Hot & Bothered (A Hostile Operations Team Novel - Book 8) (16 page)

“She’s pregnant,” Ryan said, ignoring the daggers she glared at him. “And it’s mine.”

* * *

Emily wanted to kill him. Just wrap her hands around his stubborn throat and squeeze the life from his too-sexy body. Just a few moments ago, she’d been wrapped in his arms, her body pressed against his, and seriously considering ripping his pants open and dropping to her knees before him.

Now she’d like to clobber him.

Nick Brandon looked like someone had clobbered
him
, come to think of it. He gaped at them both. And then the storm clouds rolled in, and Emily could see it coming. The macho asshole was going to have a come-apart. And then Ryan would have a come-apart—and the room would be overrun with testosterone as the two idiots fought over her honor or whatever in the hell they were going to fight about.

“Stop it right now,” she said as Nick took a step toward Ryan. “I mean it. No one, and I mean
no one
, is getting into any fights over me or this baby. Ryan, you jerk, you could have kept your mouth shut. And Nick, I know you’re only pissed because you know Victoria will be pissed—but honest to God, I’m a grown woman and I can make my own mistakes, so stay the fuck out of this.”

Nick didn’t look like he was planning to back down—but he didn’t move either. His face was a thundercloud.

“Damn right I’m pissed, and not just because of Victoria,” he growled. “You’re my little sister, or about to be my little sister, and I’m not letting some asshole who can’t keep it in his pants take advantage of you.”

Ryan laughed. “Jesus, that’s rich. You and Victoria couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to Emily half the time because you were so damn wrapped up in each other that you forgot she existed.”

“I’m going to wipe the floor with you, Flash. Motherfucking wipe the floor and then throw you out like the douche rag you are—”

“Come on, buddy. You fucking try it,” Ryan said, stepping closer, opening his arms to give Nick a target.

“No!” Emily yelled as they charged each other like bulls. Somehow she got between them and put her hands on their chests.
 

They subsided immediately, but their faces were pure fury. She hated that they were ready to come to blows over her. She’d been around HOT for months, on and off, and she knew how close they were. Like brothers. They relied on each other for their lives. They were a well-oiled machine, and they operated behind enemy lines with the complete conviction that each man—or woman—had the backs of every member on their team.

And yet these two were ready to kill each other, and all because of her. Because she’d fallen for Ryan and refused to let him go when she should have. Because she’d gone to him and begged him to break his personal code of honor and make love to her just once.

“It’s my fault,” she said, her throat tight. “Everything is my fault. And if you two start fighting because of me, I’ll feel worse than I already do. So please—
please
—promise me you won’t fight.”

Neither of them said anything at first. But then Ryan’s fingers were on her hand, stroking softly across her skin.

“I won’t break Brandy’s face, I promise.”

Nick grunted. “And I won’t break Flash’s. Though I want to… and I can’t promise that Victoria won’t do anything. That one’s out of my hands.”

“I’ll take care of Victoria,” Emily said. Though she thanked God her sister was half a world away at the moment. Victoria was one frightening woman when she was angry. Cold, cool, and utterly focused. Not to mention she was one of the best snipers HOT had.

Not that she would lie in wait for Ryan and shoot him dead. Emily shivered. No, she definitely wouldn’t do that. But she just might do something pretty scary to put him on notice. Shoot a chunk out of his ear maybe…

“How did this happen?” Nick asked, and Ryan made a noise in his throat that sounded like a warning.

Emily ignored it. “The usual way, I imagine. But before you go telling Victoria that Ryan took advantage of me, you need to know I’m the one who came on to him. He said no. I didn’t accept his answer.”

“You could have kept saying no, buddy,” Nick said, looking over her shoulder at Ryan as if she hadn’t said a word and it was all Ryan’s fault.

“It’s really none of your business,” Ryan said. “I don’t ask you about your relationship with Victoria, do I?”

“Not the same thing.”

“Yeah, it fucking is. Emily is a grown woman. She makes her own choices.”

She appreciated him standing up for her. Ryan was the only one who’d seen her as capable of making her own decisions when she’d returned to the States after she’d been rescued. Yes, he’d been there for her and guided her through a few rough moments—but he’d never doubted her ability to choose for herself. Until now, which really pissed her off.

Still, it was one of the reasons she’d fallen for him in the first place.

“So when’s the wedding?” Nick asked, and Emily’s heart lurched.

“We were working on the details when you interrupted.” Ryan spoke mildly, but she could hear the annoyance—and the determination—behind the words.

“We aren’t getting married,” Emily said. “Ryan asked. I said no. End of story.”

“It’s not the end of the story,” Ryan growled.
 

Nick put his hands up. “Oookay, guess I’ve heard enough. I’m out of here.”

Emily caught him before he backed out of the room. “You won’t tell Vic, will you?”

He gave her a look that said she was crazy. “Honey, I can’t hide stuff from her. That’s not how it works.” He sighed and shook his head. “We’re on a mission, so contact isn’t regular. I can’t message her again for another couple of days. If Black can get a call out for you, you might think about letting her know before I do.”

It wasn’t much of a reprieve, but it was something. Emily tried not to look visibly relieved. “I’ll see if that’s possible. Thanks, Nick.”

“Sure.” He bent to kiss her on the cheek, then glared at Ryan. “You take care of her, Flash.”

“That’s the plan, asshole.”

Nick walked out and Ryan went over to the door. Then he stopped and turned back to her. “I’m gonna get my gear. You better be here when I get back.”

Emily’s jaw dropped. “You aren’t sleeping in here, Ry!”

His expression was hard. “Yeah, I fucking am. I’ll sleep on the floor, but I’m not leaving your side. Until you return home, I’m your shadow.”

Her throat was tight. “You’re on a mission. You have hostages to rescue.”

“I know that. When it’s time to go get them, I’m going. Until then, I’m with you.”

“No.” She shook her head so hard her hair came loose from the hasty bun she’d put it in. “No way. How do you expect me to explain what you’re doing here?”

He snorted. “I don’t much care.”

“I’m locking the door when you leave.”

“Fine. I’ll sleep in the hall.”

She clenched her fists at her sides. “You’re impossible.”

“No… I’m determined.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

RYAN DIDN’T RETURN FOR ABOUT an hour. Emily had decided he wasn’t coming, or maybe Matt had told him no way in hell was he leaving his team to be with her, when there was a knock on her door. She lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about how in the heck she was going to raise a baby, when the sound came.

She didn’t move at first. He’d told her he would sleep on the floor in the hall if she didn’t let him in—but getting past him in the middle of the night to pee would be hell, that’s for sure. Plus, dammit, she just wanted to see him again. She hated herself for the weakness, but there it was.

Emily went over and jerked the door open, gasping when she saw him. Ryan’s face wasn’t quite the same as when he’d left earlier. His eye was red and swelling, and there was a cut over his lip.

“Nick promised! Are you badly hurt?”

Ryan lifted an eyebrow. “What? No, I’m not hurt.”

Emily gritted her teeth. “I’m going to kill him.”

“He doesn’t look much different. In fact, I think he’s currently nursing a bloody nose.”

Emily huffed. “You
both
promised. What the hell happened?”

Ryan shrugged. “We’re men. He thinks I took advantage of you. I think he’s a prick who needs to mind his own business.”

Emily went over and sank down on the bed, putting her head in her hands. “I didn’t want this. I didn’t want you fighting. You and Nick are teammates, brothers. You’re supposed to have each other’s backs, not kick each other’s asses. It’s all my fault.”

Ryan was at her side, kneeling, pulling her hands away from her face. “We’re good, Emily. We just had to get it out of our system, okay? I understand that Nick’s going to fight to defend and protect you, and he understands that this is between you and me—and that I’m not going to abandon you to raise this baby alone.”

Her stomach flipped. She liked the idea of him being there for her. The idea that he wasn’t giving up so easily.

 
“You don’t need to be here, you know. I won’t sneak off in the middle of the night. There’s nowhere to go.”

His blue eyes didn’t give anything away. “We’re in Ian Black’s compound in Acamar. He’s a mercenary who deals with some not-very-nice people. There’s nothing that says we can’t be attacked in the middle of the night.”

“No one’s raiding this compound, Ryan. The firepower in here is a bit overwhelming, to say the least.”

“Maybe so… but you’re my responsibility now.”

“You really intend to sleep on the floor?”

“Unless you plan to let me into this much-too-narrow bed with you… Yes, I’m sleeping on the floor.”

She could insist on throwing him out, but she knew he’d stay in the hallway if she did. Part of her didn’t care. But the other part told her the questions would be worse if he was in the hall. If he was in here, most of the guys wouldn’t know or care.

“What did Matt say?”

One corner of Ryan’s mouth lifted in a wistful smile. “Did you know Evie’s pregnant?”

“Yes. I was there that night at the bar when they announced it.”

He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, you were, weren’t you? So maybe you’ll understand when I tell you that Matt gets it. Nothing in heaven or on earth is standing between him and his woman and child.”

Emily shivered.
His woman and child
. Such a possessive statement. A sexy statement. She wanted to be Ryan’s woman—but she wanted it to be for a reason other than she was pregnant and he had no choice. Still, you got whatever hand life dealt you, not necessarily the one you wanted.

She’d known that from an early age.

“Don’t sleep in front of the door.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Why not?”

Emily pushed his shoulder. “I’m pregnant, moron. I have to pee about ten times a night.”

“All right.” He stood and slung his gear into a corner. Then he unrolled a sleeping bag and laid it on the floor between the bed and the door even though he could have shifted it so the path to the door was free. She’d have to step over him to get out, but at least she could get out.

She suspected he did it that way on purpose, so he’d know whenever she left. She didn’t kid herself that he was going to sleep so soundly he wouldn’t notice. She’d managed to sneak out of his apartment that night two months ago, but he hadn’t been on alert for her movement. Tonight, however, she figured he’d know whenever she turned over in bed.

She scooted up against the rickety headboard and watched him. When he pulled off his T-shirt and bared his back to her, she had to bite her lip to keep from groaning. He took off his boots and pants, but he left on a pair of tight navy-blue boxer briefs that hugged the curves of his ass and made her long to reach out and cup those cheeks in her hands.
 

Emily held her breath as he turned and laid the pants over her chair. He wasn’t hard, but there was no mistaking the bulge in his briefs. Her heart skipped a beat, and little beads of sweat formed on her skin.
Oh my goodness…

His chest was the stuff dreams were made of. Muscles bulged and popped as he moved, and the tribal tattoo on his arm rippled. He had a tattoo on his back as well, an American flag with the HOT badge. Her stomach flipped at the sight of that badge. He was proud of being in HOT, and it worried her to think she might ruin it for him.

Unless Ian gave her half a million dollars and she got the location of the hostages out of Mustafa. Maybe then it would be okay.
 

She wanted to ask herself who she was kidding, but the truth was she hoped beyond all reason that it worked. Not just for Linda Cooper and the others, but for her and Ryan and their baby.

One thing at a time, Emily.

He turned around again, and she sucked in her breath anew at the sight of his face. When she climbed from the bed and walked toward him, he stopped what he was doing and watched her.

“You need ice.”

He gave her a lopsided smile. “Got it, babe.”

He reached into his bag and pulled out an instant cold pack. Then he broke it to start the freezing reaction. He waved it at her.