Page 104 of Cross That Line

The thought startled him, because that wasn't a word he ever used when it came to relationships, but it didn't panic him the way it once might have done.

Because it was Rachel, a woman he'd thought he'd lost a long time ago. He didn't want to mess anything up now. He knew her better. He cared more. Hell, he might even be in love with her. But he couldn't say all that. He'd spook her. In fact, he was kind of spooking himself.

He could blame his emotions on the intense adrenaline rushes that he'd gone through in the past twenty-four hours, but that wasn't really the reason he felt unnerved.

Rachel suddenly moved, turning over on her back. As her eyes flickered open, he quickly spoke, not wanting to scare her.

"I'm here," he said.

She drew in a breath and gave him a sleepy smile as her gaze met his. "What time is it?"

"Three o'clock in the morning. Go back to sleep."

"Why are you standing there? Why don't you come to bed? You must be exhausted."

"I have to go back to the office around ten. I'll just sleep on the couch."

She held out her hand to him. "No. Stay here."

He took her hand and let her pull him down on the bed next to her. Then he kicked off his shoes and crawled under the covers as she made room for him.

Facing her, he put his arm around her waist and kissed her long and deep, never really wanting it to end. But it was the middle of the night, and they both needed to sleep.

"That was good," she said, giving him a soft smile. "Let's keep that going."

"You're exhausted. You need to rest."

"I've been resting. But you must be tired. What's been happening since you last texted me?"

There was a lot to get into, but he didn't want to do that now. "I'll tell you in the morning. I just want to hold you."

He turned onto his back, and she put her head on his chest, curling up next to him. And nothing else mattered.

Rachel woke up in Tyler's arms, happy that she hadn't just dreamed that he was there, that he was holding her. As she lifted her head to look at his strong, handsome face, she smiled, thinking that she really wouldn't mind waking up next to him every morning.

But she had no real idea where they were going from here. Everything had happened so fast. A week ago, she'd hated him. He'd betrayed her. She'd never wanted to see him again. Now, she couldn't stand the thought of not seeing him again, not talking to him every day, not sharing meals and laughter and sexy times that were better than anything she'd ever experienced.

Could they keep this relationship going, whatever it was?

Tyler shifted, then opened his eyes, staring back at her. "Hey."

"Morning." She moved slightly away so she could rest her head on the pillow next to him.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"It's eight."

He groaned. "I feel like I just went to sleep."

"You did just go to sleep."

He rolled over onto his side. "You look pretty in the morning."

Her heart danced at his words. "You don't look pretty, but you look good. Tired, though. Why were you out so late? What happened? Did you get Neil Levitan?"

"I did. I had the pleasure of yanking him off a private plane and putting cuffs on him. He was with a woman named Vivienne Troye, who claimed to be a pharmaceutical rep, but according to Levitan, she's a spy for MSS, the Chinese spy service."

"She was at the warehouse. She ordered them to burn it all down. I heard her as I was waking up. I had also seen her before in Ethan's office. Naomi told me she's a pharmaceutical rep, too, so maybe she's also that. It would explain their ability to get their hands on off-market and experimental drugs."