Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
“I can go to Rami’s,” Zain said. “He won’t mind.”
Dana slid off her shoes, and her feet touched the black welcome mat inside her apartment. The warm scent of cinnamon from her diffuser still hung in the air even though she’d been gone days.
Home.
Fifteen hours ago, she’d thought she’d never make it. She’d half expected their plane to get shot down or for them to be arrested at their fuel stops, but nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She’d slept off and on, only waking once to eat.
It was 4:12 a.m. and Brick had just dropped them off at her place. Zain’s face had frozen when Brick had asked if he had somewhere to go. He’d cleared his throat and mumbled something about having an apartment at one time but not knowing if his family had kept it.
Twenty minutes ago, she hadn’t thought through her offer. Since it was the middle of the night, it wasn’t ideal for him to wake his brother or mom, or go to a hotel. Now, they were alone. In her apartment. In the middle of the night. She toyed with her hands in front of her waist like an awkward teenager.
In her space was a hot Green Beret soldier turned CIA operative. He was too intimidating. Too invasive. And she was too tired to think of a single bad reason to get involved with him.
Yeeeah. She really shouldn’t make rash decisions after being in an explosion and traveling for fifteen hours. “Don’t be silly. Are you okay to take the couch?”
His eyes glowed in the dim light of the kitchen. His body was so large and formidable, yet she was already accustomed to how gentle his touch could be—how gentle he was with her.
His hands might’ve killed a thousand men, but that wasn’t this man. Not the one who’d kissed her last night, not the one who’d stopped a brutal terrorist from raping her, not the one who’d protected her in an explosion.
No, this man was very different.
She moved away from the gravitational pull that wanted to bind her body to his. Placing her bag on the counter, she went to the cupboard and took out two glasses then filled them with water. “I’m going to shower and go straight to bed if you don’t mind.”
He removed his shoes and walked into the kitchen, his steps slow, each one pulling a breath from her lungs. His earnest, scrutinizing gaze lingered on her face. “How’s your head?”
She’d popped more ibuprofen before getting off the plane. “Okay.”
“Any more nausea?”
“Zain,” she said, low and chastising. “I’m fine. Well, I mean, everything hurts. But I’m not going to die.” She sighed and dragged her fingers through her hair. “If it weren’t for you, I would’ve already.”
His thick lips twitched at the corners. Her fingers ached to drag themselves through the short bristles of his beard, to feel his slightly weathered skin on her palm. He was so big and demanding, yet in other ways subdued.
What was it about him? How could he be so calm and collected yet stir such a response in her?
He brought his thumb to her cheek, touching the bruise Rakesh had given her. “You were hurt more than I ever should’ve allowed.”
She pressed her fingers to his knuckles, holding his hand in place. She never wanted him to let go.
This was dangerous. He was dangerous. No, she was...
“I put myself there. That’s not on you.” She gently withdrew his hand from her cheek. “I’m going to take that shower now. Help yourself to whatever you need. There’s pillows and blankets in the linen closet. I’ll be fast—please feel free to shower when I’m done.” Before he could respond, she stepped around him and made her way to the bathroom.
Shutting the door, she let out a ragged breath. She was in way over her head. But the shower and sleep would clear her mind, and tomorrow she could put this all behind her. Zain would reunite with his brother and mom, and he’d probably fade from her life as quickly as he’d appeared in it.
She twisted on the shower and undressed, then stepped under the scalding spray. In fifteen minutes, her teeth were brushed and she was clean, a towel tucked around her. In her haste to escape Zain, she’d forgotten to take clean clothes into the bathroom with her.
She looked toward the hamper and grimaced. Getting back into dirty clothes wasn’t an option. She quickly opened the bathroom door and scooted across the hall. Zain looked up from where he stood in the living room shaking out a blanket. He froze, his hot eyes on her.
“Night!” she squeaked. She made it to her bedroom and shut the door, her chest hammering with excitement. Heat swarmed between her legs and her nipples tightened.
God, she wanted him.
No, girl. You need sleep, not sex.
Yes, it was that simple. Sleep not sex. She got into her pajamas, turned off the light, and crawled under her cool sheets. A minute later the bathroom door closed, and the sound of water splashing in the basin reached her ears.
If she ever wanted to sleep, she had to put Zain out of her mind for good.
***
Buzz , buzz , buzz
Zain woke with a start, his eyelids opening so rapidly they ripped moisture from his eye sockets. He reached for his phone with a groan. The clock on the screen read 9:48 a.m., but the sight of the caller’s name startled him more than the time: Maxine.
Swinging his legs off the couch, he stood and then went out to the balcony. The cool spring breeze met his bare chest, and he welcomed the refreshing scent of salty air. He’d slept in longer than he ever had, but it’d been a shitty sleep on a too-small couch with a sexy woman in the next room.
Just thinking about Dana made his morning wood ache.
He swiped to answer. “Hello?”
“You made it home I take it?”
“We did. Was that you who sent the escort at the airport?”
“Yes. Glad that worked. How’re you feeling?” Her question sounded forced, and the tingling sensation at the back of his neck warned him that Maxine wanted something—probably something big if she had to summon empathy from the depths of her bleak soul.
“Fine. Tired and beat up, but fine.”
“Good. And your lady friend?”
He glanced over his shoulder toward the open patio door. Her apartment was even prettier now with the sunlight basking the cream-colored walls, bright accent pillows, and wall decorations. The woman had taste. And even her spare blankets smelled like cherry blossoms. “Alive.”
“Mmm,” she said absently. “Well, that’s nice to hear.”
Zain leaned his forearm on the railing and stared out at the beautiful skyline. Beyond it stood Mount Rainier. “Go on and cut to the chase,” he said, a little dryly.
She made a sound of annoyance. “Yes, well. You know how it is. There’s always something. We need you in Langley.”
He propped his elbow on the rail and massaged his temple. He was too tired for this shit. “Why’s that?” He’d never been to the CIA headquarters, in Virginia. Of course, he’d never had a reason to since they’d recruited him while he was still in Afghanistan. After his whole unit was bombed.
“We need to debrief you on your mission. We haven’t spoken since”—she tsked, probably looking at her calendar—“eight days ago. I’m sure things have transpired since then that will give us information. ”
Of course they were still after Jabar. Zain’s world might’ve stopped since he left the Jaysh group, but the CIA needed to get the leader. Given that he’d failed, part of him wanted to say fuck the whole mission, but if there was information that could help them further their investigation, it was his duty to provide. “When do you want me there?”
“I can get you on a plane in two hours.”
Zain’s blood pressure spiked. He’d just gotten home. Hadn’t even seen his family. And they wanted him to fly across the country on two hours’ notice? “No.”
“N-No?” she sputtered.
“No. Hell, no. I just got in, Maxine. I haven’t seen my mom or brother in three damn years. I’m not going anywhere until I spend some time with them.”
“All right,” she drawled. “This evening, then.”
He just about threw his phone off the balcony. Burning irritation made his neck itch. If he didn’t cool his ass down, he’d be out of a phone and on the wrong column of the government’s list. “How about we do the debrief over the phone?”
Maxine let out a long sigh. “I’d prefer that too. But Roger would really like to see you. It makes it easier to ensure we’re getting all the information required.”
He shook his head. “I can’t. If it has to be in person, then this can wait until next week. Otherwise I’m yours for a phone call any time of day. Hell, we spoke on the phone with sensitive information for three years. I don’t see why that’s not a viable option now.”
More silence. “Fine. I’ll speak with Roger, and we’ll arrange a video call for tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you.” He hung up before she could say another word that’d pitch him over the edge.
A cool, small hand touched his bare shoulder. He turned as Dana slid in close beside him, resting her arm on the railing next to his. “Everything okay?” Her magnetic blue eyes searched his face. Tiny wrinkles creased her forehead, and her hair danced in tangled waves down to her waist.
His fingers throbbed to sink into her locks, and he ached to kiss her like he’d done two nights ago. God, he could surround himself with her for weeks and he’d never get tired of seeing her pretty face. He forced a half smile. “It’s better now.”
A pink color touched her cheeks. The swelling on her face had gone down, but the purplish bruise had turned green. He couldn’t wait for the markings to fade, but he hoped that her memories would fade even faster. “I hope you slept.”
“Like a baby,” he lied. “How about you?”
She dropped her hand from his skin and steered her gaze to the view, letting out a long sigh. “It was a little restless to be honest.” She smiled, pinning her gaze on him. “I heard you mention your mom and brother. I’m sure it will be nice to see them. When are you doing that?”
His mom. She’d either knock him senseless for not telling her he was alive or crumble in tears. If he had a choice, he’d go with the first. “Today. I think if I wait any longer both of them will kill me.”
She nodded slowly. “Well, other than getting some groceries, I don’t have much on my to-do list. You can borrow my car if you want.”
The suggestion warmed his insides. Now that she was home, he didn’t have a need to stick around. No one would hurt her here. She no longer needed his protection, yet...
He didn’t want to leave. The thought of not having her beside him rocked his nerves in a bad way. “Why don’t you come with me?”
Her eyes sparked with delight. She tamped down her smile and bit her bottom lip.
Huh. Interesting.
She nervously stroked her hair behind her ear. “Um, sure. I’d love to. I mean, that is, as long as you don’t want alone time with your family. I understand if you’d like some space.”
He reached for the lock of hair she tormented and gave it a couple tugs. “Actually, I need you there. You’ll give my mom someone else to fawn over.”
She grinned. “Okay, then. I’ll go get ready. Maybe we can grab a bite to eat on the way.”
“Good idea. I’m famished.” The words came out on a low growl. He was hungry as fuck, but it wasn’t for bacon and eggs.
She rolled in her lips, desire flashing across her face. “Give me ten.” She disappeared into the apartment.
A niggling sensation pulled at his gut. She could get back to her life now. In the days she’d been gone, not much, if anything, had changed. But his life was as scattered as missing puzzle pieces. It’d take forever to pick them up, especially when part of him was left behind in another country.
The soldier in him.
He didn’t deserve to be here when the lives of his unit had been taken. But looking at Dana, how soft and small she was, he finally understood his purpose. The reason he hadn’t been killed that day was her.
If another man had been in his position working undercover for Jaysh, they might not have done the same for her. They might have ignored her screams, might’ve let Rakesh rape and mutilate her. But he hadn’t.
If he’d done anything good in his life, it was taking her home. And he’d do it all again.