Free Close Quarters by Lucy Monroe Page B

serious as he’d heard it to date. “That’s one of the things I’ve learned living here; don’t dismiss the chance to enjoy life trying too hard to make someone else’s better.”
    â€œThat’s a pretty important lesson.”
    â€œI thought so. In America, we’re raised with a results-oriented mentality that doesn’t work for every situation. It’s way too easy to get discouraged trying to apply that attitude to relief work.”
    â€œBecause no matter how much you do, there’s always more to do so the results are always skewed.”
    She gave him a surprised look from her hazel eyes. “You sound like you’ve got some experience.”
    â€œFighting the good fight has a lot of the same drawbacks.”
    â€œThere’s always someone out there ready to threaten our nation’s security,” she guessed accurately.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œIs that why you left the lab? You felt like you could make a bigger difference to the American people protecting them than trying to develop new weapons or anti-weapon technology?”
    She understood his former job better than he would have expected her to. “I’m a damn good scientist, but when it comes to being a soldier, I’m the best.”
    â€œNo false modesty there.”
    â€œWaste of breath.”
    She laughed. “I see.” She gave him another probing look. “I’m still trying to work out what you are doing here with Ben. Is he somebody special, traveling incognito? One of the President’s advisors maybe?”
    â€œYou’re assuming I’m something special.”
    â€œYou just got through telling me you’re the best. That usually implies Special Forces. Maybe I’m naïve, but I wouldn’t expect an average bureaucrat to have a security detail made up of Special Forces soldiers.”
    â€œActually, depending on the level of threat, it’s not unheard of.”
    â€œSo, you’re not going to tell me?”
    â€œThere’s nothing to tell.”
    â€œRight.” The look she gave him dared him to stick with that particular party line.
    â€œElle says your brother is stubborn as a mule with an attitude problem.”
    â€œYour point?”
    â€œI think it might run in the family.”
    A grin flirted at the corners of her mouth. “You can count on it. My grandmother locked herself into the local library and went on a hunger strike until the city council agreed to leave Catcher in the Rye and other supposedly subversive books in the stacks. She was seriously opposed to censorship, but she didn’t limit her opposition to rhetoric.”
    No more than the woman in front of him was content to take a passive stance in regard to the needs she identified here in Zimbabwe.
    â€œLet me guess, she was the librarian?”
    â€œYep.”
    â€œI wasn’t talking about ancestors.”
    â€œAncestors are a big thing among the Zimbabweans.”
    â€œSo you said. Not only are you stubborn, but you’re not bad at misdirection.”
    â€œIf you say so.”
    â€œI do.” And why did that knowledge make him smile?
    She gasped.
    He did a quick inventory of their surroundings, but there was no threat he could see. “What?”
    â€œYou smiled.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œI never saw you do that before. Not even at Elle and Beau’s wedding.”
    â€œYou find that odd?”
    â€œYou don’t?”
    â€œNo.”
    She shook her head. “Wow. You’re so serious.”
    â€œIsn’t that a redundant observation when you reacted with such shock to my smile?”
    â€œAre you teasing me, Mr. ‘I don’t show frivolous emotion’?”
    â€œCould be.”
    â€œWell.”
    â€œWell?” he prompted.
    â€œI think I like it.”
    â€œI think you’re flirting.” And he was damn sure he liked it despite the fact he should not. He muttered a Ukrainian