LITMIR.BIZ

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in danger. You’ll get an explanation after you plant your cute little six in the chopper. No time to waste.”

      She studied the self-assured man in front of her. Strangely, her instincts assured her she could trust him. Hopefully, they were right. He hadn’t hurt her before, and had just rescued her from what promised to be an ugly fate. She sure as certain didn’t want another encounter with the Incredible Hulk. Especially since he’d be waking up with the mother of all headaches. “I’m warning you, you better have an airtight story, or I’ll shove you out in midair.”

      Gabe’s grin bounced back. “In that case, I hope you have a pilot’s license.” He opened the door with a sweeping gesture and a bow. “All aboard.”

      She settled into the padded ivory seat. He leaned across to fasten her seat belt, and his fresh, outdoorsy scent teased her senses. His face a mere breath away, he placed a pair of miked headphones over her ears. He gently touched her forehead, and his eyes narrowed with concern. “What happened?”

      She gazed into the lush, rain-forest depths of his eyes, inches from hers. Her heart stuttered, and her palms grew damp. Probably a delayed reaction to the close call with Gregson. She gulped. “I bumped my head on a tree.”

      He frowned. “It looks serious.”

      “It’s not. Mild concussion.”

      Gabe climbed in and fastened his seat belt and headphones. He flipped several overhead switches. The rotors whirled, vibrating the cockpit.

      As the ground fell away beneath her, Tessa braced herself. But instead of a stomach-lurching ascent, the machine gently floated upward. Was there anything this man couldn’t do? “I expected this to be scary, but it’s fun.”

      His white, wicked grin flashed. “Flying is the second-best out-of-control feeling there is.”

      Her toes curled in her shoes. She looked away from those knowing eyes, focusing on the endless expanse of blue sky.

      “Trust your pilot, honey, his knowledge and experience.” His husky, mellow voice floated into her ears. “Trust him to send you soaring as high as you can go and then float you safely back down. Relax and let yourself enjoy the ride.”

      Her insides melted at the intimate promise in his tone. Flying had never sounded so tempting. Warm, quivery sensations she’d never felt before shimmered through her. She shifted uneasily. “About that explanation?”

      Gabe glanced over at Tessa’s flushed face, and his groin tightened. What the hell was he doing? He’d better keep his mind on the job and his hands off the woman. Life on the edge was one thing, but playing with the safety off got a guy shot in the heart. He’d already had his heart blown to pieces. He wasn’t about to trust another female with it. “I’m a federal agent.”

      “Oh, please. That’s the oldest line in the book. Next you’ll spout a British accent and claim your name is Bond, Gabe Bond.”

      He threw back his head, roaring with laughter. Still laughing, he handed her a leather wallet from his shirt pocket. “License to kill, sweetheart.”

      She traced her graceful fingertips across the smooth surface. He pictured those fingertips trailing over his skin, and a rush of desire scorched his blood. He jerked in a breath.

      “The Incredible Hulk had ID, too, FBI, in fact.”

      Jaw tight, he shifted his gaze out the windshield. “Did he hurt you?”

      “I thought I was going to die.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her touch her ribs in a subconscious gesture.

      Gabe’s knuckles whitened on the stick. If the big lug had put his hands on her, he would pay. “You saw a badge and documentation?”

      “He flashed his shield so fast, I couldn’t see much. He said his name was Agent Gregson.”

      “What did you tell him?”

      “Nothing.”

      Not for the first time since he’d met her, admiration surged through him. The goon had had her inside for thirty minutes. Though Tessa was as soft and sweet as a woman could be on the outside, she had inner fortitude of tungsten steel. “Nothing?”

      “I didn’t trust him, he had rattlesnake eyes. Reptilian.” She shivered. “He didn’t care about the money. He knew about the checks and wanted to find out if I did. The only way he could have that information is if he was involved, because the bags were sealed. I doubt he was really FBI.”

      His kitten was one smart cookie. But then he had already glimpsed the sharp intellect behind those big golden eyes. “You’ve got good instincts, Houdini. Check out my ID.”

      Tessa opened the wallet. “Well, this is interesting. No wonder you use your middle name. I’m sorry, I know it’s not polite, but you, of all people, to be named—” she broke off in a gale of husky giggles.

      “Valentine,” he finished, enjoying her laughter. “Valentine Gabriel Colton, FBI Special Agent, at your service.”

      “Okay, you have ID. Like I said before, so did Gregson. How do I know it’s the genuine article?”

      “Hey, if I made something up, I sure wouldn’t conjure up that name.”

      “Maybe so, but when we get where we’re going, I want to call the local FBI office for confirmation.”

      “I’m not affiliated with the locals, I’m working out of D.C. on a special interagency assignment. At the moment, I answer to one guy, work alone and go where I’m needed, doing what’s necessary. Even if that means coloring outside the lines.”

      “The hired gun, cleaning up Dodge City all by himself?”

      “And when the job is over, I ride off into the sunset. Alone.” He was warning her, but also reminding himself. Keep everything on the surface, keep it superficial. Keep it safe.

      “How does one get a job like that? Did you go to super-secret spy college?”

      “I was a frogman for ten years.”

      “A what?”

      “Sorry, Navy SEAL.”

      “That explains the affinity for water.”

      “My love affair with the ocean began long before that. I grew up in San Diego, started surfing when I was only seven.”

      “Seven?” A shudder wracked her. “Then why did you leave the SEALs? You’re landlocked now, I take it.”

      He considered her question. “It stopped being fun.” Blurting out the honest reply startled him. He was always careful not to reveal his true feelings.

      “So you quit.” Her brows arched. “What happened?”

      Guilt wrenched inside him. You don’t want to know. That’s what he got for following his crazy impulse to open up to her.

      Thrown off balance by his out-of-the-blue lapse of control, which seemed to happen too often around her, he focused on the business at hand. “As you’ve realized, this…situation concerns the checks. But it’s complicated. Gregson may or may not be genuine FBI. Too much information has leaked out. Cops are involved and we’re not sure how high the betrayal goes. That’s why I had to pull the bank job. I couldn’t just waltz in and ask to see the checks. I’d have blown my cover. The robbery got me the checks without arousing suspicions. From the local cops on up, nobody can know I’m working for the good guys. Two of our agents are already dead. We can’t trust anybody. Including our own.”

      “But you trust me?”

      Gabe had discovered the hard way he couldn’t trust anyone. He’d learned the lesson early, and learned it well. He survived by holding people at arm’s length, substituting adventure and excitement for relationships. A clever quip and a ready smile kept deeper emotions where they belonged. Buried.

      Every day was a party.

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