Page 25 of Being Bold (Tactical Operations & Protection (TOP) Security #1)

“Who’s Duke?” She directed her question to Bo, but it was Herc who answered.

“Our pilot.” He snorted. “And also, the cockiest bastard you’ll ever meet.”

“Can’t wait,” she muttered.

Stirring the eggs, she watched them turn into puffy yellow pillows. Was she going to have a whole team of bodyguards now? While that idea should’ve made her feel safe, it weighed her heart down with sadness.

She wanted more time with Bo—alone.

◆◆◆

Bo

Bo stood at the counter holding his plate.

Despite the opportunity for real food, he had to force himself to eat.

His appetite for chow was nonexistent compared to the need he had for Selene, which was a big fucking problem.

He felt as juiced up as if he held onto an electric fence.

He never should’ve let things go that far.

Making her come . . . all he could think about was doing it again. In multiple ways.

He avoided glancing at her but was acutely aware of her sitting on the couch, eating at the coffee table. Romeo had offered her his seat in the kitchen, but she’d declined, retreating from all three of them.

Herc’s voice broke into his thoughts. The guy spoke between bites of breakfast. His calorie intake was equivalent to that of a pro-football player.

Yet somehow, he was always hungry. “Victor’s working the brass, and he’s got the techies doing a full workup on this Dao guy.

Once he sends the brief, we figure out our next move. ”

A scowl twisted Bo’s face, and he clenched his fist around his fork.

“What’s with the look, frogman? I thought that news would’ve been welcome.” Herc stopped shoveling eggs into his mouth and studied Bo closer than he wanted.

Forcing himself to relax, he shrugged. “It is.” The sooner they got rid of Dao, the sooner Selene could go back to her life.

And be out of his.

It should’ve relieved him, but instead, the thought was like an uppercut to the face. Painful and jarring.

Herc lowered his voice, “Hey, does she have family?”

Bo blinked. He’d never asked. “I don’t know. Fuck.”

“Yeah.” Herc glanced in Selene’s direction, his face grim.

What they didn’t say, in case she could hear their conversation, hung clearly in the air. Dao could use her family to get to her. Bo should’ve thought of that.

“I’ll find out,” Romeo volunteered with a grin that made Bo want to strangle his fellow SEAL. He’d almost flipped his lid when the asshole had tried to kiss Selene’s hand earlier.

“No, you won’t,” Bo growled.

Herc tried and failed to hide a smile while Romeo opened his mouth to protest. “Why the hell not?”

“You got a death wish, Casanova,” Herc murmured.

Bo set his plate down before he cracked the thing in two. “Keep it in your pants around her or I’ll slice your fucking balls off.”

Romeo’s eyes widened before he cursed, “Hijo de puta.” He shook his head before spearing Bo with a sharp look. “You’re into her.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Herc’s comment was meant for Romeo, but Bo heard it.

He changed the subject, refusing to acknowledge their suspicions. “I’ll ask her about her family, then see if Victor can have Crane and Rogue check on them.”

Turning away, he wished for some space. His cabin had never felt too small before, but now the walls seemed to be closing in. They had to move this op to a bigger base. Soon.

Romeo appeared at his shoulder with a whine. “You don’t have a dishwasher.”

“Nope.” Bo grunted and set his empty plate in the sink. “And you just volunteered to be dish bitch.”

Instead of protesting, he lowered his voice. “Hey, you don’t have anything to worry about with me. I’ll leave her alone.” Romeo started running water in the sink. “We cool?” he asked.

Bo stared while the liquid started to climb up the sides of the stainless-steel tub. Why did it feel like he was drowning? Pulling air in through a constricted throat, he managed, “Yeah. We’re cool.”

He stepped away from the counter, eyes bouncing around everyone in his space. Suddenly hit with sensory overload, he had a desperate need to get the hell out of the cabin. “I’ve got to . . .” He made it to the living room on shaky legs. “Outside,” he grunted to no one in particular.

None of them said anything as the door shut behind him.

When the cold air hit his face, he breathed in deeply.

Half stumbling down the steps, he made it to the woodpile before he hit his knees.

His stomach roiled, threatening to bring up the breakfast he’d choked down.

With a hard swallow, he shoved his hands into the icy snow, letting the cold center him because, fuck, he needed some grounding.

Closing his eyes, he tilted his face toward the early morning sunshine and focused on everything he could hear.

The whistling call of a chickadee as it flew into the woods on his right.

The slow drip of ice melting under the sun’s rays from the logs not far from his head.

The crunch of snow under a set of boots as someone approached from the cabin.

With a sigh, Bo opened his eyes, pulling his numb hands from the snow as he shifted onto his heels. At least his stomach had settled down, and he didn’t feel like the walls were closing in anymore. Turning his head, he waited to see who’d come after him.

Selene. The fact that it was her made him feel both better and worse. There were so many things he’d like to say to her . . . to do with her, but he couldn’t. This was an op, and if he wanted to do it well, he had to stay focused on the mission—protecting her.

She stopped a yard away. Her voice sounded unsure as she asked, “Are you okay?”

Her caring enough to inquire twisted his insides. He’d fucked up with her already. If she had feelings . . . that would be bad, right? Did he have feelings for her? Is that why he’d gone batshit over the idea of her with Romeo? Because he was jealous?

“I’m . . .”— a fucking shitshow— “good,” he managed while his thoughts were in an uproar.

“What are you doing?”

He still hadn’t stood up. She crouched in front of him, worry pinching her features.

He shrugged. “Just needed some air.”

A soft smile flitted across her lips. “It’s freezing out here.”

She’d bundled up from head to toe, and he had on only his jeans and a flannel. It was pretty damn cold, especially as he felt the snow starting to melt and wet through the denim covering his knees and shins.

He stood up, brushing off the material, trying to avoid her gaze. If he kept looking into her eyes, he was liable to do something stupid like kiss her again. “Yeah. Why don’t you head in? I’ll be there in a minute.”

Or ten. Or however the fuck long it took for him to get his head on straight.

She’d gotten to her feet, but her boots didn’t start their retreat. While he watched the ground, they came closer. “Can I stay with you?”

Don’t look at her. Don’t look at her. Don’t look —her palm landed on his arm. He lifted his head and met those gray-green whirlpools. Sadness, hope, attraction. It all swirled in her eyes, making him dizzy.

“Can I kiss you?” Fuck, did he just say that aloud? When she was this close, it was harder to hold everything inside. Things he couldn’t contain anymore sloshed around in his head like a ship in a storm, spilling over the deck.

“Yes,” she answered with zero hesitation, stepping into his space and gripping his other forearm.

He never should’ve opened his mouth. If she knew half the things he wanted from her, she’d probably run screaming. He told himself to step back, but his legs wouldn’t move. He’d frozen to the spot. All he could do was stare.

Her eyes questioned him before she leaned closer. Then, she tilted her face up and murmured, “Kiss me, Bo.”

Aw, fuck.

The way she looked at him made his blood heat until he no longer felt the cold. There was zero chance he’d deny her. Not that he wanted to. No, he wanted to strip her of her coat, use it as a blanket, and get to work melting the snow underneath it.

As if he needed more encouragement, she hooked her arms around his neck and rocked her hips in a way that had his cock standing at attention. His breath shuddered out as he bent his head and placed his lips on hers.

So soft, and that sound she made in the back of her throat?

So fucking sweet. He licked along the seam of her lips, and she opened that tempting mouth.

Cupping her head in his palm, he pulled her closer, wanting to feel her curves, only to grunt in disappointment at the bulkiness of her coat.

It hid too much. Still, he had her lips.

With his other arm, he pulled her flush against his arousal as he deepened the kiss.

She tasted like the maple syrup she’d put on her eggs.

The sweetness mixed with her floral shampoo until the heady bouquet drenched his senses.

He felt no cold. Only Selene and her warmth.

Warmth that made him forget about why he shouldn’t be kissing her.

With their tongues stroking each other, he felt like he’d been made to kiss her. The idea that he wouldn’t or couldn’t do that was as far away as the city. The world might be in chaos around them, but she was his calm in the storm. With her in his arms, the past didn’t matter.

A phone rang as if from a distance, the sound distorted. It was there but not fully in his reality. Until Selene pulled away, taking that ability she had to dampen everything but her. The noise grew louder.

With a soft curse, she pulled a burner phone from her pocket. Herc had brought new ones for all of them to use for this op. “Oh! It’s Yumi.”

She looked up at him, and he nodded. “Answer. Maybe she has news.”

He leaned on the woodpile and only half listened to the one-sided conversation.

Everything he’d forgotten a moment ago came roaring back.

If that kiss was any indication, they were both in trouble.

Because despite the warning sensors they’d tripped in his brain, he knew they would finish what they started.

Sooner or later, the pin they had their fingers wrapped around would come out. And the grenade would go off.