Page 21 of Dangerous Mission

Innocent as hell.

So wrong on every level.

When I swing the left turn into the airport’s driveway, a startled sound wrenches out of me.

My mouth drops open, I blink to clear my gritty-eyed vision.

No.This is not happening.

Flames are dancing behind a small window on the side of the structure. The red and orange glow as real as anything a man can ever see. But that’s not what has my heart leaping into my throat.

It’s the sight of Aria running into the building.

Chapter Eleven

I hate fires.

“Oh god. Not this!”

When we had career day in high school, I went with the fire department and quickly confirmed that I like water.Not flames.And definitely not smoke. After our demonstration of controlled burns, I had a whole new appreciation for people who do that job. Other people.

So, what the heck am I doing?

“Come on!” I smack my wet rain coat on a burning computer. “You are not burning this building down!”

A rush of air races across my skin, making me scream.

My body is suddenly airborne and there’s a steel band wrapped around my waist.

My scream morphs into a yell. “Let me?—”

“It’s me.”

An announcement I don’t need because in the midst of screaming and yelling for him to let me go, I got a hit of his scent. My new favorite addiction.

Warm, earthy and apparently the best things my ovaries have ever smelled.

“Wait, no!” I shout when I realize he’s carrying me outside.

“Aria, hold still!”

“No! I’m putting out the fire. We have to?—”

Scout plants me on the sidewalk, growls something I can’t understand and stalks off.

I race after him.

He spins around and shoves a finger in my face. “Youwillwait outside.”

“I want to help you!”

He growls, his icy eyes slice me as he grabs my wrist. “Goddamn, I don’t understand you, woman.”

He practically drags me through the building, grabs a fire extinguisher on the way, and goes to the office where the burning computer smells like an environmental disaster in the making.

Like some kind of expert, he puts the fire out in five seconds flat using the industrial-sized extinguisher. All while making it look like the gigantic canister weighs nothing.

Why didn’t I think to do that?