Chapter 19
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THE BATHROOM DOOR SNICKED shut, and Knox ran a hand through his hair, mulling over their next steps.
He’d feel better when they were back on a bird, flying the hell out of Afghanistan.
That posed another problem. Abandoning their vehicles hadn’t been part of the plan.
They’d have to arrange for a ride to their extraction point, then board a helo to Pakistan and finally a flight back home.
Shit.
He was already working over the specifics in his mind, knowing his teammates had already contacted Holt. This wasn’t the first time shit had gone south on an op, but hell—it was the first time he’d had a woman he cared for with him.
Xaden appeared in the doorway, his gaze sharp as he looked between Knox and the closed bathroom door. “How is she?” Xaden asked in a low voice.
“Scared. Overwhelmed. Thankfully, not hurt.”
Xaden nodded, looking relieved.
Knox cocked his head toward the hall. “What about Sloane? Can we trust her?”
“I’m not buying she’s with State,” Xaden said. “Apparently, she’s been posing as an aid worker here in Kabul.” He shook his head. “That’s not my concern at the moment. Holt’s trying to assess the status of our vehicles.”
“Guessing they’re long gone,” Knox said, a knot tightening in his chest.
“Afraid so. We didn’t have time to hide them or leave a man behind. If Qureshi had disappeared further into the crowd with Quinn, we could’ve lost her.”
“I don’t regret it.”
“Neither do I,” Xaden said. “I’m damn glad we found her. She’s lucky she didn’t go through worse, and that’s putting it mildly.”
Both men’s heads swiveled toward the bathroom door as they heard the shower start.
Knox had given her the small toiletry kit he carried.
It wasn’t much, but it would do the job in the meantime.
Something stirred in his chest at the idea of Quinn using his shampoo and bodywash—of her reappearing in his clothes.
In spite of everything that was happening, he still found her sexy as hell.
He’d never do anything inappropriate, but shit.
He was a red-blooded male, and the woman behind that door was a gorgeous, tempting woman.
Knox wanted to both keep her safe and kiss the hell out of her.
Explore what was happening between them.
When they got home, there was nothing he’d love more than to strip her bare and explore every inch of that satiny soft skin.
Knox was getting way ahead of himself, however.
Even after she’d reacclimated to being back in Seattle, he wanted to date her.
Bring her flowers. See her smile. And then—eventually—make her his in every way.
“I gave Quinn some of my clothes to change into,” Knox said. “I’m guessing we won’t get much rest tonight, but I’m hoping to convince her to get a few hours of shut eye.”
“She’s holding up really well given the circumstances,” Xaden said.
“Sloane has maps of the city,” he added, changing the subject.
“We’re comparing them to our own. We could send a scout out to check on the status of our vehicles, but I’m not sure that’s worth the risk, given the likelihood they were already found. ”
“Does Sloane have contacts here?” Knox asked.
“She won’t say. It doesn’t matter. Holt is already working on getting us a ride to the extraction point. The timeline may have changed, but we’ll be a go for morning.”
Knox nodded, taking that in. While his gut told him they could trust Sloane, they all knew she wasn’t telling them everything. Far from it. She’d gotten them out of the mob, though, and brought them back to her home. That counted for a hell of a lot.
The water turned off in the bathroom, and Xaden eyed the door. “That’s my cue to leave. Just holler if you need anything. And Knox?” he added before he left.
“What?”
“You’re good for her. Don’t fuck this up.”
Knox looked at his teammate in surprise. They were practically in the middle of a war zone. Quinn had been missing for days. They had jihadists chasing after them. And his buddy was giving him advice about women. “Thanks for the pep talk,” he muttered.
Xaden smirked and walked back down the hall.
Knox went about rearranging his gear, quietly cursing to himself. Quinn had nothing. Absolutely nothing. He had his teammates at his back, supplies and weapons, food. The fact that she was holding up so well was a damn miracle.
A few minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened, and Quinn stepped out, wearing one of his tee shirts and a pair of sweatpants.
Both were too big, dwarfing her small frame, but Knox felt his heartbeat speed up.
Seeing her in his clothing stirred something primal and base inside him.
He’d be a perfect gentleman, but shit. His cock swelled at just the sight of her in his things.
She was his, whether she realized it yet or not.
***
QUINN OPENED THE DOOR, feeling slightly nervous. She was being silly. This was Knox. She trusted him with her life. And after being kidnapped and flown halfway around the globe, she was more thankful to see him than he’d ever know.
She’d rolled up the waistband of his sweatpants, but they were still too large and long.
His tee shirt hung on her as well, but she didn’t mind.
She was clean. Safe. Free. Quinn had balled up the ugly dress and shoved it into a trashcan.
She’d washed her bra and panties in the shower, which now hung drying over the towel bar.
She’d shampooed her hair and scrubbed her body clean as well, using the things Knox had provided.
It made her belly do a funny little flip to be using his body wash—to be wearing his clothes.
Even the scent of him soothed her, as crazy as that sounded.
They could be in danger here in this home.
They still weren’t out of Afghanistan, but the man who’d come for her made her feel safe in a way no one else could.
Knox was sitting on the bed and looked up as she stepped into the bedroom. It was a weirdly domestic scene, despite all the chaos surrounding them. Who ever thought she’d be playing house with Knox in the middle of Kabul? She let out a small huff of laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Knox asked, seeming relieved that she was smiling.
His gaze raked over her, taking in her damp hair and the sight of Quinn in his clothes.
His gaze briefly caught on her chest, and she realized her nipples were pressing against the soft cotton.
She’d put on her undergarments later. He didn’t stare and make her uncomfortable, however, just continued his perusal, clearly intent on making sure that she was alright.
Quinn padded across the room, the uneaten protein bar in her hand.
She sank down onto the bed beside him, tearing the wrapper, and taking a small bite.
“I just thought it was funny that we were here in the Middle East playing house. I’ve never seen your place in Seattle,” she pointed out.
“You’ve never been to my apartment. Now we’re in some random bedroom together, with me wearing your clothes. ”
His lips quirked.
Quinn shrugged. “It’s just funny is all. Ignore me.”
“Never,” he said, causing her to smile again.
She looked up into his dark eyes, a flicker of something passing between them.
They were close enough to one another that she could feel the heat from his muscled frame, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable.
Far from it. It was nothing like being alone with Adam in that damn wooden shack.
Knox was brave and good, an actual hero.
And Adam? Nothing but twisted and pure evil.
“Trust me, I’m glad to be here,” Quinn told him, trying to ignore the electricity she suddenly felt arcing between them. “It felt so good to shower and change. I left your toiletries in the bathroom, but I’ll pack them up. I was starving and wanted to eat.”
“I’ll gather everything. And don’t worry—we’ve got time to kill before we move out.”
They looked at each other for another moment, Knox’s eyes soft.
The world was a crazy place, and she still couldn’t believe he’d found her.
Quinn spoke up and told him exactly that.
“You were my only priority,” he assured her.
“Once we realized you were gone, it was all hands on deck until we pinpointed your exact location.”
“When did you realize I’d been kidnapped?” she questioned.
“Not until Sunday,” he said, his voice filled with regret.
“You texted us—well, we thought it was you. Everyone assumed you were sick, like the text said. That memory will burn me up forever,” he admitted.
“I should’ve called you—followed up somehow.
Checked on you. I’m sorry,” he said, his voice husky.
Quinn studied him, noticing the guilt in his eyes. “It’s not your fault,” she assured him. “None of this happened because of you.”
Knox ran a hand over his face, frustrated. “Maybe not, but I feel protective of you,” he admitted. “I debated checking in but figured you just wanted to rest. Maybe we could’ve gotten to you sooner if I’d stuck with my gut instinct to check up on you.”
Quinn let out a sigh. “You did what you thought was right. Honestly? If someone texted me to say they were sick, I probably would’ve believed them, too.
I mean, why wouldn’t I? Adam was able to access my phone after he kidnapped me from the alley.
I had it set to unlock using biometrics, but I guess he held it up to my face to use the facial recognition.
I’ll be enabling a password on it now to make it more secure—whenever I get a new phone, that is.
I’ve got no idea what he did with mine. Adam showed me the phone right before they shoved me into an oversized suitcase and drugged me.
” She shuddered at the memory, and Knox reached out, his big hand landing on her thigh.