Chapter 5

Sharp could tell by the look in Danika's eyes that she wouldn't mind getting a deeper dive down memory lane, but it wasn't something he could do. Getting distracted increased the danger. Plus, he didn't know how long he would be here. Starting something with his old flame would only lead to trouble.

Once they were back in the room, he opened a Tor browser and jumped through all the hoops to send a note to his old team member who had survived but wasn't in the Navy any longer. It had been a while since he'd talked to anyone other than his contact. He hoped Thario understood about him going non contacting for a while.

A part of him almost didn't feel like a SEAL. Times were changing. The way teams operated had to be adjusted so they could deal with the changing landscape of war. Ambushes were happening more often and too many special forces operators had been lost.

Since most of the guys on his team had died or been medicaled out when they'd been ambushed, he'd jumped at the chance to help in a totally different type of way. Heading to Russia was something only a select few could accomplish. His language skills, along with his personality helped him get information they needed.

It would be a lie to say he didn't enjoy the shock and awe methods the teams employed, but honestly dismantling the enemy from the inside was much more rewarding. The information he'd gathered would save many lives and change how effective the US military was overall.

His buddy responded, and he sent a note back, telling Thario that he would be in town soon and that he wanted to grab a drink. It would be nice to see the guy. Of course, he could never tell anyone what he'd been doing, but they would understand if he said it was classified.

He contacted his CO, telling him he would be back before long and wanted to go back onto teams. Since he'd been disconnected from everyone for so long, it was weird even thinking about getting back into the swing of things. He'd kept up with his PT, kind of. No question, he was out of shape, but it would only take a month of training to get back to mission ready.

The sound of soft snoring hit him, and he glanced up, seeing that Danika's eyes were closed. She looked so peaceful and beautiful. How the hell had life twisted so much that they were together in London, him leaving an undercover mission, her running from her ex? He couldn't believe she was here in his hotel room. If she walked out and he lost contact with her, he would regret it. But having a tie back to this place would be dangerous.

He spent the afternoon going through messages and catching up on the news from friends he couldn't access while in Russia. As Danika slept, he did a workout in the bathroom, trying to be as quiet as possible. It wasn't the best workout in the world, but it got him sweating. After taking a quick shower, he pulled on a pair of shorts and stepped out into the main part of the room to find her awake.

"Hey," she said as she sat up and wiped her face. "How long was I out for?"

He checked the time and shrugged. "A few hours. Are you ready to eat dinner?"

She gasped. "A few hours. That was more like four hours if it's dinner time."

"You were tired."

She ran her hand over her face again and blinked a few times. "Ugh. Let me clean up, and then I'll be ready."

"Sure. I'm going to dress while you're in there."

"Thank you," Danika said as she slipped by him.

"For what?"

"Everything. Allowing me to stay in this room. I know it's not ideal for either of us because, though we grew up knowing each other, we're really strangers. But I appreciate your offer of kindness because, for the first time in a long time, I feel safe."

He nodded, his throat closing a little as she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. No question, he felt connected to Danika. It had to be the fact that he knew her from when he'd been a kid. Of course, they'd been old enough to do more than hold hands and kiss. But they'd had different bodies, and it wouldn't be the same. He might have known her inside out back then, but this was now.

After that beating by his father when he'd been humiliated by having his pants stripped off his ass before getting a whipping with his father's belt, Sharp had vowed to never be vulnerable again. His time in Russia had been the most vulnerable he'd allowed himself to be since then, and perhaps that's why his feelings were off. No way was he attracted to Danika. Sure, she was cute, but he didn't need to get involved.

Being with someone was difficult for top-tier operators. The job was demanding and stressful. There were a few guys he knew who had successful relationships, but they were few and far between. He liked hanging out with Wild and his team. Archer's team was cool, too. He was close with the guys on Vine's team and hung out with them sometimes, or had before everything had gone to hell for him and his team.

He knew a lot of team leads, but he didn't want to disrupt their flow by asking one of them to break up their group and let him in on their action. There had to be a place where he belonged. Losing his guys had been devastating, but he'd healed in the last few months and was ready to get back into it.

Danika opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom. She had on a dress that didn't show much skin but hugged her curves like paint and made him want to pull her into his arms.

"You ready?" His voice cracked like he was some teenager with new hormones coursing through him.

"Sure." Danika acted like she hadn't noticed his vocal cords had betrayed him.

She'd always been a good person. It was too bad they'd met back up at one of the worst times possible. Maybe in a few years, he'd be open to being in a relationship, but with his life in flux, he couldn't commit to anything.