Free Blind Faith by Rebecca Zanetti

knowing. One of his gifts was to see beneath the
    surface, and by the darkening of those eyes, he saw exactly what he did to her.
    Desire slammed into her abdomen. How did he do that? Her body remembered him well even though it
    had been five years since he’d taken her to unbelievable heights. A primal part of her wanted to jump right
    back into the fire with him. Desire feathered along her skin, raising goose bumps. “Threatening me is no
    way to gain my cooperation,” she muttered.
    “How well manned is the facility?” Nate asked, a flush crossing his cheekbones.
    Yeah. Their closeness affected him as well. But while she tried to hide her reaction, he allowed his free
    rein.
    He smiled, but it wasn’t his usual cocky smirk. It was a baring of teeth. Primal and honest. Nate wanted
    her.
    She paused, trying to focus on the question and not the desire uncoiling in her body. “Same as the place
    in Tennessee, I think. There’s an infirmary, several labs, weapon caches, and offices.”
    “Any new trainees?” Nate’s jaw hardened visibly.
    “No.” Audrey shook her head, trying to draw in fresh air. “Only adults, and I don’t know how many are
    the commander’s soldiers and how many are with the U.S. military. If any.”
    “Are you due there any time soon?” His finger slipped beneath the boot, caressing her bare skin.
    “No,” she whispered, her body rioting. Heat flared up from her chest, scalding her throat.
    His eyes darkened, and he unzipped the boot. “A lie.” With a sharp tug, he removed it to toss onto the
    ground. Amusement quirked his lip. “I like your sock.”
    Heat spun into her cheeks at the striped purple and green sock. “I need to do laundry.” The boot had
    covered the fuzzy sock, and she hadn’t figured anybody would see it.
    “All right.” His thick hand banded around her other calf as he eyed the zipper. “When are you due back
    at the commander’s DC facility?”
    His touch sent tingles up her leg right to her sex. She had to get away before she started shedding her
    clothing and jumped him. An ache pounded in her core, and she fought the urge to rub her thighs together.
    This should not be turning her on. “I’m due at the DC facility the day after tomorrow.”
    “Why?”
    “For a checkup regarding my last surgery.” She tried to tug her foot free, and he held tight. He always
    did have an unbreakable hold. Flutters cascaded down her back.
    His gaze lifted to meet hers. “How many surgeries have there been?”
    She frowned, thinking back. “Five on my leg and three internally to repair fallopian tubes and one
    ovary. I lost the other one.” Why lie? She cleared her throat. “Where have you been for five years?”
    “No.” He glanced at her exposed knees and cleared his throat. “I ask the questions.”
    “You want answers? You provide them, too.” If he insisted on interrogating her, she deserved to have
    her curiosity appeased.
    He rubbed his whiskers. “I’ve been all over, undercover, trying to take on the commander and get the
    kill chips. Can you have kids now?” His gaze remained down.
    “Yes.” She probably wouldn’t get the chance to have kids, though. The idea that she’d once almost had
    his kid made her heart ache, and deep down she wondered at another chance with Nate. She didn’t want
    hope with him—not again. Talk about impossible. “Well, I probably can have kids.”
    “I’m glad for you.” His shoulders lowered, his gaze shuttering. “Who is the senator going to recommend
    funding this year? What military group?”
    Her stomach undulated. When Nate shut her out like that, the entire world turned cold. But she couldn’t
    tell him the truth, and he’d sense a half-truth. “I don’t know.”
    Her zipper released in record time, and the second boot flew across the room.
    “Hey! That wasn’t a lie, damn it.” She kicked out with the now revealed fuzzy pink sock.
    “A refusal is the same as a lie.” A frown settled between his