She pressed her lips to his, cutting off his protest. "If the situation were reversed, if your injury stemmed from one of them getting intelligence that turned out to be wrong-would you blame that person? Would you want him to blame himself?"

Marco's lips twisted and he stared at her. Finally, he heaved a sigh.

"You wouldn't," she said. "Because you'd understand. It wouldn't have been his fault. And it wasn't yours."

He remained quiet for several moments, and then his expression softened. "I'm not there yet."

"You don't have to be. You'll get there when you're ready to get there. In the meantime, never think you have to hide yourself from me. Boxing up the bad parts doesn't make them go away; it just makes them hurt worse." She would know. "I'm your friend"-true as it was, the word stuck in her throat-"and I'll always accept all of you."

His eyes bored into hers as if evaluating her sincerity. "Don't you think less of me?"

Alyssa sucked in a breath. She pushed up into a sitting position and leaned over him, forcing him onto his back. She rested a hand over his heart. "You risked your life for this country every day for four years. There's no telling how many bad situations you helped thwart. Nothing will ever change how I feel about you, Marco. Nothing ever could."

His gaze wandered, like he couldn't meet her eyes. Finally, he scrubbed his hand over his face. "How'd you get so smart?"

She gave him a small smile and stroked the side of his face. "I'm a college graduate, don't ya know?"

He managed a wry smile, then his face went serious. "Can we both sleep here tonight?"

"Yes," Alyssa said, trying not to read significance into the request. But no matter why he'd asked, nothing would please her more than to fall asleep in his arms. Except maybe doing it every night from here on out.

They got cleaned up and ready for bed. Alyssa refused to touch any of her clothes, still scattered on the bathroom floor, so Marco gave her a pair of boxers she had to roll at the waist and one of his T-shirts. Alyssa was thrilled to be wearing his clothes, and her stomach tingled when she saw the way Marco looked at her in them.

Marco opened his arms to her as she climbed into bed, and Alyssa fit herself into the nook along the side of his body. So close to his warmth, her head on his shoulder and his scent all over her, Alyssa's throat actually hurt from the restraint it took not to tell him how much she loved him. But though she sensed something had changed between them that night-something she would always cherish-the number of times he'd referred to her as a friend while they talked threw some major brakes on her runaway expectations.

Whether or not her heart would heed those warnings was another story, though, and the way it swelled in her chest told her she was deep, deep in trouble.

Chapter Fifteen

Alyssa woke up first, her arm across Marco's chest and her leg across his thighs. The nearness of their bodies and the amazing reality of getting to have him this way-even if only for a short while-reawakened her desire. She slid on top of him and kissed him into consciousness, his body responding before he even opened his eyes. Oh, they were so very bright that morning. Warm pressure filled her chest at the sight.

"How did you sleep?" she asked as she slid herself against his erection.

He smiled and stroked her hair back off her face, tucking it behind her ears. "Like a baby." He rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip. "Not a single nightmare."

She kissed his fingers. "I'm glad."

Without another word, they removed their clothes and he rolled on a condom. Alyssa crawled on top of him and guided Marco's hard length into her body. She watched his every expression as they made love, memorizing the shape of his mouth and the glint of his eyes and the rise and fall of his broad chest. He caressed her everywhere he could reach and guided her hips, the sleepy softness of their joining becoming increasingly needful and desperate until she lay panting and sated on his chest.

He played with her hair, dragging his fingers over her scalp and through the long strands again and again. Her mind and body found such peace that she fell back to sleep for a while.

Her eyes opened later to find an empty bed. Disappointment ripped through her gut until her brain registered the scents of coffee and bacon. She tugged on her borrowed shirt and boxers, torn between anticipation and fear of how he'd react to her in the light of day.

Marco stood at the stove with a spatula in his hand, his hair wet from the shower and his back a masculine work of art.

What she wanted was to walk up behind him and wrap her arms around his bare stomach. Instead, she leaned against the counter next to where he worked. "Good morning."

He smiled at her and placed the last pancake onto a stacked-high plate. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty."

"Can't help it. You wore me out." Heat infused her cheeks at the admission, but she didn't regret the frankness of her words when he looked at her with such deep male satisfaction.

Marco turned off the stove and moved in front of her. Pressing his body in tightly, he grasped her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was slow and sweet and simmered with passionate heat. Alyssa's heart skipped a beat, suddenly filled with the determination to tell him how she felt, to put it all out on the table and know once and for all if they had a chance at something more. At something that might last forever.

Alyssa wound her arms around Marco's neck, holding him to her as she stroked her tongue against his. A thrill shot through her when he moaned, his erection hardening against her belly. An idea came to mind and suddenly Alyssa couldn't resist.

She leaned away, loving the pout that formed on his lips, and opened the fly to his jeans. He arched an eyebrow that made her smile, and then she sank down to her knees, pulling his pants to his thighs as she moved.

Marco's jaw dropped open. "Alyssa," he murmured, need roughening his voice.

She grasped his rigid length in her hand and softly stroked. "My turn to take care of you." Her heart beat wildly in her chest, but Alyssa could think of nothing she wanted more in that moment than to bring him pleasure. She sucked him in deep.

"Jesus," he rasped, one hand falling to caress her hair.

Three raps sounded at the front door.

Marco groaned.

Alyssa grinned at Marco's pained expression. "Just ignore it. They'll go away."

But whoever it was didn't. They banged louder.

"Fuck," Marco said. He pulled her to her feet and tucked himself back into his jeans. Burying his hand in her hair, he devoured her with a kiss.

Alyssa stumbled back a half step when he let her go, lust and amusement leaving her a little off-kilter. "Hurry back."

He grumbled as he jogged to the door. Alyssa plucked a piece of bacon off a plate and took a bite. She turned and leaned against the counter, a smile still on her face.

"Hey!" a voice called in greeting. "Took you long enough. Thought I was going to have to pick the lock."

Alyssa's heart leaped into her throat. Brady?

"Uh, hey. Wow. Sorry. Come on in," Marco said.

Unable to let herself believe what she was hearing, Alyssa stepped into the dining room.

Relief and joy flooded tears into her eyes. Brady was there. Her gaze scanned over him, making sure he was okay, noticing how he'd changed. H was tanned, his light brown hair had blond highlights from the sun, and he looked like he'd lost weight. It made him appear even taller. She couldn't help but smile. Her brother was all right, and he was home.

Without another thought, Alyssa dashed across the house and threw her arms around him. "Brady," she whispered, emotion stealing her voice. "It's so good to see you."