Code Name: Nanny (SEAL and Code Name #5)(82)

He caught her arm, pulling her back against a wall covered by white flowers that filled the night with fragrance. “No, I don’t have a problem with that. For the record, I don’t have a problem with anything you’ve done. You were as good as it gets at the clinic tonight, and I couldn’t have gotten in without you.”

He was still wearing his game face, Summer realized. Pressed against him in the darkness, she listened to the noisy pounding of her heart, wondering why his opinion mattered so much to her. After all, they were just partners.

“I don’t care if you—” She stopped, staring at him. “You don’t have a problem with that?”

“Hell, no. Why should I have a problem relying on you when your excellent judgment saved my butt?”

“Because I’m—” A woman, Summer started to say. “A complete stranger. And I’m younger than you are.”

Gabe’s fingers opened on her arm. “And because you’re a woman?” He cursed softly. “Who did the number on you, Summer? Was it your partner or an old lover?”

His touch was too gentle, his eyes too intent. None of her lies seemed to work with him.

“Tell me,” he said grimly.

“Why does it matter?”

A man and a woman appeared, walking from a nearby building, and Gabe pulled her back behind a jasmine hedge. There in the darkness, pressed against his chest, Summer felt the heat of his body. His muscles were clenched, his hands rock steady, and she was anything but immune.

No wonder she had fantasies about waking up beside him, feeling his hard body sink into her while the covers went flying.

The couple walked closer, talking quietly. Gabe leaned in close and kissed her, hard and unyielding, almost angry. “I don’t want it to matter, but it does.”

She felt the tension in his body. “We should go.” She swallowed hard. “They—they’re gone now.”

But Gabe didn’t move, didn’t release the muscles locked against her. “Tell me, Summer. What happened to you?”

“Everything and nothing,” she said softly. Seeing too much of the world and too little kindness there. She tried to move away. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

His hands opened over her hips. “It wasn’t a lover?”

She took a sharp breath. “No.”

“I’m glad to hear it. One more thing, just for the record.” His lips brushed her forehead, her cheeks. “I want you like hell, Summer. Not just because you’ve got great legs, and you’re smart as anyone I’ve ever worked with. You may as well know that scar on your arm doesn’t make one bit of difference. I want you naked in my bed, being bossy and honest and unpredictable. Hell, I can’t walk for thinking about it.”

Summer felt the world tip at his words.

Because of the warm air. Because of the jasmine blossoms scenting the night wind and the moonlight that peeked between racing clouds. Or so she told herself.

Not because of trusting or believing. Not even because of the raw desire that was making her breasts tighten and her heart hammer. She had given up on things like trust long ago.

She managed a light laugh. “You mean, you’re in the mood for a little postgame R and R?”

Gabe didn’t laugh back. He didn’t even smile. “I’m asking for more than a little, and I’m in a dangerous mood, honey. The kind where I just might take it. Right now it would be damned easy for me to pin you against this wall and hammer your brains out, so don’t push me.” His fingers climbed, cupping her breast. He circled her nipple, which instantly hardened.

Summer closed her eyes, feeling the nudge of his erection. She wanted to tell him to stop, but her heart was beating and the words wouldn’t come.

What if she took a chance, just this once?

Summer stared at the white blossoms swaying against the wall. What were you supposed to say to a declaration like that? “If you want me, it’s only because of the adrenaline,” she whispered. “It wouldn’t mean a thing.”

Except to her. Summer was shocked to realize how much.

“I know that. I’ve done enough field time to know that the adrenaline can be a real bitch, messing you up big-time when you come down.” Gabe’s voice hardened. “I don’t want morning-after regrets, Summer, and I don’t want to hurt you. But that’s the only reason you’ve still got your clothes on.”



Nothing seemed to have been touched inside their room, but Gabe carried out the same thorough inspection he’d conducted upon their arrival. Satisfied that all was clear, he offered Summer first shot at the shower.

The steam made her remember the first time she’d seen him—emerging from her shower, humming an off-key Beatles song, his grin as easy and smooth as sin itself.

Irritated at the memory, Summer finished washing her hair, dried off quickly, and slipped on a white hotel robe. When she opened the door, Gabe was putting away his cell phone. “Any news?”

“Izzy’s been monitoring all the radio bands, and he says they found the guard we left tied up. The man couldn’t give a useful description, and he doesn’t know where we went. We should be safe for a few hours while I finish up here.”

“Any mention of our lab visit?”

“All quiet. Apparently, our friend with the dog didn’t alert anyone.”