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finally stared into his eyes. It s you.
He had to laugh. I m not afraid of this guy. If Claire only knew how many hell-
holes he d fought in during his military days&
But I don t want her knowing.
The laughter stilled as she gazed at him.
Maybe you should be afraid. Claire s body shifted slightly against the couch. If you
nearly die, it s okay to fear some.
He hadn t been afraid, not since his parents had died. Even when he d been battling
the enemy in ice, in sand, in the dankest forest he d ever imagined Noah hadn t been
afraid.
But I was scared when she was so still on that sidewalk. Fear had come back then, and he
wouldn t forget the feel of its icy claws raking into him.
I don t want you to die for me, Claire said.
He leaned toward her. His finger slid down her arm. She didn t flinch at his touch
that time. So much better. I have no intention of dying for you.
He thought some of the tension left her shoulders. Good.
But I would kill for you. I think that would be far more effective.
The police are working, he murmured, bringing in their bomb experts. I m sure
they ll compare this blast with the one that took out Ethan. Bombers often have a
signature. It ll take some time, but the authorities will be able to determine if the attacker
was the same.
What if we don t have time?
His fingers lightly caressed her. We have all the time we need.
Not if he s hunting.
He hated the fear in her eyes. I m good at hunting, too.
Her teeth pressed into her lower lip. Your time& in the military.
And after. He had his own demolitions expert coming in. Drake had stayed down in
Alabama to learn more about the blast that killed Ethan, but he was already on his way
up to New York.
You killed, didn t you?
He glanced away from her. Men die in battle all the time.
That s not what I asked.
And you shouldn t ask questions that you don t truly want answered. He looked
back at her. You don t want to know, not really, do you?
Her fingers curled around the pillow on the couch. Why would you say that?
Because it s true. People like to see the surface, not the darkness underneath. Life
was easier that way.
Claire shook her head. I ve seen your darkness all along.
Her words caught him by surprise.
But you have to tell me your secrets, Claire said as her eyes gleamed. You know
every one of mine. No matter how painful, you know. Don t you think I deserve to hear
yours, too?
He rose from the couch. Paced away from her. What if you don t like what you
hear?
I don t want to lose her.
He hadn t actually had anyone to lose, not since his parents. But Claire she mattered
to him.
Have you liked what you ve heard about me? He heard the rustle of the couch
cushions as Claire rose. A woman who tried to kill herself when she was sixteen. I mean,
hey, she s got to be some prize
Stop. He whirled back toward her. You re a survivor. Everything I ve learned about
you has just strengthened that belief.
Her gaze searched his. Most people pity me& or else they think I m& pretending.
That I m a manipulator.
I see you for what you are.
Let me see you that way, too. She stepped toward him. Kept coming until her
fingers lifted and pressed against his chest, right over his heart. I m going to ask you
some questions now, and I want you to know that your answers won t ever leave this
room.
Her touch singed him.
Have you killed?
Yes.
In battle?
During my tours, and then& after. Trace, Drake, and I set up a security team of our
own.
She waited, watching him with a gaze that seemed to see straight into his soul. The
way her gaze always did.
And he found himself saying more. We focused on retrieving very high-end assets.
Businessmen, dignitaries who d been in the wrong place and been taken. Some of those
guys were held for money, some held in hopes of a power swap.
Her head tilted as she studied him. And your job was to get those people out?
Normal channels wouldn t work. Uncle Sam didn t want the wreckage coming back
to his door& so our team worked those cases. His lips twisted. That s how I got my start
in the hotel business. Talk about a career change. One of those guys thanked me with a
hotel.
Um, that s quite a thank you.
He inclined his head. It sure had been, but seeing as how he d taken two bullets for
the guy on that mission, Noah thought they d come out of the deal square. I had my
own money, too, money left from my parents. I saved every dime while I was working
with Trace and Drake, and then one day, I decided that I was done with that world.
The world of killing and death and blood.
I got out. I started fresh. He looked down at her hand. It looked so delicate against
him.
You don t seem so bad to me, Claire told him.
Tell her. I ve killed with guns. With knives. I ve attacked with my hands when they
were the only weapons left to me. Killing is a talent I have, one that the government just
honed even more for me.
But that s not who you are now.
That s who I will always be. When I see a threat, I want to eliminate it. He couldn t
get more blunt than that. And that s what I do.
Her lashes lowered. Why don t women last more than a night with you?
What?
Drake said
Drake talked too much.
He said that your lovers come and go. One time is it for you.
I like sex. She d asked for his secrets. He d give her what he could. I satisfy the
need, then I move on.
One time, then done?
I know that makes me sound like a bastard, but ties just screw with your head. He d
seen it happen. First with Drake and the man had been to hell and back because of that
painful mistake. Then the same weakness had twisted Trace.
Claire s hand pulled away from Noah, but she still stood close to him. Why am I still
here?
Because I need you to be.
Haven t you satisfied the-the need yet?
No, he said, voice roughening, I haven t. That s the problem with you and me.
Her tongue swiped over her lower lip.
Yeah, that s the problem.
The need doesn t stop with you. The more I have you, the more it grows. The more I
want. Until he felt like the need was consuming him. And I don t want gentle and
easy. I don t want rose petals sprinkled on the ground. I want you naked and moaning. I
want you screaming and clawing my back. I want everything that I can get from you.
I want to own you.
And he was starting to think&
The way you already own me.
Claire stared up at him.
Scared yet? Noah had to push her.
Claire shook her head.
You should be, Claire. With every moment that passes, I get hooked on you even more. He d
seen Drake spiral, he d seen Trace sink into near madness.
And now I m on the brink.
The suite s phone rang. Its pealing cry seemed to echo around them. Noah didn t
move.
She still doesn t know all that I ve done. When she did, what would happen?
The phone rang again. Swearing, Noah headed toward it. What? Noah snapped.
Sir, it s Janelle at the concierge desk. Her voice was soft as she said, I know that
you said no visitors were allowed up to your floor, but there s a very insistent gentleman
here right now.
Noah glanced over his shoulder at Claire. What s his name?
Austin Harrison.
Harrison? His hold tightened on the phone. He d done his research. He knew Austin
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