Blind Faith (8 page)

“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.

His smile lacked humor. “Another lie. Knock it off.”

Enough of this. She slid the wineglass to the side and leaned toward him, meeting his dark gaze. “Or.

What?”

His gaze dropped to her lips. “I’d forgotten that about you,” he mused, almost to himself.

“What?” she asked, her voice thickening.

His chin lifted, and he captured her gaze. “How you liked to push me to lose control.”

There had been a time she would’ve loved to take his control. To prove she was special—the only

woman to get past his training and the rigid rules he set for himself. “But you never did, did you?”

“No.” He sat back. “I’m not lost and lovesick anymore. Believe me, after everything that has happened,

you want me in control.”

But did she? Nathan out of control, just for her? The imminent broken heart might be worth the pain.

She twirled perfectly cooked angel hair pasta around her fork and took a bite, nearly humming at the

explosion of flavors. She swallowed. “This is delicious. While I appreciate dinner, you need to leave

afterward.” Before the men watching her discovered him.

He smiled.

Her heart dropped.

Sampling his dinner, he swallowed before speaking. “I haven’t been clear. This is what is going to

happen. First, you’re going to answer all of my questions, and then we’re going to come up with a plausible

plan for you to get me into the commander’s base outside of DC. Finally, you’re leaving town.”

“No.” She ate more of the pasta, wondering how far Nate would go. “I’ll get the information for you,

but the commander is probably waiting for you, and I can’t leave DC yet.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “I have business.”

“Committing fraud to fund the commander and your mother?” Nate tossed his napkin down.

“Yes.”

His gaze narrowed. The seconds ticked by, and Audrey struggled to remain still and unaffected as he

studied her. She ate slowly, no longer tasting the delicious meal.

Finally, he cocked his head to the side. “You just lied.”

“No, I didn’t.” Although her one little word skirted the truth, didn’t it? “You’ve lost your touch.”

“Think so?” he whispered, pushing back from the table.

Intrigue skittered down her back. “Yes.” She placed her napkin over the nearly empty bowl.

“Interesting.” For such a large man, Nate moved with surprising grace around the table, where he

dropped to his haunches and reached for the zipper on her boot. “I didn’t get a chance to study your leg

when it was around my hip in the hotel room. Let’s take a moment here.”

“No.” The word exploded from her, and she tried to scoot back in the chair. “Let go.”

His grip remained strong and sure. “I want to see the damage I caused.” While the words remained

steady, his eyes swirled with a fatalistic regret.

“You didn’t know I was at the compound when you detonated the explosives,” she said softly, placing

her hand over his and leaning toward him. He’d changed, and not just physically. The old Nate was full of

fun and hope for the future. This one? Raw determination with no hope. The reality of that hurt something

deep inside her.

She’d sacrificed for him to find a life, and how dare he give up? “We’ll find the codes to save you.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I promised my brothers I’d get the code to save them, and I will.”

The words he left out said a lot more than the ones he’d used. She held him tighter. “What about you?”

His gaze fastened on their hands. “Let me see, Audrey.”

“That wasn’t an answer.” She lifted his chin with her free hand, stubble scratching her palm. “You’re

not a coward. Stop acting like giving up is okay—I demand more from you than that.”

“That’s all you’re getting.” He jerked his head to the side as if her touch burned him.

Hurt and anger shoved her back in the chair. “Fine. You want answers? Ask the questions, but let my

fucking leg go.”

One dark eyebrow rose. “You’ve got quite the mouth on you now, don’t you?”

“You have no idea.” She needed space. On his haunches, he met her gaze evenly while trapping her in

place. Her nipples peaked in interest. “Let’s go into the living room.”

“No.” He remained in place. “Tell you what. I’ll ask questions, and if you tell the truth, I won’t move. If

you lie to me again, I’m going to remove an article of your clothing, starting with this boot.”

Alarm and fury threatened to choke her, so she forced a sarcastic smile. “I didn’t know you were into

sex games, soldier.”

His smile beat hers in sarcasm, hands down. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. Wanna learn?”

Man, she’d love to meet his bluff. Except, Nate didn’t bluff. “If I scream, those men watching me will

come running.”

“You try to scream, and I’ll be on you before one sound escapes.” A tension of a different sort cascaded

from him, all but dampening her panties. Sexual need filled the tiny apartment, leavening the very oxygen.

What in the world was wrong with her? “You’re an ass.”

“I’m glad we understand each other.” He reached for the zipper of her leather boot. “Question number

one. Where’s the commander’s new base?”

“Thirty miles outside of Dillwyn.” Her free foot twitched with the need to kick him in the face.

“Kick me, and we’ll do this naked,” he said, eyes knowing. One of his gifts was to see beneath the

surface, and by the darkening of those eyes, he saw exactly what he did to her.

Desire slammed into her abdomen. How did he do that? Her body remembered him well even though it

had been five years since he’d taken her to unbelievable heights. A primal part of her wanted to jump right

back into the fire with him. Desire feathered along her skin, raising goose bumps. “Threatening me is no

way to gain my cooperation,” she muttered.

“How well manned is the facility?” Nate asked, a flush crossing his cheekbones.

Yeah. Their closeness affected him as well. But while she tried to hide her reaction, he allowed his free

rein.

He smiled, but it wasn’t his usual cocky smirk. It was a baring of teeth. Primal and honest. Nate wanted

her.

She paused, trying to focus on the question and not the desire uncoiling in her body. “Same as the place

in Tennessee, I think. There’s an infirmary, several labs, weapon caches, and offices.”

“Any new trainees?” Nate’s jaw hardened visibly.

“No.” Audrey shook her head, trying to draw in fresh air. “Only adults, and I don’t know how many are

the commander’s soldiers and how many are with the U.S. military. If any.”

“Are you due there any time soon?” His finger slipped beneath the boot, caressing her bare skin.

“No,” she whispered, her body rioting. Heat flared up from her chest, scalding her throat.

His eyes darkened, and he unzipped the boot. “A lie.” With a sharp tug, he removed it to toss onto the

ground. Amusement quirked his lip. “I like your sock.”

Heat spun into her cheeks at the striped purple and green sock. “I need to do laundry.” The boot had

covered the fuzzy sock, and she hadn’t figured anybody would see it.

“All right.” His thick hand banded around her other calf as he eyed the zipper. “When are you due back

at the commander’s DC facility?”

His touch sent tingles up her leg right to her sex. She had to get away before she started shedding her

clothing and jumped him. An ache pounded in her core, and she fought the urge to rub her thighs together.

This should
not
be turning her on. “I’m due at the DC facility the day after tomorrow.”