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There was no getting around how she felt about such a sexually attractive man as compelling as Callen Berenger. Yeah, she was in trouble here.
So, she smiled in the face of all that trouble and danger and let the chips fall as they may. As if drawn against his will, he stepped closer, wrapping her hands in his big fists, pulling them to his body, pushing them against his chest. The warmth tingled in her palms and as if he was fighting a losing battle with himself, he trailed his knuckles along her jaw, his touch gentle. “Then we better get some grub into you, woman, before you fall over from adrenaline rush and starvation.”
He held onto one of her hands as he pulled her toward the buffet table laid out in one long line against the far wall. Most of the people had already been through. A man was there carving a ham and roast beef. Blitz picked up two plates. He nodded to the guy. “Both,” he said before the guy opened his mouth. He cut several slices for each plate. He turned and handed one to Bree.
While he was getting his meat, she loaded up on salad, wild mushroom risotto with truffle oil, baby carrots with garlic and thyme, green beans with almonds, maple glazed sweet potatoes along with several rolls and butter. They went to a small table and chowed down. The small headache that had been brewing abated as she drank her fill of water, the wine forgotten in the wake of the delicious meal and her handsome dinner companion.
After that, twilight turned into evening, the food hit her like a ton of bricks, and she was sleepy. “I think I’m going to catch a ride back to the embassy. I’m so totally beat.”
“I’ll ride with you,” Blitz said, his voice husky. “Who knows when we’re going to get spun up again.”
She nodded, his tone setting off such a reaction in her that she could barely breathe. When he escorted her to the limo, his hand slipped to the small of her bare back. She closed her eyes briefly at his touch, trying to keep herself in check. Soon she would be in her room and this temptation would be a fleeting memory or she would do something completely stupid and reckless. Her blood surged at the thought.
5
The limo ridewas somewhat of a blur as she sat next to him, even though there was ample room for him to move away and continue with that resisting vibe he was sending out.
She wasn’t a naive woman or unaware of the messages men projected when they were interested in her, and Blitz was interested. Had been from the beginning.
“I didn’t tell you everything I remembered about Oregon State and our tenure there.”
“Oh, what more is there?”
“You were a sophomore, and I was a freshman. I went to this frat party. I can’t remember which one, but it was full-blown chaos and so many drunk people. You showed up with a few guys from the team. There was a girl who was being harassed by one of the frat guys. She tried to get away from him when he pushed alcohol on her. She was visibly drunk, and he was determined to get her to go upstairs with him. You stepped in and set the guy in his place without violence. You made an impact on everyone there with just your stance and words. I was so damned impressed. I’ve never forgotten it.”
“I remember that.” He smiled softly. “Guy was a major a-hole. I wanted to punch his entitled face in, but my commitment to the team and the sacrifice of my parents stopped me. Are you disappointed?”
She huffed out a soft breath. “Really, Blitz?” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “But the commitment to my team and the sacrifice of my parents stopped me,” she repeated softly. For so long, she’d wanted to tell him how amazing he was during that volatile incident. “If I hadn’t been involved with my boyfriend, I would have—” She bit her lip and made an embarrassed sound. Oh, God had she said that out loud. Hopefully, he wouldn’t comment about it. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. Maybe because you tossed me out of the window like a sack of potatoes.”
There were many moments in her life that had been profound, but that moment was one of the most dangerous and bonding moments she’d ever experienced with another human being. Sure, she’d been put in many situations that had forced her to step up to the plate. Stand-offs, dark alleyways and shadowed warehouses, undercover assignments, and intense, tension-filled experiences. But she hadn’t ever been exposed to hunting terrorists on their home ground, the gritty, high-octane, adrenaline rush of direct action, of being embedded with a SEAL team who did this on a daily basis, deployment after deployment. If she was in awe, it was warranted.
Her burning curiosity about Blitz and his still-waters facade made her want to delve deep. He was protecting himself against something. She’d always had an eye for that kind of thing, for seeing deeper than the surface. She figured that uncanny ability came from being in law enforcement, of being able to really look into a person’s eyes or read his body language and recognize subtle nuances that nobody else seemed to notice.
She had to wonder how much of her attraction to Blitz had to do with his skill set. Did it matter? She’d seen his character time and again. He was irresistible. She just wanted to press every inch of her body to his, take him hard, explore him with her hands and her mouth, have such a man fill her, fuck her until she was mindless. She wanted the experience of him, the same gritty, high-octane, adrenaline rush of direct-action sex with Callen Berenger.
A shiver stole through her,puckering her nipples against her dress and eliciting a tumble of excitement in the pit of her belly. The thought of getting to him physically made her breathe deep at the opportunity to get to him mentally, emotionally. She had to tamp down those thoughts. It was fruitless to pursue a man like him for just the sexual experience. She wasn’t entirely stupid or that altruistic. Yet there was so much more to be had, but she was in DC, and he would return to San Diego. That was a formidable obstacle to overcome.
“I had to. The IED—”
“I know you had to.” She chuckled softly. His tone was not defensive, but matter-of-fact. “It’s because I froze.” She swallowed hard, some shame and guilt warring for supremacy. She was a professional for God’s sake. She should have been better at that kind of situation. “I couldn’t move or decide that fast. I saw Flint sit down. I knew what that meant, yet I couldn’t process it. You did. Immediately, and acted. You saved my life.”
A strange heavy feeling unraveled in her chest, making her suddenly restless. Folding her arms tightly around herself, she tried to will away that weight. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt so exposed. Especially when Blitz always made her feel so safe. Then she realized why. Her action went against everything she strived for, especially the edict to always be at her best, even if she had to fake it. She couldn’t seem to grasp onto that when interacting with Blitz. It was her own personal failing.
Meeting her gaze directly, they exchanged a long, silent look—a shared, utterly devastating life event, a companionable closeness, a kind of unspoken honesty. She wasn’t used to that at all.
“Then you saved mine.” His words were soft but the emotion in his voice told her that there was so much more there as he watched her with his piercing green eyes. Silence settled in the limo until they got to the embassy. He got out and held the door for her, closing it softly when she was on the sidewalk.
“Good night,” she murmured after glancing at his face, her insides taking a funny drop when she saw how deep in his thoughts he was. She wasn’t going to prod him. They both had been through enough in the past week. If he wanted to talk about it, he would bring it up. Pushing away the urge to hug him, she turned toward her apartment. Hugs were a little too dangerous right now.
Suddenly, he was there. “I’ll walk you home,” he said as if she didn’t have a choice in the matter.
“I’ll be fine, Blitz,” she said, her bravado slipping back into place. She didn’t want to be alone. She didn’t want to drink herself to sleep, cope with alcohol. It was just so easy.
“I’ll walk you,” he insisted. She wasn’t going to push back. If he needed to see her safely to her residence, she could allow him that much.
His presence was manageable during the walk outside, but once they entered her building and got into the elevator, things changed. He stood at her left shoulder, just slightly behind her. She could smell his clean, spicy scent.
“Bree?”
