Just as I start to slide into blissful sleep, I hear a faint, rapid-fire beeping text alert on my phone. I jump about a foot off the mattress and scramble out of bed.

Fuck. If I had been asleep, I wouldn't have heard it. That alert is on my Greenlight cell, and I only have three choices when it comes to that phone: respond within one minute, be dead, or get written up.

The message from Rae makes my heart pound.

Have time to meet for a coffee?

All Greenlight text communications are coded, and this message is like a 911 call from headquarters. It means I need to get my ass there right now.

"Everything okay?" Nix asks, leaning against the bedroom's doorframe in all his naked, muscled glory.

"I think so," I say, trying to sound casual as I type back a response.

See you at our favorite coffee shop.

"Come back to bed," he says with a yawn.

"I have to go, actually." I walk into his living room and pick up my shirt from the floor, slipping it on over my head. He follows me.

When I slide my panties up my hips, I wrinkle my nose and give Nix a look. "These are wet. Thanks for that."

He shrugs. "What can I say? It's a gift." When he walks toward me, his expression is a mix of concern and frustration. "It's fucking late, Kennedy. Where are you going at this hour?"

I comb my hands through my hair and meet his eyes in the faint light of his living room. Only the glow of outdoor light illuminates us.

"I don't want to lie to you," I say.

A flicker of annoyance passes over his face. "Yeah, good call. So where are you going?"

"I can't tell you."

"The fuck you can't."

"Nix, I really can't."

He narrows his eyes, and a muscle in his jaw clenches. "Is it Hassan?"

"No, it's nothing like that."

Wrapping a hand around the back of his neck, he studies my expression. "So swallowing a load of my come isn't too intimate for you, but telling me where you're going is?"

"Something like that."

He sighs heavily. "This is bullshit."

"Look, we had fun. I'd stay if I could, but I have to go."

"I'm not pissed that you're leaving. I'm pissed that you won't tell me where you're going."

I hold up the screen of my Greenlight phone for him, and he scans the latest messages.

"Someone named Rustler wants to meet you for coffee? At this hour?"

I shrug. "It's a nickname. She's one of my girlfriends."

"I could go for some coffee. I'll drive you."

I've been getting dressed as we talk, and after I zip up my second boot, I smile and walk over to him.

"No, thanks."

"You don't have a car here. Might as well take the ride, Ken."

I meet his dark eyes. "Remember what I said earlier, or this thing between us will be over before it even starts. If you're looking for a woman who wants your protection, go find your friend Coco. That's not me."

"This is the thanks I get for saving your ass earlier?" He tips my face up toward his with a finger beneath my chin.

"I can still taste my thank-you for that," I say. "And I would've been fine."

He shakes his head and drops his hand. "You think you're not like Coco, but you're just as fucking headstrong and impulsive as she is."

"Yeah, but I can back it up." I walk over to a chair and grab my bag. "Now, go get some sleep."

"While you go meet your friend for coffee?" He narrows his eyes.

"Right."

He scoffs. "So when you said you didn't want to lie to me, you were lying."

This anger is different from earlier. Nix isn't acting like a caged beast anymore. Maybe the blow job mellowed him out. But I actually find raging Nix easier to handle.

"See you at the club," I say.

"Fuck you."

I flip him off and then turn for the door. "Go take out your alpha protective tendencies on some other woman before we see each other again."

"You mean that?" His tone is cold and demanding.

A few seconds of silence pass before I say, "No. I don't."

"Come here."

My body answers his command without conscious thought. I cross the room and stand before him, and he leans down and kisses me. It starts soft and then his tongue slides against mine as he cups my neck.

By the time he tugs my lip ring gently between his teeth and pulls away, I'm breathless.

"Be careful," he says.

"I will."

He glares down at me. "I've never wanted to spank a woman's ass as badly as I want to spank yours right now."

My heart flutters hopefully. "Mmm, next time?"

His eyes hold a dark, ominous promise. "I don't mean a few light smacks, baby. I plan to put you across my lap and light up that ass while you squirm with a plug in it."

Oh, God. I'm an independent woman and all, but Nix's words send a charge of arousal through my body. It's all I can do not to say "Yes!" out loud and throw myself across his lap right now.

"I can't say I'm dreading it," I admit, licking my lips.

After a few low notes of laughter, he kisses me again. "Can't say I am either."

"I'm sorry," I say softly. "I really do have to go."

He nods once, and I walk toward the door, not looking back. If I keep looking at the naked sex god that is Nix, I'll never get out of here.

The Greenlight office is buzzing when I walk inside.

If Nix followed me, he saw me walk into a coffee shop called Beans to an End, so hopefully that satisfied him. What he couldn't have seen from outside the building was that I took a stairway down to the basement of the coffee shop and then entered a code to access the tunnel that connects the coffee shop and the Greenlight office.

Greenlight runs Beans to an End as a cover for the office building, but the coffee served there is pretty kick-ass. I could have used a cup before coming into the office, but I was in a rush.

"Hassan's in trouble," Rae murmurs when I approach her desk. "A powerful billionaire in Dubai told Hassan to procure a massive amount of weapons, and Hassan couldn't produce in time."

I feel a flicker of hope that maybe this is my ticket to getting rid of Hassan. I don't want to bother with his jealousy over Nix, and I definitely don't want to feign interest in him anymore. Pretend or not, it would drive Nix crazy.

"So, what now?" I ask Rae.

"We're not ready to let go of Hassan yet. He's unknowingly led us to a lot of good arrests. So we're gonna go save his ass."

"We are?" I arch my brows in surprise.

"Well, you are."

"Me?"

She nods.

"But...my cover will be blown."

"Only if he sees you."

My lips part in shock. "You want me to extract Hassan without him seeing me?"

"I think the director wants you to extract him at any cost. We're meeting with him in a few minutes. If Hassan sees you, we'll have to reassign you. The LA office needs some new blood."

"LA?" My knees weaken at the thought.

Rae gives me a reassuring look. "Only if he sees you."

"I'm gonna need a really good disguise."

"Olivia's going with you."

I nod, my mind spinning as Rae leads the way into our meeting with the Greenlight director. It's not every day our agents rescue one of the bad guys, so the briefing is longer and more intense than any I've ever been part of.

Rae takes me aside after the meeting, concern etched on her face.

"Listen...no official directive was given on this, so I'm going to give you some good advice. If Hassan recognizes you, take him out. Even if we reassign you, he won't rest 'til he finds you."

I look from side to side, whispering even though there's no one within earshot. "But he's a high-value asset."

"You're more important. We can always find new assets. Things are going well with Phoenix, and you haven't even been on him very long."

"Okay. It'll be my last resort, but I'll take him out if I have to."

"Good. I'll be on coms during the op, okay? You hit me up if you need advice on anything."

I nod. "And Olivia...she's strong in the field, right?"

"Very strong. I wouldn't let you be sent into a situation like this with anyone but the best."

"When do we leave?"

She looks at her wristwatch. "Now. There's a plane waiting at the airstrip."

Hassan is outwardly cool, but I can see the panic in his eyes. This is the look he likes people to give him, and I'm oddly satisfied to see the tables turned.