* *
KATE WANTED TO sink into the concrete sidewalk and die of mortification. Instead, she sucked it up and held out her hand as if she tackled perfect strangers on a regular occurrence. “Nice to meet you. I don’t suppose you’d keep our little...incident to yourself, would you?”
“It’ll be our secret.” He took her hand, his strong, callused fingers wrapping around hers. She had no doubt he could crush her bones with one tight squeeze, if he wanted. A ripple of awareness feathered across her senses.
When she’d been lying on top of him, she’d felt the rock-hard muscles of his chest and thighs. He was built as solid as an armored tank. When her old college roommate, Becca, had briefed her on this mission, she’d told her she’d be paired with a Navy SEAL. The image in her mind had been one of a scruffy man with a beard and intense eyes. Not this ruggedly handsome, clean-shaven man wearing blue jeans, cowboy boots and a blue chambray shirt. He could have been a model for a jeans commercial, the kind of jeans best suited for horseback riding, not hanging out on street corners in the city.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” he said, his voice deep and smooth like warm chocolate being poured over her skin, seeping into every crevice. “Come with me.”
To the end of the earth. The thought leaped into her mind and she quickly banished it. Kate had more than proved herself a lousy judge of men and matters of the heart. But she couldn’t stop the shiver that slipped down the back of her neck as she passed him and entered the building.
Montana led the way to the elevator and waited for her to enter before he punched a button on the panel.
As the car rose, Kate held her tongue. What could she say after making a complete fool of herself? “Do you know what this so-called mission is all about?”
Montana nodded but didn’t enlighten her. While the elevator car rose, he leaned against the wall, studying her.
“I take it you’re not going to clue me in.” Kate hit him with a brief but unswerving glare, and then jerked her gaze away, avoiding direct eye contact, afraid of repeating her own history. Hadn’t she fallen for a handsome colleague once before? Drawn into his world, his life, she’d been hard-pressed and embarrassed to admit she’d fallen for the oldest double cross in the book.
Maybe she deserved to be a desk jockey for the remainder of her career as a CIA special agent. Determined not to fall under any man’s spell ever again, Kate watched the numbers blink on the display over the door. Two. Three.
A loud boom echoed in the air. The elevator jerked to a halt so suddenly Kate was thrown to her knees. Lights blinked out and absolute darkness descended on the enclosed box.
“Are you all right?” Montana’s deep voice filled the abyss.
“Yeah.” She pushed to her feet, bracing her hand on the wall. “What happened?”
“I think your bomb exploded.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than another explosion rocked the elevator and dust sifted through the air vent. Thrown sideways, Kate crashed into the hard body of the Navy SEAL.
His arm circled her waist, pulling her tightly against him.
Kate waited in silence, her chest crushed to his, listening for the next explosion, sounds of sirens or voices.
After a couple minutes and nothing else exploding, Kate broke her silence. “You can let go of me. I think that was the last one.”
“We can’t be sure,” he said, his arm tightening, his fingers digging into the small of her back. “Give it another minute or two.”
The longer she waited in the circle of his arm, her body absorbing his heat, the more time she had to take in just how tall and firm this man’s body was. From what she’d felt, he didn’t have an ounce of fat anywhere. And he smelled of outdoors and fresh air. She inhaled, deeply.
“You were right. It was the last one,” he said, his breath stirring the loose strands of hair on her cheek. His arm loosened.
For a long moment, Kate remained pressed against him, her thoughts in a whirl, her blood hammering through her veins. Then she remembered to let go of the breath she’d been holding, and backed away. “I don’t suppose you have a flash—”
A light blinked on in the darkness.
When her eyes adjusted to the sudden illumination, Kate shook her head. “You don’t look like the kind of guy who carries a penlight.”
Montana grinned. “I’m not. But Becca’s boss gave me this one. It also contains a hidden camera. I might be a cowboy at heart, but the James Bond in me goes all techno-geek with stuff like this.” He shined the light at the control panel. “Suppose the emergency button will work without electricity?”
“Only one way to find out.” She pressed the button and waited. No sirens nor flashing lights came to life. She shrugged. “Help me pry the doors open so we can see where we are.”
Montana placed the penlight between his teeth, dug his fingers between the sliding doors and pulled hard enough that Kate could get her fingers between, as well.
“On three,” she said. “One...two...three.”
They pulled hard in opposite directions. At first the door didn’t budge much. Kate leaned back as hard as she could, digging her feet into the floor for leverage. Inch by hard-earned inch, the door opened, until there was enough room for one of them to squeeze through.
Montana shone the light, starting at their feet. The dark wall of the elevator shaft stared back at them. He swept the beam of light upward to the top, where they could see a four-inch gap to what Kate assumed was the fourth floor.
Montana gave her a sideways glance. “You don’t suppose you could fit through?”
She shook her head. “I’m smaller than you, but I’d have to be a cat to squeeze through that narrow gap.”
Montana trained the light at the ceiling of the car. “Then there’s only one other way out of here. Here, hold the flashlight.” He handed it to her, cupped his hands and bent down. “Check it out.”
She stared at his cupped hands and didn’t move.
He glanced up. “Unless you want to boost me. I warn you, I’m a little heavier than you are.”
“I’ll go.” She stepped into his hands and raised her arms over her head.
Montana straightened, lifting her up as he did.
She found a loose panel in the ceiling, pushed it upward and then poked her head through. “I can see the fourth floor landing. We should be able to get out through here.”
“I’m going to raise you high enough to get your arms through, and you can take it from there.”
Montana lifted her until Kate got her arms through the hole, braced her elbows on the sides and pulled herself up to sit on the edge. Once she had her breath, she pushed to her feet and shone the light back into the elevator car. “Your turn. Need me to lend you a hand?”
“No, thanks.” He jumped, his fingers catching on the sides of the panel opening.
Kate backed up as much as possible, directing the flashlight beam near Montana without blinding him. He pulled himself up, his biceps flexing, stretching the shirt tight around his chest and shoulders. Squeezing his shoulders through the tight space, he soon had the rest of his body through and stood beside Kate.
She handed him the light and stepped over to the fourth floor landing and down onto the hallway floor.
Emergency lighting glowed softly, giving just enough light to guide them.
“Follow me.” Montana led the way, turning left at the end of the corridor. Midway down the next hall, he pushed through a doorway. “Everyone okay in here?” he called out.
A strong flashlight