Free The Phoenix Encounter by Linda Castillo

to her.
    Robert couldn’t take his eyes off her and cursed himself for letting what should have been a quick and painless briefing turn into something a hell of a lot more personal. He’d only been in the cottage an hour and already she was messing with his head, making him remember things he was better off forgetting, making him want things he was a fool for considering.
    But he was only a man. A man who’d been alone for a long time. And so he drank in the sight of her silky redhair and slender shoulders and felt the heady pull of lust. He studied the fragile lines of her profile, the mouth that had lied to him so easily, the same mouth that could drive him insane with need.
    Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, revealing the delicate line of her jaw. There was worry in her eyes, but those amazing hazel eyes could still suck the breath right out of a man’s lungs, even if there was an ocean of anger standing between them.
    Abruptly, she turned to face him. Their eyes met, her hazel clashing against the blue of his. Robert felt the impact like a fighter jet flying low and plowing into him at Mach 1. The back of his neck heated when she licked her lips, and he felt another stir of lust low in his groin. He tried hard not to remember how many times he’d kissed that mouth, how many times she’d kissed him back, how good every single one of those kisses had been. But he did and his body responded with a vengeance that stunned him.
    Cursing himself for letting the moment stretch, he stepped back. “I’m going to turn in,” he said woodenly and started for the little room off the kitchen.
    He heard her moving behind him, but he didn’t stop. The last thing he wanted was close proximity. Damn it, the last thing he wanted to do was spend the next few days lusting after a woman who’d made her feelings for him crystal clear. A woman who’d shattered his heart and then moved on to another man before the wounds she’d left behind had even had a chance to scab over.
    The tiny room was in dismal condition, but clean. Robert was still searching for the light switch when Lily came in with a candle.
    â€œI’m sorry, but there’s no electricity back here.”
    â€œTerrific.” He took the candle from her, careful not to let his fingers brush against hers. Turning, he set the candle on the small counter next to the sink.
    â€œI’m sorry I can’t offer you more.”
    â€œThis is fine.” He risked a look at her. “I’m not here to enjoy myself.”
    Kneeling, she transferred canning jars from one shelf to another, giving him some room.
    â€œI can do that,” he said.
    Ignoring him, she continued working until she’d cleared one of the shelves. “There’s a shower in the main bathroom off the hall. There’s usually hot water in the morning.” She looked away from him, wiped her hands on her jeans. “If you need anything else…”
    Before he could stop himself, he reached out and touched her shoulder. “What I need are answers.”
    He felt a tremor run the length of her. Then she turned away. He let his hand drop. She brushed by him without answering, without meeting his gaze. Robert watched her move down the hall, feeling petty and pathetic and frustrated as hell.
    â€œWhat the hell are you doing?” he muttered to himself and dropped his duffel onto the narrow cot. Trying not to think too hard about the answer, he pulled out the battery-powered satellite phone and palm-size computer and set the antenna up on the shelf Lily had cleared. He hit several buttons on the computer, and the liquid crystal display screen glowed ethereally in the candlelight. He waited for the satellite signal to go through, then slipped the tiny padded microphone into his ear and listened to the grid coordinates beep. He typed in his identification number and password, then waited for a mechanical female voice to ask him a