Tactical Strike by Kaylea Cross Read Free Book Online Page B

to stroke his thumb across her cheek.
    Her eyes rounded and she jerked her head back, but he followed
the movement and maintained the contact, despite the risk that someone might see
them. Public displays of affection were forbidden on base, but he couldn’t
contain the need to touch her any longer. Her skin was soft and warm against his
palm as he cupped the side of her face.
    “I never meant to offend or embarrass you. I like you a lot,
and I’m just—okay, I’m worried about you.”
    She stared up at him, her full lips parting in genuine
surprise. “Why would you...”
    Yeah, dammit, he was worried about her. Like he wasn’t capable
of that kind of emotional range? “I can tell you’re not getting enough sleep.
You’re exhausted.” Her eyes lit with a spark of denial, but before she could
reply he dropped his hand from her cheek and continued. “You’re done in—even I
can see that—and you should be sleeping right now but instead you’re out here in
the cold, drinking coffee like you’re doing everything possible to keep yourself
awake. What’s going on?”
    Something flickered in her eyes. Guilt maybe. “Nothing’s going
on.”
    “Bullshit. You’re either afraid to go to sleep, or you’ve got a
bad case of insomnia. Which is it, and why?” He wasn’t trying to be high-handed;
he was just concerned. “Is it because of what happened to Devon?”
    When she stilled and broke eye contact momentarily, he knew
he’d nailed it, but she was quick to deny the charge. “It’s just been busy,
that’s all. We’ve been out every night this week and I haven’t gotten into a
good sleep schedule.” That was a lame-ass explanation and an even worse excuse,
but at least she was still talking to him and hadn’t walked away yet. He could
understand her not wanting to admit she was shaken up about Dev.
    Letting it go, he slid his hands into his pockets. “So I’ve
always wanted to ask, how come you aren’t bunking with the rest of your crew?”
With the high operational tempo, most gunship crews stayed in the same barracks
to avoid disruption, so her situation was a little unusual to begin with.
    She shrugged. “I’m the only female, so command placed me
elsewhere rather than make special accommodations for me in my crew’s hut.”
    “And because of that you can’t get any sleep, since your
roomies are coming and going all the time,” he guessed.
    She shrugged. “I’ve got earplugs.”
    Yeah, and they sure seemed to be doing a hell of a lot of good.
“Maybe you should request different quarters.”
    “No, it’s fine. I like where I am.” Her gaze dropped to his
chest for a moment, a tiny frown creasing her brow, as if he’d just confused
her. “Thanks for your concern, though.”
    She was shaken up enough about Dev’s crash that it prevented
her from falling asleep or staying that way. Not only was that a concern, if it
continued much longer it might prove to be flat-out dangerous. Being a gunship
pilot who flew night missions, she knew as well as he did they were gearing up
for a big covert offensive in the coming days. Maybe even tonight. It all
depended on the intel and when command decided to pull the trigger.
    “Well, I’ve got some things to take care of, so...” When she
started to turn away, he grabbed her elbow.
    Her head whipped up in surprise, but she didn’t wrench her arm
from his grasp. He took that as a good sign. “Promise me you’ll go back and get
some sleep before you go out tonight.”
    A startled smile spread across her face, and he sensed a kind
of softening in her. “I don’t know why you’re so worried about—”
    “Because you need to be sharp out there, for one thing.” If
they came under fire, her life depended on it. And so did the lives of her crew
and the friendly forces on the ground in the operational area.
    Her eyes, which had been brimming with amusement, flashed with
hurt and then frosted. She stepped back carefully, her expression