CHAPTER NINE #3
They walked outside, and when they got to the car, Derek turned toward her. “I wanted to say something off the record.”
“Okay.”
“You’re stepping into a situation most people would run from. Granted, you weren’t sold at the beginning, but in the end, you accepted the challenge. That tells me a lot about you.”
“I think you know a lot more than that about me,” Nova laughed.
Derek chuckled, “While that is true, you need to understand that I need to make sure that my team is protected and prepared for anything they could be walking into, which includes the people they’re walking in with.
I know we’re putting you in a situation that’s probably uncomfortable for you.
But I want to personally thank you for stepping outside your comfort zone and trusting us enough to help with this. ”
“I’m happy to help. And I wouldn’t expect anything less from a leader. But Commander, just because I wear heels doesn’t mean that I’m made of glass. I can assure you that I’m tougher than most people think I am.”
“I can see that. And I wouldn’t have asked you to do this if I didn’t believe you could.”
Those words surprised her.
“Well, at least you have confidence in me, unlike others,” she told him as she glanced at the door that separated her from the team.
Derek smirked. “Listen, don’t read too much into the guys, especially Snow.
You have to remember these guys are trained for battle and are not used to outsiders invading their territory.
They have a lot of trust issues. I’m pretty confident that he’ll warm up once you two get to know each other more. ”
Yeah, she wasn’t counting on that. Not with the way he acted in that meeting.
“Well, I promise that I’ll try to play nice.”
“That’s all I can ask for,” he said, looking amused.
Harry approached right at that moment. “Are you ready to head to the hotel, Ms. Hart?”
“Um. Yes. Thank you, Harry.”
She then looked at Derek. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Derek nodded, and she slid into the car. As she set her backpack down by her feet, a strange feeling passed through her, making her glance out the window.
Sure enough, a few of the guys were gathered near the open door, but it was one pair of eyes that held hers.
Those vivid blue eyes locked on her like he was trying to read every thought in her head. She quickly looked away, shaking her head like it would knock some sense into her.
“Stop,” she muttered to herself. She had enough on her plate as it was. She didn’t need to be having any Navy SEAL fantasies, especially about one in particular who was making it known that he didn’t want her around.
She sat back in the seat and closed her eyes as they pulled away, completely unaware that saying yes to this assignment was about to change more than just her career.
◆◆◆
When the meeting broke, Snow’s attention lingered on the doorway where Nova had disappeared a few minutes earlier with Derek.
For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what it was about that woman that kept snagging his attention. He had spent years training himself to focus on the mission and tune out distractions. Yet she was a distraction that seemed to grow more noticeable the harder he tried to ignore her.
Suddenly, a sharp smack landed on the back of his head.
“What the fuck,” Snow barked as he turned to find Nails staring at him, looking amused.
“Did you hear a damn word I just said?”
“What?” Snow asked, rubbing the back of his head.
Nails let out an exaggerated sigh. “I said Joker found a pool hall a few miles from the hotel. We’re going to head over after we get settled in. Are you in?”
“Yeah. I’m in.”
“Good. And try actually listening next time. You’re starting to look like one of those idiots in a Hallmark movie.”
Snow flipped him off.
Nails just grinned and walked away laughing.
Snow shook his head and grabbed his gear bag from the table.
Truthfully, a few hours shooting pool with the guys sounded exactly like what he needed.
Anything to distract him from the dark-haired attorney who seemed determined to take up far more space in his thoughts than a woman he had known for less than a day had any right to.
The moment Snow stepped outside, his gaze landed on the black sedan waiting at the curb, and through the passenger window, he immediately spotted Nova.
She was bent over as if she were looking at something on the floor, but then she raised her head and looked out the window.
Their eyes met through the glass, and he wanted to look away, but for reasons he couldn’t explain, he couldn’t seem to break the connection. It was like she had a spell over him.
She was the first to look away, and Snow told himself that should have been the end of it. But then she shook her head and appeared to mutter something to herself, leaving Snow to wonder what exactly had been going through her mind.
A moment later, the car pulled away. Snow watched it go before finally tearing his gaze away and reminding himself that he had far more important things to focus on.
“You do know that you’re staring again,” Nails said, trying not to laugh.
“I’m not staring,” Snow said, sounding defensive.
“Dude, your eyes were following her like a heat-seeking missile,” Joker commented, drawing laughs from the others.
“He’s not lying. I’ve seen you track terrorists with less focus than you’re tracking that woman,” Bear teased.
Aussie nodded in agreement. “They aren’t wrong, man. Your eyes followed her around like a Roomba.”
“Hopefully, she likes long walks on oil rigs,” Playboy piped in.
Snow almost laughed at that one.
Duke shook his head, laughing. “Trust me, man. That’s exactly how it starts. First, you’re staring. Next thing you know, you’re helping her pick out throw pillows.”
Snow smirked. Then he looked at Jay Bird. “Is there anything you would like to add?”
Jay Bird gave him a casual shrug. “I mean, if you looked at me the way you look at her, I would be deeply uncomfortable.”
“Jesus Christ,” Snow said, shaking his head. “You all are idiots.”
They started walking toward the SUVs.
“I think the girls back home would like Nova,” Joker said, drawing comments from the others.
“Are you all done yet?” Snow asked, finally giving in and laughing.
“Not even close,” Nails said as he climbed into the backseat. “It’s okay to admit that you like her.”
“I don’t like her. Not like that.”
“Come on, Snow, you gotta admit that she’s attractive,” Playboy said.
Snow slid into the vehicle and shut the door. “That has nothing to do with anything.”
“That’s not a denial,” Aussie pointed out as he climbed into the driver’s seat.
Snow muttered a curse under his breath. These assholes were going to be relentless.
He wasn’t ashamed to admit that Nova was attractive. But it wasn’t just her looks that made her attractive. The way she had walked into that meeting with a room full of dangerous-looking men and managed not to fall apart was pretty admirable.
But attractive didn’t mean qualified. And that was the problem.
“She seemed smart,” Bear said.
Snow glanced out the window at the blur of buildings passing outside. “She’s a lawyer. I’d hope she’s smart.”
Joker laughed. “That sounded personal.”
“I’m serious,” Snow replied. “Book smart isn’t the same as street smart.”
He leaned back against the seat, dragging a hand across his jaw as his thoughts circled back to the meeting.
At one point, she hesitated. It wasn’t long. But it was enough for him to notice. In all his years of being a SEAL, he knew firsthand how hesitation could get someone killed.
The second Derek laid out what they were really asking of her, she had gotten that look in her eyes, the one people got when reality finally hit them.
And honestly? He couldn’t blame her for that.
She had walked into what she thought was a straightforward acquisition review and, instead, had been handed a covert operation involving multiple agencies and a potentially dangerous situation out in the middle of the Gulf.
Most people would have turned and tucked tail. But she had surprised him when she had agreed to help. That alone earned some respect.
Still, Snow couldn’t shake the concern gnawing at him.
If the situation went south out there, and experience told him there was always a chance that it could, he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to keep Nova out of the crossfire.
She didn’t have years of training like him to fall back on.
Maybe she could hold her own in a courtroom, but a courtroom and a hostile environment in the middle of the Gulf were two very different battlefields.
He shifted in his seat and stared out the window as the city rolled by. He told himself he was overthinking it, but the possibility was there. And that alone made it difficult to ignore.