Page 13 of Boomer

God, why did that sound…indecent?

Her mind betrayed her before she could stop it. Boomer’s hips, that raw, restrained strength, the kind of movement that didn’t ask permission, just took. That body. That control. Thatlossof control.

She blinked hard, forced her expression back to neutral, back to cold. She hated how easy it was for him to get under her skin even by proxy.

Her voice came out level, crisp, almost clinical. “You’re here to do a job. I’m here to bridge a gap, even if it is over troubled water.”

That shut Skull up for half a second. Then he chuckled low in his throat and kept walking. “Looking forward to this deployment already.”

She didn’t respond.

She was too busy trying to erase the image her body had already decided it wanted to experience firsthand.

Boomer stopped right at the bottom of the ramp. He froze when he saw her. Shoulders squared.

Behind him, the teams began to descend the ramp in silent, muscular formation, swinging backpacks, faces drawn from travel and the kind of missions that left shadows on the soul. One by one, they passed her without comment, just nods of recognition. Breakneck, God, he looked like a wild-eyed kid who’d barely passed a driving test and somehow still radiated lethal calm.

Boomer’s eyes caressed her. Deep, dark, unreadable. Grounded like earth, but with the portent of quake-like trouble,a man who once made her feel like she might not need to do everything herself. Those tantalizing lips parted as if he expected to see her but was still shocked she was here. He looked at her like she still mattered, like he’d thought about her more than once since the last time they didn’t say goodbye.

Taylor straightened her spine and held her breath until her emotions retreated behind reinforced walls. She couldn’t speak to him. Not like this. Instead, she saw Bash and took the easy way out for once.

That familiar smirk. Sharp cheekbones. The ridiculous scent of expensive soap and entitlement. She’d known Bash before the uniform, before the medals and the command presence,beforethe Special Boat Service. Back in university, when his shirts were rumpled and his charm was all theory and failed metaphors. He came from a very wealthy family, but there was pain associated with it. He’d only opened up once. Said that old adage was true—it couldn’t buy happiness.

They had some history. He’d been bold even then, but under the bravado, she’d always seen the man beneath, clever, quietly loyal, and better than he let on.

She liked men with attitude and confidence, but only if it was backed by integrity. Bash had that, even when he was insufferable.

Thank God for him because he felt safe. Likestructure. Likeprotocol. Likecontrol.

Tonight, she needed every bit of that.

“Bash,” she said with a genuine smile, stepping forward. His grin widened as she wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back easily, slinging an arm over her shoulder like he owned half the air between them.

Behind her, movement. Breakneck nudged Boomer forward. A soft bump to the shoulder, likemove, buddy. You’re staring.

Boomer passed her just as she stepped back from Bash.

He stopped again.

Just for her.

He captured her with his eyes, then he took her under. “Guten Abend, Taylor.”

Her breath caught. Her spine locked.

The words landed low in her belly like a drop of warm oil. German.Herlanguage. Spoken softly, respectfully, with that rich, textured voice that wrapped around consonants like velvet over steel.

He didn’t butcher it. Didn’t over-pronounce. Justsaid it, quietly, the barest edge of his Southern drawl turning it into somethingintimate.

In that second, she was no longer the liaison. No longer the operator. No longer the woman who kept her walls mortared tight. She was just a girl from Germany, hearing her language from the man who still lived under her skin.

She wanted to scream. Or kiss him. Or run. Instead, she blinked. Stepped back. “Petty Officer Finley,” she said, voice cold, even as her hands trembled at her sides. Her knees went loose, traitorous things. She narrowed her eyes.

He’d gotten in again.With two words.

His gaze dropped to Bash’s arm still slung around her. Something flickered in his eyes, just enough to make her breath hitch.

“I’m looking forward to working with you again.”