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“You’re one to talk.” She leaned up to look at him. “Isn’t that exactly what you did?”
“In a way, I suppose.” He pulled her back down to his chest and held her close. “Honestly, I think it was more me putting that on myself. My grandparents took me in, brought me up when they were way past the age where they expected kids to be part of the equation. I wanted to prove to them that I was worth it—worth all the complications I added to their lives. Looking back now, I don’t think they saw it that way. But I was a kid, and I drew my own conclusions, for better or worse. Your father, though…that’s a whole different story. I would never make my children earn my love that way. Never. If being a SEAL has taught me anything, it’s that life’s too short to put things ahead of people. Period.”
Toni smiled against his skin. “Everything’s black and white to you, isn’t it?”
Spencer slipped his fingers beneath her chin and tilted her face up to his for a kiss, his warm smile melting her heart. “Sometimes, yeah. Some things are just…right, you know? And some are plain wrong.”
“Yeah. I know.” She kissed him once more before pulling away. The limo driver would return soon, and it was time to return to reality. “Now, hurry up and get dressed before we cause some kind of international scandal.”
He stretched, naked and completely relaxed. “Do I have to?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” She pulled on her bra and panties, then shimmied back into her dress before turning to face him once more. He frowned down at his damp underwear wadded into a ball near his feet, then left them where they were and tugged on his pants. The thought of him going commando beneath his crisp attire made her blood sizzle with renewed lust, but there wasn’t time to do anything about it. Once anyone else was around, they had to be business associates and nothing more. There’d be no more fantasizing about what was under his pants, no matter how much she might want to. The sound of a car engine grew nearer, and she picked up his discarded briefs and shoved them into their tote before starting back toward the entrance to the oasis. This had already been one of her favorite spots in Jubail, and now it would forever be unforgettable because of him.
At the last moment, she rose up on tiptoes and pressed one final kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked, frowning down at her before slipping his aviator shades back into place.
“For today.”
“My pleasure.” He flashed a cocky grin. “Definitely.”
8
The minute they hit the outskirts of the city—putting them back in range of the cell towers—Spencer’s phone blew up with texts from Kyle demanding to know where the hell he’d been and asking him to call ASAP. He sighed and slouched in his seat, glancing at Toni before hitting the call button. The last few hours had been like a dream, a perfect fantasy, and he was reluctant to leave that behind so soon. But when duty called, Spencer answered.
“Where the hell have you been?” Kyle said by way of greeting.
“Always nice talking to you too.” He gazed out the window at the city skyline in the distance. Several police vehicles, lights and sirens going, zoomed past their limo, and he frowned. “What’s going on?”
“Guess you haven’t seen the news. Things just went from bad to worse, that’s what’s going on.”
Spencer straightened and pointed toward Toni’s purse on the seat, then mouthed for her to check the news feeds on her phone. She tapped at her device, then gasped, holding the screen out for him to see too. The headline made his stomach lurch.
Terrorist Attack on Jubailian Elementary School—24 Dead, More Injured
“Dammit!” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. One day. No—less than that. He couldn’t take one goddamned hour for himself without the whole world going to hell. “The training village?”
“Yep. Based on the codes Hayley found embedded in Natalie’s book, SHEEPSKIN was targeting Miles Arrieta. It looks like the training camp was his. Typical Arrieta, putting it next to a school so that even if the location was discovered, no one would be willing to target it, to avoid collateral damage. Except for SHEEPSKIN, apparently.”
Every muscle in Spencer’s body clenched. He should’ve taken that asshole out when he’d had the chance back in Afghanistan, but pity had gotten the better of him. The guy had been half dead from starvation and torture, and Spencer couldn’t bring himself to put a bullet in the bastard’s head. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Forcing words past his constricted vocal cords, he growled, “Where is Arrieta?”
“Gage and Scotty have been going over the NSA intel for the past few hours, checking for his last known whereabouts. They’re still trying to pinpoint his exact coordinates. After the attack, though, I’d imagine he’d stay pretty close. Initial estimates say the death toll at his training camp was in the double digits. That’s got to set him back, fighter-wise. Now, answer my question.”
“What question?”
“Don’t give me that insubordinate attitude, Lieutenant Nixon.” Kyle paused to let the weight of his tone sink in. “This mission is too important to compromise. Where the hell have you been?”
Spencer considered lying, then decided to go with the truth. Considering the apocalypse that had erupted while he was gone, he was in enough trouble already. Might as well come clean and deal with it all at once. “I was with Toni. She wanted to get away from the city for a while, so we went to this oasis in the desert for a couple hours.”
“I see.” Kyle’s disapproval rippled through the phone line. “So while you were lounging around beneath the palm trees, SHEEPSKIN could’ve easily taken out your little heiress too.”
“No, dammit. It wasn’t like that,” he said, rubbing his eyes while guilt chewed a hole through his chest. Itwaslike that, but he would never admit it to Kyle. “Look, I’m sorry. I had the situation under control at all times, all right?”
“You’re sorry. Maybe you can tell that to Toni Williams when she takes a bullet to the head. Tell her you’re sorry you dropped the ball.”
“I didn’t drop the goddamned ball.” He glanced over at Toni and found her avoiding his gaze. “I had my target close and protected at all times.”
“Oh, for… Did you screw her?”
