Page 36 of Deadly Strain

He removed his hand, taking the material he’d been hiding behind with it.

She moved to continue with the bandage, but stopped suddenly as she noticed his aching boner.

Her mouth dropped open. “Holy shit, Sharp. Do you always rearm this fast, or has it been a while?”

Chapter Eight

It wasn’t the amazementin her voice or how her jaw dropped open that made him laugh. It was the question.

His whole body shook with the effort it took to keep the guffaws from exiting his big mouth.

She didn’t frown. She glared at him with her whole face. Brows low, upper lip retracted, teeth clenched, and nose screwed up like she was trying hard not to smell something reeking worse than a week-old corpse.

“Really?” she asked.

“I just don’t know if I should feel embarrassed or proud,” he managed to get out without making too much noise. “You should see the look on your face.”

She scowled at him for another moment, then went back to bandaging his leg, muttering, “Men.”

He shrugged. “It’s a natural physical response.”

Her hands finished bandaging up his leg. “Who are you trying to convince? Me or National Geographic?”

National Geographic?For a moment, he wanted to laugh at her comment, but there was something... He studied her. She was joking like she always did, but there was an underlying thread in her tone containing no humor at all. He was tempted to let her do it, to go along with the penis joke, play it safe. But her shoulders were tense and she wasn’t looking him in the eyes.

“You.” He let his answer stand on its own for a moment, then added, “Right now, you’re the only person who matters. Wewillsurvive. Wewillget back to base. I won’t accept anything less.”

Her expression turned solemn as she looked at him, like she wanted to believe him, but wasn’t sure she could.

He needed her to understand that when it came to what was between them, she was in charge. “We’re a team, Grace. I’m your weapon and you’re mine.”

She bent her head to finish with his leg. “I’ve never wanted to be a weapon.” She paused for a moment. “I’m a third-generation military doctor who shoots at the marksman level, but I hate firing a gun. I killed five people today. I know it was in self-defense and there wasn’t any other choice, but it still hurts me that I did it.”

“You’re allowed to be a human being,” he told her, taking her hands in his. “Even stubborn assholes like me have to work through the shit we see and do. That’s why the team is so important. We support each other, and you.” He pointed at her. “You’ve earned your spot on our team.”

“Our team?”