me?”

Niall chose his words carefully. “What did they say when they knocked at your door?”

She shook her head, her brow furrowed, as if she wasn’t seeing his point. “All they said was—” Then she got it. “Housekeeping,” she whispered. “But no Chinese accent.”

He nodded. “I don’t see them speaking English like an American if they were there to rob you. It’s possible, of course, but not very likely. Which means you were probably targeted for some other reason. And the only reason that comes to mind is...the job you used to have.”

“How do you know what my job used to be?” Her face had lost some of its color. “I never told you.”

“I can put two and two together, same as you. You told me you’re an engineer. You told me who your employer was, and you told me they tried to convince you not to quit.” He smiled faintly. “Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you were a rocket scientist. And, therefore, vitally important to the defense industry in some way. Which makes me think...”

“I’m not that important. Not enough for someone to, to—”