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Chapter 1
Laila’s arms ached as she held the heavy M4A1 carbine in front of her. If she ever had to use this weapon, she’d be dead before she could lift it into firing position.
“What’re you waiting for, Burke?” Jase yelled from behind her. “Fire it at the target!”
She wanted to throw the weapon at her training agent. Instead, she gritted her teeth. Lifted it to her shoulder, the way Jase had shown her, and steadied it with her left hand. Pulled the trigger and stumbled backward as the recoil punched her shoulder and a volley of bullets flew toward the target thirty feet away.
She was pretty sure none of them hit the target.
Behind her, Jase sighed. He moved in behind her and wrapped his left arm around her waist. To hold her still? He curled his right arm around her shoulder to steady the gun with his hand. Just like the first time he’d done that, goosebumps erupted on Laila’s arms. She breathed deeply as chapter scent filled her head. His hard chest pressed against her back, and she wanted to lean into it.
Instead, she straightened her spine. Ignored Jase Conway’s effect on her. Jase was the last guy she’d get involved with, even though he was the hottest guy she’d ever met. He was bossy. Intimidating. Way too alpha. And she already knew he was completely ‘by the book’. A rule follower.
All traits on her ‘no fly’ list.
She drew in a deep breath. Blew it out slowly. Rules existed for a reason. They maintained order. But from her years as a teacher, she knew there were times when you had to ignore the rules if you wanted to get anything done.
“Try again.” Jase’s voice rumbled in her ear, and his breath ruffled the hair touching her neck. She shivered. Straightened her spine. No. She would not allow herself to beattracted to Jase Conway.
Pressing her lips together, she fired the weapon again. This time, most of the bullets hit the target. She stared at the holes in the paper target. If that target had been a person, he or she would be dead.
Setting the huge weapon on the ground, she turned to face Jase. “Look, Conway, I know I need weapons training, and I did damn well with the Glock 41.”
He nodded once, as if reluctant to give her credit for her skill with a handgun. “You did, which is a good thing, since that’s the weapon you’ll take to the village. But you need to work on using the M4A1, as well.”
“But I’m a teacher,” she said, frowning at him. “Why would I ever need this kind of weapon? And where would I even get one?”
He clenched his teeth together. He must be sick of arguing with her. “You have no idea what might happen in whatever village you end up in. What you might face. CIA agents need to be prepared for any eventuality.” He sighed. “It’s unlikely you’d ever need to handle a weapon like this. You won’t have access to one, and even if you did, you don’t have the upper body strength to hold it and fire it. Which is what we’ll work on after we finish this session at the gun range. But, even though it’s unlikely, you need to know how to use one. How to hold it and fire it. Break it down, clean it and put it back together.
“I’m going to stand behind you and support the gun for you until you’re comfortable firing it.”
God help her. She had to stand here, beneath the broiling desert sun, with Jase pressed close? Between the desert temperatures and the heat generated when their bodies came in contact, she’d end up with heat stroke.
Or worse, she’d enjoy the contact between their bodies.
Without looking at him, she nodded once and drew a deep breath.
His arm hovered over hers for a long moment, and he finally moved closer. Every nerve in her body tingled as she waited for him to press his chest against her back.
She swallowed hard as she waited for that contact. And it was impossible to miss his tiny, sharp inhale when their bodies came into contact.
God! Was it possible he felt this... this pull of attraction, as well? Her body reacted as if she were iron and he was a magnet. She was drawn to him involuntarily, as if she had no choice. She’d never felt this magnetism with a guy. Never felt this craving to press closer, to lean into him and touch. Explore. Take.
She squared her shoulders and vowed to get through this mandatory training as quickly as possible. Then she could go to her assignment and forget all about Jase Conway and her body’s disturbing reaction to him.
She’d keep her hands to herself, and once she was finished with this portion of her training, she’d never need to see Jase Conway again.
Ignoring the fire that rushed through her blood at Jase’s touch, ignoring the way her body reacted to him, she adjusted her grip on the gun. Forced herself to ask him for help. “What am I doing wrong? How can I manage this gun, since I’m lacking your upper body strength?”
“I don’t expect you to be built like me,” he said gruffly. “That would be a damn shame.” She heard the click as he clamped his teeth together, as if he regretted letting the words escape. After a long moment, he said, “We’ll spend some time in the gym working on arm strength. That will help. For now, you just need to get used to the feel of the weapon in your hands and the recoil when you fire it.”
She nodded once. “Okay. Let’s do this.” She didn’t add ‘even though I’ll never have to use this skill’.
“Good. You’ve got grit, Laila. And you’re a smart woman. You’ll figure this out.”
Her body wanted to figure out a lot of things with Jase. But she tightened her grip on the gun, waited for Jase to steady it, and fired it at the target.
And if she let herself lean back into Jase, it was only to brace herself for the recoil.
