Red Zone (Red Zone 1)

“Smooth, brother,” Sandi said. “Real smooth.”

“Thanks?” What else was she supposed to say to that?

“I’m cooking,” he said again. “Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll make it.”

“I thought you could only make chili?”

“I’ll adapt.”

She blinked at him, and then something mischievous yawned and stretched within her, waking from a lifelong slumber. She gave him a sweet, overly innocent smile. “You’ll make anything I want?”

“Yeah,” he ran a hand through his hair, “it’s the least I can do for being an asshole to you.”

Her smile widened. “In that case, I’d really love some lobster.”

“Lobster?” His jaw fell. “We’re in the middle of the Red Zone. The coast is miles away. How the hell am I supposed to get my hands on lobster, and how the hell do I cook it if I do?”

She forced her lower lip to tremble, and felt Striker’s chest shudder as he fought back laughter

“Damn it!” Mace threw up his hands. “Never mind. I’ll figure it out.” He stormed back down the tunnel toward the kitchen.

“That was evil,” Sandi said. “I’m impressed.” Then she followed her brother.

She grinned after them. “I’ve never had lobster. I hope it’s nice.”

Striker’s wide answering smile was so sexy it made her feel faint—which made her grateful again that he carried her. One smile from the man was enough to make her crumple.

The shower room was empty, and Striker left her to brush her teeth while he ran the water to warm it. Then he stripped.

“What are you doing?” She licked her lips at the sight of him, giggling when he puffed out his chest a little at her reaction.

“I’m gonna get you showered.”

“I can shower by myself.”

He pointed at her death grip on the sink. “Yeah, I’d be more inclined to believe that if you could stand without help. You’re weak right now, bébé, your system has been through a lot, and you’ve been unconscious for weeks. Let me help you.”

How could she resist him when he talked to her like that? She reached for him, and he came to her instantly. Slowly, reverently, he unbuttoned the shirt he’d dressed her in. The pale blue cotton came to her knees like a dress and smelled of him. It fell from her shoulders to puddle on the floor, his warm hands trailing after it, making her cool skin burn under his touch.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he whispered. “I keep thinking it’s all a dream.”

“I’m not sure it’s real, either.” She pressed a kiss to his chest, right above his heart. “But even if it isn’t, I like this dream.”

“I thought I’d lost you.” His hands tightened on her. “I don’t know what I’d have done if that happened. I think I might have gone insane.”

She felt more tears pool in her eyes and put it down to being weak from unconsciousness. She turned her face up for a kiss, and he didn’t disappoint her. It was sweet, soft, and lingering, because now they had all the time in the world. With reluctance, he broke the kiss and led her into the steaming shower, where he took his time washing her, caring for her. Loving her. He lingered to kiss and tease until she complained he was leading her on when she was too weak to do anything about it. With a chuckle, he wrapped her in a towel and took her back to his room. She was grateful to find it empty. She wanted to be alone with her man. He pulled the curtain over the doorway to let people know they wanted privacy, and then he carried her over to the mirror in the corner.

She looked at the large bed, which someone had thoughtfully remade with fresh sheets, and wondered why he hadn’t taken her there, instead. Then she remembered the shocked looks on the faces of his team and her stomach clenched. This was it. He was going to tell her about the damage the poison had done to her. She touched her face. There wasn’t any scarring. It had to be something else.

Placing her in front of the mirror, he stood between her and her reflection. He looked nervous, which made her stomach knot. Striker was never nervous. The diamondback, which had followed them, crawled over to sit at her feet. Unlike the man, the rattler didn’t seem worried in the least.

“What is it?” She trembled, wishing he would just get it over with and tell her the bad news. The anticipation was killing her. She wanted to move on.

He took a deep breath. “We think that the red mist, the diamondback venom, and the poison you took interacted to cause a different effect than you had expected.”

“Well, yes. I expected to be dead.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Really? This is the time for sarcasm? Can’t you see I’m worried here?”