Surrender (The Command Series Book 3) (19 page)

She hadn’t noticed Kara drifting closer to Shawn until the moment his arm slipped behind her, pulling her up against him. This simple gesture, affirming their desire to be close, was sweet. Touching.

Touching?
When had she become so sappy?

“You won’t be a burden.” Kara’s voice was strong and confident, and she smiled at Ethan. “It doesn’t even begin to repay what you did for us.”

It was clear Ethan didn’t like the role of hero being placed on him. He all but squirmed under Kara’s warm, grateful look. Or was something else going on with him?

Shawn’s hand disappeared into his suit jacket before he produced a pen and a business card. “I have a corporate room at this hotel,” he said, scribbling on the back of the card. “I told them a new pilot for Osterhägen was coming in, so they’re expecting you.”

When it slid forward, both Olivia and Ethan reached for the card, but she beat him to it. “Thank you, Shawn.”

He eyed the pair of them with interest. “Of course.”

“The man who’s coming here,” Ethan said to the pseudo-celebrity couple, “he thinks Olivia’s dead, so she can’t be seen with either of you. A cockpit’s fine, just as long as you two aren’t passengers.”

Shawn nodded. “We understand.”

Ethan’s face set in determination. “This is really important. Next time you see me, if you don’t know I’m coming, then you don’t know me. I’ll try to prevent that from happening, but sometimes things move too fast to be avoided. It could go badly for me if this man learns I’m not who I say I am.”

Kara’s throat bobbed, as if she swallowed hard.

“Very well.” Shawn gazed at Olivia. “Jason, my brother, will meet you tomorrow morning to get you settled. There will be a car waiting for you outside the hotel at eight.”

“Thank you.”

“I don’t suppose,” Ethan’s voice was resigned, “you’d consider postponing your wedding a few weeks?”

A tight laugh came from Kara. “You go right ahead and talk to Gisela Osterhägen about that. Jason and Laurel denied her a big wedding, and the only way my sister got off the hook was to make Gisela a grandmother.”

“My mother has a way of getting what she wants.”

Kara gave her fiancée a playful look. “Thank God that trait skipped you.”

Shawn smirked. The affectionate expression faded back to serious as he turned his attention to his guests. “Postponing’s not an option, but security will be strict.”

“All right,” Ethan said. “Be careful.”

“Same to you both,” Kara answered back.

Ethan scanned the hotel suite. The enormous room was decorated in yellows and was the complete opposite of the room he and Olivia had spent the morning in. A huge, inviting bed waited on one side of the room, opposite a sitting area.

“This all right?” he asked.

She gestured to the opulent room. “Yeah, I think I’ll survive.” Her bag dropped softly onto the couch. “Are you sure Munich is the best place? Is this safe for me? For you?”

No, of course it wasn’t, but Gio had thrown a fucking wrench into Ethan’s plans that were already in motion. “Gio won’t be here until the morning. Just keep your distance from the Dunns after that, and I’m sure we’ll be fine. You know how the Abramos are. They don’t pay attention to the people they think are beneath them.”

He examined her critically, and she didn’t seem to like that. “What is it?”

“Changing your hair color wouldn’t hurt. You could probably go lighter and have it look natural.”

She sucked in a breath. “How light? I don’t want to go blond.”

For a split second, he was annoyed. This was a concern? But her expression was odd. She hadn’t lied, but there was something buried in her statement. Anxiety? “Are you that married to being a brunette?”

“I happen to like how I look, but I’m not an idiot. If you want me to change it, I’ll change it.”

Ethan closed his eyes and rubbed the spot that ached with exhaustion on his forehead. He didn’t
want
her to change the way she looked. “Don’t misunderstand me. I happen to like the way you look, a lot, but this is a good idea.”

He stood across the room from her, but he saw the reaction in Olivia regardless. She always seemed lost when he told her she was beautiful. Almost as stunned as he was every time it came out of his mouth. Had no one told her that before? Maybe he’d keep saying it until the shock wore off.

Well, there was a dangerous thought.

“I’ll get someone to come by,” he said, “and bring you what you need tonight.”

“You’re not staying?” Her mouth slammed shut and she looked like she wished she had the words back. “Of course you’re not staying, I don’t know why I said that. Go,” her voice was strong and her eyes clear. “Make Gio pay for what he did to my crew.”

There was a pang of reluctance in his center. “If you need to get in contact, text me with the phone Rance gave you. Something short and innocuous.”

“Okay, got it.” Her green eyes kept his feet planted on the floor, unable to move. “Good luck, Ethan.”

It was suddenly difficult to find words. He wanted to kiss her. When would he get a chance to again?

“Fucking hell,” he swore and stormed over to her, drawing her up into his arms, before slamming his mouth over hers.

Unlike last time, Olivia was ready. She tunneled her fingers through his hair, holding him tight. Her lips parted and welcomed his tongue, and when she moaned, he began to falter. Maybe he could stay for a little while. Five minutes, ten minutes tops.

She turned her head to the side, breaking the kiss, and he continued anyway, descending his lips over her jaw, down the soft skin on the side of her neck.

“Tell me,” she said between hurried breaths, “something you’ve never told anyone else.”

He paused, lingering with the tip of his nose just beside her ear. “What?”

“I don’t know anything about you.” Her hands coursed down the back of his neck, her arms resting on his shoulders. In response, he slid one of his hands up her spine until he could tangle it in her dark hair.

“You already know a lot about me.”

“Tell me.”

He drew back so he could see her reaction. So she could watch his reaction and know it wasn’t a lie. “All right. I drink bourbon when I’m missing home.”

Her mouth tumbled open in surprise. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” He silenced her next question with his lips.

Her arms locked tighter around his shoulders and her body rose up, pressing against him. She had to be standing on her toes to get closer to him. Ethan wanted to lift her into his arms, and have her legs folded around his hips. He wanted to lay her down on the bed and peel their clothes off until nothing was left between them.

But there was so much between them that was bigger than them, and he had to deal with it first.

“Do you want to stay?” she whispered.

He groaned out loud at the question. Every passing second the illogical part of his brain made more sense. “Fuck, yes, but I can’t.” He cupped his hands around her wrists when she set her palms flat on his chest. Could she feel his heart banging against his ribs?

“Okay,” she said. “When will I see you again?”

He gave her the most honest answer he could. “I don’t know.” He brushed his lips over hers in a final kiss, forcing himself to step away. Then he gave her the answer he wanted most. “Soon.”

After Ethan left, Olivia ordered dinner. Rance appeared with new clothes and a box of hair color. It wasn’t until he’d gone that she discovered the instructions were in German. It was a luxury hotel though, and a phone call to the front desk solved the problem. The female concierge was charming and helpful, offering to do it for her when the woman saw the angry cut on Olivia’s hand.

When it was done and the concierge excused herself, Olivia took a hard look at her new golden brown locks.
You’ve done this before, you can do it again.
She pulled Ethan’s white t-shirt from the backpack, changed into it, and somehow the phone found its way into her hand. She stared at the contact.
Unfinished, Business
. What was she doing? What was this . . . feeling? She shoved the phone back into the bag.

Her spent emotions and jet lag crushed her onto the mattress, and thankfully it was a dreamless sleep.

In the morning, Olivia rode to the Osterhägen plant in a town car, was ushered into a conference room upon her arrival, and thirty seconds later a man sauntered in.

“Ms. Wallace? I’m Jason Dunn.”

“It’s Olivia.”

The cop from the picture with the ballerina. He wasn’t as tall as his brother, CEO Shawn, but he was built like a wall. And while his suit fit him, it didn’t match the body wearing it. Dark, no-nonsense eyes and a hard jaw covered with a few days of scruff, and a hint of aggression. What struck her immediately was how much more American he seemed than Shawn. A less refined version. This was the style of man she preferred, but Jason lacked the intense eyes and the intrigue of a much taller one she knew.

When they shook hands, Jason’s lingered a moment too long. “Where do I know you from?”

Her breathing increased. “I get that a lot. I must have one of those faces that looks like someone everyone knows.” That had to go down as the worst lie in history, but he seemed satisfied.

There was a secondary, smaller jet in the Osterhägen fleet, an older Hawker that the company used whenever the Gulfstream was transporting clients or on loan to a board member.

“Your situation’s temporary,” Jason said, “and I know you need to keep a low profile, but there’ll be a lot of international guests attending Shawn’s wedding. I can put you into rotation with the Osterhägen flight crew if you’re interested.”

Pleasant surprise washed over her and she nodded enthusiastically. Then, she paused. “As long as it’s safe for everyone.”

Jason used the pad of his thumb to absentmindedly spin the wedding ring on his finger. “You’ll be abroad or in the air more than you’ll be in Munich. That’s what Ethan and I figure.”

“You talked to Ethan?” She realized she sounded so much more interested than she wanted to, and she fought the urge to slam her head on the conference table in embarrassment.

Jason looked surprised. “It was a short conversation. I don’t think he was able to talk long.” He stood. “I’ll take you down to HR, and they’ll get you started on paperwork. I think Shawn’s assistant has secured your work visa already.” A thick, business-sized envelope was pulled from the interior pocket of his jacket, and set on the table beside her. “This is to get you through the next few weeks. Let me know if you need more.”

Inside the envelope was a stack of Euros. She shoved it aggressively back toward Jason. “I can’t accept this.”

“That’s not negotiable, soldier.” He breezed out the glass door and waited for her to follow.

She clenched the envelope so tight, the sides dug into her skin as she reluctantly trailed behind him. “How did you know?”

“I smell military all over you,” he said while moving at a quick clip. “I was with the 31
^st
Infantry.”

Oh. No.

-15-

Ethan dreamed about Olivia last night. Now he was annoyed that he was in another crappy hotel room, and this time he was alone. He tried to go back to sleep where she lingered. Jesus, what had that woman done to him?