Hunter was on his second set of push-ups when Emma awoke the next morning. He’d pulled his cargo pants over his boxer briefs but was bare-chested, and he didn’t miss the way her eyes roamed over him as he stood up from his short workout and said, “Good morning.” Or the blush that crept over her cheeks soon after.

Her full breasts bounced beneath his tee shirt as she sat up, her nipples showing through the soft cotton, and that silky red hair fell softly around her shoulders, framed her flushed face. She almost looked like the modern-day version of a Renaissance painting or something. Some sort of goddess come to life.

Except she was wearing far too much clothing.

“What are you doing?” she asked, looking from the rumpled bedding he’d tossed onto the chair to where he stood on the floor.

“PT. Sit-ups, push-ups, planks—nothing too spectacular. Usually I go for a run, but I left my running shoes back at the hotel. And I wasn’t about to leave you alone here anyway.”

“I didn’t even hear you come in last night. I was so exhausted, I thought I’d lay down, and the next thing I knew it was already morning.”

“You were already sound asleep by the time I got back, so I didn’t wake you. It was a long day, and you needed your rest.” His eyes skimmed appreciatively over her form again. His shirt was loose on her, but hell. It did little to hide her full breasts or her bare legs as she pushed the sheets back.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked, standing up. His tee-shirt was so long on her, it reached down to the middle of her creamy thighs. Just hanging there temptingly. To know her skimpy little thong panties were hanging in the bathroom had his cock hardening. She was completely naked beneath his shirt—and wouldn’t he love to tug it off her right now and take her back to bed.

Convenient that there was one right there.

He tried not to stare at her legs as his gaze raked over her, but they were as stunningly sexy as the rest of her. All tempting curves and smooth, fair skin. And to know she was wearing nothing beneath it?

He cleared his throat.

Damn, she was beautiful first thing in the morning.

But he could keep his hands to himself.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

He was hungry for a lot more than food, but that would have to wait.

“Starving, actually.”

“Me too. I figured I’d better wait for you though, seeing as that the owners of the bed and breakfast think we’re a couple and all.”

“I assume you abandoned the car last night if you were gone for that long. How are we going to get back to London?”

“We’re going to lie low for a couple of days,” he said casually.

“A couple of days?” she asked, her voice rising. She crossed the room toward him, her breasts bouncing. Her green eyes sparking. “What are we supposed to do? Just stay here?”

“That’s the plan. Maybe we can figure out what town is local and catch a cab there, but the police are all over this investigation. It’s best that we stay out of sight.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll love that,” she said, padding toward the bathroom. He could see the curve of her bottom beneath his shirt as she moved. One quick tug, and the globes of her cheeks would be exposed. He could caress his hand over her bare bottom, slide a little lower…

Damn it.

“It doesn’t exactly sound like something you’d enjoy,” she said.

“How do you figure that?” he asked, crossing the room and grabbing his tee shirt. Pretending her next-to-naked form wasn’t driving him crazy. “Stuck in a hotel room with a beautiful woman? I’ve been worst places.”

She poked her head back through the bathroom door. “You’re a man of action—even I can see that. You were spending your time off working as a matter of fact. A little ‘off-the-books’ work I believe you called it? You couldn’t even sit still for a minute. But waiting here in the middle of nowhere? I don’t think so. Not doing anything for a couple of days while you watch out for me isn’t exactly your cup of tea. And speaking of tea, I’d kill for some right now.”

He raised an eyebrow, watching her in amusement. How she’d gone from him being a man of action to needing a cup of tea in one breath was mind-boggling. “They serve breakfast downstairs, princess. That’s part of the whole ‘bed-and-breakfast’ thing I gather.”

“Well thank heavens for that. How are we supposed to act anyway? Just walk down there holding hands, all lovey-dovey? Act like we’re on a romantic holiday of sorts? You don’t strike me as the type of man used to having a partner.”

“A partner?”

“Girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse—whatever you fancy.”

“I’m kind of developing a preference for feisty redheads,” he said with a smirk. “But don’t worry, I’m sure I can handle one breakfast.”

She grabbed her bra and panties from the back of the door, letting them dangle from one delicate hand as she turned back to glance at him. “Whatever you say, sweet pea.”

“Sweet pea?”

“Just practicing for breakfast. All part of the show.”

He shook his head. “I think it’s fair to say that no one has ever called me ‘sweet pea’ before, princess. Ever.”

“Not your SEAL friends?” she asked innocently, a twinkle in her green eyes.

“My SEAL team, as a matter of fact, calls me Hunter. Or Hook.”

“Hook?”

“Just my nickname. Every Navy SEAL has one.”

“Because you like Captain Hook or something?” she joked.

“Right,” he said, crossing the room toward where she stood in the bathroom doorway. “Who doesn’t like him? But it might have more to do with the fact that I have a mean right hook.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to be on my best behavior,” she said, turning back around.

His gaze dropped to the back of her thighs, and he muttered a curse. If he couldn’t keep his hands off her for the next day, it was just part of the façade. Right. He’d just tell himself that enough times until he believed it.

“Get ready or do whatever the hell it is that takes women so long, then I’ll shower and we can go grab breakfast.”

“And I suppose you’ll be ready in mere minutes.”

“Yep. Unless you want me to join you in the shower.”

Her face flushed, and he winked. “No worries, princess. I’m not sure we’d both fit in that ridiculous shower/tub combo anyway.”

“Are you always this bossy?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.

He crossed his arms and gazed at her. Watched as her eyes trailed over the muscles in his arms. He didn’t exactly mind if she stared at him—not in the slightest. “No. I’m even more bossy in bed.”

She turned red and quickly shut the door without another word.

 

***

 

Emma put on her lacy bra and thong before slipping into her jeans and sweater.

Good heavens.

No doubt Hunter had gotten an eyeful when he’d arrived back at their room last night. But what did she care? He’d been with tons of women, of that she was certain. So he’d seen her lingerie. It’s not like they’d slept together or something—not even slept beside one another in the same bed. As she’d eyed him doing push-ups this morning, his biceps bulging and entire bare chest and back gleaming with sweat, she’d also noticed the rumpled blanket and pillow tossed onto the arm chair.

Of course, it would’ve completely freaked her out to wake up with a strange man in bed beside her. And as he’d already clarified yesterday, it was his job to look out for her. He’d literally been in the pub, listening to those men, because he’d thought she’d been kidnapped. Although she had no doubt he’d be up for a quickie if she were so inclined, that certainly wasn’t her style.

No matter how attracted to him she might be.

Her gaze fell to a small vase of flowers in the corner of the bathroom, and she was reminded of the vases in the bazaar.

As soon as this whole mess was sorted, she needed to get in touch with her friend Lily. She was supposed to still be in Kabul, unless she’d headed home early to the U.S. after Emma had disappeared. What had become of the other aid workers when she’d vanished? Had they been frightened enough to leave the country and head home? Abandon their work?

Guilt flooded through her.

This entire situation was a bigger mess than she could have ever imagined.

She emerged from the bathroom a short time later dressed and ready to go. What exactly did Hunter expect? It’s not like she had her makeup and toiletries with her.

“You were ready sooner than I expected,” he said, jumping up from where he’d been doing planks on the floor.

“It’s not like I packed for a weekend getaway,” she said. “I have a few things in my backpack, and that’s it. If we’re really stuck here for a few days, the perhaps we should take a taxi into the nearest town.”

“I’ll buy you whatever I need.”

Emma raised her eyebrows. “I’m perfectly capable of buying my own things.”

“That you are. But not unless you have cash on you. Credit cards are traceable. So are ATM transactions. And as I already said, we’re laying low for the next forty-eight hours.”

Emma blew out a sigh of exasperation. “Fine. But I’ll pay you back after this entire thing is sorted. And I do have some cash on me. Don’t forget I just got back from traveling.”

“I’m not sure they’ll take afghanis here,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m quite aware of that, thank you. Now if you’ll hurry along, we can head down to breakfast. Sweet pea,” she added at the end with a smirk.

Hunter muttered a curse but grabbed some clean clothes from his backpack. “Back in five,” he said.

Emma did a double take a few minutes later when he emerged from the bathroom. Freshly showered with damp hair and his facial hair trimmed, he cleaned up nicely.

Too nicely.

Hunter rubbed a hand over his whiskers, and she tried not to stare at the thick muscles on his arms. Or look at his broad shoulders and massive chest.

He looked like he could pick her up in his arms and whisk her away without even getting winded. Cover her body with his muscular frame and have her whimpering beneath him. She couldn’t even imagine all that strength and power moving over her—inside her. He was aggressive and strong, yet careful. Controlled. She didn’t feel threatened by his strength or power—if anything, it was the exact opposite.

She felt safe.

Secure.

And far too tempted any time he was close by.

“I was getting tired of the scruffier look,” he said. “You kind of have to blend in with the locals sometimes though.”

“Yes, I can imagine. It was a bit hard to hide my flaming red hair in Kabul. I had to wear a headscarf like all of the other women, of course, but with my pale skin and red hair, I’m afraid I stood out more than I would have liked.”

“You’d stand out anywhere.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Hunter lightly grabbed her arm as she turned away, ducking low so that his lips were near her ear as he stood behind her. “I meant that as a compliment. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly complaining about our current living situation. Hell, I can hardly keep my hands to myself around you. Not sure that I want to either.”

She inhaled, her chest rising and falling as she felt his breath on her skin.

“Well,” she said, swallowing.

Trying to ignore the heat rising inside her.

“I guess you’ll just have to,” she finally said. “Because this is strictly a short-term arrangement.”

“That it is,” he said in a low voice, picking up a strand of her long hair and gently running his fingers down it. Pausing, and then repeating the action. She wanted to close her eyes and lean back into his strength. Relax into that massive chest. Let him run those big hands all over her body.

But that would be a mistake, because in two day’s time, they’d part ways. Perhaps he did intend to bring her back to the States with him—but that certainly didn’t mean anything. He wanted to protect her, and if she was honest with herself, she wanted to leave.

At least for a couple of weeks until some of this settled.

“Ladies first,” he said, opening the door.

She faltered, then composed herself and walked out into the hallway. Pretended that he hadn’t affected her so with a few words. Hunter grabbed her hand, much to her surprise, weaving his thick fingers between hers. Her arm rested against his muscled forearm, and she tried not to gasp in surprise. His skin was so warm. Such a contrast to the solid muscle beneath.

“Just playing the part,” he said, his eyes bright with amusement as she looked up at him.

“Right,” she said. “You’re enjoying this far too much.”

“That I am,” he agreed.

“Aren’t you cold walking around in tee-shirts all the time?” she asked.

“Nope. I run warm.”

He greeted the older couple who ran the bed-and-breakfast, introducing Emma to them. To her utter shock, he pulled out a chair for her then asked if she wanted tea.

“Your boyfriend certainly knows his way to a Brit’s heart already, doesn’t he?” the woman laughed. “Do you drink tea or coffee?” she asked him.

“Coffee please, ma’am.”

“Oh, come on,” Emma teased. “Coffee? When in Rome—”

“Not a chance, sweetheart,” Hunter said. “And Romans happen to like coffee.”

He helped Emma sit down, brushing his lips against her cheek as she blushed furiously. His whiskers abraded her sensitive skin, and she tried to ignore the palpitations of her heart. Tried not to inhale his clean, spicy scent. His hand rested casually on her shoulder for a moment as he stood behind her, talking with the couple, and he absentmindedly massaged her tight muscles.

“I’ve been deployed all over the world,” Hunter said. “Believe me when I say dirt would probably taste better than some of the cups bad of coffee I’ve had. Whatever you have will be great in comparison.”

“Yanks don’t really seem to like tea,” the woman agreed.

“He’s just like an American friend of mine,” Emma said, trying to ignore Hunter’s fingers rubbing over her shoulders and neck. “She couldn’t fathom how I could drink tea every day.”

“Don’t worry dear,” the woman said. “We have both. And I must say, I wouldn’t mind sending you room service tomorrow morning if you fancy,” she said, smiling as she looked back and forth at the two of them. “Breakfast in bed? I’ll just leave two trays outside your door. Give you two young lovebirds a bit of privacy.”

“Wonderful,” Hunter said with a grin as Emma flushed and said, “That’s not necessary.”

“Oh, it would be no trouble,” the woman insisted.

“Thank you,” Hunter said. “And everything looks wonderful.”

The couple left them alone, insisting they let them know if they needed anything else.

“Breakfast in bed?” Emma asked. “Was that strictly necessary?”

“Just playing the part, ma’am,” he said.

“Ma’am,” she murmured. “Believe it or not, I may actually prefer ‘princess.’ Calling me ‘ma’am’ makes me think that you’re talking to my mother,” she said, watching in amazement as Hunter piled his plate high.

His gaze flicked toward hers. “I skipped dinner last night. A certain redhead caused me a bit of trouble, as I recall.”

“Right. That was me shooting at you as we rushed through the hotel corridor,” she whispered in irritation, selecting a few items to put on her own empty plate.

Hunter pulled his mobile from the pocket of his cargo pants, frowning, as he balanced his plateful of food in one hand.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

“No problem,” he said, slipping it back into his pocket.

“Well aren’t you cryptic. The way you were glaring at your mobile, I can only assume you aren’t telling me everything.”

“Just some info from my SEAL team,” he said, carrying his place back to the table. Eggs, sausages, beans, tomatoes, and fried bread filled his plate, and he groaned in appreciation as he took his first bite.

Emma placed a scone, fruit, and some eggs on her own plate, then took a seat beside him.

“No wonder you’re so small,” Hunter said. “That’s not a full meal.”

“It is for me—you’re nearly a foot taller than I am. If I ate what you did, I’d never fit into my clothes again.”

He chuffed out a laugh. “You, walking around naked—I’m not sure I’d consider that a bad thing. Especially since we’re staying in the same room.”

“Very funny,” she chastised. “I’m sure you chat up women all the time and take them home with you. But me? Never.”

“You don’t chat up women?”

“Oh never mind,” she said.

“You’re too easy to rile up,” he said. “Must be that famous red-headed temper. Although I kind of enjoy how easy it is to make you blush.”

“What can I say? The curse of being so fair-skinned. Oh, this tea is heavenly,” she said, taking another sip. “I know what you’re thinking,” she added. “My friend Lily was amazed by how much tea I drank every day.”

“I guess you don’t have anything like iced tea here in England.”

“Iced tea? No, definitely not.”

“I figured as much,” he said, taking another bite of his food. “I ordered a soda at the pub last night and they gave it to me without any ice.”

“This isn’t America,” she pointed out. “There aren’t 7-11’s on every corner with massive drinks the size of an entire pitcher.”

“It certainly isn’t the U.S.—no ice in your drinks, you drive on the wrong side of the road, and you serve black pudding for breakfast.”

“I notice you didn’t try any.”

“Not when I know why it’s black. I’ll eat damn near anything, but I don’t think you could pay me to try that. I’d rather eat a damn MRE if I had to.”

“What’s that?”

“Meal ready to eat. It’s a U.S. military thing. Tastes like cardboard, but they’re loaded with calories. They’re for out in the field—and trust me, there were times I was damn glad to have them. Nothing like pitching a tent in the middle of nowhere with nothing to eat. MRE’s did what they were intended to.”

“Sounds delicious,” she said sarcastically. “A cardboard tasting meal loaded with calories and sodium I’m sure.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers.”

“No, I’d imagine not. So, I don’t suppose you can tell me anymore what’s going on? You sent off the documents last night. I’d imagine your military has looked them over.”

“That they have,” Hunter agreed, taking a sip of his coffee. “I need to give my CO a call after we eat. Finalize some plans. But as you said, the information is out of your hands now. It was brave of you to grab those documents you found.”

Emma shrugged. “It’s what anyone would have done.”

“I’m not sure just anyone would go sneaking into Kabul on a visa they had no intention of actually using for legitimate purposes. Especially a single woman traveling alone to that part of the world.”

“I’ve always loved to travel and had a flair for adventure I suppose. Archeology is interesting because I get to study new cultures, discover ancient worlds. And the aid workers I met were lovely. They were there for different reasons than me, certainly, but I’d have kept in touch with some of them later.”

“Where’s your American friend from?”

“I think somewhere outside of Washington, D.C. Not too far from you I’d imagine if you’re in Virginia. Why, are you looking for me to set you up with a date when you return to the States?”

“No, I’m not looking for a date,” he muttered. “I think I have my hands full with you at the moment, wouldn’t you say?”

“Right. Sorry to be such trouble.”

“No trouble,” Hunter said, pulling his mobile from his pocket again. He glanced at the screen. “I need to make a call. Finish your breakfast, and then we’ll see about going into whatever the closest town is. Getting some things.”

“You’re going to leave your fake girlfriend eating breakfast alone?” Emma teased. “Whatever will that sweet little couple think?”

“Yep. If anyone asks, just make up an excuse. Nature called.”

“How lovely,” she said sarcastically.

“Yes, you are,” he agreed. “Tell them I’m calling my CO if you want—I already explained to them last night that I’m U.S. military. And that I whisked my lovely girlfriend away for a few days at a bed and breakfast.”

“Hmmph. At least you still have contact with the outside world. You destroyed my phone if you recall.”

“Just the SIM card—and believe me, neither of us wants to be tracked here. My connections are secure. It’s safe for me to use my electronics. I’m afraid we can’t take any chances with yours though.”

“All right. Go off and save the world or do whatever it is you need to do.”

“No saving the world. I’m stuck here with you, remember?”

“Right. Well, I’ll see you later,” she said, turning back to her breakfast.

Stuck here with her, she thought as he walked out of the dining area. How could she forget?