Free Alpha One by Cynthia Eden

was the perfect bait.
    He forced a careless grin to his face. “Because the cabin’s secluded. It’s secure. And no one in Guerrero’s team would think to look for you here.”
    True enough. They wouldn’t think to look for her there, not until they were hand-fed the info.
    Sorry, Juliana. And he was. He didn’t like lying to her, setting her up. But no matter what else happened, he would keep her safe.
    That part hadn’t been a lie.
    She was already out of the SUV, heading up the old wooden steps that led to the front of the cabin. The steps creaked beneath her feet.
    Logan followed her. When she paused on the slightly sagging porch, he opened the door for her with a sweep of his hand, and he remembered the past.
    No one’s here, Julie. Come inside.
    Logan, are you sure?
    The cabin’s mine. No one will find us here. It’s just you...and me.
    For an instant, he could feel her mouth beneath his. The memory was so strong. Her lips had been soft, silken. Her body had been a perfect temptation under his.
    Here . It had all happened here.
    Locking his jaw, Logan slammed the door shut behind him and secured the lock. Because the team had been planning this move in advance—for days, actually, even before the hit in the cemetery—the cabin was already wired. Cameras had been set up to scan the cabin’s exterior. Alarms and sensors were strategically placed outside.
    The feed would all go back to Sydney, since she was their tech queen. But Logan had a few monitors set up inside the cabin, too. He liked to keep his eyes open. Being blind in the field had never suited him.
    He turned and found Juliana’s dark eyes on him. There were smudges beneath her eyes. Exhaustion. She looked so fragile, so very breakable, that his body tensed.
    Go to her, every instinct he had screamed at him, but he knew Juliana didn’t want his comfort. The stiff lines of her body said she didn’t want him at all.
    The kiss in Mexico had been a fluke. She hadn’t come looking for seconds, and she’d been very clear when she told him they were done.
    Not yet.
    So he’d just hold on to his fantasies. They’d gotten him through plenty of long nights, and he could keep his hands off her. He’d try to keep them off, anyway.
    “You can take the room at the top of the stairs,” he said. It was the only bedroom there and—
    Her gaze darted to the staircase. “I’d, um, rather not.”
    The memories were hitting her, too. He’d pushed her back at the EOD meeting. The idea of her being so close to one of the other agents— hell, no. He didn’t want her spending any nights alone with Gunner or Jasper. So he’d pushed to see what she’d do.
    And maybe because he hoped that deep down she still wanted him. He was on fire for her.
    Only, Juliana was turning away. “I’ll take the couch.”
    “Take the bed.” He’d gotten a new bed for her. New sheets. New covers. She could rest, take it easy and—
    “I’m not getting into your bed,” she snapped. Her temper was back. Probably the wrong time to mention he’d always found her sexy when temper spiked her blood and heated her voice. “I might have to stay with you, but I don’t have to—”
    “You kissed me in Mexico.” His words stopped her, but he regretted them the minute they left his mouth. He didn’t want to make her mad. He just wanted...
    Juliana heaved out a long sigh. “I was half-awake. I didn’t know what I was doing.” No emotion in her words. “Don’t worry, I won’t make that mistake again.”
    If only. “Maybe I want you to do it again.” Because they were alone, for the moment. And he was tired of pretending that he didn’t ache just looking at her. That her scent didn’t make him hard. That her voice—husky, soft—didn’t turn him on.
    Everything about her got to him. Always had.
    Logan was afraid that it always would.
    Juliana glanced back over her shoulder at him. A guy could only take so much. She stood there looking so beautiful, reminding him of all