Page 12 of Dangerous Affair (The Phoenix Three #2)

“Y ou’ve been surprisingly calm about all this,” Liam said as they sat by the creek. She really had been. Most people not trained for dangerous situations would be scared, even falling apart. She’d been calm, had followed his orders without question, and had even teased him.

She stared at the water tumbling over the rocks in the creek.

“I don’t know. I guess when you’ve hidden in a basement with families praying the so-called soldiers raiding their village who’ll shoot anyone without question don’t find you…

When you’ve watched a child die, his belly bloated with hunger, or carried a little girl who had her leg blown off a mile to where you knew Doctors Without Borders were so they could save her life…

” She lifted her eyes to his. “I guess in the grand scheme of things it’s all relative, you know?

Like this crap with Jasper is more like an annoying mosquito buzzing around your face. ”

“I do know.” And right then, that very second, this woman claimed a piece of his heart.

She smiled. “I guess as a former Marine, you do.”

He smiled back, then to lighten up the mood again, said, “So, the good news is we won’t have to spend the night in the woods.

Grayson will have that chopper to us in a few hours.

Until we get the coordinates to an LZ, we’ll stay put.

” He was good with that. It would give him time to get to know her a little.

From the first, seeing her photo, her work on behalf of children the world over, reading about her accomplishments and awards, and hearing the love for her in her father’s voice—he’d been a little envious of that—he’d been fascinated.

“What got you interested in photography?” he asked as he opened the box of power bars and handed her one.

“Oh, fun, a picnic.” She grinned, taking it from him. “With the excitement of being chased, I forgot I was starving.”

Even with a dangerous man after her, stranded in the middle of nowhere, and with ruined feet, she remained upbeat. She impressed the hell out of him.

“To answer your question, my mom loved taking pictures, and I wanted a camera like hers so I could take pictures, too. I was nine when she gave me one. It wasn’t as fancy as hers, but I loved it.

She was killed a few months after giving it to me.

An elderly man got confused and went the wrong way on the highway and hit her head-on.

After she was…um, gone, the camera made me feel close to her. I still have it.”

Her voice caught when speaking of her mom, and instead of hugging her like he wanted to, he put his hand over hers and squeezed.

“I’m sorry you lost her.” He could relate a little because, although in a different way, he’d lost his family.

“What made you want to be a photojournalist and specialize in children?”

“One of my college professors had a sister who was a photojournalist, and he had her come speak to the class. By the time she finished talking about the places she’d been and after watching her incredible slideshow, I wanted to be her.

She didn’t really focus on any one thing, but she had a section of photographs of children caught in a tribal war, and…

” Her eyes watered with unshed tears. “Those children were starving, many of them orphans, yet their too-big eyes for their little faces looked into the camera and they smiled for her. That was the moment I knew what I’d do with my life.

Bring the plight of these children and others who are suffering to the attention of the world.

” She shrugged. “Do my small part in helping them.”

Be still my heart. She was perfect, and he fell a little in love with her right then and there. How could he not when she was everything and more that he could want in a woman?

His sat phone chimed with an incoming call.

“Liam here.” After getting the information from Grayson, he set the phone next to him.

“The good news, we only have a mile to get to the LZ, but the helo won’t be here for three more hours.

We’re safe here, so we’ll stay put for a while longer. Let your feet rest a little.”

“My feet thank you. Your turn.”

“For?”

“Your story. You said you rescue children. Why?”

He never talked about his kidnapping, but with her, he wanted to. “Grayson, Cooper, and I were kidnapped when we were in high school. We—”

“Wait.” She grabbed his arm. “Did that happen during spring break?”

“Yes.”

“I remember that being all over the news when I was in high school, that three boys had been kidnapped. Some SEALs found you and rescued you, right?”

“Former SEALs, and yes. We were very lucky. Grayson’s father had been a SEAL, and he called in some favors.”

“And that’s the reason you all created The Phoenix Three?”

“Pretty much.” He told her about those dark days of being held for ransom, their rescue, and how he and his Phoenix Three brothers had come up with the idea of rescuing children. When he finished, he smiled. “We have a lot in common, you know?”

She stared at him without saying anything, her gaze dropping from his eyes to his mouth.

“What?” he said.

“I think you should kiss me.”

Well, he wasn’t expecting that, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to refuse. He decided to turn the tables and challenge her. Why? Because he was learning her, and he thought it was a sure bet that she liked a challenge. “I think you should be the one to kiss me.”

“Hmm.” She tilted her head and studied him as a smirk appeared on her face. “You think I won’t?”

“I’m very much hoping you do.”

She leaned toward him, her eyes never leaving his as she closed the distance between them.

Her soft, warm lips touched his, and as their mouths pressed together, he committed to memory their first kiss.

He never wanted to forget this moment. She was someone special, and he had the feeling that she was going to change his life.

She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and sighed when their tongues tangled. That sigh went straight to his groin as they kissed.

She lowered her arms and leaned away. “Wow. That was—”

“Earth-shattering?” He was pretty sure the ground shifted under his feet.

“I was going to say amazing , but earth-shattering works.”

He hesitated a moment before saying what he wanted to.

He didn’t want to come on too strong too soon, but something special was happening here.

For him, anyway. He needed to know if she felt it, too.

“This thing happening—” he gestured between them “—between us, tell me it’s not just me feeling it. ”

“It’s called chemistry.”

Yes, there was chemistry, but it was more than that.

He didn’t believe in love at first sight.

How could you love someone you didn’t know?

But for the first time in his life, he believed he could fall in love with someone, with her.

He couldn’t know that for sure yet, but he wanted time with her to explore the possibility.

First order of business was to get her safely home, then he’d ask her out on a date. Savannah was a doable drive if she was interested in seeing him. He sure hoped she was.

“Now that we kissed, I want to know more about you,” she said. “Did you grow up in Myrtle Beach?”

“No, Kansas City.”

“I’ve never been there. Is that where your family lives?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, I hear tension in your voice. Are you not close to them?”

As much as he didn’t want to talk about his father, he wanted her to know him, and the only way for her to do that was to answer her question. And, maybe, sitting here in the woods in the middle of nowhere was the best place for confessions.

“When I was eighteen, right after I graduated high school, I told my father I was joining the Marines. He disowned me. I haven’t seen him since.”

She stared at him for a moment. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t imagine a parent disowning their child for any reason. That’s really sad, because you’re an amazing man, Liam, and he’s not around to see that.”

“I secretly talk to my mom once a month.”

“So, she didn’t disown you but isn’t allowed to talk to you?”

“Correct.” Since he’d told her that much, he told her the rest of his story.

“That’s sad for you both that she has to sneak to talk to you,” she said when he finished. “I’d like to have a few words with your father.”

He grinned as he imagined her doing just that. “I’d love to see that.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s time to head to the LZ.”

Her gaze scanned the area around them. “Do you think Jasper’s gone?”

“Probably for now, but he’s not going to give up. We’re going to talk about that.” He packed everything up. “Let’s go.” He stood and held out his hand to help her up. “We have plenty of time, and we’re going to take it slow so you don’t ruin your feet even more.”

“Why don’t you let me carry one of those bags?”

“I’m good. I’ve carried twice this weight when on an op, so I’m used to it. You just worry about where you step and not hurting your feet.”

“You really are a knight in shining armor.”

“No, ma’am. Just an ordinary man here.”

She snorted. “Right.”

Fine. Maybe he wasn’t quite ordinary, and if his special skills kept her safe, all the better. Whether she was his future remained to be seen, but for now anyway, she was his to protect.

Trooper that she was, she didn’t complain once as they traveled to the LZ even though her feet had to be on fire. When they reached the designated pickup, they had twenty minutes to wait for the bird. The LZ was in a flat meadow surrounded by forest.

After he got her settled inside the tree line where she was hidden from sight, he made a sweep of the area around them.

He knew they hadn’t been followed, and he didn’t expect to find anything of concern, but he wasn’t taking any chances where Quinn was concerned.

Finding all was quiet, he returned to her.

“Your feet must be in agony,” he said as he squatted next to her, dropping the three packs next to him.

“Kind of, but better than they were before you doctored them.”

At the sound of a helo in the distance, he said, “I think a kiss would be just the right ending to this little adventure.”

She grinned. “Adventures should always end with a kiss.”

With permission granted, he covered her mouth with his, and damn, she tasted like the sweetest honey. An addiction he didn’t want a cure for. Too soon, the shadow of the bird hovering above and the whup, whuping sound of the machine had him breaking the kiss.

When she leaned toward him, eyes dreamy, her mouth seeking his again, he smiled as he brushed her hair away from her face. “I’m going to kiss you again, Quinn. You can count on that, but right now, our transportation is here.”

“Why couldn’t it be late?”

He laughed. “Not gonna argue with that.” He slipped the straps of their bags onto his shoulders, then he scooped her up, laughing again when she yelped.

“Liam! Put me down.”

“Nope. I’ve got you.” He ran toward the bird. I’ll always be here for you.