Accidental Commando Read Free Page A

get involved.”
    The ease with which he could sling her around was alarming. Panic tugged at her once more, but she fought it down. She had to use her head. That was easier said than done, considering the Tilt-A-Whirl still working away in there. “Who were you talking to before? Do you have a radio transmitter? Are you undercover or something?”
    He draped the sheet around her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m not at liberty to answer your questions.”
    She spotted a coiled wire trailing from what looked like a receiver in his ear. He had to be law enforcement of some kind. She’d seen enough cops lately to recognize the discipline in his bearing.
    But she’d never met a cop who looked like this. In spite of the conservative golf shirt, with those boots and jeans he looked more like a cowboy. His hair wasn’t merely blond, it was sun-streaked and seemed permanently wind-tossed. His face had the lean, chiseled lines of someone who spent a lot of time looking into the distance. His eyes were dark blue. No, wait. There was a rim of brilliant cerulean around the irises. They only appeared dark because his pupils were dilated. His nostrils were flared, too, as if he were having as much difficulty drawing breath as she was. Her senses sharpened. She caught a whiff of lime aftershave and warm, male skin.
    She fisted her hands in the sheet. Her pulse hadn’t yet steadied, and now it accelerated again. It was probably the residual effects of the magnum of champagne, or maybe her brain was scrambled as a consequence of being knocked down, shot at and scared half out of her wits. Yet even with her limited mental faculties, she realized that Tyler Matheson was the sexiest-looking man she’d ever seen.
    But a man, especially a handsome one, was the last thing Emily Wright wanted to see right now. She’d flown a few thousand miles to escape the havoc wreaked by the last one.

    Tyler wiped his palms on his pants. This woman was making him sweat worse than the tropical heat. She was only half a head shorter than he was, so their bodies had fit together as if they’d been made for each other. He could still feel the imprint of her breasts on his arm and her buttocks against his groin. How could any man be coherent in those circumstances?
    But covering her with that sheet wasn’t proving to be much of a help. The image of her going after El Gato armed with nothing but an empty bottle had been burned into his brain. Her freckled skin, her long legs, and her cloud of wet hair flying around her face… Damn, she’d been magnificent. Like a Valkyrie from one of the stories his Grandpa Lindstrom used to tell. Were there redheaded Valkyries?
    “El Gato’s spooked,” Duncan said. “Unlikely he’ll give us the chance to pick him out again in this crowd.”
    “Odds are he scrubbed the hit,” Jack commented. “For today, anyway.”
    “Or he could be setting up along the route,” Duncan said. “I’ll give Lang and Gonzo an update. Meet you at the car, Jack.”
    “On my way now. What’s the status of the civilian, junior?” Jack asked. “She need medical attention?”
    Tyler forced himself to consider the woman objectively. He’d had a good look at every inch of her, and she hadn’t appeared to have any injuries. He’d tried to cushion her as much as possible when he’d taken her to the floor. The redness that dotted the freckles above her breasts looked more like hives than rug burn. She hadn’t moved as if she were hurt. She had a surprising amount of strength in her slender form, though she hadn’t been able to wriggle free of his grip. Her attempts sure had made things interesting….
    “Hey, Tyler?” Jack prodded. “You still there?”
    He touched his fingertip to the red spot on the woman’s cheek. “This needs ice. Do you have any other injuries?”
    She shook her head, then winced as if she were in pain.
    “Ma’am? Do you have a headache? Jack, she could have a