My heart beats loudly against my ribs. I’m torn between pulling him on top of me and never stopping, or beating the ever-loving shit out of him for this.

So I go with option three. My hands press against his chest as I throw him back. “Don’t think you’re winning anything here. You’re an arrogant asshole who thinks he has it all figured out. You don’t know a thing.” I push him back as the light in his eyes grows. “I hate you.”

“But your body doesn’t.”

“Screw you!” I glare at him.

“In due time.”

“In your dreams. I’m here for one thing only, and it isn’t to put some I-once-was-a-Navy-SEAL-and-I-think-I’m-still-someone in his place. Because this,” I point outside the window. “Is bigger than you, me, or anything else. People are dying, Mark. Your friends are being shot, taken, and their lives are in danger.”

He grips my arms, pulling me close again. “You think I don’t know this? Every single day I watch people around me suffer because of choices I made as well. I’m well aware of the bigger picture. But you . . .” his tone softens, as do his arms, “Make me forget for a minute. You’re like some goddamn addiction I can’t shake. I’m known for my self-restraint, so what the hell have you done? Why the hell do you consume my fucking mind?”

My breath hitches from his words. If I’m honest, he does the same. I think about him, and I wonder what we could be if our lives weren’t the way they are. Before I can respond, his phone rings.

“Dixon,” he says, not removing his eyes from mine. “No, we’re off the grid.” A pause as he listens. “I’ll relay what info I can, when I can,” he huffs. “I’m alone, I’ll be in touch, and keep Muff at a distance. I’ll be in touch.” He hangs up, looks at his watch, and then back to me. “Under twenty seconds. I wish they’d remember this isn’t my first rodeo. Now . . .” He steps closer. “I’m warning you, Charlie. For some reason, I like you. There’s something that keeps me coming back, even when I tell myself to stay away.”

“Mark.”

“I’m telling you, something’s going to give. It’s been a goddamn year and you infest my mind.”

“Mark.”

“There won’t be a way for you to avoid me forever.”

“Mark!”

“You and I will happen.”

His eyes never leave mine. He stares at me, letting me know that isn’t a threat but a promise he will fulfill. It’s not only on him, though. I’m fighting the energy between us. Since the first time I saw him, I knew there was something there. Yes, he’s annoying and cocky. Yes, he needs someone to knock him down a few pegs, but God, he’s sexy. He’s funny, smart, cunning, and he sees the woman in me. Not some agent who can be used in a way to get a job done. No, he sees me, and oh, how I need that. And he saved me when I was drugged.

“Mark,” I say again. “I can’t—” His thumb presses against my lips.

“We’re not having this out now.” He drops his hand lower and hooks it around my neck to press his forehead against mine, which isn’t easy to do since I’m so short. “We have work to do.” His lips press against the top of my head and then he releases me.

I want to say more.

I want to make him understand there won’t be any having it out. I can’t be involved with someone and work like this. It’s too dangerous, and we’re not dealing with an amateur. I don’t know how to work through this. Never before has anyone made me feel uneasy. I decide to do what I do best: put it away. There’s no time to deal with this crap while we both have to be on our A-game. I don’t even want to imagine what dealing with it means since I’m not exactly a relationship person. Yet, he makes me contemplate what it would be like.

Mark gathers his papers, throws his phone in the back of the plane, and grabs his bag.

“Do you have a burner phone?” I ask.

“I’ll grab one when we get in town.”

I don’t say anything about the safe house I have here or the contacts that are easily at my disposal. There’s a reason this is a good place to start. I have an asset here I can call on if I get in trouble. I should tell him, but I won’t. Not yet. There’s so much of me that doesn’t know how to trust. I’ve been alone in this mission from the beginning. Bringing Mark in is dangerous, not just to me, but to the assets I have all around. If any of them become exposed, they’ll die. There’re no questions, no trial. Terrorists are judge and jury, and they don’t hesitate to kill. The more I keep from Mark, the more I wonder what he’s keeping from me.

“How much did Aaron tell you?” This question has bothered me for a while. Aaron debriefed with me when he returned. We went over anything he possibly heard while I wasn’t in the compound.

Mark turns and studies me for a moment. “Everything.”

I decide to test him. “He told you about the arms dealer they caught?”

He smirks while he walks closer. “I know what you’re doing.”

Here we go again.

“And what’s that?”

His stupid sexy smirk grows. “Testing me.”

Right he is. “Nope.”

“Liar.”

I snort. “I don’t think you should call me a liar. I’ve never been caught in a lie.” This is true. I’ve never been caught, but that’s because I’m good at my job. While I may be testing him right now, I also want to know what Aaron held back. Because no one ever gives over all their information. There are parts that he kept for himself. Maybe not because he wanted to, but because it’s in our blood. We’re hunters. We want the kill and we’ll stop at nothing to keep our prey off guard. Aaron is no different.

Mark’s closeness rattles me. I want us to remain professional. “Caught is the word I hear in your statement, Charlie. I’m aware of your ability to dazzle and confuse. Not working this time.”

“I dazzle you, huh?”

“Every fucking minute.”

I take a second as his words seep in. It’s kind of exciting to have him admit that he’s affected as well.

Then he ruins it. “Until you open your mouth. Then I wonder what could possibly be wrong with me.”

“I’m sure the list is long.”

He laughs and grabs my hand. “Come on. Let’s go to work.”

Knowing we’ll be without air transportation leaves me feeling a little uneasy. There’s comfort in knowing you can get into trouble but are able to get out of the country quickly if you need to. We head toward the outskirts of Cairo. He has a contact he wants to meet to learn about the mission where his guys have missed their checkpoints. He explains their last communication, where it went down, and what he thinks happened. I’m not sure I agree, but right now that’s the last thing he needs to hear.

Once we get a little farther, we buy the burner phones, change, and search for a place to get a room. We agree to play the role of husband and wife on a Middle Eastern adventure. It’s the best cover, considering he seems hell bent on kissing me all the damn time.

He tilts his head to indicate a rundown hotel. It’s central enough for us to monitor the area easily but far enough out of the way that it won’t seem conspicuous. “Let’s check that one out. I’d like to have a room facing this side of the street,” he says as he takes my hand. “Don’t you think the view is great, darling?”