She ought to feel elated, andyet…
Was this even real? When they left this place, would he still care about her, or would their lives go back to the way they’d beenbefore?
She forced her doubts aside, not wanting to sour the sweetness of themoment.
He broke the silence. “Are you cold,miamor?”
The water was only lukewarmnow.
“Alittle.”
They climbed out, dried each other, then crawled naked intobed.
“Come here.” He slid an arm around her. “Thank you for trusting me today. I know it took a lot for you to pose for me like that. It meant a lot to me. It’s the most erotic thing I’ve ever done with mycamera.”
Mia raised herself up to look into his eyes. “Thank you, Joaquin. What you did for me this afternoon … I didn’t know men like youexisted.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m glad I found you,too.”
* * *
Mia walkedtoward the elevator wearing ACUs and combat boots, her footsteps echoing through the parking garage. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Her head jerked around, her gaze seeking thesource.
Nothing.
Unable to shake the feeling that someone was watching her, she kept going, sand churning beneath her feet, making it hard to hurry. She saw the security door, the small room in front of the elevators glowing with fluorescentlight.
A man’s voice. “Mia.”
She turned, heart thudding, but again saw no one. Driven by a growing sense of panic, she ran for the security door and locked it behind her, shutting out the blowing sand and thedarkness.
She turned toward the elevator, saw her own reflection in the mirrors on its doors. Why was she in uniform? She’d resigned her commission, left the Army behind. She shouldn’t be wearing ACUs. She didn’t even ownany.
“Mia.” He was there, behind her, the mirror reflecting his black hoodie—and the pistol in hishand.
He was going to killher.
She reached for her weapon as he opened fire, panic like ice in her blood, but her pistol wasn’tthere.
BAM! BAM!BAM!
“Who are you?” she shouted, bullets tearing into her, her blood spilling in the sand, making rivulets, tiny rivers of red. “Who areyou?”
All she could see was his feet walkingaway.
“Mia! Wake up!” Joaquin’s voice pierced hernightmare.
Awake now, Mia found herself sitting up in bed, confused and covered in cold sweat, her heart racing. “He was behind me. I couldn’t see hisface.”
Joaquin turned on the bedside lamp, light chasing away the shadows. He drew her into his arms. “You’re safe. It was just adream.”
“It feltreal.”
Joaquin stroked her hair. “Do you want to tell me aboutit?”
She described the nightmare to him, the details quickly slipping away, while the fear it had caused lingered. “I reached for my weapon but couldn’t find it. I asked him who he was, but he didn’t say. Then he opened fire, and I knew I wasdead.”
“That’s not how it went in real life.” Joaquin’s voice was deep and soothing. “When he showed up, you were ready. You shot back, and heran.”