“Paddle, Jones! Don’t just sit there!” Jace yelled from the beach the next day. A student in the Water Rescue class floated in a rubber raft not far off shore. “Bang! You’re dead. Next.”

Felicity bit back a laugh at the middle-aged businessman’s forlorn look. He sidled out of the raft and splashed his way to shore.

Okay, yeah. Maybe training the next wave of ISIS fighters wasn’t exactly what Brothers In Arms had going on here after all. She stood in the shade of a small cove and held her hands over her eyes to block out the sun. From what she could see, there were about twelve students in the class, all ages and ethnicities, from many different sectors of business. One gal she’d talked to briefly was the CEO of a tech company looking to expand into sub-Saharan Africa. Another guy worked in the record industry and was expanding his studio overseas in Russia. One older man was here just because taking this kind of boot-camp training had always been on his bucket list and his wife had gotten him the classes as a gift for his sixtieth birthday.

The forlorn businessman who’d gotten fake-shot in his life raft slumped onto the beach, water dripping from his legs. “Sorry,” he said to Jace. “I panicked. It’s not as easy as it looks.”

Jace exhaled audibly and slapped the man on the back. “Exactly. That’s why you’re here, John.” He turned to the rest of the class. “That’s why you’re all here. We’re not trying to turn you into Rambo or another SEAL like us.” His gaze flicked to Felicity. “We only want you to have the skills and the knowledge you need in case, God forbid, you ever find yourself in this type of situation. Being scared is normal, helpful even. It puts all your senses on high alert, makes you sharper, faster. But panicking is bad. It clouds your judgment, takes away your edge. Panic is why people make bad decisions.” He met Felicity’s gaze for another fraction of a second before looking away. “Okay, class. We’ll continue this later today. Get some lunch and we’ll meet back here at two.”

People walked off, heading back up the stairs to the highway above, while Jace pulled the raft into the cove and tied it securely to a steel post. He straightened and faced Felicity, his black Brothers In Arms T-shirt clinging to all his muscles and sinews just right. “Well, what do you think? Is John the next Bin Laden?”

She laughed. “Fine. I might have jumped to the wrong conclusions about this place.”

“No!” Jace held his hand to his chest in mock horror. Then he took her arm gently and guided her out of the cove toward the stairs. “Come on. I’ll show you the main indoor training facilities and make you some lunch.”

“Wow. Talk about a full-service tour.” She climbed the stairs, doing her best not to notice the way his body brushed against hers as he walked behind her or how his heat penetrated through her white T-shirt and jean shorts.

“Hey. I aim to please.” Jace winked once they reached the top of the stairs. They waited on the shoulder for the traffic to pass before crossing the highway. Warmth burst like fireworks in Felicity’s core, spreading outward through her extremities. He was too damned adorable. That was the problem. And for a girl like her who’d sworn off fun and frivolity, adorable was dangerous. For all she knew, Jace wasn’t even single. If he was indeed off the market, then she needed to get herself in check. Fast.

They jogged across the roadway and headed across the gravel parking lot toward a large white steel pole-barn type building, the Brothers In Arms name and logo displayed prominently on the side in black.

To fill some of the awkward silence, Felicity asked about the business. “Is that class size typical?”

“Yep. We like to keep them relatively small so we can give more personalized attention. Usually we have at least one instructor and two assistants, but we’re a bit shorthanded right now.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well.” Jace unlocked the door to the training building, held it open for her before following her inside, and switched on the light. The space was huge, filled with every type of training equipment imaginable. She’d thought the classrooms and gyms back at Quantico were impressive, but this place gave them a run for their money. “Both of my business partners are out and we’ve had to cut back a bit on staff for the short term. So, right now there’s just me.”

As he led her around the interior, showing her various obstacle courses and even several whirlpools, she couldn’t help asking more. “Really? This business seems pretty massive for one person to run alone.”

“Yeah, it is. We never designed it to operate like that, but you do what you have to for your team. Mark, Vann and I started this thing together. All for one and one for all, like the Musketeers, you know? Right now, I’m the one.” He grabbed a large red foam bat and grinned. “Care to do a little sparring?”

She gave him an incredulous stare. “With those things?”

Whack!

Felicity stumbled back a few steps, stunned. Oh. Hell. No. He did not just smack her with that thing. She edged back away from him and grabbed a blue bat of her own. Not because she wanted to play, but for self-defense. Slowly, they circled each other on the mat in the center of the space. “Don’t underestimate me,” she said. “I graduated top of my class in MMA.”

“Aw. That’s cute,” Jace grinned. “That might just tickle me if we tussle.”

The thought of tussling with him sent a fresh wave of desire through her blood and a rush of tingling moisture between her legs. To make matters worse, he pulled his T-shirt off, leaving his perfectly sculpted chest and stacks of firm, tanned abs open to her view. Jesus H. Christ. Jace Stevens wasn’t just adorable. He was frigging hot. Didn’t help he had to flaunt it in her face. Then again, the guy could be doing it just to distract her so he could win.

As if sensing her wayward thoughts, he chuckled, low and dirty. “You gonna ogle me all day or hit me with that thing, darlin’?”

Those were fighting words. Felicity charged him, bat swinging.

Whack, whack, whack!

Before she knew what was happening, he’d tumbled her to the mat and rolled so she was beneath him. She couldn’t seem to stop giggling. God, she hadn’t laughed like this in so damned long. Too damned long.

This was so much fun. This was….

Sobering at her loss of control, Felicity frowned and sat up, tossing her bat aside and straightening her clothes. She was here to work, not wrestle around with Jace, no matter how inappropriately, wildly attractive she found him.

“You okay?” he asked, still sprawled on the floor beside her, grinning that lopsided, naughty grin of his. “Sure you don’t want to stay down here longer? You seemed to be enjoying yourself.”

She was. That was the problem.

Felicity pushed to her feet and placed her bat back where she’d found it. “I’m hungry.”

“Me too.” Jace stood and gave her a look. She got the distinct impression he wasn’t talking about food. At last, thankfully, he grabbed his T-shirt and tugged it back on. “Kitchen’s this way.”

He led her through a door at the far corner of the room and into a nicely appointed breakroom area, complete with a small fridge, microwave, stove and oven, and dishwasher. Tables and chairs were spread through the space to create a cozy atmosphere.

“Have a seat,” Jace said, opening the fridge. “What would you like? We’ve got some turkey breast, ham, whole-wheat bread, cheese. Looks like there’s some lettuce and veggies too, if you want a salad.”

“Um, a salad would be good.” It was nice, having a guy feed her for a change. Whenever they were on missions, she and Ted always ate out. That man couldn’t cook to save his, or her, life. Felicity liked to cook, when she had the time. Nothing fancy, just down-home things like fried chicken and mashed potatoes. So, yeah. Being here with Jace, alone like this, was…nice.

“Are you sure I can’t help with anything?” she asked from her table.

“Nope. Sit back and relax,” he smiled and pulled out the things to make their lunch. “I’m at your service today.”

Having him at her service brought a whole flood of erotic images to her mind again—them kissing up against the wall, him taking her hard and hot and deep, so fucking deep. She coughed and lowered her gaze, heat flushing her cheeks and her pulse pounding.

This crazy attraction to him was getting way out of hand. She needed something to distract her from the sight of his tight butt in those shorts, the way the muscles in his back worked as he chopped the lettuce, the long, tanned stretch of his legs and the lines of those veins in his forearms that made her want to lick them….

“You know what?” he said. “There is something you can do for me.”

Anything. “Yes?” she said, her voice cracking slightly.

Finally, a distraction. Maybe he’d let her help make the salad after all. Maybe he’d ask her to grab some equipment from out in the gym. Honestly, she didn’t care at this point if it got her mind off him and his incredibly smokin’ body. “What?”

“You can tell me why you never let yourself have any fun.” He glanced back at her over his shoulder, his warm brown gaze far too perceptive. “Don’t try to deny it either. I saw how you shut down and closed up out there on the mat. Tell me why.”