Page 27 of Zain

But his mind never drifted far from those pretty blue eyes.

***

“You’re not listening.”Dana didn’t hide her exasperation. Talking to Taschen when he was riled up was like trying to tell a hurricane to change direction.

He had every right to be worried and pissed, which was why she hadn’t chewed him out yet.

She plucked a grape from the extravagant fruit spread on the kitchen table and popped it in her mouth. A guard had unlocked her door at 9:00 a.m. and told her breakfast was served, as if she were some kind of criminal being summoned to the prison cafeteria.

However, after the gourmet breakfast of a three-egg omelet, toast, bacon, hashbrowns, and fruit galore, she couldn’t exactly be mad.

“I’m listening to you try to justify a really careless decision that almost got you killed.”

She grimaced. She hadn’tjustbeen almost killed. She’d have endured far more than that if Rakesh had gotten his way with her, but she wouldn’t share that with her brother. By the sound of his voice, he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Brick sat across from her with a large plate of food and double the bacon she’d had. As Taschenyammered at her, she shifted her gaze to the hallway for the twenty-zillionth time since sitting down. Zain hadn’t emerged from his room, and she was about to go knock on his door.

Though she’d fallen asleep immediately after Zain left her room, intense nightmares about the man she’d fought on the road pulling the trigger on the gun had woken her several times. Each time, she’d hear the gunshot and would writhe in bed until she realized she was alive, and it was all a horrible dream.

Nonetheless, she’d made it to morning without any more attacks, and for that she was grateful. Now if they could just get on a plane to the US today, she’d be slap-freaking-happy.

She talked to Taschen for a few more minutes and promised to call him again as soon as she could. After hanging up the satellite phone Brick had lent her, she slid it across the table.

“He’s still pretty pissy,” Brick said, as he ripped off a large bite of toast.

She snorted and took a sip of her orange juice. “I hope he calms down before we get home.”

Brick brushed off his fingers over his napkin. “Has Zain said anything to you about why he was here all this time? I haven’t wanted to ask. But he clearly wasn’t a prisoner, like we thought.”

Dana fought the urge to squirm in her seat. Zain’s story wasn’t hers to tell, especially given the nature of his mission. She didn’t want to lie toBrick, but saying anything about the CIA could create a huge problem for all of them. “No,” she lied. There were too many eyes and ears everywhere. Later she’d tell Brick more—or at least explain that she couldn’t divulge any details regarding Zain’s time in Afghanistan.

Her gaze pinged toward the doorway as Zain entered. Her insides swirled with appreciation and desire as his eyes landed on her and a small, genuine smile softened his face.

He’d shaved. Not the whole length of his beard, but several inches; the bristles darkened his jaw just the right amount. His skin was deeply tanned, and his yellow irises seemed to glow in contrast.

Good lord he was gorgeous.

He wore American-style attire: a long-sleeved charcoal henley and jeans. He must have had the items in his go bag. Tattoos peeked out from the collar of his shirt, making his appeal that much stronger. Sexier. She pressed her knees together to stifle the urges coursing along the insides of her thighs. Even her nipples jumped to attention. Thankfully the loose-fitted black shirt she wore concealed her breasts. After the night she’d had, just slipping into the clean top and linen pants, even if they weren’t her typical style, seemed like a luxury.

Brick swiveled his head over his shoulder to see what had stolen her attention. He swung his faceback to her, and a smirk lifted his lips.

Ass.

“Morning.” The sound of Zain’s husky baritone made her cheeks flush.

“Good morning.” She kept her tone light, even though the emotions inside her were anything but. “Sleep well?”

He grunted. “Slept like shit. But I always do.” He sat in the chair next to her and shuffled it closer to the table. “This looks amazing.”

A chef appeared with a tall glass of orange juice and asked Zain how he wanted his eggs cooked. He ordered three over easy with all the fixings.

Zain picked up his glass and chugged half the contents, then placed his elbows on the table and studied her face. She’d never get over the searing intensity of his gaze. Scrutinizing, yet in a pensive, thoughtful way that seemed to dial into her every emotion. “How about you, Dana? You sleep okay?”

She scrunched her face. “I’ll sleep better when we’re out of here.” She shot a look at Brick. “Any luck on a flight?”

He shoved another bite of eggs and hashbrowns into his mouth as if now choosing to ignore the heat between her and Zain. He wiped his mouth then took a sip of his coffee. “Yup. I’ve got us a private plane.”

Dana sucked in a breath. “We sat here for half an hour and you didn’t think to tell me that?”

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