already used to him.
When she ventured from the shower wearing his robe, she found the bed turned down waiting for her. Sebastian was downstairs, tidying up the kitchen. She gazed down at him, uncertain of his motives.
"The bed is yours," he called up, catching sight of her. "I'll be fine on the couch."
She stood there, not believing the words coming out of his mouth. Desire, still sparking through her veins, sputtered and dimmed, leaving her achingly unfulfilled, not to mention rejected. "Thank you," she said, though what she really wanted to say wasn't nearly that polite. "Good night, then."
She eased between the crisp, clean sheets and listened to the hushed sounds coming from below, waiting, hoping Sebastian would mount the steps and join her. But it soon fell quiet, meaning he'd fallen asleep on the couch.
She drew the extra pillow across her chest and put her nose to it. It smelled just like him.
This is what it would be like whenever he is called away, she thought, seeking to ease the ache in her chest. It was a good thing he was a man of integrity; that he hadn't taken advantage of her, after all. How awful it would be if he'd made her fall in love with him!
She closed her eyes and slept, at last, his pillow clutched to her heart.
Chapter Seven
Naval Air Station Annex Dam Neck
24 September ~ 02:43 EST
Their second night in the Spec Ops building was even less productive than the first. Last night, Luther had finally located a summary of the stolen weapons, which he lifted off the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet, complete with descriptions, serial numbers, dates stolen, and circumstances surrounding the thefts. He copied the information and stored it for personal reference on his Palm Pilot.
Analysis of the data showed that both East and West Coast SEALs had been tasked to interdict weapons from places like the Gulf of Siam, the Gulf of Oman, and the Bering Straits, only to find the weapons already seized. There was nothing to indicate that Lovitt had prior knowledge of any of the missions, however, which would have allowed him to extract the weapons ahead of the SEALs.
"This is crazy," Luther admitted, following three hours of unrewarding search. He swiveled the rolling chair to face Hannah, who was draped over a filing cabinet skimming the contents of a packet.
She wore a calf-length canvas skirt with panty hose and full-sleeved white blouse. Not an inch of her fair skin was exposed. Yet somehow, the gaze she sent him over the top of her glasses struck him as erotic.
"Which part?" she asked, straightening. "Staying up all night or beating our heads against a brick wall?" She stretched her back, arching like a graceful cat.
"Both." Luther massaged his stiff neck while trying not to notice the material of her blouse growing taut over Hannah's breasts. He could just make out her nipples. "Don't you find it curious that Lovitt's name doesn't appear anywhere? It's almost like he's come in here himself and wiped his name out of the documents we're looking at." He froze in reflection. "Wait a minute. If he did that, an administrator could find it in the user logs."
Hannah slid the filing cabinet shut and approached him. "That's still not as effective as linking him to the actual thefts. I'm telling you, Luther, we need to go to the Northern Neck and find whatever Ernie found." The choked quality of her voice had him looking up sharply. He thought her eyes might be misting behind her glasses.
"He's the real reason you're here, isn't he?" Luther asked, considering her motives. Why else would she be willing to stay up all night? "What was Forrester like?" he asked, wondering if Hannah'd had a thing for him.
She paused to reflect. "Fat," she said with a strained chuckle. "Poor man, he ate like a rabbit and he couldn't lose weight. He loved his work; he was devoted to it, going above and beyond anyone's expectations, which is probably why he discovered Lovitt's involvement in the first place. You know, it really ticks
When she ventured from the shower wearing his robe, she found the bed turned down waiting for her. Sebastian was downstairs, tidying up the kitchen. She gazed down at him, uncertain of his motives.
"The bed is yours," he called up, catching sight of her. "I'll be fine on the couch."
She stood there, not believing the words coming out of his mouth. Desire, still sparking through her veins, sputtered and dimmed, leaving her achingly unfulfilled, not to mention rejected. "Thank you," she said, though what she really wanted to say wasn't nearly that polite. "Good night, then."
She eased between the crisp, clean sheets and listened to the hushed sounds coming from below, waiting, hoping Sebastian would mount the steps and join her. But it soon fell quiet, meaning he'd fallen asleep on the couch.
She drew the extra pillow across her chest and put her nose to it. It smelled just like him.
This is what it would be like whenever he is called away, she thought, seeking to ease the ache in her chest. It was a good thing he was a man of integrity; that he hadn't taken advantage of her, after all. How awful it would be if he'd made her fall in love with him!
She closed her eyes and slept, at last, his pillow clutched to her heart.
Chapter Seven
Naval Air Station Annex Dam Neck
24 September ~ 02:43 EST
Their second night in the Spec Ops building was even less productive than the first. Last night, Luther had finally located a summary of the stolen weapons, which he lifted off the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet, complete with descriptions, serial numbers, dates stolen, and circumstances surrounding the thefts. He copied the information and stored it for personal reference on his Palm Pilot.
Analysis of the data showed that both East and West Coast SEALs had been tasked to interdict weapons from places like the Gulf of Siam, the Gulf of Oman, and the Bering Straits, only to find the weapons already seized. There was nothing to indicate that Lovitt had prior knowledge of any of the missions, however, which would have allowed him to extract the weapons ahead of the SEALs.
"This is crazy," Luther admitted, following three hours of unrewarding search. He swiveled the rolling chair to face Hannah, who was draped over a filing cabinet skimming the contents of a packet.
She wore a calf-length canvas skirt with panty hose and full-sleeved white blouse. Not an inch of her fair skin was exposed. Yet somehow, the gaze she sent him over the top of her glasses struck him as erotic.
"Which part?" she asked, straightening. "Staying up all night or beating our heads against a brick wall?" She stretched her back, arching like a graceful cat.
"Both." Luther massaged his stiff neck while trying not to notice the material of her blouse growing taut over Hannah's breasts. He could just make out her nipples. "Don't you find it curious that Lovitt's name doesn't appear anywhere? It's almost like he's come in here himself and wiped his name out of the documents we're looking at." He froze in reflection. "Wait a minute. If he did that, an administrator could find it in the user logs."
Hannah slid the filing cabinet shut and approached him. "That's still not as effective as linking him to the actual thefts. I'm telling you, Luther, we need to go to the Northern Neck and find whatever Ernie found." The choked quality of her voice had him looking up sharply. He thought her eyes might be misting behind her glasses.
"He's the real reason you're here, isn't he?" Luther asked, considering her motives. Why else would she be willing to stay up all night? "What was Forrester like?" he asked, wondering if Hannah'd had a thing for him.
She paused to reflect. "Fat," she said with a strained chuckle. "Poor man, he ate like a rabbit and he couldn't lose weight. He loved his work; he was devoted to it, going above and beyond anyone's expectations, which is probably why he discovered Lovitt's involvement in the first place. You know, it really ticks
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