Her lips turned upward in a small smile. “Yeah,” she told him, and his heart started beating faster. “I feel it. From the first moment I saw you, I was aware of you in a way I’ve never felt before. I wondered if it was just your magic, but the more I see of your friends, the more I realize it’s just you, Rick. For whatever reason, you fascinate me, and I don’t think it’s just because of your amazing power.”

  That was music to his ears. He wanted so much for what was developing between them to be based on something more than his magic and the fact that he’d healed her. His last serious relationship had been with a woman he’d met during his last year of medical school. She’d been sick, and he’d helped find a cure for her condition. He’d come to realize too late that the emotion on her side of the relationship had been based on hero worship and gratitude—not real, lasting love.

  He’d been fully invested. He’d even proposed marriage, only to be turned down when she came to her senses.

  Rick hadn’t been her doctor—he wasn’t out of school yet—but he’d been researching her case and helped pointing her medical team in the right direction. He’d made a breakthrough discovery, so in her mind, he’d saved her. But the emotion hadn’t lasted. He’d proposed, and she’d gone very quiet. A few days later, they’d broken up, and he’d been heartbroken.

  He’d joined Hal’s unit a couple of months later. The more dangerous the assignments, the better. He’d wanted to get out of the States for a while and forget all about the woman who’d broken his heart.

  It had worked. To a point. Rick had been kept too busy until recently to pursue any lasting relationships. Of course, now that they were on extended leave from the field and his buddies were starting to pair off, he’d realized the pain in his heart had begun to heal. Meeting Lynn had helped even more.

  Just a few hours in her presence had made him start to think about the future again. About risking his heart again. A scary thought, but Lynn made him want to try.

  He drew closer to her, almost as if they were drawn together by some unseen magnetic force. She leaned. He leaned. And, before he realized exactly what was happening, their lips met.

  After that, he knew exactly what to do. He put his arms around her, and she snuggled in close, returning the favor. Oh, yeah. She felt like a dream in his arms. A dream from which he never wanted to wake.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Lynn leaned into Rick’s hard body, barely believing how far they had come on such short acquaintance. Sometimes, she’d heard her Gram say, things just happened that way. Sure, she wasn’t a shifter, and neither was he. They didn’t instantaneously know their perfect mate, as many shifters did. But something in her had recognized Rick almost from the first. And, if he was to be believed—and she had no reason to doubt his sincerity—he’d felt the same.

  Magic. That’s what it was. A delicious sort of magic that drew them to each other. She wasn’t going to question it any more than that. Whatever it was that had brought them together—whether it be fate or the unseen hand of the Mother of All—it was an amazing feeling. Nothing had ever felt so right.

  She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, bodies pressed tightly together, lips exploring and pleasure building, when a noise from out in the hallway startled her. Rick lifted his head and glanced toward the open door. She followed suit. They hadn’t bothered to close it when they were carrying her stuff inside, and now, they both saw a very pregnant woman tiptoeing past with a mischievous smile on her face.

  Busted. Casey had totally seen them, and if the glee in her expression was any clue, she thought catching them necking was hilarious. What were the odds she wouldn’t tell her husband? Yeah, not high.

  “Well, that does it,” Rick said, turning back to look at Lynn. His expression was open and amused. “She’s not going to keep quiet. I hope a little teasing doesn’t bother you, though it’ll be mostly aimed at me, I’m sure.”

  Lynn thought about it for a second then shrugged. “That’s what families do. Could be worse.”

  Rick’s head tilted to one side. He was still holding her loosely around the waist and didn’t seem in any hurry to let go, despite the open door.

  “You get it. We’re more than just comrades in arms. We’re family,” he told her. “All those guys are my brothers, and their wives and girlfriends are like pesky little sisters, sometimes. Casey especially. She sees herself as a sort of den mother to us all, but we don’t mind. Frankly, most of us sort of revel in her interest in our happiness. She really cares, you know?”

  Lynn reached up and cupped his cheek, loving the feel of his beard stubble against her palm. It was such a masculine thing that she hadn’t felt in far too long.

  “It doesn’t take long to see the dynamic between you all. I think it’s really special, the camaraderie you’ve built here.” She was mesmerized by the look in his eyes, and the moment stretched.

  “I didn’t expect…” he began, then halted.

  He seemed to have trouble articulating his thoughts, but she didn’t mind waiting. Being held in his arms was a decidedly pleasant way to spend her time. He could keep her waiting indefinitely. She wouldn’t mind. Not at all.

  “I didn’t think… What I mean is, I didn’t plan this,” he told her finally. “There’s something so…”

  “I get it,” she said, trying to help. He definitely wasn’t comfortable talking about his feelings, but that was okay. He was trying, and that meant the world to her. “I feel the same, and it’s all good. Don’t worry.”

  He let her go by slow degrees. “I guess I can’t talk you out of the op tomorrow?” He sounded hopeful but resigned.

  “Sorry, no.” She shook her head as he backed away a few inches. “But I’ll be careful. I promise.”

  “And I’ll be watching your back,” he returned the promise. “Along with the rest of the guys and some of Liam’s people. We won’t let anything happen to you. I’d… I’d be really displeased if you got even a scratch, so stay sharp and don’t give me a reason to use my magical healing powers on you, again, okay?” The last was said in a teasing but serious way, and she understood.

  She patted his arm. “I’ll do my very best,” she told him, reaching up to give him a peck on the cheek as he showed signs of turning to go. She let him go, and he walked slowly toward the still-open door. “After all,” she called after him, “I want to find out what happens next with us. Tomorrow night, Rick. I’ll definitely want another good night kiss.”

  That stopped him short, and he turned halfway to grin at her. “Only if you’ve earned it, Doc.”

  She smiled back at him. “Same goes for you, Doc.”

  He chuckled and made a point of closing the door behind him as he left the room.

  Lynn let out a sigh and collapsed on the bed. Holy Toledo! That man packed a punch. She was literally dizzy from the way he’d kissed her into orbit. Damn. She wondered idly if she would survive should they ever get into bed together. Maybe not, she decided, but it would be a hell of a way to go.

  The next morning, Lynn found Rick waiting for her in the hallway when she left her room. She was pleased by his thoughtfulness as they walked down to breakfast together and sat next to each other at the big table with the rest of his family.

  Aside from some pointed glances and amused expressions, particularly from Casey and her husband, nobody bothered them. Rick was solicitous without being too obvious, and there was a tension in him—and around the table—that she understood. She felt it, too. They were going to do something about those sharks today at high tide, which was in just a couple of hours.

  Lynn’s morning was already planned. She’d check over her equipment before she went outside, and the very last thing she planned to do was coat her arrow tips with the potion her grandmother had sent. Those two little jars would be in her fanny pack, on her person, at all times. Fanny packs may not be fashionable, but they were definitely useful for this sort of thing, and Gram had packed one for her. The one with the padding that would keep the small glass jars safe.

  “Do you need any help preparing?” Rick asked her quietly as they were getting up to bus their trays after they’d finished eating.

  Lynn didn’t really need help, but she liked having Rick around. “If you’re not busy, I could use some company,” she told him.

  “I don’t have anywhere to be until just before go time, so I’m all yours,” he said.

  She liked that. He was all hers. Hmm. If only.

  They went up to her room, where they’d put all her gear the night before, and she spent a few minutes explaining the working of her bow to him. She drew it, without an arrow nocked, to show him how to do it.

  “Any pain in the shoulder?” he asked, watching her movement critically from draw to release and then as she lowered the bow.

  “No,” she said, smiling at him. “Good as new, which totally amazes me when I stop to think about the fact that I had a bullet in there just a little while ago.” She rolled the shoulder. “Maybe just a tiny stiffness near the clavicle, but it’s nothing that really bothers me.

  Rick moved nearer and raised his hands. “May I?” he asked before touching her. She nodded, and he put one hand on the injured clavicle and one behind her shoulder. She felt warmth and tried to back away.

  “Don’t, Rick. You may need all your strength for later,” she said, worried that he was expending energy on her behalf before the day’s action even started.

  “It’s nothing,” he told her. “I don’t feel any drain. On the contrary, touching you seems to bounce back on me and give me more power, somehow.”

  “It does?” She was truly surprised and a little in awe of what he was so innocently describing. She’d heard of such things in romantic tales her grandmother had told her—how perfect mates made each other stronger in every way. Could it be true?

  “Try it now,” he said, lowering his hands and stepping back a bit so she could move her shoulder and arm. She did as he directed and marveled again, at his healing gift.

  “That’s something else,” she said, shaking her head and rotating her shoulder. “No discomfort at all now.”

  Rick smiled at her. “Good.”

  He moved closer again, putting his arms loosely around her waist. She put her hands on his shoulders, moving into his embrace, which was entirely welcome. Rick rested his forehead against hers for a moment.

  “I don’t like knowing you’re going into danger, regardless of our preparations,” he told her quietly.

  “I know. I’d feel the same if our roles were reversed. And, really, you’re going to be out there, too. I’ll just be the visible one.” She rubbed her cheek against his. “It has to be this way. This time, I need to be the one drawing out the enemy. My grandmother and your seers all agreed on that.”

  And they had. Rose and Jeeves had given their endorsement to the plan and even volunteered that they had both foreseen this course of action having the likeliest good outcome for all concerned. Jeeves had reluctantly confirmed that, if nothing was done to draw out the enemy, a much larger, more dangerous battle would happen in the not-too-distant future. This was a way to avoid losing anyone in the unit. Supposedly. If their visions held true.

  “I know,” Rick said, nuzzling her neck. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  She chuckled a bit at his words, even as tingles went down her spine from his lips on the sensitive skin of her neck. Damn. He made her feel things no man had ever brought out in her before. Not that there’d been all that many men in her life up to this point. And, after meeting Rick, she very much feared she’d never look at anybody else the way she looked at him. He was ruining her for the rest of the male population, but she didn’t really mind. Nope. Not at all. Not when Rick was running his lips up her neck and over her jaw, zeroing in on her lips.

  Then, he was kissing her, and all coherent thought fled. As before, when their lips met and held, the rest of the world ceased to exist. There was only them…and the sparks that ignited between their bodies as their mouths touched and their bodies pressed against each other, straining against fabric that was the only barrier between them.

  She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, wrapped in each other’s embrace. Her mind floated free while her body went up in flames and desire built. Then, a tinkling sound brought her back to awareness. Her phone. She’d set the alarm to remind her when it was time to go downstairs. Darn it all.

  Rick must have heard the sound, as well. He raised his head, his lips leaving hers with obvious reluctance.

  “Duty calls?” he asked, one raised eyebrow challenging her with a slight grin on his well-kissed lips.

  She nodded, smiling back. “Unfortunately. I’d much rather stay here and see where this takes us, but we’ve both got work to do. How about a raincheck for later?” she asked, daring greatly. Had she really just made an appointment for a booty call? Sure seemed like it as he grinned even wider.

  “I’ll look forward to it,” he replied, dipping in for a quick peck on her lips. “You’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted, Lynn. I want you to know I’m serious. I’m not just playing around here.”

  She sucked in a breath. She felt the sincerity of his words, and they hit her somewhere deep inside. A little chorus of angels sang Hallelujah in her mind.

  “That’s good, because I’m not playing, either,” she told him as the phone continued to beep its little alarm.

  Rick reached back and snagged her phone off the table, handing it to her. She touched the screen in the place that would turn off the beeping. Of course, that meant she had to take her arms from around his shoulders. She felt a little bereft as space opened up between their bodies, but she knew it had to be this way, for now. They both, as she’d said before, had things to do. They had best get to it. The sooner the trap was sprung, the sooner they could get back to this.

  “I guess we’d better get going.” Rick sounded as reluctant as she felt to be leaving the intimacy of the past few moments. “Can I help you carry anything?”

  “Nah, I’ve got it, but thanks.”

  She had already suited up for her outdoor excursion, wearing her fishing gear, which today consisted of tan yoga pants, sneakers and a dark blue windbreaker. She had already put on the bracers that would keep her sleeves out of the way and protect her forearms a bit. She checked that her shooting glove was in her pocket then picked up the fanny pack with the little jars in it and put it on. She also grabbed her quiver and bow, leaving the case behind as she headed for the door.

  Rick opened it for her and waited for her to exit before following then closing the door behind them. They walked down the stairs, and she aimed for the living room, laying her bow on the table while she opened the fanny pack and took out the poison jar.

  Then, she laid out the arrows she had selected for this morning’s mission. There were a selection of fish arrows that had small, sharp points and little hook-like projections that would hold onto the fish, once hit. She also had the sharp-bladed broadheads that were used for land hunting. If she got a chance to shoot at one of the shark shifters in his human form, she would be using the broadheads. Either way, she was going to prepare a selection of both with the poison. Just in case.

  “I didn’t see these before,” Rick observed, pointing to the fish arrows.

  “Those are specifically for fishing. The point breaks the skin, and the little projections hook into the flesh so you don’t lose the fish while you reel it in. See the little hole? That’s where I’ll attack the fishing line from the reel attached to my bow,” she explained.

  “You set this up last night?” he asked.

  “Yeah. It’s a bit different from the usual configuration, and I don’t get to bow fish often, so I don’t keep it rigged up all the time,” she explained as she set about her work. She very carefully dipped each arrow tip in the poison jar, making sure some of the glittering ointment stuck to each point. She then transferred the treated arrows to the main compartment in her quiver. “The fish points have yellow fletching. The broadheads are red. And this compartment is for the poisoned points. I’ll keep some plain ones for the fish in this other section of the quiver. See the ones I set aside with the white fletching?”

  “You’ve thought this through,” Rick observed, sounding pleased.

  “Preparation is the key to success,” she said, quoting her grandmother, who seemed to have a saying for every situation.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Hal’s voice came to them from the doorway to the large room. He walked in and looked over the gear on the table. “Looks good, Lynn. We’re ready when you are. Just let me know when you move out. Kinkaid’s group is already in place, as is half our unit. The other half will watch over you from a discreet distance as you make your way to the tidal pool. You’ll be watched at all times once you set foot outside this building, as we discussed.”

  “Thank you, Captain. I’m just about done here and will be ready to go in about five minutes,” she told him. Hal nodded and walked out of the room, probably to spread the word to the men who would be watching over her.

  This was getting real, and her tension ramped up another notch. She finished up with the arrows and made sure everything was sorted out to her satisfaction in her quiver. She sealed the pots of poison and antidote and put them back in the padded fanny pack. Lynn stood, zipped up her windbreaker, and put the fanny pack around her hips, settling it to one side so it would not be in the way when she drew her bow. Ready, she took a deep breath to settle her nerves.

  Rick’s hand settled on her shoulder, and she looked up at him. His expression was serious but encouraging. Somehow, she felt the care in his touch.

  “We’ll be with you. You’re as safe as we can make you, but if you feel the need, there’s no shame in running for cover. We’ll have your back,” he assured her.

  “I know the escape routes we talked about, and I won’t hesitate to use one of them when the time comes, but don’t worry. I won’t put myself into a situation I can’t handle.” She assured him, drawing strength from his steady presence. For just a moment, she leaned into him, taking comfort from his presence, then she straightened and squared her shoulders as he moved away.