Behind Enemy Lines by Cindy Dees Page B

me, you took away my pain. And you let me know I wasn’t alone. You have no idea how comforting that was.”
    The extent of his suffering made her ache inside.
    “I’m so sorry, Tom…”
    “For what? It’s not your fault I got hurt.”
    His words were a knife straight through her heart. Only the sink at the back of her thighs kept her from staggering at the blow.
    “But—”
    “Are you all right? Annie? You look a little pale.”
    “It’s probably all the steam in here making me light-headed.”
    “Why don’t you go into the other room? I can handle the rest of my bath, and I’ll give you a holler if I need anything.”
    He guided her to the door, gave her a gentle push into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
    She turned to face the wooden panel, leaning her forehead against it in misery.
    She whispered, “But it is my fault, Tom.”

Chapter 5
    O n the other side of the door, Tom scowled at the bath supplies she’d left him. “Hey! Where’s some real soap, dammit?”
    The sound of snickering drifted through the closed bathroom door. The minx. She’d left him with nothing but those girly soaps he hated. Ah, hell. Who cared if he smelled like vanilla orchid sachet?
    He rested his head against the high back of the old-fashioned tub and let the water’s heat soak away his aches and pains. If only his mind would relax like his body. But his thoughts stubbornly continued to race.
    You’re in trouble, buddy. One Annie O’Donnell has gotten way under your skin.
    He had no business letting her get involved in his mission. It was dangerous to her, and moreover, it was dangerous to his men. Okay, so he did owe her a debt of gratitude. She’d taken care of him and given him a cover, and she’d put herself at risk to pull him out of the hospital. But his first responsibility was to his guys. What was he going to do with Annie?
    He sure as heck knew what he’d like to do with her.
    Guilt crept into his consciousness like the heat creeping into his bones. Here he was, relaxing in a hot bath with a beautiful woman waiting on him hand and foot, while his men were living on a razor’s edge, undercover, out of their element, and one mistake away from dying. He was their commander. He ought to be out there with them, leading by example. What were they going to think of him when they showed up here and saw his plush setup?
    Showed up here…
    He lurched upright, sloshing water over the side of the tub. “Annie,” he called urgently.
    She answered instantly from the other side of the door. “Yes?”
    “Could you come in here?”
    She peered cautiously around the door frame. Skittish about seeing him naked, was she?
    “I don’t bite, you know. Well, at least not so it hurts.” How did she manage to scowl and smile at the same time like that?
    “What do you need?”
    “I wanted to warn you. If any of my men show up while I’m still in here, let them in the apartment and come tell me, okay?”
    “No problem.”
    “The guys might get a little jumpy if you answer the door instead of me. I’d suggest you move slowly around them and keep your hands in plain sight at all times.”
    Her eyes widened in alarm, but she nodded.
    “I don’t know which of my men will get here first. Their nicknames are Tex, Doc, Dutch, Howdy and Mac. If somebody knocks on the door, ask them in English what their handle is. They should give you one of those.”
    “Tex, Doc, Dutch, Howdy and Mac? Sounds like the seven dwarves. How did they come by those names?”
    He grinned. “Remind me to tell you the stories some time when I’m good and drunk.”
    She returned his smile warmly.
    “By the way, while you’re here, would you mind washing my back?”
    Her shoulders visibly tensed up, but she moved toward the tub. Reluctantly. He bit back a grin.
    She seemed to relax when she saw the thick layer of suds covering the water.
    “So what do you like? A good hard scrub or a gentle wash?”
    “Today a scrub is in order. I feel like