Page 2 of Honor ’N’ Duty

Time for a little Sampson-charm distraction. “What’s your name?”

“Laia,” she whispered between breaths.

Even her name was pretty. “Mine’s Kade. You okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, looking up and giving him an up-close-and-personal glimpse of those gorgeous eyes still brimming with banked fear.

“Claustrophobic, huh?”

“A little,” she admitted, pressing her hand to her belly.

“You’re not going to get sick on me, are you?” He’d said it in jest, but the more she kept touching her belly, the more he suspected she might really heave.

“Well, hopefully not on you,” she answered, and he was rewarded with a hesitant smile. “I was actually thinking that corner would do nicely.” Her face had flushed with what would normally be a pretty shade of pink. Except for the fact that she looked ready to lose her breakfast.

“Why don’t we get comfortable? It’ll help the time pass easier.” He shrugged out of his suit jacket, spread it on the floor, then held out his hand. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened as she caught sight of his holstered gun and badge. “I’m a Department of Homeland Security officer.”

“Oh.” Slim fingers clasped his, sending sharp tingles of awareness shooting up his arm. “But your jacket will get dirty.”

“That’s what dry cleaners are for.” The floor of that elevator could have been coated with mud, grease, and oil, and he’d still sacrifice his jacket in a heartbeat.

That and his father and his grandfather would have smacked the back of his head with a book for ever allowing a lady to sit on a filthy elevator floor. Officers and gentlemen to the core, both of them. To a fault, actually.

“Thank you.” Gracefully, she lowered to the floor, curling her legs beneath her and readjusting her beige skirt as she settled in the corner to face him. Her breathing seemed easier, although she still looked queasy.

“Better?” he asked, sitting and leaning against the adjacent wall.

“Yes, thank you.” This time, the smile she gave him was genuine, but she swallowed hard as she took in the confined space they’d likely be stuck in for half an hour. More, probably.

“You work for this bank, right?” No jacket, purse, or briefcase, and the only thing she’d been carrying was that folder that now lay on the floor. She looked to be in her late twenties and wore no rings. His mind was quick to note that.

She nodded. “I’m an accounts manager.”

“Where are you from, Laia?” Even if he hadn’t been trying to keep her mind occupied, that was a question he would have asked anyway because he truly wanted to know more about her.

“Asbury Park, but my family is originally from Puerto Rico.”

That explained the slight accent he’d detected that only made itself known when she spoke certain words. “I love Puerto Rico.” He stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. “I’ve been there a dozen times for work. I always tack on a few extra personal days to see the sights and have some fun.”

“What’s your favorite place?” She tucked a few strands of long, dark hair behind one ear, revealing a tiny pearl stud in her lobe.

“Hard to pick just one. The Bioluminescent Bay is one of the coolest places on earth.”

“It is, isn’t it?” This time she smiled fully. “Do you know what makes the water luminesce?”

“Dino flagellates. What else? They glow neon blue whenever the water is disturbed.”

“I’m impressed. Most tourists don’t know.”

“I’ve got a good memory for details.” Something that had served him well in the Rangers and later in the DHS. “What’s your favorite place?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” She sat up straighter, her eyes lighting with enthusiasm. “El Yunque, the rain forest. I loved looking at all the animals. The iridescent green and blue hummingbirds, the bats, geckos, and lizards. Once, I’m sure I spotted one of the most endangered animals in the world, the—”

“Puerto Rican Parrot,” they both said at the same time.

“Exactly.” She laughed, sending another jolt of awareness speeding through Kade’s body, this one forcing him to adjust his legs. “There are less than thirty of them left in the wild, all living in El Yunque.”

Laia’s enthusiasm was totally contagious. “Have you ever gone ziplining at El Yunque? Gives you a better chance of seeing more birds.”