6. Samantha

6

SAMANTHA

We arrive at the poker tournament, and Bear is completely hovering over me. I can't even complain about it because I've already told him that he needed to show me some affection. So instead of trying to resist or guard my heart like I should be doing, I’m just going to bask in it.

We sit down at a blackjack table, and I win the first hand.

“You're pretty good at this,” Bear says.

I just shrug off the compliment. “Yeah, well. I've had a lot of experience. People think they can play me, and I'm just going to lose or fold. I've learned to get better.” I shrug my shoulders. “What else do you do when you have a lot of time on your hands?”

He looks at me knowingly. I’m sure when he served in the Army, he and his crew played cards when they had down time.

I try to be humble about it, but after my five-game winning streak, we start to draw attention to ourselves. I can tell by the look on Bear’s face that he doesn’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.

“Little lady. You are one lucky woman,” says the man sitting next to me. I take a drink of Bear’s beer as he leans in closer and puts his hand on my thigh. I cover his hand with my own and smile at the other man.

“Well, thank you. I appreciate that. My name is Samantha, and this is my husband Liam.” I gesture over my shoulder at Bear, and at this point, I can feel all the body heat from him as Bear has his body pressed to my side.

The guy nods. “They call me Tex. But no introductions are necessary; I know all about the two of you.”

I giggle and try not to blanche at the ditzy sound I make. I blink my eyes and look as innocent as I can. “Oh you do, do you?”

The man nods and waves over a waitress. “Get two shots of tequila for my friends.”

The waitress nods. “Right away, sir.”

“Well, what about you? You’re not going to drink with us?” I turn so I’m completely facing the man next to us. I figure if he knows who we are already then he’s someone that I want to keep an eye on; however, I don’t recognize him from the dossier Dylan had prepared for us.

“Nope, not me. I can’t drink the stuff. I stick to whatever’s on draft,” he says, holding up an iced mug.

The server comes and sets the drinks in front of Bear and me. I throw it back and then chase it with the Coke that I have sitting in front of me. The man next to me looks impressed and orders another.

Bear starts to hold his hand up, and I grab it and kiss his palm. Looking into his eyes, I know he’s trying to tell me to chill out, but I try to reassure him by pulling his arm around my shoulder. “It's okay, sweetie. I haven't been able to let loose in a while. Let me have some fun.” I say it in the most fun-loving voice I can muster. I'm sure the man sitting next to me thinks I'm some kind of dingbat, but all I'm going to do is play the part.

When the next shots come, I drink it, chasing it with the Coke. The man is still smiling at me, and I start to lay it on thick and really flirt with him. He's eating it up and laughing and having a good time, which is exactly what I'm shooting for.

“So what are your plans while you're in town?” he asks.

Bear puts his hands on my shoulders. “Just spending time with my wife.” He says it simply, but he stresses the words my wife .

I lean into his touch. The possessive way that he says wife sends a thrill down my spine.

Bear stands up, and I topple on my heels when I stand up too. I’m playing the part of the inebriated wife that’s just looking for a good time. Bear’s jaw clenches. “I think it's time that we go back to our room.” He nuzzles my neck, and I turn to face him.

“I like how you're thinking, hubby.” I take a step and pretend to sway on my feet. The man reaches out to steady me at the same time Bear does. Bear tucks me under his arm, and when we’re about to walk away, the man stops us.

“There’s a party tomorrow night. I’m thinking it’s one you would like to attend.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and I swear if it’s the kind of party I think it is, I’ll throw up in my mouth a little bit.

I keep the smile on my face, though. It’s too important, and I know I can’t lose character now. I'm surprised that it was that easy. “We would love to,” I answer him without even looking at Bear for confirmation.

We walk out, and I stay tucked under Bear's arm until we get off the elevator and are walking to our room. It's then that I start walking normally. Bear gets a surprised look on his face. He looks at my legs and then back up at me. “Wait... what?”

I pat him on the stomach. “It's an old party trick. I didn't drink any of that. I pretended to chase it with my Coke, but I was actually spitting it in the cup.”

Bear laughs as he unlocks the hotel room. “Remind me never to challenge you at a drinking game.”

I walk past him into the room. “Yeah, because you’d lose all your money.”

He shakes his head and grips the back of his neck. “Yeah, I have a feeling I’d lose more than just money.”

The door shuts behind us, and before I can ask him what that means, he’s already dialing his phone. “I’m going to call this in. Nash will want to know.”

I grab pajamas from the bag and go into the bathroom to change. I take out a makeup remover pad and wipe my face quickly, anxious to get back out there and hear the conversation.

“Yeah, I can't believe it either,” I hear Bear say, “but Sam did an awesome job, and she's the reason we got in the door.”

I try not to let the shock show on my face. He’s giving me all the credit.

Nash says something else, and then I hear Bear say, “I know we were only here for intel, but we can’t pass up this opportunity.”

Damn straight we can’t. I lean against the wall outside of the bathroom and brush my teeth and watch Bear pace back and forth. A part of me wants to take the phone from him and demand Nash listen to reason, but I know I can’t do that. Bear has worked with Nash for a long time. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.

They seem to go back and forth forever, and I go and rinse my mouth out, and when I come out, Bear is off the phone. He looks at me and notices the question on my face. “Yeah, they're going to send backup.”

“Good job,” I tell him, thankful that he was able to talk them into pursuing this.

I sit on the edge of the bed. Bear is standing there in his dress pants and buttoned-up shirt that’s tight across the arms and chest. I hadn’t thought of it, but I’d say it’s hard to find shirts that fit him. “You’re the one that did a good job. I don’t think we would’ve got that invite if it wasn’t for you.” I shrug off his compliment. “You done in there?” he asks, pointing at the bathroom.

I nod, and he walks that way. When he comes back out, he’s in shorts and a T-shirt. I’d be willing to bet the man is used to sleeping naked, and the clothes are for my benefit. I’ve moved to under the covers, and he goes straight for the couch. “What are you doing?”

“I'm going to sleep on the couch.” He points at the little two-seater couch, and I know there’s no way he’s going to fit.

I throw back the covers. “I wasn't even thinking. I'll sleep on the couch. I'm smaller than you are.”

He shakes his head. “I'm not going to have you sleep on the couch.”

I stand up and start to move that way. “I can sleep on the couch.”

He grits his teeth. “There’s no way I’m going to sleep in that bed and have you sleep on the couch.”

I shake my head in frustration. “That's ridiculous. I've slept out on the ground before. I can sleep on a small couch.”

He's all stubborn and crosses his arms over his chest. “I'm not going to let you sleep on the couch.”

I throw my hands up in the air. “We're grown adults. This bed is huge.” I point at the massive bed.

“I'm huge,” he says, unfurling his arms.

My thoughts go dirty in an instant. I've already pictured it in my mind a thousand times wondering exactly how big he is. Geez , don’t go there , Sam . Get your mind out of the gutter .

“Well, I’m not lying down until you get into that bed.” I wait for him to refuse, but he surprises me when he goes to the opposite side and lies down.

I then crawl back into my side and lie down. Even though the bed really is big, it seems so much smaller with him in it next to me. It’s obvious he’s trying to keep his distance, but I swear I can feel his body heat.

I toss and turn, trying to get comfortable, finally coming to a rest. I have my body turned toward him and my head on the pillow looking at him. “Tell me about yourself.”

He grunts, and instantly I know he's not going to answer. I try not to voice my disappointment as I turn away from him. “I'm sorry. Obviously, you're a private person.”

I hear him take a deep breath in the dark room, and then he starts to talk. “I was in the Army for a long time, since I was eighteen. I was on my second tour and was in Iraq when I became a prisoner of war. Nash and Walker are the ones that saved me. And it was shortly after that that I started working for them.”

I roll back over toward him. “You were a prisoner of war?” How could I have not known that? Nobody has ever said a thing to me about him.

“Yeah. It was years ago, but I still have nightmares about it sometimes.”

I reach for him in the darkness as he continues talking. “My ex-wife cheated on me while I was a POW. Needless to say, that’s why she’s my ex. I haven't trusted or dated anyone since.”

“What a bitch,” I say. I mean what kind of woman could do that? It’s horrible. I feel physically ill just imagining what all Bear has gone through.

He laughs, and the sound surprises me. “Tell me about you.” Obviously he's done talking about himself, and even though I have a thousand questions I want to ask, I don’t. I tell him about serving with Walker on a mission in Belize. I talk to him about how I've always had to fight for my position, which is why I'm always trying to prove myself.

His voice is normally deep and thick, but it seems even more so in the dark room. “I think you've already proven yourself to all of us. There's no doubt that you can do your job and do it well. I think all the guys have learned to trust and have faith in you.”

His words send a thrill through my body, not only because he's telling me exactly what I'm striving for, but also just the fact that he feels that way too.

It isn't long before I'm yawning in the bed next to him, and he turns away, rolling toward the opposite direction. “Get some sleep. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a big day.”

For once, I do as he asks without arguing with him. But I have no doubt that I’m going to be dreaming of a certain husky man that has somehow come to take over every thought I have.