The internal response was so immediate…so unexpected…Ellie nearly physical recoiled from the thought alone.
Hewasn’t the reason she’d stayed. No, no. She’d come here—had spent the last ten minutes waiting alone in this room—so she could find out what Lucky’s team had uncovered in regard to the shooting. That was it.
Nothing more.
You just keep telling yourself that, counselor.
With a shrug, she told him, “I figured, if I took off, you and the others would just show up back at my place, anyway.”
Ellie sat stalk still and waited, doing everything in her power to ignore the way the denim covering his strong legs stretched across his thighs as he moved. The dips and grooves of his muscular frame were evident even beneath the man’s black polo shirt. Thanks to a few rounds of backyard football at thelast cookout Cassie had invited her to, Ellie knew exactly what Lucky’s bare upper body looked like…
Tight.
Cut.
Perfect.
The guy could seriously be a freaking model, which only added to her frustrations when it came to the former SEAL. But this wasn’t Cass and Archer’s back yard, and Lucky’s muscles weren’t what kept pulling at her attention.
It was the look in his eyes as he strolled casually toward her.
At first glance, he appeared to be…Lucky again. His face was no longer tight. His movements were easy and free. But despite his efforts to hide it, Ellie could still see a sliver of the same emotional turmoil rolling through his deep blue gaze.
“Something wrong?” Lucky’s brows dipped slightly as he reached for wheeled chair positioned across from where she sat. He pulled it back toward him, settled down onto its cushion, and scooted himself up to the table.
“You tell me.” She gestured toward him. “You’re the one who called this meeting and has since refused to tell me what it’s about.”
“I didn’t refuse.” He placed the laptop he’d been carrying down onto the smooth surface, along with a small, black remote. “I said I’d tell you everything, and I will. I just wanted to wait until everyone’s here, so I don’t have to repeat myself.”
“I’m assuming whatever it is you found, it’s not good.”
Before Lucky could respond, the room began to fill with the rest of the Eagle’s Nest team. Chase Boyer was the first to join them.
Though they didn’t affect her the way Lucky’s did, Chase had a set of gorgeous blue eyes. Like the entire Eagle’s Nest team,the hotshot sniper was also taller, more fit, and far better looking than the average male.
Must be a SEAL thing.
“Hey, Ellie.” Chase sent a genuine smile her way. “How’s the head?”
“Hi, Chase.” Ellie smiled, lifting a hand to the small strips still covering the cut on her forehead. “It’s better today, thanks.”
Brown hair filled with what appeared to be natural highlights hung a few inches longer on top than on the sides and in the back. The beard covering his long jaw and upper lip was always neatly trimmed, and the blue in his pretty eyes was almost as entrancing as Lucky’s.
Almost.
“That’s good.” He plopped into the chair to Lucky’s left. “Glad it wasn’t worse.”
Ellie scoffed. “You and me both.”
“Don’t worry, El.” Archer was the next to appear. “We’ll find the bastard responsible.”
“Whether it’s Harvey or someone else,” Logan added as he followed closely behind.
As Logan took the seat to Lucky’s right, Donovan “Van” Braddock walked through the door.
Now there was a man Ellie didn’t quite know how to read.
Dressed in dark jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black leather jacket, Van served as the team’s medic. According to what Cassie had told her when Ellie had first met Archer and the guys, Van’s main job was to provide emergency medical care should the need arise while they were working “in the field”.