Sandman (Unknown Identities #3) by Regan Black

sweet, familiar scents and sounds of their lovemaking while they pushed the limits of his endurance and their combined creativity.
    It seemed there were none to be had o n either count.
     
    * * *
    He held her while she slept, his field combat senses on high alert. His mind sorted through the limited options while his body and heart relaxed in her presence. It was like nothing had changed, and yet everything was new. She was no less stunning or vibrant in her sleep than she was awake and calling out his name.
    The sound of his name, spoken in that sexy voice of hers was perfect. It had been so long.
    In the quiet he dared to dream of what might have been, before Messenger set him up and ruined it all. He ’d never known what happened to the others, had never dared to look for them for fear of endangering them. It made him sick to think they were all dead. Even Rafe.
    She stirred, her supple body melting again st his. The only thing she wore was the citrine ring and he loved her more for leaving it on. The odds were stacked high against them, so he would soak up every moment of perfection and rectify all the wrongs within his power.
    “ I didn’t leave you by choice,” he murmured into her hair. “Would never have done that.”
    He couldn ’t decide if he wanted her to remember those words or not. It would be hell to leave her again in just a few hours. Unless the long shot he’d been considering paid off.
    “ Will you tell me what happened?” She curled into him, her fine-boned hand resting over his heart.
    He sighed, but there was no point in keeping secrets any more. “I did my job, followed orders, but when we got back to base they arrested me, claimed I’d acted outside of mission parameters. I don’t know what they told the team or the commanding officer. There was nothing to support my side of it.”
    “ You were set up,” she said, kissing his chest. “Forced to join the program.”
    He wanted to simply agree, but her honesty deserved an equal response. “I was young. Too scared to say no.”
    “ Matthew,” she scolded gently. “Do you think saying no would have worked?”
    He smiled, despite the lousy memory. “No.”
    “ Tell me the rest?”
    He knew what she was asking and he explained what he ’d learned about himself and the world since being altered by the UI experiments.
    She shifted , propping herself on her elbow and he was humbled by the admiration and pride in her deep brown eyes.
    “ You survived,” she said. “That’s what matters. So what is our next step?”
    “ Now, we make some hard decisions.”
    “ As long as you aren’t thinking of leaving me to cope with the fallout alone.”
    “ It’s a logical option and it’s crossed my mind that you’re safer –”
    A knock at the door interrupted him. “Mr. Anderson? There’s a note for you.”
    He rolled out from under her, a finger to his lips. She nodded, already headed for the bathroom.
    He pulled on his pants and tried to kick the rest of their clothes in her direction on his way to answer the door. With his gun in hand, he peered through the peephole.
    The only person he could see was the woman who’d checked them in. The hallway was too tight for a team to hide successfully. Keeping the gun out of sight, he opened the door and gave her a sheepish smile.
    “ Sorry to interrupt,” she said, handing him the note. “But the young lady said it was quite urgent.”
    Young lady? “Of course,” Matthew replied, taking it out of her hands. “Thanks for bringing it to us.”
    “ Well, there’s no phone in this suite,” she said, her cheeks going pink. “One of the selling points.”
    “ I’m sure it is,” he agreed, easing the door closed.
    “ Would you like me to make a dinner reservation for you newlyweds?”
    “ That’s thoughtful, thank you.” He held up the note. “I’ll come downstairs in a minute and let you know for sure.”
    With a knowing smile, she turned away.
    “What is it?” Renata asked from