Retribution (SSU Trilogy Book 3) (The Surgical Strike Unit) by Vanessa Kier

stabbed him in the cheek.
    “Hey!” he protested, jerking back. His hand shot out and captured her wrist, moving her hand out of range of another attack.
    She turned her head and glared at him. “Don’t sneak up on me!”
    Rafe’s eyes laughed down at her. “I knocked, sweetheart. You were too focused to notice.”
    Knowing that she did have a habit of losing track of her surroundings when she was deep in thought, Gabby crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here?”
    “I brought you a welcome gift.” Rafe pulled his hand from behind his back. There, cradled in his palm, sat a small teddy bear wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope around its neck.
    “Oh!” Her heart melted as she reached out to stroke the bear’s silky fur. Tears unexpectedly filled her eyes. “No one’s given me a gift in…” She let her voice trail off, aware of how pathetic she’d sound if she admitted it had been years. She hadn’t had time to date and her friends had been casual, not the type to exchange presents.
    Rafe placed the bear into Gabby’s hands, then surrounded her hands with his much larger ones. “Shh, don’t cry, querida . I wanted to make you smile, not frown.”
    She shrugged, but couldn’t stop a tear from falling. “These are happy tears,” she murmured.
    Rafe nodded sagely. “Ah. Those mysterious tears that men never understand.”
    She gave him a watery smile. “Exactly.” She glanced down at the bear in her palms. “He’s perfect.”
    “I thought he could watch over you in the lab,” Rafe admitted softly.
    Oh man, he broke her heart. How did he know just the right words to say? “Thank you.” With a gentle tug, she freed herself from Rafe’s grip, then placed the bear on top of her computer. “How’s that?”
    “Just right.”
    Gabby grabbed a couple of tissues and blotted her tears. “Sorry, the stress is making me emotional.”
    “Nothing to apologize for. So, how are you settling in?”
    She shrugged, then stared at the rack of test tubes. “I’ve started working with the samples Dr. Smith gave me and—”
    Rafe’s hands lightly gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “That’s not what I meant, Gabby. How are you, the woman, not the doctor, settling in? Everyone treating you well?”
    “Sure. They’ve all been very friendly.”
    His eyes searched her face and she wondered what he was looking for. Then the brown depths of his eyes heated. Tingles of electricity ran up her arm from where his fingers encircled her wrist.
    Gabby suddenly couldn’t breathe. She blamed the fire in his eyes, because surely it was eating all the oxygen in the room. Uh-huh. And that’s why her skin flushed and her heart sped up. Lack of air, not an inexplicable flash of desire unlike anything she’d experienced. She couldn’t want him so fiercely. She didn’t do impulsive. Heck, she didn’t really do relationships. Not for over a year, at least.
    Maybe she was getting sick. Or maybe the stress was finally getting to her and making her weak, because she swayed toward Rafe and didn’t turn away when he lowered his head. Then his lips touched hers. Her legs trembled and she feared she might crumble to the floor.
    Oh, damn. She was in such big trouble.
    His lips were warm and soft and fit against hers like they’d been custom molded. She kissed him back and his groan of male satisfaction made her shiver.
    “ Madre de Dios ,” he murmured, slipping into his mother’s native Spanish as he reached for Gabby. “Come closer, baby.”
    She stepped into his arms and slid her hands to the nape of his neck. Part of her reeled in shock at her obedience to his command, but she couldn’t resist the urge to touch him. His hair was shaved close at his nape and she stroked her palms over the short hairs, smoothing them down like she’d pet a cat, loving the sensuous feel against her skin. Loving the way Rafe bent his head to give her better access.
    “Hell, yes, Gabby. Do that