The sounds.

The smells.

The slightest movements.

I take them all in. But no one has any idea that I’m aware of every single detail of what’s going on around me. I sit in the corner of the car on the 6 Train, somewhat hidden by the dim light from the blown bulb. I chose my seat here purposely. Everything I do is with purpose.

It’s how I’ve been trained. Even though I’m not active duty anymore, everything I learned as a Navy SEAL is still part of me. Probably always will be. Especially if I end up staying in Manhattan.

So when the dude with the bike rolls right onto the 6 Train, I’m on high alert. What the fuck is this asshole doing? Every nerve in my body is coiled tight, ready to spring into action.

But I give no indication. There are only a handful of people on the train right now, and if something is about to go down, it will be up to me to make sure no one gets hurt.

I watch the guy’s face, looking for a sign that things are about to get crazy.

A girl on the other side of the train jerks back in her seat and says, “What the hell?”

He laughs, and that’s when I see it. The two of them are totally fucking hot for each other. He’s probably trying to show off or something. I lean back, pretty sure this guy is harmless, despite his rough appearance.

I’m just the opposite. I look like a regular guy, but I’m absolutely lethal.

Scanning the car again, my eyes settle on the girl across from me, who is also watching these two with curiosity. I let my gaze roam up and down her tight little body, taking in her long, dark waves and nearly black eyes.

Her little black dress is a tiny slip of fabric, showing off just how toned her muscles are. Probably yoga, if I had to guess.

She bites her lip, and I feel my dick twitch to life. Sexy as hell. I notice her increased pulse, her quickened breaths, and I follow her gaze, wondering what has her exhibiting these signs of desire.

Holy fuck. The girl on the other side of the train has climbed on the dude’s bike, and I swear they look like things are about to escalate to something that is way beyond public indecency.

She’s practically grinding on that bike.

My eyes flick back to the dark-haired beauty. Her tongue flicks out to lick her lips, and I suppress a groan. Just like that, I’m hard as steel. I need to get laid, and soon. It’s been way too long.

Trying to keep my focus on my surroundings and not on the way the girl across from me shifts in her seat, pressing her thighs together, I drag my eyes away from her. Can’t lose focus on my surroundings. I learned that the hard way.

The train comes to a stop at the next station, and the girl on the bike jumps up, distressed. I watch, waiting. But she simply exits the car when the doors slide open.

Well then. That was new. Just when you think you’ve seen it all.

A new set of passengers board the train, and the process starts all over again. Me checking to make sure there’s no danger.

The girl with the dark waves looks over at me, her eyes narrowing as she tries to get a better glimpse of me in the shadows. Her gaze trails over my arms, my chest, my abs, and she smiles. I can see the desire written all over her. Seeing that couple on the bike got her just as worked up as I am.

A slow smile lifts the corner of my lips. Maybe she’s game for a little fun?

I don’t know, though. She looks like a good girl. Someone that wouldn’t be down with a quick fuck with a stranger.

I lean forward, testing. “Where you headed?”

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Depends.”

I smile. Oh yeah. She’s game.

“Want to grab a drink?”

A twinge of hesitation flashes across her face for a second. Can’t blame her. She doesn’t know me. For all she knows, I could be a crazed killer. Part of that might be right, but only because that’s what I was trained for.

I lean back, resting my arms on the back of the seats with an easy grin, trying to put her at ease.

She opens her mouth, looking curious but uncertain, but just as she’s about to say something, the train slows, and there’s a moment of shuffling as the few passengers on the train stand to get off.

The first one off is bike sex dude, followed by an older woman and a young guy in a hoodie, his face barely visible.

Suddenly, I’m on high alert. Something feels off. A shift in the air. I stand, watching. Waiting.

Hoodie boy darts back into the train so fast anyone else would have been thrown off guard. He pulls a knife and holds it out toward the dark beauty I had my eye on, yelling for her to give him her purse.

I react on pure instinct and adrenaline.