Free Hot Shot (A Hostile Operations Team Novel)(#5) by Lynn Raye Harris Page B

Her throat hurt after an evening of singing. “Unknown.”
    She could see him clench his fist in her peripheral vision. “You had a fifty-fifty chance of guessing the right man.”
    “It was easier that way.”
    “When we get him back, you’re going to correct that.”
    His tone said he’d accept no other alternative, and yet she bristled at being told what to do. But didn’t he have that right? She’d revealed the truth to him, asked him for his help, so how could she possibly deny him the right to call Eli his? And yet it terrified her, too.
    “All right,” she said softly.
    “I don’t even know what he looks like.”
    Tears blurred her vision. “Can I have my phone?” He’d been holding it for her in case there was a call during the concert.
    He handed it over wordlessly. She put in her passcode and called up her photos. She found the most recent one of Eli, taken just this morning before she’d flown to DC. He’d been laughing and playing with his toy train. She’d snapped him when he’d looked up at her, his little blue eyes shining, his blond hair a mop of curls. His cheeks were rosy and fat. Her heart squeezed with all the love she felt for him.
    She passed the phone wordlessly to Jack. He took it and sat there staring for the longest time. She managed to force herself to look at him. His profile made her heart skip. He was chiseled and handsome, and she felt again all the chaotic emotions she’d experienced back in that cave three years ago. Such hot, intense attraction. Safety. Belonging.
    But of course she’d been wrong about the belonging. As usual.
    He swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving visibly. “He looks a little like me.”
    “A lot like you,” she said past the knot in her throat.  
    “Yeah.” He punched the button to make the picture go away and handed the phone back to her. “Goddammit, Gina,” he finally said, his voice hoarse. “Were you ever going to tell me?”
    She dropped her gaze to her lap. She knew what the answer should be. But she couldn’t say it. She could only tell the truth. “I don’t know.”  
    She leaned her head back on the seat and let a tear escape. Her makeup would run and she’d look like a raccoon, but she no longer cared about her image.
    “I should have told you. I know I should have. But I was scared. You were so angry and heartbroken three years ago. You told me what we’d done didn’t mean anything. I understood that. And I didn’t need anything from you. I didn’t want you to think I expected anything.”
    “I wasn’t in a good place then. But that still didn’t give you the right to keep him from me.”
    “No, I know.” She spread her hands. “I can’t say anything other than I’m sorry. I know it’s not enough, and I don’t expect you to forgive me. All I want is to get Eli back again. After that, we’ll work it out. I want him to know you, if that’s what you want too.”
    It terrified her to think of making Jack a part of their lives, but what choice did she have? Without him, there would be no Eli. Without him, she might never see Eli again.  
    Oh God, she couldn’t think such a thing. She just couldn’t. It would kill her if he didn’t come back safely.
    The dam inside her broke then and she folded over onto herself, crying because she was emotionally wrung out from the concert, from Jack’s presence in her life, and from her baby being gone.
    For the second time today, Jack pulled her into the hard warmth of his body and let her cry. She huddled into his side, her body shaking with fear and adrenaline and sorrow. Jack ran a hand up and down her bare arm. Sparks shot through her body, warming her. She wanted to lean into him for the whole night, lie against him and let him take on the world for her. What would it feel like to belong to someone strong, someone who could take control and make the world go away for a while?
    It was always her against everyone else. She was used to it, and yet she still wished for