Chapter Six
Ray was again driving, this time a rental truck so there was no rust. Eli spent the two-hour trip attempting to pry additional information out of her. The more he learned, the more he wanted to know.
He’d been sly, cloaking his personal questions with inquiries about Mataya. Ray didn’t appear to notice, but at the same time, most of her answers were so vague, she might as well have not bothered.
“Are you always this evasive?” He already knew she was a mercenary, so what else could she possibly need to hide?
Ray flashed him a quick glance. “Are you always so nosy?”
Eli denied that accusation with a shake of his head. “Interested, not nosy. You’ve got to admit, your chosen profession is out of the ordinary.”
“Rescuing is a side job that I’m very good at. Not my ‘chosen profession.’ I haven’t had an assignment in . . . quite a while.” The words no sooner left her mouth than she scowled, as if she’d somehow said more than she intended to and blamed him for the slipup.
Eli wanted to keep her talking. “Not that many people in need, huh?”
She made a face. “You can be pretty na?ve, Eli, you know that?”
“Meaning?”
“The world is full of fools and thrill-seekers. There’s always someone who needs me. But I turn a lot of jobs down. You just happened to come along at a time when I felt I could use the extra cash.”
“For what?”
She sent him a glance filled with exasperation. “There you go with those personal questions again. How I spend my money, or why, is no concern of yours.”
He was ready to launch into another round of questioning when she raised her hand and pointed. “Look. We’re here.”
Eli scanned the area and saw nothing except endless flat grassland surrounding a long, curving lake. Only a few trees studded the otherwise smooth scenery. Not a single soul was in sight. He asked skeptically, “Where is here?”
“Buddy will be landing soon. He owns all this. Not that you’d ever know it to talk to him.” And with a load of fondness: “Money hasn’t changed Buddy. He’s still as genuine and honest as ever.”
Eli scowled. Did she mean to say he wasn’t genuine or honest? Unlike calling him an idiot, this was an insult he couldn’t let pass. Thinking of his own background, he said, “I gather the money came to him later in life?”
Ray nodded. “There’s a definite difference between people born to money and those that get it through hard work.”
He just knew she was drawing comparisons and that, in her eyes at least, he’d come up short. Before her assignment ended, Eli vowed she’d understand him better. He didn’t like rehashing his past, but for Ray, he’d make an exception. Then she’d stop making snide judgements on his character based on his wealth. “Why does Buddy still go on assignments if he doesn’t need the money?”
Ray pulled the truck off the road and into the grass, going a good fifty yards before she parked. She turned the engine off and propped her wrists on the steering wheel, narrowing her eyes against the bright sun. “Buddy does this only when I do.” She hesitated, drew a breath. “He won’t let anyone else fly me.”
She grew quiet then, listening, and soon the sounds of a loud engine could be heard. Through the truck’s windshield, Eli saw the approach of a Cessna Skylane. The wings dipped in an aerial salute of welcome. With an unlikely girlish squeal, Ray left the truck in a rush, running toward the lake.
A little stunned at her display—especially that feminine sound of excitement—Eli held back a moment to watch her long-legged sprint, the way she waved her arms. It was the first time he’d seen her in an actual hurry. He opened his door to follow after her.
The plane landed on fat pontoons, spraying water in a wide arc. It glided over the surface of the lake, circled, then came to a neat stop not far from where Ray waited.
A man close to Eli’s age jumped down from the wing of the plane, slogging quickly though the dark, shallow water and hitting the land in a dead run. He had dark blond hair, laughing green eyes, and a powerful build.
With a shout of pleasure, he intercepted Ray’s rushing form, swinging her in a circle then crushing her close.
Eli was not a demonstrative man. He wasn’t overly possessive either. And damn it, he didn’t put on Neanderthal shows for women.
But the need to snatch Ray away from Buddy burned in his gut. Until this moment, he hadn’t really heard Ray laugh.
Her laughter now, carefree and full of joy, was with another man. A well-built, handsome man who she obviously adored. Well, shit.
Eli finally got close enough to be noticed by the entwined couple. He waited, tense, angry, and trying to hide it without much success.
Buddy looked up first and his eyes widened. Humor fading fast, Buddy set Ray away from him. Ray was in no hurry to release her friend, though. She still had her arm around him when she turned to introduce Eli.
“Eli Connors, meet Buddy Rhodes.”
Eli gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.
Buddy fumed. “What the hell is this? You taking on partners?”
“No.” Despite Buddy’s bark, Ray still grinned. “Eli hired me.”
“So why the hell is he here?”
Eli was annoyed enough to say, “Because he insisted.”
With a snort, Buddy glared down at Ray. “And you allowed it?”
She shrugged, glanced at Eli, and said sheepishly, “It was a condition of the job and I needed the money.”
Buddy’s expression showed stunned disbelief for three seconds before he erupted in fury. “Goddammit.” He stomped a splashing circle around Ray, muttering more lurid curses. Ray just waited, her mouth twitching in amusement until Buddy came to a halt in front of her. “Why the hell won’t you just let me give you the money?”
At the less than gracious offer, Ray pokered up and punched him hard in the shoulder. “That’s an old tune, Buddy. You’ve played it to death.”
“Then let me loan you the money and you won’t have to hear it again.” He caught her upper arms in a bone-crushing squeeze. “There’s no damn reason for you to continue doing this.”
She gave him a shove to free herself, and his ass almost hit the water. “I agree. That’s why I haven’t been back in so long. But now . . .” She shook off her anger and made a wry face. “Matt has a lot of new expenses.”
They carried on like siblings, relieving some, but not all, of Eli’s jealousy. Feeling very much like a third wheel, he frowned. “Who’s Matt?”
They ignored him. “Does Matt know what you’re up to?”
“Are you kidding? His temper is worse than mine. He’ll find out when I’m back and it’s all over with. That’s soon enough to deal with him.”
“Who’s Matt?”
“He ought to lock you in a room somewhere.” Buddy cupped Ray’s chin, forcing her face up. “That’s what I’d do with your stubborn little ass. In fact, I still might.”
Ray jerked her chin free. “Try it and I’ll drown you.”
“Who is Matt?”
Buddy gave him an evil stare. He propped his hands on his hips and remained stubbornly silent.
Ray turned to face Eli. “My brother. I told you about him, didn’t I?”
“You mentioned him briefly.”
“Well, it’s time for college.” And with a lot of pride, she added, “Matt’s smart as a whip.”
Buddy leaned toward Eli as if speaking a confidence, which was ridiculous because Ray could hear every word. “Ray here thinks her brother walks on water and has to have the very best of everything.”
Ray punched his arm again, but this time playfully. “I do not. Matt would do great with or without me. He doesn’t need an advantage, I just want him to have it.”
So, she took care of her brother? Eli remembered that night in the kitchen when she’d talked about young men having more testosterone than brains. Apparently, she spoke from experience.
Buddy cupped her cheeks, a huge grin on his face. “Damn, sweetheart, it’s good to see you again.”
Ray’s expression softened. “I’ve missed you, too.”
And then Buddy lowered his head and kissed her soundly, right on the mouth.
The jealousy was back, black and mean. Eli had never suffered it before, but he knew instinctively what it was. That it was happening now, over a woman he’d only known a few short days, a woman who made it clear—ad nauseam—that she wanted nothing to do with him, didn’t help to alleviate the problem.
Nor did the fact that Ray and Buddy left him to stew on his own. It was almost as if they’d forgotten about him.
After they boarded the plane, Ray went over her supplies. Eli should have been more interested, especially when she produced an array of awesome weapons including a razor-sharp bowie knife at least a foot long. But with Buddy hanging on her, all Eli made note of was his rising temper.
“Here.” Ray thrust a webbed vest with a multitude of pockets at Eli. “You’ll wear that over your T-shirt. Do you have any idea how to handle a gun?”
She made every question sound like an insult. Eli wanted to smack her. He wanted to turn her over his knee and—visual, erotic images crowded his brain and splintered his concentration. He was in so deep he didn’t know if he’d ever find his way out.
Barely controlling his temper, he surveyed the weapons, then reached out and took a .357 Magnum seven-shot. Without a word, he stuffed it under his belt.
“I take that as a yes?”
“I’m better with a rifle, but yeah, I’ll hit something if I shoot.” Eli turned away from her grin—and caught Buddy’s grin instead. They shared amusement at his expense and he didn’t like it. “When in hell are we going to take off, anyway? Can’t you just look that stuff over on the way?”
Buddy chuckled at his disgruntled tone. “Sure she could.” There was a heavy, anticipatory pause before he said, “If she didn’t get airsick every time we go up.”
“Buddy.”
Eli stared at Ray. Her face was hot with color and she had murder in her eyes. It was Buddy receiving that lethal glare, though, not Eli.
Of course, he’d already noticed her little problem on the earlier flight. The way she’d clutched the armrests so tightly, he’d half expected her to pull them off the chair. When he’d taken her hand instead, her grip had been bruising.
He hadn’t mentioned the weakness then, and he didn’t say anything now. But her gaze swung around to lock with his, and she growled, “I’m fine five minutes after we land, so don’t let it worry you. It won’t interfere with my performance.”
Turning her over his knee seemed more and more enticing. “I wasn’t worried, Ray.”
Perversely, she snapped, “Well, you should have been. You’re the one paying me.”
Buddy gave Ray an affectionate squeeze. “Stop chewing on the poor fellow and quit thinking of murdering me. He would have noticed once we were in the air, anyway. This isn’t like a commercial flight. There’s not a lot of space here to hide.”
Ray shoved herself to her feet. The cabin was only four feet high, so she braced her legs apart, bent at the waist, and propped her hands on her thighs. “I’ll have you know I napped on the flight.”
“The hell you say!”
Buddy’s obvious surprise assured Eli that it didn’t happen often. He remembered how Ray had cuddled close to him in her sleep. Maybe Ray didn’t want to admit it, but she felt the chemistry between them, too. Maybe she even felt safe with him.
That had to count for something.
With Buddy and Eli both scrutinizing her, Ray huffed. “Why don’t you two go start the engines and I’ll change.”
Eli frowned again. “Change what?”
Buddy took his arm. “Her clothes. Ray can’t stand restrictions. She’d rather suffer the bug bites than have her arms covered.”
After they’d hunkered their way into the cabin, Buddy offered Eli the copilot’s seat. He took his own seat behind the controls. Blue, yellow, and red lights glowed around a green screen. “You ever fly?”
“A little. We have a Skylane for the ranch. Not as new or fancy as this one, but then we just use it to check fences and watering holes.”
“Got a lot of land, huh?”
“Depends on what your idea of a lot is.”
“If it takes a plane to keep track of it, I’d say it qualifies.”
“Then I guess we’ve got a lot.” Eli didn’t want to talk about acreage or planes. His timing perfect, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Ray pull her shirt up and over her head. She had her back facing him, but that didn’t do all that much to hinder his racing heartbeat. Her bra fell next and Eli was given the view of her smooth, sleekly muscled shoulders and graceful spine. His eyes narrowed in appreciation.
He’d known plenty of women in his days. Women from the streets, a little raw, starved for attention and excitement. Women from society, finely decked out, demanding and cunning. He’d known women in between, sweet and kind, easily hurt.
He’d never known anyone like Ray. The things she did and said, her brutal honesty, irreverence, and total lack of modesty appealed to him as much as her courage.
When Ray turned slightly to pick up a black sleeveless shirt, he saw the curve of her breast. Hell yeah, he liked her body a lot, too. Every move she made seemed fluid and sexy.
The roar of the engine coming to life brought Eli out of his daze. He twisted around in his seat, caught the knowing smile on Buddy’s face, and scowled. “What?”
“She catch you peeking, she’ll black both your eyes.” Buddy winked. “I know because she caught me once.”
Eli ignored that taunt to glance at her again. In distracted tones, he said, “I’m ready when you are, Buddy.”
“A man who lives on the edge.” Buddy thwacked his shoulder, almost knocking Eli out of his seat. “I like that.”
The plane was small and open with storage space, only the two seats in front. Ray sat on the floor to put her boots back on. She stayed as far from the men as she could get.
Eli took in the new clothes with a discriminating eye. She was now dressed in a skimpy black tank top that left her throat and arms completely bare. She had a dark green vest similar to the one she’d given to Eli pulled on over it. At least that hid her breasts, which ought to help him keep his mind on the task at hand.
Very loose, well-worn fatigue pants were cinched around her waist with the bottoms tucked into a pair of scuffed brown lace-up boots. Her face appeared pale as she shoved ammunition into the vest pockets with practiced ease. Eli felt his heart twist, looking at her.
In that moment, he hated himself. He should have found someone else, should have canceled the damn idea as soon as she’d shown up. Strangely enough, it wasn’t just because Ray was female. Another woman might not have affected him so strongly. But he’d connected with her, whether she wanted to admit it or not, whether he was comfortable with it or not.
If things somehow went wrong and she got hurt . . .
Buddy must have read his thoughts, for he roughly shoved Eli’s shoulder. In a low voice that didn’t carry over the roar of the plane, Buddy told him, “Relax. She knows what she’s doing. This assignment is a breeze. Think of it as a vacation, okay?”
“Then why all the damn ammo?” Eli grunted. “She looks like a female Rambo, for Christ’s sake.”
Buddy snickered. “Hell, she’s much cuter than Rambo any day. And she has a better rack.”
“Buddy,” Eli snarled in warning.
“Down, boy.” Buddy laughed. “The weapons are just a precaution. There are scary critters, both human and animal variety, in Central America. Drug runners, crooked officials, thieves. Odds are you won’t have to deal with any of them, but only a fool goes in unprepared.”
“Then there is danger.”
Buddy rolled his eyes. “Nothing she can’t handle. Do you think I’d let her go in if I didn’t know she’d come back out with her sweet little backside in one piece? Here.” He reached across Eli to withdraw a small photo wedged behind a control. “There’s my girl.”
Eli accepted the photo. It showed Ray in full combat mode, complete with a bandana around her head, a black eye, and an enormous grin. She stood between two trussed-up, truly reprehensible looking characters. “What is this?”
“Ray’s job that day was to distract the men while others got inside the compound and retrieved two little-known but valuable Russian diplomats. They weren’t very gentlemanly about finding a woman alone and unprotected.”
Eli squeezed his eyes shut, which only made Buddy laugh.
“She went along with it, even let them tie her to a chair with her hands behind her. But when one of the idiots tried feeling her up, she canceled all bets. There’d been just enough time to get the diplomats safely on their way and Ray knew it, so she quit faking Little Miss Innocent and let ’em have it.”
“You said she was tied up.”
“Her hands, yeah. But the fools hadn’t figured on her feet. Ray’s damn good with her feet. Better than anyone I’ve seen. She still had her steel-toed boots on, too, and she let the first guy have it right in the balls. Probably emasculated him for good. Ray said any guy who tried to force a woman deserved no better.”
“I agree.”
Buddy shrugged. “Me, too. The other guy hit her—see her eye?”
Eli saw, and wanted to kill someone.
“He got Ray’s boot in his chin. She got on her feet while they were both down, broke the chair apart by crashing it into a tree, and once she was free . . . well, Ray can be like the Tasmanian devil. She’s all fast motion, damn near a blur. And nimble—that girl can twist in ways that defies explanation.” He winked.
Eli had a hard time restraining himself. Only the fact that Buddy appeared to have some influence over Ray kept the anger and unreasonable jealousy in check. “Why do you let her go? You seem to care about her.”
“Hell, I love her. I thought you already figured that out.”
Eli took the words like a blow on the chin. Every muscle in his body clenched in preparation for a fight. He’d claimed her; she was his—she just didn’t know it yet. “You’ve got a hell of a way of showing it. I don’t care how good you both think she is, she’s still just a woman.”
“Oh ho! Don’t let Ray hear you say that. Her temper is a very nasty thing.” Then he chuckled. “Besides, you misunderstand, Romeo. I love her, but like a sister. She was never my woman. There was a time when I would have changed that but . . . now I have my own wife who I happen to love a lot, and she loves Ray, too. So you can quit bristling.”
Amazingly, Eli did feel some of the tension seep away. “You’re happily married?”
“Hard to believe anyone would put up with me, huh?”
Eli smiled. “Maybe. But I was talking about how you interact with Ray. It sure as hell looked like more than friendship.”
“Yeah, a lot more. Hell, more than family even.” He pursed his mouth in contemplation of their relationship, but ended with a shrug. “I guess we have a pretty complicated past.”
How complicated? Eli wondered.
“As far as the other, you need to give Ray more credit. She isn’t like ordinary women. Not by a long shot.”
Did Buddy say as much to Ray? If so, maybe that’d help to explain why Ray refused to see herself as a woman with a woman’s needs. But despite her skills, she was just that—a woman. An extraordinary woman, but female all the way down to her toes.
Sensing that Buddy might reveal more than Ray ever had, Eli reluctantly settled himself. “I noticed that she has special talents.”
“Naw. You’ve only seen surface stuff.”
“She got into a barroom fight.”
Buddy nodded. “That’s my girl.” He gave Eli a quick, knowing look. “Kicked some ass, didn’t she?”
“She is fast.”
“Like greased lightning,” Buddy drawled with pride. “Was she smiling while she fought? Ray always smiles, which can be pretty damn daunting.”
Remembering their skirmish in the bed, Eli heard himself say, “She didn’t smile when—” Belatedly, he caught himself.
Buddy, of course, didn’t let it go. “Oh ho. You two get into it? Oh, to have been a fly on the wall . . . But hey, if she wasn’t grinning like a loon, then she wasn’t really mad, and wasn’t really out to hurt you. Trust me, you’ll know if Ray is ever pissed and out for blood.”
Since he had only pleasure on his mind, Eli shrugged. “Tell me how she’s different.”
“Her training, for one thing.”
“I understand she was in the service, but she’s never really said which branch.”
Buddy snorted. “I’ll just bet she hasn’t. She doesn’t like going into it much. Now me, I don’t mind at all. Maybe that’s because I’m more settled now. My life is totally different from then. I have a different job, a wife, and a home that I love. But Ray . . .” He glanced back to make sure Ray wasn’t listening before continuing in a lower voice. “She went to work for that damned agency, so she still hasn’t separated herself from that time.”
“You were army?”
“We weren’t really any particular branch, at least not the way you’d figure it. They used us for specialized missions. Very covert stuff. Hell, most of the brass didn’t know we existed, and other soldiers would have only dreamed us in a nightmare. We were . . . like cleanup crews. When things didn’t go the way the diplomats wanted them to, we bypassed all chains of command, went in, and set things right.”
“If no one knew about you, then what happened if you got into trouble, or couldn’t make it out?”
“You said it yourself. No one would ever know.”
“Jesus.” Eli felt sick—and shaken. What if Ray hadn’t made it? What if something awful had happened to her?
“Ray was perfect for the missions. She’s so focused, so self-contained, she fit right in.” Buddy’s hands tightened. “That wasn’t the tough part.”
Eli wanted to tell Buddy to turn the plane around, but he knew Ray wouldn’t allow it. This was the closest he’d come to understanding her, so he might as well take advantage of it. “What was the tough part?”
Buddy gave a grimace. “We were trained as teams.”
Eli knew he was missing something. “Isn’t that how most military units work?”
“I guess. But usually they keep things platonic. They don’t push intimacy.”
He didn’t know what to say to that, so Eli just waited.
“They called our unit the ‘Adam and Eve.’ They paired up men and women they believed were compatible, based on mumbo jumbo pulled from these long series of in-depth tests. There were six in our unit. We were trained to work hand in hand, to rely on one another. For everything. At the time, before I met my wife, I thought it was almost like being married—except that they dropped us off in volcanic situations and told us to not only survive, but to carry out our orders.”
“You and Ray were . . . ?”
Laughing, Buddy shook his head. “Nope. Ray had already been paired with Kevin for about six months before I was recruited for the program. They were the original Adam and Eve team, the very first. But they worked out so well, other teams were formed until we had three separate units.”
It sounded like something out of a far-fetched spy novel, giving Eli a sinking feeling about it all. He dreaded the answer to his next question, but he asked it all the same. “What happened to Kevin?”
Buddy no longer looked amused. “He was captured in Central America. It was so damn different then. The country was explosive. Leftist guerillas and the army were battling in the street, with innocents getting shot down in the cross fire. Tourists were raped in broad daylight. Right before Kevin was captured, a German businessman was brutally murdered. Six of us went in to retrieve a kidnapped ambassador, but only five of us came out.”
“The government did nothing?”
“To them, we didn’t exist. We knew if we were caught, we were on our own. Most of us accepted it. If Ray had been caught, she would have accepted it, too. But this was her partner.”
“And she wouldn’t let him go?”
Buddy’s throat worked as he swallowed, his gaze faraway, remote. “Ray insisted on going back for him, but our superiors vetoed it. They were having negotiations, or so they claimed, and didn’t want to rock the boat.”
“Jesus.”
Buddy wiped his brow, his eyes now narrowed. He took the photograph of Ray away from Eli and carefully, gently, replaced it. “She went ballistic. I’d never seen her like that before. Ray was always calm and methodical, but suddenly, no one could console her or calm her down. She resigned her position, said to hell with the military, and made plans to go get him.”
Eli couldn’t ask. His chest ached just thinking of how difficult it must have been for her, a lone woman in emotional turmoil. He was oblivious to everything else at that moment. He didn’t see the clouds floating by, didn’t hear the gentle roar of the engine, didn’t notice the way Buddy watched him.
Needing the visual contact with her, he turned in his seat to soak up the sight of Ray. Sitting on the floor, she had her knees drawn up, her head resting on her folded arms. Her face was turned away from him. To the casual observer, she appeared to be relaxing, but Eli already knew her better than that. From the first, he’d seen so much when he looked at Ray.
Where her hands clasped, her knuckles were white. Muscles in her shoulders were pronounced, showing her tension. More than anything, Eli wanted to go to her, to hold her. He wanted to somehow offer comfort for what had happened so long ago.
But he didn’t. He understood how Ray would react to a gesture of sympathy. She’d probably squeeze his larynx again. That thought made him smile gently. If Buddy hadn’t been there, a witness to her weakness, he would have gone to her anyway and said to hell with it. But her pride was important to her, and that made it important to him.
“How can she bear to go back?”
Buddy rolled his shoulders. “She remembers how helpless she felt when she tried to get funding or aid for her own rescue attempt. She came to me as a last resort, but only to fly her over. She wouldn’t let me go in with her. Hell, like I said, I was in love with her then. I’d have done anything she asked.”
“Including waiting behind?”
“She’d have found another way—without me—if I hadn’t agreed.” He glanced at Eli. “So I snuck in behind her, just to keep an eye out. I’d already decided to kill them all if they hurt her.”
Hating to ask it, but unable not to, Eli said, “And did they?”
Buddy snorted. “It wasn’t pretty, what she found that day in the guerilla camp. Those bastards didn’t stand a chance. Ray damn near took the whole place apart. Before she left, there wasn’t a cell standing, a jeep unturned.” He laughed. “Rambo looked like a p-ssy in comparison to Ray that day. She didn’t need me, that’s for damn sure. She razed the place—and still that didn’t seem like enough for her. The rescue was successful, but she blamed herself for not getting there quicker.”
A lump the size of a watermelon lodged in Eli’s throat. “What happened to her partner?”
Quietly, Buddy said, “For about six months, Kevin was hospitalized. Ray paid all his bills, visited him daily, took care of him. But once he’d recovered, he couldn’t bear any connection to what he’d once been, to what had happened to him.”
“And Ray was a part of that.”
“Yeah. He saw her only one more time, to thank her and say good-bye.”
Eli closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “She must have been crushed. After all she’d done for him . . .”
“You don’t know Ray if you believe that. She was hurt, that’s true. She loved Kevin and had done her best for him. But to this day, she thinks she failed, that she somehow didn’t do enough for him. That’s what bothered her then, what bothers her still, even now.” He drew a slow breath. “Especially when she goes back.”
And Eli was the one taking her there, making her dredge it all up. He again looked to Ray. She had curled into a ball against the side of the plane, her entire demeanor one of misery. “When did all this happen?”
Scratching his brow, Buddy answered thoughtfully, “Must be seven, maybe eight years now. Not long before she got her brother. She was just a kid then herself, not much more than her mid-twenties. Matt saved her life, to my way of thinking. He gave her someone new to focus on, someone new to love. She’s poured her heart and soul into caring for him, and she’s done a great job.” Buddy shook off his tension. “She’s thirty-one now, but the years have only honed her talents. She’s tougher than a junkyard dog.”
“She’s not so tough,” Eli said in a whisper. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, seeing her discomfort so plainly depicted in the way she held herself.
“She’s always gotten airsick. The guys used to tease her something awful about it.”
“She let them?”
“She was one of the guys, Eli. She took it in stride, and dished it right back at every opportunity.”
One of the guys. That said it more than anything else could.
The plane vibrated suddenly with turbulence and Ray jerked, a small moan escaping her. The tiny sound proved to be more than Eli could bear.
“Ignore us,” he said to Buddy while moving from his seat to go to Ray. He knelt beside her, smoothed back her hair. “Is there anything I can do to help, sweetheart?”
She groaned. “They shoot horses, don’t they?”
Eli smiled, but his amusement was bittersweet. Damn, she amazed him. Even while so miserable, she dredged up a smart retort. “Let me hold you. Maybe you’ll feel better.”
“I doubt that.”
“You can slug me later, but right now I’m going to insist.”
With Ray grimacing and grousing and putting up feeble resistance, Eli wedged in behind her so his back was to the wall of the plane, his legs surrounding her. Then he easily lifted her onto his lap and settled her head against his shoulder. He certainly felt better holding her. He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead.
He heard Buddy start to whistle in a ridiculous show of inattention.
This new insight into Ray had only defined his feelings for her. He felt the silky sleekness of her hair, her soft skin, and knew it to be a stark contrast to her iron will. The things she’d done proved an honor and bravery that few men could ever claim. It went bone deep, was a core of the woman—and made her so very, very special.
It didn’t matter that he’d only known her a few days; he loved her and he wasn’t going to let her go.
Ray stirred, lifting her face enough to see him. “I do feel a little better now, Eli.”
“I’m glad.” Eli pressed her head back to his shoulder.
Now that she felt better, she felt defensive, too. Eli wasn’t surprised that she concealed it with sarcasm. “You know, maybe it’s not such a bad idea that I brought you along after all. We’ve already found something you’re good for.”
Eli nipped her small earlobe. Her hair smelled like his shampoo—and that turned him on. He liked his scent on her. He’d like it even better when the scent of sex clung to her warmed skin.
“I’m good for a lot of things, Ray.” He touched the rim of her ear lightly with the tip of his tongue, giving her a new focus, other than the flight. “I fully intend for you to understand them all. Soon.”
He felt her slight tremble before she changed the subject. “What were you and Buddy gabbing about for so long?”
Eli glanced at Buddy. He wore a headset and was still whistling, but Eli wasn’t fooled. Buddy was Ray’s friend and she trusted him; that meant he wasn’t a fool. He was aware of everything going on around him.
“We were just getting to know each other,” Eli lied, then tilted her chin up so he could see her face. “I want you to promise me something.”
Her beautiful dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What?”
The urge to kiss that mulish pout off her mouth was almost overwhelming. “Promise me you won’t take any chances.”
“What are you talking about?”
He pulled her closer, stifling her efforts to wiggle away. “I don’t want you hurt. If things don’t look right, or if you feel uncertain at all, don’t risk it.”
Ray appeared bewildered by his instructions. “I thought you wanted your brother out.”
“I do. But not at any cost. Not if you get hurt. If it doesn’t happen tomorrow, I’ll find another way. But I want your word you won’t take any chances. Promise me.”
Ray stared at him for a moment, then stubbornly looked away. “I didn’t come this far to fail. I will get your brother.”
He’d been under so much pressure, felt so many new emotions, that it didn’t take much to make him crack. Eli shook her, surprising himself as much as Ray. “You listen to me, you little witch. I’m paying for this rescue. You work for me. And I say no risks.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open on a disbelieving laugh. “You’re insane if you think you can give me orders. Besides, I’ve told you everything is already planned, there’s no real danger, and I can take care of myself.”
Eli’s hands trembled as he framed her face, tugging her so close their breaths mingled. He was torn between wanting to kiss her and needing to make her understand. “I’ll have Buddy turn this plane around right now if you don’t give me your word. I mean it, Ray.”
This close, Eli could see the way her pupils dilated, how the darkness of her eyes flared with irritation. He allowed her to pull back. Frowning, she looked toward the front of the plane at Buddy.
Eli had known Buddy was listening, but he hadn’t known he could hear every word until Buddy said, “He is the boss, hon.”
Eli had the feeling Buddy felt the same way, that he wanted to protect her, too. Thank God the man was married, so he didn’t get too protective.
With Buddy backing him, Ray had no choice but to give in. “I’m always careful, so it’s a stupid promise. Still,” she added when Eli started grinding his teeth together, “you have my word I’ll be extra careful. Now, are you happy?”
He was about as far from happy as a man could get. Eli shoved her head back to his shoulder. “I won’t be happy until we’ve finished this goddamned rescue and I have you and my brother back in the States.” He thought about that and then added, “Where I can keep an eye on the two of you.”
Ray stiffened, but he didn’t give her a chance to protest. “No more denials out of you, Ray. You can’t just forget you ever met me once this is over, so don’t even try. I won’t let you forget. And that, Ray, is my promise to you.”
Buddy, the ass, starting singing a soft song—but no one could mistake the laughter in his tone.