Page 108 of Tactically Acquired

I smirked at her from my side of the counter where I chopped the last of the ingredients for the omelet. She was dressed in my T-shirt, announcing to pretty much everyone here that she was mine. And if that didn’t do it, the just-fucked look certainly did the job.

I would have insisted that she take a shower so no one could see her looking this fucking desirable, but I wasn’t ready to see her hair looking anything but tangled from my hands in her hair as I ravaged her body. Fuck, she was so damn gorgeous.

“Got any for us?” Thumper asked as he walked into the kitchen, winking at Audrey.

Not that she noticed. She only had eyes for me. “Like I would make anything for you assholes after you tried to kill me last time.”

“They tried to kill you over an omelet?” Audrey asked, a gorgeous smile painting her lips.

I stopped cutting to give her my full attention. “I was finishing up an omelet when these asshats came in and stole my food just as I put the first delicious bite in my mouth. They tackled me to the ground and made me choke on my food, then zip-tied me to the cabinet so I wouldn’t be able to fight back.”

“That must be some omelet,” she chuckled.

“Except, they didn’t realize I was seriously choking on my food,” I continued.

“Hey, I saved your life,” Thumper argued.

“Yeah, after you ate my omelet.”

“It was IRIS,” he snapped. “I came to the rescue.”

“You shouldn’t have had to,” I said. “It was my omelet.”

I grinned at Audrey before turning around and carrying everything over to the counter next to the stove. This was going to be amazing. I heard her walk around the counter and then felt her hands wrap around my back as she watched what I was doing.

“You’re so good at that.”

Grinning, I patted her hand as I got to work. I turned on the burner and bent over to grab a pan out of the cabinets. It was my lucky day. There was an omelet pan just waiting for me to create the perfect breakfast in its non-stick depths. It wasn’t the brand I liked, but it would do.

“It’s an omelet,” Thumper sighed. “It’s not like he’s building the Eiffel Tower.”

“Hey, if it wasn’t that amazing, you wouldn’t have tried to kill me over it,” I argued, pointing the pan at him.

“I wasn’t trying to kill you. I just wanted the food. Just like she does!”

I spun just as Audrey was snatching my peppers and popping them in her mouth. “Hey! Those are mine!”

She grinned, then leaned against the counter. It all happened so fast. I saw her put her hand down and I knew what was going to happen, but I couldn’t get the words past my lips in time or snatch her hand back. Her skin made contact with the burner as she leaned with her full weight.

I dropped the pan, lunging for her, and in my desperation, knocked the bowl of eggs from the counter. Glass shattered asI tore her hand away from the stove just as a horrible scream filled the room. Thumper was already moving across the room, turning on the lukewarm water for me as I picked her up and carried her over, sticking her hand under the stream as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Audrey. Audrey!” I snapped, grabbing her chin so she would look at me. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got this, okay?”

She gave a jerky nod, but she was barely holding it together.

I turned her hand over to inspect as it ran under the water, but instantly wanted to puke. Her whole hand was blistering from the heat. How the hell had she put her hand on the fucking stove? Didn’t she realize how close she was to it?

“What’s going on?” IRIS asked, running into the room. He rushed over and with one look, ran out of the room. As an EOD expert, he not only knew how to dismantle bombs, but also knew how to care for burns, considering how much he loved to play with fire.

Chaos erupted around the house as Spencer came running in, his eyes wide with fear as he rushed over to Audrey, holding her face as he tried his best to keep her calm. I knew it had to fucking hurt, and I wanted to be the one to comfort her, but I was trying to keep her hand under the water when she tried to pull it away.

Finally, when the worst of the shock wore off, her sobs died down and Spencer had her leaning her forehead against his chest as he rubbed her back. IRIS had returned with a kit to bandage her up. As soon as he took over, I stepped back, sliding my hands over my head as I watched him carefully apply ointment. Fuck, it was bad.

My stomach churned as I watched. How could I have let that happen? I was supposed to be taking care of her, and she got a massive fucking burn all because she was too busy playing house with me.

“Hey,” Thumper snapped, grabbing my arm and tugging me across the room. I barely stepped over the broken bowl and the mess of eggs as he led me out the front door. The snap of cool morning air hit me right where I needed it.

“Fuck, what was I thinking?”

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