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  Seth got a good look at January. She was covered in dust and there was blood on her shirt.

  “He sold us out to the Knights of Gaia,” January spat. “He told them about the artifacts, and helped them.”

  “Fucker,” Smith muttered.

  Andelman licked his lips. “I… I…”

  “Get this.” January cocked a hip. “They promised him his own TV show.”

  Seth shook his head. His team muttered darkly in the background.

  Andelman held up his hands. “They told me they had people in Los Angeles—”

  “L.A?” Seth crouched. “That where your contact is?”

  The man nodded.

  Seth looked up at Lachlan and they traded a glance.

  “Name?” Seth demanded.

  “It was via email. I don’t have a name, just an email address.”

  Seth tried to rein in his anger. He kept picturing January struggling in the dirt, fighting for her life.

  For good measure, Seth hit Andelman in the face again.

  “Stop hitting me.” Andelman looked at Lachlan and the others. “Stop him. You guys are cops or something, right?”

  “Or something,” Lachlan answered.

  Blair crossed her arms over her chest. “No one’s going to stop him.” She glanced at Seth. “I’ll happily hold your coat while you kick his ass.”

  “I’m not wearing a coat,” Seth said.

  Blair smiled. “Then carry on.”

  Andelman whimpered.

  “Stop.” January pushed forward.

  She had a faint limp, which pissed Seth off. “January—”

  She held up a hand. “Not that I don’t like watching you beat the crap out of him, but—” she turned and slapped Andelman in the face. He fell back on the ground curling into the fetal position “—I want to do it.” She reared her foot back to kick him.

  Seth wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her off her feet.

  She struggled. “Let me go.”

  “I think he’s had enough, hellcat.” Seth watched Lachlan step forward, some zip ties in hand.

  January was still vibrating with anger, and what Seth guessed was some shock.

  She scowled at him. “So, you get to beat him up, but I can’t?”

  “You’re okay now.” Seth ran a hand over her hair. “Any of that blood yours?”

  She sniffed. “No. I’m fine.”

  “Good.” And then, because he needed her more than anything else, he spun her around, bent her back over his arm, and kissed her.

  She fought for a second, then sagged against him and kissed him back. Her arms reached up and wrapped around his neck.

  “Wait,” Axel said. “I thought you two seriously hated each other.”

  Seth pulled back and cupped January’s jaw. He was so damn glad that she was okay. She leaned into him.

  Lachlan made an amused sound, jerking Andelman to his feet. Smith was studying the ground and shaking his head. Blair was grinning like crazy.

  Callie smiled. “There’s a fine line between love and hate, Axel.”

  “And we still don’t like each other,” January said.

  “That’s true,” Seth added.

  “He drives me crazy.”

  “And she works my last nerve.”

  She cocked her hip. “You weren’t complaining back in your room at the base. Or in your bed, or on the desk, or in the shower.”

  Callie laughed, Smith muttered a curse, and Axel waggled his eyebrows.

  “Damn, I love this.” Blair turned to the others. “Bets.”

  “Bets?” Seth frowned. “On what?”

  “On how long before you go down, just like Hunter did.”

  A small smile tipped Lachlan’s lips. The man didn’t look like he was that upset about being taken down by his woman, Rowan. In fact, from what Seth could tell, his friend loved it.

  “I don’t do relationships,” Seth said.

  “Me, either.” Suddenly, January’s face turned white.

  Seth frowned. “January?”

  She staggered, and Seth scooped her off her feet.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Just feeling a bit shaky.” She didn’t look happy admitting it.

  Callie appeared, gripping January’s wrist. “She needs rest and fluids. And a shower to clean off her scrapes.”

  “Smith and I will take our friend here to the Bunker.” Lachlan shoved Andelman ahead of him, his golden gaze skewering the man. “And you’re going to tell me everything you know about the Knights of Gaia, and give our tech man full access to your emails.”

  Andelman looked like he was ready to wet his pants. He nodded.

  All Seth wanted was January resting in a bed. Preferably in his bed.

  “Let’s move.”

  Chapter Twelve

  January sat quietly as Seth pulled the SUV up to a gate. They were in an industrial area near the airport. They’d dropped the rest of the team off—Lachlan, Smith, and Josh at the Bunker, and the rest of them at their apartments.

  The gate swung open, and she realized he must have some sort of remote device in the vehicle. They drove up a short sweep of driveway, and pulled up in front of a small aircraft hangar. Lights clicked on automatically.

  “This is where you live?” she asked.

  “I don’t like being surrounded by people.”

  Hardly a surprise. “But planes are okay?”

  He smiled at her. “Yeah.”

  They exited the car, and with a hand at the small of her back, Seth led her up to the small door nestled in the wall beside the massive hangar doors. She watched him punch a code into a pin pad.

  January felt drained, and was riding the edge of an adrenaline crash. Seth pushed the door open and urged her inside.

  Her footsteps echoed and she got the sense of space. More lights clicked on.

  January stopped for a moment to take it all in. The floor was scarred concrete, and a loft area hung above. She gasped. A sleek plane was parked off to one side of the hangar. She wandered closer. The word “Experimental” was stamped above the doors of the plane.

  “I put it together myself.”

  She spun to face him. “You built it? With your own hands?”

  “Yeah.” Another faint smile. “Flies like a dream.”

  “There is no way I’d get in an aircraft that I made myself.” January turned, her gaze falling on the car. “Wow. A Shelby Cobra.” It was dark-blue, and in mint condition.

  “I restored her.”

  “I would never have pegged you as a grease monkey.” She ran a hand over the Cobra’s hood.

  “You like cars?”

  “My uncle had a 1969 Chevy Camaro when I was younger. He used to drive me to school in it. He always wanted a Cobra, though.”

  “You lived with your aunt and uncle?”

  “Yeah. My mom died when I was fourteen.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. What about your dad?”

  She shook her head. “Never knew him. He got my mom pregnant and took off. You have parents, Lynch? Or did you hatch from an egg, gun in hand?”

  He chuckled softly. “I have parents. They live on a farm in Idaho.”

  She blinked. “Your parents are farmers?” Badass, worldly, former CIA agent Seth Lynch came from small-town farming stock? She couldn’t believe it.

  “Yes. I rebuilt tractor engines before cars and planes.”

  He grabbed her hand and led her toward the set of black-iron stairs leading up to the loft area.

  They stepped into the living space, and she couldn’t help but gasp. The place was gorgeous, all sleek, modern lines. The floor was polished concrete, and there was a comfy-looking, tan suede sectional in front of one wall that held a large television on it. On the other side of the room was a long kitchen with dark, glossy cabinets and lots of stainless steel.

  There was a doorway, which she assumed led to the bedroom, but her gaze was drawn to the back wall. It was dominated by huge, arched windo
ws, and beyond them she could see a balcony. Seth had a killer view. Right outside lay the airport, with its tangle of runways. Beyond that was the glitz and multi-colored sparkle of The Strip.

  She walked deeper into the room. “I love your place, Seth.”

  “Thanks.”

  Turning, she saw his wall of framed photographs and stopped. Wow. The pictures were amazing, and all in dramatic black and white. There was a close-up shot of the fountain at the Bellagio. An awesome shot of the Strip with its casinos, billboards, and palm trees. A few pictures she knew were the Grand Canyon—stark and beautiful. An interesting one of Hoover Dam. And another that was a shot of the desert and a lone dirt road leading to nowhere.

  They were all haunting without a single person in them.

  “Do you like them?” Seth asked.

  She flicked her gaze to him, detecting something in his voice. “You took these?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “I do a little photography in my very rare spare time.”

  He’d taken these lonely, evocative images. She swallowed. For some strange reason, she felt like she was looking into his soul.

  “They’re gorgeous, Seth.”

  His lips quirked. “Thanks.”

  “Do you ever photograph people?”

  “No. I don’t find them an interesting subject.” He turned. “Now, first thing is for you to take a shower.”

  She turned to him and moaned gratefully. She really wanted to wash off the dust of the desert, and Josh’s stink. It struck her that Seth had moved closer and his gaze was on her lips.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but then he shook his head, and turned and nudged her toward the doorway.

  She’d been right, it was his bedroom. The décor here was also sleek and modern. The polished concrete continued, and the walls were a soft, blue-gray. The bed was made of a pale wood, and sat low to the ground. It was covered in a black comforter.

  On the wall behind the bed was another large, framed photograph. Again, it was black and white, and showed the desert. There were mountains in the distance and one lone tree—a Joshua tree—in the foreground.

  “The bathroom’s through there.” Seth nodded through an open doorway. “Take your time, and grab something from my closet to wear. Kinsey’s going to organize clothes for you in the morning.”

  January nodded. It had been a really long time since she’d let anyone take care of her. It felt nice. “Thanks.”

  He smiled. “Going soft on me, James?”

  She shot him the finger.

  His laugh followed him out as he left.

  January stepped into the bathroom. It matched the rest of his place—concrete tiles, warm, wooden vanity, huge, glass-enclosed shower with dual showerheads, and a modern, freestanding tub off to the side.

  She really wanted to soak in the tub, but she didn’t think she could relax right now.

  Instead, she stripped off and stepped into the shower. She was covered in small bruises and scratches. There was one really nasty bruise on her hip. Josh was truly a douchebag.

  She sighed. The scrapes weren’t bad—she’d had worse on plenty of her digs. She let the water flow over her and wash away the grime.

  Finally, January shut off the water and grabbed a fluffy, gray towel and dried off. She left her hair out to dry naturally.

  Back in the bedroom, she raided Seth’s closet. She slid the door open and lights clicked on. She blinked. It was ruthlessly organized. Her own closet was jammed full of half-folded clothes, and things slipping off hangers. Her closet did not look like Seth’s. She glanced guiltily at the dirty clothes she’d left on the floor in the bathroom. January dashed back into the bathroom, and picked up the garments. Unsure where she should put them, she draped them carefully over the edge of the tub. Then she headed back to Seth’s closet.

  She grabbed a soft T-shirt and pulled it over her head. It didn’t quite reach her knees, but it covered the necessities.

  She headed back into the living space and spotted Seth in the kitchen. “You cook?”

  His head snapped up. He’d changed while she’d showered, and the sight of him made her mouth go dry. Seth Lynch in jeans that cupped his assets was something to behold. God.

  Her gaze traveled upward. He was also wearing a black T-shirt that clung in all the right places.

  “I can cook three things well. Eggs, burgers, and I can grill a mean steak.”

  She smiled, forcing her attention back to the food. “Well, you’re three meals ahead of me. I went through this cooking phase, even took some classes.” She shook her head. “Let’s just say it wasn’t a success.”

  “A brown thumb and a failed chef.”

  She saw that he’d made burger patties, and had fixings and rolls set out. “I made a promise to myself to try everything and see what I like. And what I’m good at.” She groaned. “Don’t ask me about the time I took up painting.”

  He smiled and shook his head.

  “I’m thinking that next I’ll buy a house that needs renovating. I want to learn to use power tools.”

  He shook his head again. “Anything you can’t do?”

  “Nope. I want it all.” And one day, she wanted a family of her own to fill the house. Kids, noise, and laughter. She wanted to read her daughters beautiful books on Egypt. Maybe even a book written by herself on the Maya and the Snake Kings.

  Seth’s face turned serious. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I want to have another go at punching Josh.”

  “Get in line.” There was a dark edge to Seth’s voice.

  January pulled herself up on one of the stools at the glossy island. It also had a polished concrete top. “I really love your place.”

  “You mentioned that.”

  She heard the rumble of engines and looked out the window to see a plane taking off. The noise was very muted, so Seth had to have some grade-A soundproofing.

  A phone started ringing, and she watched him snatch up his cell.

  “Hey, Lachlan. Yeah, she’s fine.” A pause. “Yes. You know my security is even better than yours.” Seth moved over to a cupboard and opened the doors. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up with the paranoid-CIA-agent jokes.”

  She expected to see a pantry behind the doors, but instead of shelving and dry goods, there were several high-tech computer screens. She realized they were showing security feed from cameras outside. She identified the front fence, the gate, and the perimeter of the hangar.

  “So back to base first thing tomorrow? Got it. See you at the Bunker in the morning.” Seth ended the call and tossed his phone on the counter. “That was Lachlan checking in.”

  “It looks like you have better security than most museums…or banks.”

  He shrugged.

  “You aren’t very trusting, are you Seth?”

  “No. I’ve seen the shit people do to each other.”

  She’d seen it too, up close and personal. But she’d had therapy to get through it and move on. And she’d also seen the good, kind things people did for each other. She saw the generous love her aunt, uncle, and cousins shared with her, the camaraderie with her colleagues, the shining interest on the faces of her students.

  But Seth had clearly seen too much to still be a simple farm boy from Idaho.

  “I just can’t believe what Josh did,” she said. “What a coward.”

  “He’s weak,” Seth said.

  A shiver ran through January. Coward or not, he’d almost killed her.

  “Hey.” Seth appeared in front of her and gripped her arms. “You’re okay. You were magnificent today.”

  “I was angry and scared.”

  “You made it, January. You’re alive.”

  This close, she smelled the clean heat of him, tinged with male spice. She hadn’t realized that she’d been feeling so cold until she felt his warmth.

  “Show me,” she murmured.

  His face turned wary. “January—”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck,
pressing her breasts to his chest. “Prove to me that I’m alive, Seth.” She scratched her nails over the skin at the back of his neck. “I want you.”

  For a second, she thought he was going to push her away. But with a groan, his arms tightened around her.

  “You’ve been through a—”

  “Not that again. You can stow the noble thoughts, 007. You’ve already fucked me so many times that I can still feel you. Don’t be shy now.”

  He huffed out a breath. “You drive me crazy.”

  “I know. I like it.”

  He lifted her onto the counter and she gasped. He pushed her down until her back met the counter’s cool surface. She watched heat ignite in his eyes.

  January shivered. It looked like she’d awakened the beast. He shoved her shirt up, baring her. Then he pushed her legs apart roughly.

  “Can anyone see in your windows?” she asked, voice husky.

  “I don’t care.” He lowered his head. “Don’t care if they watch me feast on you.”

  Her belly spasmed, and she watched as his dark head moved between her legs. Then he licked her. Oh, God. She cried out. Then he set to work.

  He used his mouth and tongue until she was rocking against him. He held her tight as that wicked tongue of his worked her.

  “Come, January,” he growled against her skin. “Let me taste it.”

  He kept licking and she jerked. “Oh, God, Seth.”

  He sucked her clit and she came. Her legs were shaking, pleasure tearing her apart.

  She was still dazed when he yanked her up and pulled her to the edge of the counter. She saw him frantically opening his jeans and her pulse went haywire.

  “Yes,” she murmured, clutching his arms.

  He pressed closer, and she wrapped her legs around his hips. A second later, he thrust inside her.

  “Oh—” January gripped the counter.

  “Hold on, hellcat.” He started thrusting. “This is going to be rough and hard.”

  She made a choked sound of pleasure.

  “Got no finesse left, January. I want to know you’re alive, too. Feel that tight body of yours wrapped around my cock.”

  His words rocketed through her and she held on, pleasure pouring through every nerve in her body.

  “I’m here,” she breathed. “Whole and breathing. With this fantastic orgasm threatening.”