Page 8 of Kodiak

She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but this man wasn’t it. Tall, broad-shouldered, he walked alongside his colleagues, swinging those muscular arms. On this side of the world, Australia was going into their spring while his country was going into fall, so it explained the short sleeves of his simple black polo shirt with a stripe of white around the collar, stretching across his massive chest, and tight around some impressive biceps.

The ten of them stopped in front of Kaiya where she stood at the front desk. He set one of his long and well-shaped hands on the counter, and there was something almost deceptively casual about his stance, something lethal and a little too careless, as though he had small regard for danger.

Experiencing a strange flutter at that unexpected thought, Kaiya clenched and unclenched her hand, recognizing the flutter as a strange reaction to such a potent man. He was definitelynotwhat she expected.

As if sensing her thoughts, he stared back at her, and Kaiya’s heart nearly stalled out. There was something about the grace of his movements, the way he looked at her, that made her insides knot up. Something cool and hawklike.

She now wished she had pushed for someone else to take on this assignment. Kaiya worked at corralling the sudden frenzy in her chest. Her heartbeat stopped completely…again…as her gaze went over his face.

She took in his dark hair brushed off his face, just touching his collar, and his miss-nothing brown eyes that she could only describe as kind. The jolt she got from the realization that he was like her…Indian by birth. But not full-blooded; another, equally strong bloodline was stamped on his face. Curiosity piqued immediately.

Unsmiling, he met her gaze with an unreadable expression, his richly bronze skin, smooth and looking utterly touchable—not an appropriate thought for a foreigner she was going to work with, a member of the military.

His face gave nothing away, the hard line of his mouth only softened by the look of those full soft lips. The lot of them exuded the concept ofteam.This was a man who apparently not only worked well with others but had formed a strong bond. But still a man who knew how to fight his own fights, and deal with anyone who crossed him on the battlefield.

“Inspector Kaiya Pawar. I’ll be working with you on this operation. Thank you for your intel and your cooperation.”

“Inspector Pawar.” He stretched out his hand, more in a business manner than welcome. “Jayesh ‘Kodiak’ Lyta.” He ran through the names of the other men, but she couldn’t seem to absorb that information. “A pleasant meeting in a very unpleasant business.”

“Indeed, Mr. Lyta.”

“Kodiak,” he said.

There was not only a flirt in that husky voice, which her traitorous female body responded to, but something about his quiet tone instantly eased some of the tension in her, while causing other kinds of tension she shouldn’t be entertaining. Meeting his gaze, Kaiya took his hand, her pulse stumbling. Okay, so much for an arrogant American. Her tenet was already being tested here, and this man was so charming, she felt her guard slipping. But then snapped it back into place. This was just the initial meeting. She was sure they would show their true colors before this operation was over.

There was a commotion behind the desk, and Kaiya realized she still had his hand. She dropped it, turning to see what was going on. The badges had arrived, and she set the small box on the counter. “Please, take your badge, and we can either tour the building or get you to NBS for a quick wash and rest.”

The woman…Anna spoke up. “They would get right to work,” she said, giving those intimidating guys around her a quick, exhausted look. “But I need some time. Sleep has been…illusive the last twenty-four hours and it’s damned uncomfortable flying in a cargo plane. But again, they don’t seem to mind.”

Kaiya nodded, liking the woman’s breezy personality. The men laughed, one of them touching her arm in a manner that told Kaiya he was intimate with her.

“Rest, it is,” he said.

She worked at ignoring Kodiak. Was his name a hint of where he came from? Kodiak was located in the state of Alaska, she thought. Was that what she’d seen in his face? The evidence of his being part of the indigenous tribes there?

“As soon as you claim your badges, please follow me.” She waited a few seconds for the disbursement, then started for the front door.

Outside, the van they were going to use as transportation pulled up and her motor pool colleague got out. She climbed behind the wheel. To her dismay, Kodiak slipped into the front passenger seat as the rest of his team piled into the back.

He seemed to fill up the whole front with his presence, his size.

She kept her eyes on the road during the quick drive to NBS. At the front gate, she flashed her ID, and they waved her through. She drove to the barracks area and stopped the vehicle.

The van emptied out, but Kodiak didn’t show any signs of leaving.

“Inspector Pawar.” Kodiak’s quiet voice broke the silence, the flatness of his tone catching her off guard. “I hope you realize that we’re here to work with you and your people. Collaboration and communication are key.” Okay, that kindness she’d detected in his eyes was replaced by a matter-of-fact look. In this state, people wouldn’t be comfortable around this man, she realized. He would be able to make them squirm with one look—one of those cold, dark, leveling stares that could make any man or woman think twice. He reached out his hand. “Your phone? Unlock it.”

She complied, and he typed a number into her contacts, then handed the phone back to her. “We’ll call when we’re ready to get something to eat. I think we’ll all pass on the Mess Hall for some of Sydney’s excellent cuisine. I expect that will be all right with you?”

“Of course,” she said, a little put out that he’d picked up on vibes she’d thought she had effectively buried. She gave him a tight smile.

He shot her a penetrating look. “Hoo-yah,” he said, his eyes going over her face in a slow, caressing way. “See you soon.” He got out of the vehicle, and with that tension-filled aura of his, she expected to find sudden relief, but there was none.

Yeah, she thought as she watched his broad back as he walked away. No one with a shred of intelligence would ever mess with this man. His size alone was intimidating enough, but it was what she’d glimpsed in his expression and the way he’d delivered those clipped lines that made her aware of where the real danger lay.

Still waters.

Still, deep, dangerous waters—augmented with an intensity that made swimming in those waters feel shark infested.

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