Page 45 of Run

She inched across the seat, leaning into him, staring into his dark eyes while she called him on all the crap he was telling himself. “I will once you admit that you dream about having me at your mercy, fluffy pink handcuffs around my wrists while you tease and taste and—”

His palm clasped her nape, and his mouth was on hers before she could finish speaking. Elle didn’t care that she could taste frustration in his kiss. She was angry with him too. Threading her fingers through his hair, she clutched him to her as she took what she wanted. What he wanted to give. Lips. Teeth. Tongues. Desperate, hungry need swirled around them, sucking them down together. A wild, hot tornado of lust, desire, frustration, anger, and…longing.

A car horn blasted.

The light had turned green. David broke the kiss, swiveled in his seat, and put the car in gear.

“Damn it, Ellie.”His voice was rough, his lips swollen. “There are reasons we can’t keep doing this.”

Elle cleared her throat, blinked at her surroundings several times, and resisted the urge to take her pulse. Because:hot damn.

“Are you listening to me?” David said. “We can’t do this. There are reasons.”

She flapped the bottom of her T-shirt to get some air circulating before she passed out. “Unless those reasons include you being my long-lost brother, I’m not interested. We definitely need to do that again. And again. And again. Then do more. Way more. In fact, we need to doeverything.”

His expression morphed from exasperation to clinically cold. “We have chemistry, and we’re both horny as hell, but that’s all there is between us. If you expect more from me, you won’t get it.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to hurt you by laying it on the line. I thought if I told you there were serious issues that prevented us from getting together, you’d get the message. Obviously, I need to be clearer. Truth is, baby, I’m just not that into you.”

Elle burst out laughing.

“I’m serious.” He scowled with irritation.

Elle laughed harder.

“Uh,” the phone on the dash said, “is this a good time to point out that we’re still on a group call?” Megan snorted. “And FYI, spy man, the only one you’re fooling is yourself. You are so into our girl you can hardly see straight.”

“I hate your team,” David muttered.

“Aye,” Callum said. “Well, we’re no’ too happy with you either.”

“Because he’s messing with Elle?” Megan asked.

“No.” Callum’s voice was filled with despair. “Because he went rogue on us and took over the op without consultation.”

“I knew that,” Megan said.

“Can we talk about what we’re walking into?” Callum said. “I mean, if the two of you aren’t too upset over the state of your relationship to focus on actual, bloody work.”

“Oh, I’m not upset,” Elle told Callum while looking at David. “I’m furious. I’d quite like to put David in my degausser machine, just to see what it would do to that screwed-up brain of his.”

“Elle—” he said, a warning in his tone.

“Nope.” She held up a hand. “I’ve had enough cowardly man-logic for one day.” She stared out the window again. “Callum, tell us what you want us to do.”

* * *

Cowardly?

The word rang in David’s head. Repeating on an endless loop that wouldn’t quit.

Cowardly?

Had anybody ever called him that and lived? Was she right? He believed he was sacrificing himself to protect her but was he only protecting himself? And why the hell was he thinking about this instead of what they might face with her brother?

“This is why relationships don’t work in the field,” he told her. “Instead of discussing the mission, we’re fighting over our future. It could get us killed.”

“Future? What future? We’ve had three kisses and some fun flirting. As you pointed out, that doesn’t even make a relationship, let alone a future.” She rolled her eyes at him. “You keep talking, but all I hear is ‘blah, blah, blah, I’m a big scaredy-cat with commitment issues and a deep fear of crawling into bed with Elle.’”

“I’ve been sayin’ this for years,” Callum barked through the phone, reminding David yet again that they weren’t alone. That was twice now he’d forgotten. Elle would get them both killed. “Less girly chitchat and more professionalism, people.”