Everyday, Average Jones

They were covering the tread, making sure that when she walked, she wouldn’t leave an unusual footprint behind.

“It might be slippery.” Jones was kneeling in front of her, her foot on his thigh, as if he were some kind of fantasy shoe salesman. “And we’re going to have to make sure that if you wear it through, we tape ’em up again, okay?”

Melody nodded.

He smiled. “Good girl.” He moved his mike so that it was in front of his mouth. “Okay, Cat, we’re all set. We’re coming out.” He turned to Melody. “You’re with me, okay? Whatever happens, stick close to me. Do exactly what I say, no questions. Just do it, understand?”

Melody nodded again. She was his girl. She couldn’t think of anything else she wanted to be right at that particular moment.

“If shots are fired,” he continued, and for once his face was serious, his eyes lit with intensity rather than amusement or attraction, “get behind me. I will protect you. In return, I need two hundred percent of your trust.”

Melody couldn’t tear her gaze away from those neon green eyes. She nodded.

Maybe this man was insane, but he was also incredibly brave. He’d come into this terrorist stronghold to help rescue her. He’d been safe and sound, but he chose to give that up and risk his life for hers. I will protect you. As bold and as confident as his words were, the truth was that the next few minutes could see them both killed.

“In case something goes wrong,” she began, intending to thank him. God knows if something went wrong, she wouldn’t have the chance to thank him. She knew without a doubt that he would die first—taking bullets meant for her.

But he didn’t let her finish. “Nothing’s gonna go wrong. Joe Cat’s got the door. Getting out of this latrine’s gonna be a piece of cake. Trust me, Mel.”

He took her hand, pulling her with him out into the hall.

Piece of cake.

She almost believed him.

CHAPTER 2 (#ulink_147568aa-7e93-5755-b3e2-492d76f18cfc)

Something was wrong.

Melody could tell from the seriousness with which the man Ensign Jones called Joe Cat was talking to the shorter, blond-haired man named Blue.

They’d made it safely out of the embassy just as Jones had promised. They’d come farther than she’d ever thought possible. They’d traveled across and outside the limits of the city, up into the hills, moving quietly through the darkness.

The danger had not ended when they left the embassy. The city was under military rule, and there was a predusk curfew that was strictly enforced. If they were spotted by one of the squads patrolling the streets, they would be shot without any questions.

More than once, they’d had to hide as a patrol came within inches of them.

“Close your eyes,” Jones had murmured into her ear as the soldiers had approached. “Don’t look at them. And don’t hold your breath. Breathe shallowly, softly. They won’t see us, I promise.”

Melody’s shoulder had been pressed against him, and she leaned even closer, taking strength from his solid warmth. And from the thought that if she died, at least she wouldn’t die alone.

After that, each time they had to hide, he’d slipped one arm around her, keeping his other arm free for his deadly-looking assault weapon. Melody had given up her pretense of being strong and independent. She’d let him hold her—let him be big and strong, let herself take comfort from his strength. She’d tucked her head underneath his chin, closing her eyes and listening as the steady beating of his heart kicked into overdrive, breathing softly and shallowly as he’d told her.

So far they hadn’t been caught.

Jones came and sat next to her now.

“We’ve got a problem,” he said bluntly, not trying to hide the truth from her.

Her trust in him went up to just over a thousand percent. He wasn’t trying to pretend everything was hunky-dory when it so obviously was not.

“The chopper’s a no-show,” he told her. In the moonlight, his expression was serious, his mouth grim instead of curling up into his usual smile. “They’re ten minutes late. We’re getting ready to split up. We can’t keep moving together. Come daybreak, a group this size is going to get noticed. And it won’t be long before the tangos realize you and Pete and Linc got away.”

Pete and Linc. The men who made up two-thirds of the Mod Squad. Even at his most serious, this man couldn’t resist making a joke of sorts. “Ten minutes isn’t that long,” Melody countered. “Shouldn’t we just wait?”

Jones shook his head. “One minute isn’t that long. Ten is too long. The chopper’s not coming, Mel. Something went wrong, and our waiting here is putting us in danger.” He lifted one of her feet, looking at the bottom of her sneaker. “How’s that duct tape holding up?”

“It’s starting to wear through,” Melody admitted.

He handed her his roll of tape. “Can you put on another layer yourself? We need to be ready to leave here in about three minutes, but right now I want to put in my two cents about our next move.”

Melody took the tape from him as he stood up.

Split up. He’d said they were going to split up. Melody felt a sudden rush of panic. “Jones,” she called softly, and he paused, looking back at her. “Please. I want to stay with you.”

She couldn’t see his eyes in the shadows, but she saw him nod.

* * *

Dawn was beginning to light the eastern sky before they stopped moving.

Harvard had the point and he’d traveled twice as far as Cowboy and Melody had during the night. He’d continuously moved ahead, silently scouting out the best route to take, then doubling back to report what he’d seen.

Cowboy was glad to have H. on his team. Moving through hostile territory would’ve been tricky enough for two SEALs on their own. Add a female civilian into the equation, and that mission got significantly harder. Getting across the border was going to be a real pain in the butt.

He glanced at Melody. The small smile she gave him both worried and elated him.

It was obvious she trusted him. He hadn’t been the only one in Alpha Squad to hear her say that she wanted to stay with him. Under normal circumstances, such an overheard remark would’ve been subject to merciless teasing. Cowboy Jones, notorious lady-killer, strikes again.

But every one of those other men knew that the lady’s words only verified that Cowboy had done his job and done it well. It wasn’t easy to gain the complete confidence and trust of a former hostage. Kurt Matthews, for instance, hadn’t bonded to Cowboy in quite the same way.

Still, the girl trusted him. He saw it in her eyes every time he looked at her. He knew without a doubt that in the course of a few short hours, he had become the most important person in her world.

He’d spent quite a bit of time studying the psychology of hostages and the emotions and fears involved in a rescue mission such as this one. He’d spent twice as much time learning what to expect from himself—his own behavior and psychological reactions when faced with life-and-death situations.

And what worried him most about Melody Evans’s smile was not the fact that he’d become the center of her universe. No, what worried him most was that she had somehow managed to become the center of his.

He knew it could happen. The danger, added to the tremendous responsibility of preserving another’s life, and multiplied by a very natural and honest sexual attraction, sometimes resulted in an emotional response above and beyond the norm.

He’d first been aware of his inappropriate response to this girl when they’d hidden from the city’s patrols. She’d huddled close and he’d put his arm around her—nothing wrong with that. She’d rested her head against his chest—and there was nothing wrong with her drawing strength and support from him that way, either.

But then, beneath the pungent odor of the shoe polish she wore on her hair, beneath the more subtle yet no less sharp odor of fear that surrounded all of the former hostages, he’d smelled something sweet, something distinctly female.

And then, right then, when the curfew patrol was inches away from them, when they were nanoseconds away from being discovered and killed, he’d felt Melody relax. The tension among the other hostages and the SEALs could’ve been cut with a knife, but Melody had damn near fallen asleep in his arms.

He knew in that instant that she trusted him more completely than anyone had ever trusted him before. Her faith in him was strong enough to conquer her fear. Her life was in his hands, and she’d placed it there willingly, trusting that if she died it would be because there was no other way out.

And just like that, as they hid behind trash in one of the city’s back alleys, Cowboy’s entire life changed. He felt his pulse rate accelerate out of control, felt his body respond to her nearness.