Special Forces Seduction. C.J. Miller

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      Finn shifted and adjusted the blankets. Though Finn rarely emoted, she sensed he was upset.

      “Tell me what’s on your mind.” She set her hand on his arm and Finn covered it with his own.

      “I was thinking about Simon. About his plans for the future. He wanted a wedding and a family. He met your sister and he fell hard. She and their life together were taken from him. Thea has Simon’s eyes. Haunting.”

      She and Finn harbored guilt about Simon and Lydia’s relationship. Hyde, for not warning Lydia to keep her distance from Simon, and Finn, because Finn believed he could have saved Simon from his untimely death.

      Hyde didn’t think any action on Finn’s part would have altered the outcome. She had voiced that sentiment before and he’d blown her off.

      Death was a reality they faced daily. Spies accepted dangerous assignments in unstable places. Hyde had been close to death a few times. She had been shot. She had broken her leg and been left for dead. She had been imprisoned. She had defied the odds and felt blessed to be alive.

      “Lydia will like to know that Simon cared deeply for her. I’ll be happy when I can tell her the truth,” Hyde said.

      From what Lydia had shared, she and Simon had talked about a future. They’d discussed marriage. Lydia also believed that Simon had manipulated her, promising a life together as a line to get her into bed. Hyde had wanted to spill the truth. Simon’s intentions had been genuine.

      “She deserves at least that,” Finn said. “When she tells Thea about her father, it shouldn’t be to explain he was a loser who abandoned them.”

      They lapsed into silence, lost in their thoughts.

      “Are you planning to be a spy forever?” Hyde asked.

      Finn propped his head on his hand. “I’m good at it. I don’t know if there’s anything else that would make me as happy as this work.”

      She’d had similar thoughts in the past. “You might see it differently one day.”

      “You sound like my mother,” he said, and he sounded exhausted.

      Interesting that he’d mentioned his family again. “Does your mom know you’re a spy?”

      “She thinks I work as a contractor for a defense firm. She doesn’t know specifics,” Finn said. “That’s something I like about you. You know what I do. I don’t have to hide much from you.”

      “We have secrets,” Hyde said.

      “When I’m with you, I can relax. You know the ground rules. You don’t pry.”

      Prying was exactly what she wanted to do except she had no interest in pressing him for details about his missions, past or future. She wanted to know more about him, his life, his childhood. They had spent time together, and she felt like she had barely scratched the surface learning what made him tick. It may not change anything. Finn was against having a family, and having a family was her new dream. If she had an explanation, would that make parting easier?

      Finn rolled and slung his thigh on top of hers, his leg between hers. “You smell good.”

      Whether his desire was taking over or he was avoiding delving into a deeper conversation with her, she couldn’t tell. Sex was often on Finn’s mind. “What you smell is soap and shampoo. I showered when I got home. My hair was sprayed into place and it was too stiff to sleep in and it was giving me a headache.”

      “I would have liked to help you,” Finn said.

      “Shower?” she asked.

      He ran his nose along her jawline. “That and take the clips from your hair. Alexandra?”

      He almost never used her real full name and it shook her and stirred her desire. Her stomach fluttered. “Yes?” She met his gaze. The fire in his eyes matched the heat in his voice.

      “I want to kiss you.”

      Could she let him kiss her? Would one kiss change anything? A kiss wouldn’t make her permanently decide to return to her life as a spy. A kiss couldn’t change her feelings about the future. But a kiss could feel good and comforting. Comfort was something she was missing. No one knew how much she was hurting. No one had sensed her sadness and reached out to comfort her.

      Finn was offering physical comfort and Hyde reached for him, drawing him close. His arousal pressed at the apex of her thighs. She ignored that and focused on his lips. His perfectly kissable, sexy lips. When their mouths touched, a hundred sparks lit in the air around them. His lips were soft and pliant. Unhurried and seductive, his tongue danced with hers. Heat smoldered inside her and she wished she knew how to cool it.

      They had fantastic chemistry, and getting naked with him held a great deal of appeal. But that appeal was lost when she thought of the last several months. How lonely she had been in Bearcreek and how the time alone had affected her. Time to think was good, except when it brought to light unsettling questions. Her extensive traveling over the last decade had prevented her from being close with anyone, from forging close relationships or letting anyone inside. She wanted those things, and Finn wasn’t the man who could give them to her.

      A tear slipped from her eye. Finn pulled away, questions in his eyes, and then wiped at the tear with his thumb.

      “I won’t hound you to tell me what this is about. I know spies keep secrets close to the vest. But I’m here if you want to talk. I don’t need to say anything. I can listen.”

      Hyde wanted to confess everything and bare her soul to him. But making herself vulnerable scared her. She kept her mouth shut.

       Chapter 3

      Hyde clasped Victoria’s hands before she climbed into the limo with Thomas. “Promise me you’ll be careful,” Hyde said.

      Victoria laughed and looked over her shoulder. “I will be fine. This will be the first vacation I’ve had in years. Don’t worry so much.”

      Hyde shouldn’t worry, but Victoria had never traveled outside Montana and now she was flying halfway around the world with her new husband. Hyde’s paranoia pinged. She had learned to be suspicious of everyone. That suspicion was misplaced with Thomas. He was a good man and could be trusted.

      Lydia was standing close by with Thea. Thea was sleeping in her arms, likely tired from the night before. Lydia had dark circles under her eyes, her clothes were wrinkled and her hair knotted in a messy bun.

      As Hyde waved goodbye to her sister and Thomas, Finn strolled toward her. He had skipped the family brunch, choosing instead to sleep for two more hours. No details had been mentioned about his last mission, and Hyde hadn’t reviewed the details for their upcoming one.

      “Ready to leave?” Finn asked.

      Hyde had assembled a bag that morning. She hadn’t forgotten how to slip undercover and pack the essentials quickly. “Yes.” Speaking the word held weight and evoked sadness. Leaving her family was harder than she’d anticipated. Staying away had been easier, jumping from СКАЧАТЬ