Disavowed(23)

He didn’t seem to be bothered by her unwillingness to talk, but he unnerved her and that wasn’t normal for her. She didn’t know how to handle her growing attraction to him, except to ignore it.

She knew he must have questions, and that she’d have to give him some answers sooner or later. It’d been so long since she’d trusted an outsider she wasn’t even sure if she was capable of it anymore, even though she’d read his file and he had both Lily’s and Alex’s approval. Some lessons learned the hard way were impossible to forget, however, and after her ex’s betrayal she didn’t know if she could ever open up to another man again.

“When we get there, you need to sleep.”

She raised an eyebrow at the order, even though she knew he was right. And that deep voice of his was freaking sexy.

He glanced over at her, his expression completely unapologetic, all that dark stubble on his face turning up her long-forgotten libido. “I could see why you didn’t want to crash last night, but once we’re squared away at the house there’s no reason for you to be on guard anymore. Besides, there’s another storm front moving in and it’s supposed to dump double the amount of snow we got last night. Wherever Lily’s coming from, it’ll probably delay her arrival. Staying up any longer than you have to is just going to set back your recovery, and there’s no reason for it if I’m there to take over.”

He was right, but she didn’t like being told what to do by a near stranger, let alone depending on one, no matter how capable he was. “Once I’m sure everything’s locked down tight, I probably will.” Maybe. She knew how to handle sleep deprivation. She could probably go another twelve hours or so if necessary.

He sipped his coffee and was quiet a few minutes before speaking again. “So how do you want this to go? You want to talk only when necessary? Or would you rather things be a little friendlier than that? We’re gonna be together for a few days. It’d be easier if we can get along well enough to be in each other’s space without things being awkward. You good with that?”

Her stomach muscles tensed at his blunt assessment. “I guess.”

He didn’t seem to take offense at her less than enthusiastic reply. “Okay, so let’s break the ice a bit. I’ll go first. I love the San Diego Chargers and classic rock. You?”

His choice of topic took her off guard. She’d been certain he would want something bigger from her, far more personal, though he was likely working his way up to that and hoping to get her talking. He kept staring at her, apparently expecting a reply. Fine.

“I’m not a sports fan. I like a lot of different kinds of music, and I only use a bolt action rifle because they’re the best.”

His lips curved upward at the last part and the grin set off a weird fluttering sensation in her belly. Damn butterflies. “So we do have something in common after all.”

She snorted. Of course they did, or Janaia would never have set this up. “Lily didn’t want you to come with me just because of your service record and current position.”

“No?” He sounded curious and vaguely amused.

She shot him a sidelong glance. “Lily thought I’d be more comfortable with you since we’d already met and everything. She figured you being a former sniper would make it easier for us to relate to each other.” Or something like that, anyway. Because no way Janaia had just chosen him at random.

“Yeah, ‘cuz we’re so tight we’re practically finishing each other’s sentences already,” he said dryly.

Briar couldn’t help but grin in response. “Well, I know that’s why she requested you.” She darted another glance at him. He was a powerful, commanding man, and had a disconcerting ability of distracting her by simply being near. She shouldn’t care what he thought of her, but somehow she did. “I just…I’m used to working alone. I’m not good with people.” It was why they’d tapped her to be a sniper when she entered the program.

He nodded once. “Fair enough. So, where are you from?”

“All over.” The vague and defensive answer was automatic. Normally she just gave people her standard cover story but for some reason she didn’t feel comfortable outright lying to him.

“Okay, then where were you born?”

That was pretty harmless too. “L.A.”

His eyebrows rose. “Really? I lived there for a while before joining the Corps.”

“I know.”

Another smile, this one with the hint of a deep, ironic chuckle that seemed to vibrate inside her. The man was both sexy and charming, making it difficult to ignore him and the effect he had on her. “Right. My file.”