jammed the fire door from the inside. Could security look into it?
Then he checked his email. Sure enough, his inbox contained the recall he’d asked for, a recall he no longer wanted.
He quickly considered his options. One, he could meekly acquiesce to his orders, pack his bags and head back to DC. He dismissed that idea immediately.
Two, he could tell Savannah his suspicion that someone was trying to kidnap her. He didn’t know who, but he was pretty sure he knew why—the highly classified data in her brain. And though the obvious suspect was the government of the People’s Republic of China, he didn’t think so. Someone had convinced the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense that Savannah was a security risk. Why? If a foreign government was behind the kidnapping attempt, getting Niall dispatched here was contrary to their interests.
Which meant someone was deliberately trying to make it appear as if the PRC was involved, so that when Savannah disappeared the US government would either think she’d defected or the Chinese were behind her disappearance. Suspicion would be diverted from the true culprit either way.
But unless he confessed everything, he doubted he’d be able to convince Savannah she was in ongoing danger. And if he couldn’t convince her, no way would she go back to the States with her bucket list unfulfilled, not with the motivation driving her.
Three, he could ask to have his recall rescinded and instead be assigned to guard Savannah while she was in China. Bodyguard would be a divergence from his usual role, but not completely outside the realm of things he’d done in his career.
Could he keep her safe for the next two weeks? There were no guarantees in this world, but he had faith in himself. Hell yes, he could keep her safe. Would keep her safe, or die trying.
But he’d have to word his request carefully if he went with option number three.
He clicked Reply and started typing. He read back through what he’d written six minutes later, modifying a word here, a phrase there. Satisfied at last he was conveying the message that would get him the result he wanted, he clicked Send.
He lay back against the pillows, one arm beneath his head. He had no qualms about what he’d done. No second thoughts about telling his boss Savannah was in danger...and potentially an unwitting security risk. He hadn’t come right out and said it, but he’d implied that if the PRC was trying to kidnap her in a way that wouldn’t cause an international incident, then his original assignment still applied—he had to prevent Savannah from revealing the top secret military defense information she possessed to the enemy, even if she didn’t intend to do it. And the only way to do that was to guard her 24/7.
And how are you going to do that, hotshot? How are you going to guard her 24/7?
The only answer that came to him was the one he was most afraid of—becoming Savannah’s lover for the remainder of this trip. Afraid, because he wanted this deep down in the secret recesses of his soul. Not just to keep her safe, but because he wanted her. Plain and simple.
But he didn’t just want her in his bed. He didn’t just want to sate himself with her body, although that urge was getting stronger by the minute. He wanted the woman who’d kissed the scar on his chest as if it were a sacred badge of honor. He wanted the woman who’d cried for his pain.
And that scared the hell out of him.
* * *
Savannah woke early and was dressed and downstairs before the hotel restaurant opened for breakfast at six. She was hoping she’d run into Niall and invite him to join her. But though her eyes searched everywhere, she didn’t see him.
Her attention was caught by the waving arm of Mary Beth Thompson, who was sitting with her husband, Herb. She didn’t want to eat breakfast with them, but she didn’t think she had a choice. Then she saw Tammy and Martin Williams at a table near the front door. She waved back at Mary Beth and shook her head, pointing toward the Williamses as if to indicate she had a previous assignation with them. Then she carried her tray over to their table.
“Mind if I join you?”
Tammy smiled. “Please do.”
Savannah sat with a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I just couldn’t bear Mary Beth’s brand of chattiness at breakfast.”
Tammy laughed and signaled to the waiter. “Coffee?” she asked Savannah.
“Yes, please.” She smiled at the waiter. “No cream.”
Tammy reached into her purse. “Do you need some no-sugar sweetener? I have some here.”
“Oh no. I brought my own. I did my research before I came on this trip. ‘Don’t drink the water. Don’t even brush your teeth with it,’” she intoned, checking items off her fingers as if ticking them off a list. “‘Bring your own no-sugar sweetener, because very few places will have it. Lock everything you don’t want stolen in the safe in your hotel room.’” She made a face. “That last thing applies everywhere, unfortunately, not just here in China. I had my iPhone charger stolen out of my hotel room in Washington, DC, one time.”
“What were you doing in DC?” Martin asked, buttering a roll.
Mindful of her security warnings, Savannah merely said, “Oh, I was there on a business trip.” She didn’t mention that, except for a cab ride around the city to see a few of the monuments from a distance, all she’d really seen was the view from her hotel—she wasn’t about to go into her fear of crowds with mere acquaintances. Which hammered home the difference between them and Niall. She hadn’t hesitated to confide in Niall her deepest secrets, because...well...because she felt as if she’d always known him. As if she could trust him.
And one other thing. She was falling for him. Hard.
Was she going to get her heart broken? Probably. But she didn’t care. She wasn’t foolish enough to think he was Mr. Right. But if she played her cards well, he could be Mr. Right Now.
She looked up from her plate suddenly, and there he was, standing in the entrance to the restaurant. So tall. So ridiculously fit. So reassuringly male. And all at once she remembered how he’d kissed her last night, then left her because he was a gentleman.
Their eyes met across the short distance, and she beamed at him. Her gaze slid to the empty chair next to hers, a blatant invitation. One he seemed to have no hesitation accepting.
“Mind if I join you?”
Savannah just smiled her welcome, but Tammy said, “The more, the merrier. Grab a plate of food. Want me to order coffee for you?”
“Sure. Black.” He glanced down at Savannah’s now-empty plate. “Come keep me company,” he invited. “You can tell me what was good.”
He didn’t really need her recommendations, but he wanted her company. That was all Savannah could think of as she followed him to the buffet. She took an empty plate and added some fruit, watching while Niall piled his plate high with protein, no carbs and no fruit. “Is that how you stay in such great shape?” she asked. “Mega protein?”
He smiled lazily down at her. “I eat things other than meat. But not where you can’t trust the water that comes out of the tap.”
“Oh.” She glanced at the cut fruit on her plate.
“You think they wash the fruit in bottled water?”
“Oh,” she repeated blankly. “I never thought of that.” She mentally reviewed what she’d already eaten, and felt slightly queasy. Her expression must have given her away, because he said, “It’s probably not an issue, so don’t start second-guessing yourself. Just keep it in mind going forward.”
* * *
Niall and Savannah left the restaurant together. “Don’t forget the tour bus leaves at eight,” Tammy called after them. “And the tour guide said they wouldn’t wait for us if we weren’t on the