Page 45 of Nails

She let out a small breath and nodded.“Honestly, I didn’t want you thinking I was some unprofessional idiot who can’t separate work from…well, feelings.”

“Riley,” he said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.“I’ve been in this game a long time.And believe me, I’ve seen my fair share of two people connecting in high-pressure environments.All I care about is making sure this mission gets accomplished.And from what I read in your file, I don’t think we’ll have a problem.You’re solid.”

“You read my file?”

“I always do my homework,” he said with a wink.“Impressive career, by the way.You’ve done a hell of a lot in a short amount of time.You’re not just good at what you do, you’re built for this.”

The tension in her body eased a little.When he wasn’t wearing that cool, intimidating SEAL commander mask, he actually seemed pretty chill.

“Thank you, sir.That means a lot.”

He nodded and smiled.“Look, Riley.I’ve got no doubt you and Nails will keep things professional.If I did, you wouldn’t be standing here right now.So, I don’t need to know the details of whatever may or may not be going on between the two of you.I trust him to do his job, just like I trust you to do yours.”

Riley swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Understood,” she said, rising from her seat.“Thank you, Commander.”

“Anytime.Now you had better get going, before Russell comes back in here to drag you to your appointment.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.That is the one thing I’m not looking forward to.”

Derek laughed as Riley turned toward the door.

Once she stepped out into the hallway, she took a deep breath.But before Russell got his hands on her, there was one thing she had to do, or should she say a certain SEAL she had to track down to lay down some ground rules for this mission.

Derek watched the door click shut behind Riley.His fingers drummed lightly on the armrest of his chair.For a long moment, he just sat there, letting the silence settle back over the room.He couldn’t help the small laugh that slipped out of him.

If someone had told him a month ago that his team’s womanizer, the guy who could charm a smile out of a stone and had probably dated half the East Coast, would be genuinely interested in a woman, Derek would’ve laughed them right out of the building.

But now, after watching the way Nails had looked at Riley, not to mention his outburst earlier about her going into the club alone, well, he wasn’t laughing now.

Of all the people he expected to catch Nails’ attention, Riley hadn’t been on the list.Not because she wasn’t a catch, because hell, she was as sharp as they came, with the kind of steel spine and intelligence that made many grown men nervous.But because Nails’ former choices in women have always been the simpler type.

But he had to give credit to Riley; standing there in front of him to clarify her and Nails’ relationship status took guts.She didn’t owe that to him.She could’ve kept it under wraps, but she didn’t, and Derek respected that.

He had meant every word when he complimented her.He had read her file thoroughly.Her record was spotless.She had accomplished more in her career than most agents her age have.She carried herself with the kind of confidence and control that you couldn’t teach.

But what stayed with him wasn’t her career.It was the incident buried near the end of her psychological profile.“Witnessed her mother’s murder at the age of six.”

That hit hard.That kind of trauma didn’t just fade away.It either destroyed a person or shaped them into steel.Riley was definitely the latter.

Derek leaned back in his chair and shook his head.

The team was dropping like flies, he thought with a chuckle.Joker, Bear, Duke, Playboy, Aussie, and now possibly Nails.They had all found partners who understood them and their careers.Hell, Alpha team was already all domesticated.He’d watched each of those knuckleheads fall one by one.And now it seemed that BRAVO team was on the same trajectory.He couldn’t exclude himself either.It took him longer than it should have, but having his wife, Juliette, by his side was a blessing.

He stood and stretched his back, then rolled his neck before heading for the door.He paused for a moment, glancing back at the empty room.

“Nails, you better not screw this up,” he muttered to himself with a smirk.

He flicked off the lights and walked out, already curious to see what the next few days would bring.

If Riley thought she could keep a professional boundary between her and Nails, she had another thing coming.When Nails saw something he wanted, he wouldn’t hesitate to make it his.

CHAPTER NINE

Nails leaned casually against the wall just around the corner from the briefing room.His arms were crossed over his chest as he stared up at the ceiling.

The rest of the team had filtered out a few minutes ago, heading to the gym.When Bear had asked him if he was coming, he told him that he would catch up with them in a few minutes.They weren’t stupid.They knew what he was up to.