Siren in the Wind Book One of the MIT Series

Chapter Twenty Eight

Max gazed at her delicate profile as she played with the corner of the pillow. He could watch her for days. Hell. He had been watching her for days. He would never get tired of it. Her fine skin was slightly flushed from the shower. Damp tendrils fell from a messy bun, clinging to her lovely neck. Hunger surged as he imagined running his lips over her warm skin. Nibbling that perfect earlobe as he buried himself inside her.

"Not to mention his ridiculous T-shirt," Abby said.

What were they talking about? Right, Muller the asshat.

"Game Rangers do it in the bush?" Max said.

"A juvenile shirt for a juvenile boy."

Enough about Kris Muller. They'd wasted too much time on the ass. Max stroked her knee. "I want to apologize for things I said to you."

Abby smoothed the pillow. "You made a valid point. You need to focus on the job and on your future, we both need to. I have to save my child from a monster, and you have to do the job and go home."

"What if I don't want to go home, at least not without you?" Max said, tracing her neck before rubbing her earlobe.

He laid bare the tempest of emotions, not hiding anything and Abby sucked in a breath. "Don't play games."

"This is not a game, it's incredibly complicated even if everything goes according to plan."

Abby frowned. "What do you mean? You'll get Khalid, and I'll have my Gabe back."

"You'll be taken in for a debriefing where your story will be examined." Max rubbed a hand across his eyes.

"I'll be interrogated."

"No, sweetheart, you'll be questioned. You're now just a person of interest."

Abby looked scared, and Max pulled her in. "I'll be there every step of the way."

"You'll be reassigned."

Max kissed her. "I'm not going anywhere. You're my only priority. No more ignoring this thing between us. I want to touch you, stroke you." He ran fingers up her arm. "Feel your skin against mine as we screw each other's brains out." He whispered hotly in her ear, "I want to make achingly slow love, and then fuck you hard and fast."

She moaned.

Max pulled back, cradling her head in his hands. "Every cell in my body is yours, tell me to stay." It wasn't exactly a declaration of love, but he put his heart out there for the first time in his existence.

Abby's calm eyes stared deeply into his and they pooled with tears. "Leading me on would be cruel. I have no room for light in my life, at least not at the moment."

"Ah shit, Abs. Don't say stuff like that, you're breaking my heart."

"This whole romance thing is new for me," Abby said as she pulled his hands into her lap.

With a crooked grin, Max said, "For me too. I'm a workaholic and will probably mess it up—I'm an ass like that—but would never intentionally hurt you, and I'll fight for whatever this is."

Abby grasped his hand. "There's too much happening in my life at this moment. My head feels like it's rolling around a cotton candy machine coated in sticky webs."

"That's okay, you've handled more than most people including hardened soldiers."

"If you can handle one overwhelmed woman, I want to be with you."

"Well, when that woman hints that she tastes like cotton candy, a guy's gotta investigate."

Abby jumped to her knees. "Are we really doing this? Gland to gland combat?"