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CHAPTER 10
Mace was sittingin the restaurant the next morning having just ordered an ‘American Breakfast’ from the menu when he saw Sierra come down the stairs. Day four. His heart pounded once off its usual beat, surprised at how beautiful she looked with her hair down, dark, shining and swaying gracefully with every step she took. She was yawning, hand across her mouth, her eyes still drowsy. He smiled to himself, feeling his lower body turn to fire by the way her hips swayed. Mace was having a tough time reconciling the fact that she was a military sniper. She looked like a young college-aged woman. This morning, she wore a bright-red long-sleeved shirt, a denim vest over it, and jeans.
Mace stood and met her at the entrance. They’d had one hell of a good day at the orphanage. And the children had fallen in love with Sierra. Who wouldn’t?
“Come on over,” he said, gesturing to the table.
“Hi, Mace. Thanks. I’m so tired! I feel like I can’t wake up.”
He slipped his hand around her elbow, guiding her between the tables filled with patrons. “Coffee will fix that,” he said, pulling out the chair for her.
A waiter came over and Mace told him in Spanish to give Sierra a cup of coffee. The man nodded and hurried away.
Rubbing her face, she muttered, “Where’s the other guys?”
“After we got done at the orphanage at 1600, they took off to see who could drink the most pisco sours. They’re sleeping off a serious drunk this morning.”
She grinned and shook her head, “Those guys have got their throttles to the firewall.” Last night, Mace had taken her to a nice Peruvian cafe where they’d had a delicious meal of vegetables and the best of Argentinian beef.
“You sleep well?” he asked. Because there were no longer smudges beneath her eyes.
“Wonderfully,” Sierra said wistfully, unrolling the linen napkin and placing it across her lap. The waiter brought her coffee, and she thanked him, sliding her hands around the delicate China cup. Picking it up, she inhaled the fragrance, closing her eyes, a soft smile hovering on her lips. “Mmmm, I am going to miss this. I know I will.” She ordered her breakfast from the waiter.
Mace felt himself stir. The look on her face damn near unstrung him. He harshly reminded himself she was enjoying the fragrance of the coffee. Not him. Her hands were slender, graceful as she held the cup. “It’s nearly 1000.”
“I know. I can’t believe I overslept.”
“We worked hard all day yesterday at the orphanage. Plus, I think you’re still coming down off that Somalia op.”
“Wouldn’t disagree. It was a ball-buster…”
“Why did Driscoll choose you to come down here on our op?”
Shrugging, Sierra said, “I was the only one available. We have five snipers, all women, available through Shield, but they were all out on missions. I just happened to get my HVT and came walking in the door of the office when he buttonholed me on this up-and-coming mission.”
Scowling, Mace said, “He should have given you a longer turnaround time. Given you a rest.” And he said it from a protective standpoint, not meaning that he didn’t want her on the op, although she looked a bit surprised over his statement. “It’s just a comment, not an indictment on you,” he added wryly, sipping his coffee. She sat there, a faint smile tugging at her lips and enjoying the coffee. He wondered what it would be like to wake up with her in his arms. The thought was heated. Charged with possibility. Mace instantly clamped a vise down on the idea. Sierra had been right: to mix business with pleasure would be foolhardy. It would leave them open to distraction, which was deadly.
“What do you feel like doing today?” he wondered.
“I’d love to just be a tourist today,” she sighed, giving him a warm look.
Mace nodded, his hands itching to tunnel his fingers through that black, shining hair of hers. Here in Cusco, the humidity was way down compared to the jungles up at sixty-five hundred feet. “Mind if I be your guide?”
“No, not at all.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m definitely going to take you up on buying some sweaters, though. Even last night, I was cold. It was so nice of you to take off your sport coat and put it around my shoulders.”
“Glad to do it.” Hell, he wanted even now to put his arm around her, tuck her in against him like he had that night they’d stood duty out in the jungle. Mace wasn’t ever going to forget that night, or the way her body had fit against his, so soft and curvy. Or how good it had felt to have her in his arms. It made him feel good that he could do something positive for Sierra. His heart swelled silently with happiness, in a way that he hadn’t felt for such a long time that he’d almost forgotten the sensation. It sent a keening ache through Mace. After Ana Beth died, he’d died. His emotions, except for the loneliness, were put in a deep, dark place. Watching the way Sierra’s hair slipped and slid over her capable shoulders as she moved, made him poignantly aware of just how damn lonely he was for a woman in his life again. A home, again. A family…
“Do you know of a store where we can buy some?”
“The Q’ero Indian women are selling them on some of the plazas. Some have stalls. Some sit on the ground and sell them. You won’t have a problem finding any.”
She smiled. “This was such a vibrant city last night. I really am anxious to explore it today.”
“If you like history, you’ll always like coming to Cusco.”
She frowned. “Is there a chance we could run into Belov or other Russian mafia men here?”
“Yeah, there is,” Mace said. “That’s why I don’t want you out wandering around alone. If I can’t take you, Nate or Cale will. The Russians always have an eye for young, beautiful women and I don’t want them to even see you, much less give you any problems.” He saw her cheeks go a pink color, realizing she was blushing.
