Under Fire (Love Over Duty #1)(64)

Six laughed. "It doesn't work that way. The team kind of picks it for you."

"Will you pick one for me?" she asked, her voice lighter, breathier. God, he wanted to get her back in bed, to hear her whispered words float over his lips before he kissed her. But he couldn't. Not again. He'd let her down once already by giving in to the thing he wanted most. She needed his focus, and he needed to get them out of his house before he forgot everything he'd been telling himself for the last twenty-four hours.

Without answering her, he changed the subject. "I need some sleep, Lou, and so do you." He took her hand and led her to her bedroom door, noticing her pout when he didn't follow her inside. The thought that she wanted him as much as he wanted her was going to make sleep hard to come by. "But tomorrow, do you want to take a walk, Louisa?" She'd been cooped up at his house for three days. He'd take her down to the narrow beach, get onto the long strip of sand that would take them down to the meditation gardens.

"Yes. Yes, I do," she said quickly.

In that case, he'd better rest up, and then get armed.

* * *

Being outside had never felt so liberating, yet so terrifying.

Three days of hiding away at Six's house had made her crave the simple freedom of movement, about which she'd never been overly concerned. It was an odd feeling, but she wanted to be outside, even if she was scared for completely different reasons than normal. Now, she craved being in a crowd. Safety in numbers was a very real thing, and the idea of being isolated freaked her out. Plus, three solid days in Six's presence had also made her crave sex-something else that hadn't been high on her list of things to do, but which now seemed just as vital as breathing. Six's idea to head outside had stopped her from doing something foolish to thank him for hurting himself for her sake. Those knuckles were swollen and blue, and though it was primitive thinking, she loved the idea that he had stood up for her. Things were stirring inside her, and for the first time, Louisa began to question the way she'd been choosing to live her life. Crippling shyness had led her to live with as little human interaction as possible, but something was changing. Well, she couldn't exactly say a wall had broken down inside her, but there was definitely a small crack in the mortar, and she wondered how hard she'd have to push for the crack to grow. 

She'd had to wait for Six to make a call before they'd left to a CIA contact of his, someone who had the power to give Eagle Securities the authority to legally dig more deeply into the affairs of Vasilii, Ivan, Kovalenko, and a name she hadn't heard before, Victor Lemtov, under the guise of national security. When he'd hung up, Six had assured her that while his contact needed to do some follow-up of his own before agreeing, Six was confident they'd have the authorization he needed before end of day.

The hot Encinitas sun warmed her face, and Louisa focused on the natural vitamin D she was getting. Anything to take her mind off the tall man next to her who was wearing a light jacket, despite the heat, so he could wear not one but two guns and a couple of knives strapped in his boots to protect her. His eyes were constantly on the move. He looked down the hill, and then turned to look back up it. And she hadn't missed the way he'd switched sides to stand between the platform and her as they'd approached the train station. He'd explained his rationale before they'd even left the house. They'd be most exposed on the short trek down E Street to the wooden staircase that would lead them down to the sand.

"It kind of freaks me out that you are carrying," she said as they walked. "But then I'm relieved that you are. You don't think they'll shoot me, do you?" Her hand brushed against Six's, and for a moment she wondered what it would be like to walk alongside him, holding it, like a real couple.

For the briefest moment, he took his eyes off their surroundings and looked at her. "No, I don't. They've shown repeatedly that they intend to take you alive. If anybody is going to get shot, it's me. I'm standing between you and them."

"Well, that's reassuring," she said, her mouth going dry at the mental image of him down on the pavement with a gunshot wound to the chest. Her heart squeezed at the thought.

Six laughed. "Reassuring that you'd be okay, or that I'd get shot?"

She eyed him teasingly. "Both."

"Nice, Lou," he said as they reached the staircase to the sand. He placed his hand on her back, leading her in front of him. "Ladies first," he said. "If anyone was watching for us, they'll be behind us. So I want you in front of me. You know, so I can get shot instead of you."

Louisa stopped and turned to look at him. "This isn't really funny, you know. I don't want you shot on my behalf."