Her Perfect Stranger by Jill Shalvis Read Free Book Online Page B

With hours to spare before he had to be on site, he paced his room. Damn it, he'd wanted this opportunity, had worked for it for years. He wouldn't let her ruin it. He knew how he was going to spend the day— hel, probably the next week. He'd be in the water tank. It would be tedious, time consuming and restricting; they'd be in full scuba gear. He couldn't wait, but first he had to get rid of some of this restless energy. He could hit the weight room or take a swim, but as he'd be spending every waking moment in the water for the foreseeable future, he decided to run. Mike had left his room and was walking down the hal when Jimmy's head appeared outside his own door. Looking rumpled and tired, Jimmy took one look at Mike's running gear before he groaned. "Perfect. You're going to make us all look bad for the—" he glanced right, then left, then lowered his voice to a conspirator's whisper "—Ice Queen." "Who?" Frank stuck his head out another door, a fierce frown on his face. When he saw Mike and Jimmy, he grinned sleepily. "Hey, just like old times. You're going running? Wait for me—" "No," Jimmy said quickly, but Frank had already disappeared back into his room. Jimmy sighed. "Damn it, now I'l have to come, too, just to keep the two of you in line." "Wait," Mike said. "About this Ice Queen thing—" But Jimmy had already shut the door in Mike's face. He'd wanted to be alone, to burn off this undeniable, restless energy and to think, but he was destined for company now. Maybe that was for the better. Maybe he could stop thinking and just try to enjoy. Frank and Jimmy were both dressed and ready to run within two minutes, and just as all three men started down the hallway together, yet another door opened. Dressed in loose running shorts, a baggy tank top and aviator sunglasses that completely blocked her eyes from view, the commander herself emerged. She saw Jimmy and Frank first, both of whom happened to be standing in front of Mike, and she smiled. "Hey, guys. Up for some company?" Then Mike stepped out from behind them. For lack of a better greeting, he lifted his hand and wagged his fingers at her. Her expression froze. "Hello," she said flatly. Hello. That was al she could manage. Not I'm sorry I'm ignoring you. Not I didn't mean to deal you the biggest shock of your life. Not Wow, just the other night you made me come half a dozen times. Can you do it again? Instead she looked through him, as if only thirty hours ago he hadn't had her every which way but Sunday. Frank hitched his head toward Mike. "We dragged his lazy butt out of bed, Commander. We're forcing him to run this morning so he can be in as good a shape as you." Jimmy jumped right in. "He didn't want to come, ma'am. You should have heard al the new words he taught us, even though we asked him nicely." Mike watched as good humor warred with wariness on Corrine's face. He still couldn't get used to knowing her real name, but it suited her. Just as the team suited her. Evidently, they'd gelled as a group during their time together. Their camaraderie bode wel for the mission. It didn't bode well for him. For one, he hated being the outsider. He didn't mind the work entailed to catch up; in fact he would thrive on the chalenge of it. But damn it, he wanted her to like him, not look at him as if he were some sort of deviant. He didn't understand how she could go from soft, laughing and ful of heat to hard as nails, unsmiling and totally controlled. Oh, and then there was the kicker—she was his commander. He'd seen her naked, sprawled out beneath him and whimpering for more, and she was his damn boss. "Let's go," he said as lightly as he could. "Let's see who keeps up with who. And just so you know," he added to Frank and Jimmy, "I plan onoutrunning both of you." His friends simply exchanged knowing smiles. Which only doubled Mike's determination. They started off at a quick pace. Not that Mike couldn't easily maintain it, but