Chapter 36

An hour later, Aaron sat up.

"Now I really have to go." As much as he wanted to be here, he couldn't stay. If he was caught, he was fucked in an entirely different way. The idea of being sent away in disgrace and someone else being put in his place to command Hope's protection team burned a hole through him. That would happen if his superiors suspected he was personally involved with the principal, and it didn't get more personal than naked sixty-nining on the principal's bed.

She ran a hand over the tattoo on his back, her fingers a gentle caress. "Fine. I like your fish by the way. They're hot, as the kids would say."

He turned and grinned. "I like every inch of you. And now I have to get my ass out of here before I fuck you again and my dick falls off because it hasn't had this much action in years."

She looked intrigued rather than put off. "We wouldn't want that."

He stood, found his sleep pants. Pulled them on. He grabbed the Glock, cell, comms and stuffed the latter two items in his pocket. He left the sole remaining condom on the bedside table.

Was that optimism for a repeat performance? Probably. Would he be that lucky? He doubted it. Would he be that stupid? Absolutely.

He kissed her, then walked to the door.

"Aaron," she said softly.

He turned.

"Thank you for tonight."

Was that a thank you for tonight, let's do it again sometime? Or a thank you for tonight, and now we're back to being professionals who don't get to see one another without our clothes on?

He didn't know what she wanted and couldn't ask. He didn't want to look desperate. If she wasn't interested in anything more, he'd look like a love-sick moron. If she was…he'd look like a love-sick moron.

He wasn't opening himself up to humiliation. He'd had enough of that for a lifetime and got to choke more down every time he went home to visit his family. Better to keep his mouth shut and enjoy the moment. He eased open the door. The cat ran through, and when Aaron stepped out his insides turned to ice as he spotted Cowboy coming down the stairs.

The other man paused for a moment but said nothing. His eyes narrowed.

Aaron pressed his lips into a thin line. He wasn't ashamed of what he'd done, but he still knew it was wrong and, fuck, he did not want to be thrown off this op.

"Careful, buddy," Ryan murmured as he headed downstairs.

Ryan giving him advice on his sex life was rich. The guy fucked any woman willing and available. But it didn't mean the warning wasn't valid, so Aaron shook off the red-hot fury that lit up inside him and buried it beneath a little common sense. He was being careful, but not careful enough, apparently.

Why the hell was Ryan up and about at 2 a.m.?

Aaron grabbed a towel and hit the shower again. He wanted Leech caught. He wanted Leech back in prison so Hope could get on with her life. And he'd love to see her when this was over, but he hadn't missed the fact she'd cut him off when he'd mentioned the future.

Maybe this was simply a case of forced proximity leading to two horny and attracted humans doing what horny, attracted humans generally did? There was a population crisis for a reason.

And while the likelihood of this going anywhere was small, he could afford to be a little patient. Hope had been through hell. The fact he was her first lover in years made his chin come up. A week ago, they hadn't even met. This thing between them was moving at warp speed, and a little "careful" was not a bad thing.

Especially if this was simply a casual hookup for Hope. A way of getting back in the saddle. He didn't want his heart broken again. Who the hell would? And now he needed to thrust the nagging thought of a possible relationship with his principal out of his head because he had work to do to keep her safe.

No way was he letting anything happen to this woman. Not now. Not ever. Even if what happened between them tonight was the end of it. He wasn't about to screw that up. Not when her life and the lives of his teammates were on the line.