Raketa opened her eyes. The sun was just beginning to rise; she could see its glow through the windows Gunner had no reason to cover.

His head rested on her chest, and she ran her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp gently, not wanting to wake him.

As he’d warned, they didn’t sleep until maybe a half hour ago when they finally fell into each other’s arms and closed their eyes.

Gunner gave her more pleasure than she’d ever dreamed possible, and taught her how to give to him as well. He’d explored her body with his eyes, his hands, and his mouth, and then let her do the same to his.

She thought back to when she’d asked if he remembered the first time they saw each other. She was shocked that he did, but more when he told her it had moved him in the same way it had her.

He joked about them knowing each other in a past life, something she didn’t believe in either, but what other explanation could there be for the way she felt when she was with him?

She giggled when she felt his tongue on her tummy. “You’re awake.”

“Your body is naked under mine. How could I sleep?” He raised his head and scooted closer. “Kiss me,” he demanded, so she did.

Gunner rolled to his back and brought her with him. He reached over to the box of condoms, pulled one out, and handed it to her.

“Have your way with me, Rocket Girl.” He dropped his hands to his sides in surrender and winked at her.

She had no words to describe the way she was feeling this morning. Her life had been filled with far more misery than happiness, but she recognized the warmth in her chest. How many times had she laughed, smiled, even giggled in the last few hours? More than she had in the rest of her life combined.

She rolled the condom over his length and raised her body over him. He held her waist with his hands, easing her onto him more slowly than she would’ve.

“Are you sore?” he asked when he was seated deep inside her.

“Maybe a little,” she answered, starting to move.

“Take it slow,” he said, forcing her to with his guiding hands.

“What happened to letting me have my way with you?”

Gunner moved his hands from her waist and covered her breasts with them.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then be still.”

As much as he wanted to tell Raketa to open her eyes, he stopped himself. Instead, he watched her face as she let herself get lost in what she was feeling.

The ends of her long, blonde hair tickled his sides as she moved on top of him. He wrapped it in his hands, loving the silkiness of it.

He knew the minute she was about to explode, and let himself do the same when she tightened around him.

They were both sweaty when she leaned forward and rested her head on his chest.

“I’m hungry,” she murmured.

He put his hands around her waist. “You’re starving, actually.” He rolled her off of him, stood, and held his hand out to her. “Time for your first cooking lesson. What do you like for breakfast?”

She sat up. “Not much, usually just some fruit.”

“Well, you can’t cook that. Wait, I guess you could, but why would you? Today we’ll have bacon and eggs, or would you prefer pancakes?”

“I’d prefer fruit,” she grumbled. “It’s quicker.”

An hour later, they sat down to the worst breakfast Raketa had probably ever eaten. The eggs were watery and the bacon was black, but as far as Gunner was concerned, it was perfect. She’d tried, and that was all he wanted. They even laughed about it, which made it a five-star meal for him.

He hadn’t realized how seldom he laughed. If he was with Razor he did; the guy was hysterical. He also knew exactly what to say to lighten Gunner’s mood.

This was different, though. Raketa didn’t try to make him laugh; he just did, and she did too.

He didn’t need her to tell him that it was as unusual for her as it was for him. He could tell by how she’d stop sometimes and get a look on her face that reminded him of the way he felt—it was good, but kinda sad that it was so different.

They had some damn serious talks ahead of them, and he wasn’t at all looking forward to taking her smile away. He had to know, though, if what she really wanted was to return to Baku, and if it was, why.

Most importantly, she had to tell him the truth because she wanted to, not because he forced her to do it. As long as they were on his island, she was safe, which meant he could wait as long as it took. Hell, he could wait forever if it came down to it. The longer they were here and could keep the rest of the nasty shit that came along with the work they did away, the better as far as Gunner was concerned.

Maybe he’d even consider retirement. All the newbies pissed him off anyway. Why not sit back, let them do the dirty work, while he raked in the money?

“The kitchen is clean,” Raketa said, joining him on the porch. She’d insisted he go relax while she handled the mess. “I know how to wash dishes,” she told him as she pushed him out the door.

He thought about calling Razor to tell him what he’d learned about Petrov, but when he went to get his phone, he felt like he was betraying Raketa’s trust and set it back down.

“I was thinking I could show you around the island if you’re up for it,” he said.

“I’d like that.”

There was one place in particular he wanted her to see.

“We’re almost there,” he turned back and said. “You doin’ okay?”

They were walking through a beautiful forest. Raketa wasn’t hunting someone United Russia wanted her to kill, and she doubted they’d be able to get an assassin on Gunner’s island to kill her. There hadn’t been a time in her life that she could remember being more okay than she was now. Every so often, she found herself humming a tune she remembered her mother singing to her. When was the last time she’d hummed, if ever?

“Here it is,” said Gunner, reaching for her hand and then putting his arm around her shoulders when she stood next to him.

Before her, she saw a cliff and, in the middle of it, a beautiful waterfall. At its bottom was a pool of water with lush vegetation growing on its banks. She couldn’t explain why, but her eyes filled with tears.

“I reacted that way the first time I saw it,” Gunner said, catching a teardrop on his fingertip. “Up for a swim?”

Before she could protest, Gunner had his shirt off and was pulling down his shorts.

“Come swim with me, Rocket Girl,” he said, holding his hand out to her.

How could she resist a man whose body brought her to her knees and made her weep more than the waterfall. She’d never seen a man with a more perfect physique than Gunner, and that was with clothes on. Naked he looked like a god.

She shed her clothes and climbed into the pool, surprised at how warm the water was. She made her way over to the falls, took the tie out of her hair, closed her eyes, and sat beneath the flow of water. It felt like Gunner’s shower, but so much better.

When she opened her eyes, Gunner was standing close enough to touch her, but he hadn’t.

“If I live to be one hundred and I forget every other thing about my life, I will never forget this moment.”

Raketa felt her cheeks flush, and she looked down into the water. Gunner cupped her cheek with his hand and brought his lips to hers.

“Thank you,” she said when he pulled away.

“For?”

“I shouldn’t have to explain.” She smiled. “But I will.” Raketa took a deep breath. “Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for caring about me.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she tried to look away.

“Hey,” he said, grasping her chin. “Why tears?”

“You’ll think I’m feeling sorry for myself,” she whispered.

“Tell me anyway.”

“Before…when I asked you to let me leave, I realized something.”

Gunner’s eyes bored into hers so intensely she hesitated before continuing. He nodded. “Tell me.”

“I don’t have anyone,” she admitted as tears ran down her cheeks. “If you let me go, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“You have me.”

“Gunner…I…”

“You do, Raketa. You’ve known that for a long time. Deep inside your heart, you knew you could trust me. That’s why you asked me to help you get away from United Russia. You knew I would.”

Every word he said was true, she had known, but having him confirm it took away so much of her doubt.

“I’m lucky,” he began. “I always have been. I may not be the easiest guy to get along with, but Razor, Doc, and Mercer have always had my back, no matter how much of an asshole I was to them. I know it’s different for you, Rocket Girl.”

He looked into her eyes. “You’re not alone anymore. It isn’t just me, the K19 team is behind you too. They put you first when we raided the compound. The first part of the mission was rescuing you. Getting to Petrov was second.”

“Honestly?”

Gunner nodded.

“But why?”

He shrugged. “I guess they knew how I felt about you even without my telling them.”

Did she dare ask what that meant? Could she bear hearing the words she’d never dreamed she would, and not dissolve into a puddle of emotion?

Gunner brought his forehead to hers. “I can’t explain it. I told you that last night, but it’s true. You have a pull on me that I couldn’t ignore even if I wanted to, and I don’t want to. I want you here with me, and that has nothing to do with any mission I’ve ever accepted.”

Raketa put her arms around him and held her body close to his. “Thank you, Gunner,” she whispered for the second time.

“I know there’s something you can’t tell me yet, but I believe one day you’ll be able to. In the meantime, I’m not going to push. You’re safe here, and while you say that Petrov said the same thing to you—”

“I’m sorry I said that.”

“Wait and hear me out. I know why you said it, and after you did, I thought long and hard about whether what I was doing was the same as what he did. I decided that it isn’t.”

“I know it isn’t.”

“Here’s why. All I care about is keeping you safe. That’s it. I know there will come a time that we have to leave this island, but for now, I don’t want to think about when that might be.”

“Me either.”

“So, how about we pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist for a while?”

Raketa hated that she almost asked if he really meant it. He did and she knew it.

“Let’s go back now,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because I want you so bad it hurts,” he said, rubbing himself against her body.

“I want you too.” Raketa shifted so he was closer to her sex.

“We can’t.”

“Why not?”

He winked. “I didn’t pack the condoms.”

Raketa reached over to where she’d left her shorts. “I did.”