Page 7 of Honor Code

He fixed that unnerving blue gaze on her, and she was sure she saw a flicker of admiration. "I see you're calling the shots now."

"Huh?" She wasn't quite sure where he was going with this. In her head, she was still squished against him, feeling his body heat, his arms looped around her waist.

"Well, you rock up and the next day things start happening." He nodded toward the control room where a noisy hum sounded, accompanied by deep vibrations signaling drilling was in progress.

"They're drilling the fourth test well," she explained, looking down—anywhere but at him. If only the heat in her cheeks would calm down. "They're on a schedule, which doesn't have anything to do with me. I'm just here to analyze the samples."

That served as a reminder. She needed to get to the control center to take a look at those survey maps. "If you'll excuse me."

"Sure." He stepped aside, letting her pass. She caught a whiff of men's aftershave. Warm and spicy with a smokey hue that lingered after she'd passed by. Actually, it wasn't lingering, it was on her blouse.

Great.

It wasn't enough that he'd invaded her thoughts. Now she'd be smelling him for the rest of the day too.

CHAPTER 4

This job had been a lifeline. After what had happened in Basra, Phoenix couldn’t face another tour with the SEALs. Not with that hanging over him.

Two men were dead because of him. Two good men.

His friends.

Phoenix sat staring into his plate of untouched food. The cafeteria actually dished up some decent grub, but he didn’t have an appetite. All he could taste was guilt.

“Is it not good?” asked a feminine voice.

He glanced up to see Minnie, the Texan chef who made most of their meals, smiling blatantly down at him. She had big brown eyes, a mass of blonde curls, and a strong Texan drawl. The roughnecks who worked shifts on the rig often talked about her, and in ways that didn’t always sit well with him.

“No, that’s not it. It’s great, really. I’m just not that hungry.”

Her eyes flitted shamelessly over him. “A man like you needs to eat. It will keep you strong.” She flexed her bicep, showing off long, tapered arms.

He forced a smile and picked up his knife and fork. Couldn’t disappoint the chef. Minnie had been flirting with him since the day he arrived. It didn’t bother him. In fact, he was used to it, and normally, he’d be up for a bit of fun, but since he’d left the Navy, he’d been stoically single.

He couldn't figure out if it was because he didn’t feel worthy of having fun, not when he’d caused the death of two of his team, or if a no-strings one nighter had just lost its appeal in the wake of the far more serious issue he was dealing with. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t ready for close human contact, which meant dating was out of the question.

He forced down a few mouthfuls, then looked up again as the hellcat, Eleanor Rider, walked in with her roommate, Suzi. He’d met Suzi a couple of times through Boomer, who he shared a room with, and liked her. She was bubbly and gregarious, a real breath of fresh air. Secretly, he thought Boomer was into her but was too shy to say anything.

Boomer, even though he had his fair share of women, wasn’t known to make the first move. Luckily, being built like a machine, and with features women found attractive, he rarely had to.

“Hey, Phoenix.” Suzi stopped at his table. He didn’t miss Eleanor stiffen. “Want some company?”

“I won’t be here long,” he said, with an apologetic shrug. Everything in her body language indicated she’d rather not sit with him. “My shift starts in fifteen.”

“That’s okay, we don’t mind.” Suzi sat without being asked, and Phenix saw Eleanor give a little sigh. She wasn’t alone in her reluctance. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk either. He’d slept most of the morning after he’d bumped into her, catching up on the night before, and then spent the afternoon working out in the gym, venting some of the frustration he always seemed to carry around with him.

Usually, it helped, but today, for some reason, it had just made things worse.

Dressed in his operational clothes, he still had to go back to his cabin and put on his tactical vest and pick up the rest of his gear. There was a long night ahead.

Eleanor sat down, her leg brushing his under the table.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

He managed a small grin. “Did you get to where you were going in such a hurry earlier?” She’d been so preoccupied when they’d bumped into each other, it must have been somewhere important.

Her big brown eyes widened. “Oh, yes, thank you. I did.”