Page 5 of Honor Code

Typical.

Henderson had warned her. Make sure you have it on you at all times, he’d said.

And what had she done?

The first instance she'd left the room, she'd damn well forgotten it. Simple protocol that she knew and still neglected. It must be the upheaval of the last few days. She blamed jetlag. Her head was all over the place, trying to figure out which time zone she was in.

Picking up the lanyard, she slung it over her head. The ID photograph on the front caught her eye. It wasn't her finest moment, but it wasn't bad. In her business suit, hair clipped up, a smattering of make-up, she looked like the seasoned professional she was.

Three years working for a petrochemical company in Saudi Arabia, then another two in Scotland. This wasn't her first time in the field, so she should be used to the protocols by now.

Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to calm down. Well, she wasn't about to let the Beast ruin her first day on the job. No, sir.

Looking around the room, she realized her yoga mat was still lying up on the helipad.

Crap.

Now she'd have to sneak back and get it. The last thing she wanted to do was run into the Beast again, but she couldn't leave it there. Once the chopper began transporting people to the rig, someone would remove it, then she'd have a hard time finding it and would probably get reprimanded for leaving it there. Worse, it could blow off and be gone forever.

Reluctantly, she got up, her body complaining at the sudden movement. Lifting her T-shirt, she inspected her bruised ribs. Great, just great. That was where he'd smashed into her. Her elbow stung too, where she'd scraped it on the deck when she'd fallen.

She sighed. No real harm done. It would heal in due course. Once, she'd tripped and fallen down a set of steel steps on the North Sea rig, and that had hurt a damn sight more.

Careful not to wake Suzi, Ellie opened the cabin door then ventured back topside. The sky was softening in the east, where a thin sliver of liquid sun was just poking its head over the very flat horizon.

It was stunning, and she gasped in delight. It had been a while since she’d seen a sunrise so breathtaking.

In Scotland, the sky had always been fifty shades of gray, and in the Middle East, the sun had seemed to pop up, already fully formed, a bright, burning fireball.

Pity to waste it. The deck was still quiet, with nobody on duty yet. The Beast was nowhere to be seen, and apart from the odd creak of machinery and the soft whistle of the warm breeze through the metal beams of the rig, it was just her and the sky and the vast ocean.

Perfect for a sun salutation.

This way she'd still get her routine in, albeit a shortened version. God knew she needed it, especially now with the bruises on her side and her stiffening elbow.

Yoga had always been her reset button. She'd taken it up after the incident with Rafael as a way to calm her anxiety, and it had worked. She didn't suffer nearly so much anymore.

It was only when something bad happened, like today, when she flipped, and it all came rushing back. She hadn't had a panic attack like this morning's for almost a year now.

The ocean had a calming effect. Feeling more composed, she stepped onto her mat then brought her hands together in the prayer position. Slowly, she lifted her arms upward, hands still together, stretching her body backward slightly, opening her chest and focusing on the stretch. Breathe, she heard her yoga instructor say.

She bent forward from the waist, trying to clear her mind, but like a tune that wouldn't go away, she kept seeing him sitting on top of her, his massive hand forcing hers above her head.

Her breath came faster, and she fought to still it. Placing her hands flat on her mat, she focused on the stretch in her back and legs and not on the probing look in his eyes that had burned into her.

It was insane how easily he'd overpowered her. Frightening, really. And after all the training she'd done to ensure that exact situation didn't happen again.

Okay, she was rattled. Well and truly freaked out. What had happened this morning was a reminder that no matter how strong she'd become, she was still weaker than a man.

Goddammit.

That annoyed her.

Inhaling more sharply than she wanted, she stepped her right leg back, dropping her knee to the floor, feeling the pull in her hip flexors.

The sky was a fading midnight blue, the exact hue of his eyes. Hissing out an annoyed breath, she extended her other leg and assumed the stick pose, bringing her body into a straight line.

For some reason, it was unusually hard to balance. Her core stability was shot—and she knew exactly who to blame for that.