Page 109 of Hot & Heavy

He shrugged. "Those days are long gone."

"Really?" She sidled up closer to him so that her breasts pressed against his chest and he felt her breath close to his chin.

"Really," he said and put her several feet away from him.

He could tell she was shocked. It wasn't the first time she'd tried to hook up with him since her divorce, but it was the first time she'd gotten this close. "Is there someone else?"

He didn't even have to think. "Oh, yeah!"

"You loved me once."

"I wonder."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means, sweetheart, that now I've found the real thing, I think what we had was a poor imitation. In fact, I have a lot to thank you for."

She folded her arms over her chest, probably embarrassed and angry at the same time.

"I think Maddie is the first woman I've ever really loved. Oh, and did I mention, Maddie is my wife."

Jennifer looked as if she might say something nasty to him, but she spun on her heel and stormed away.

He did not care, not one bit.

As he walked toward the exit, his cell phone rang.

"Mac?"

"Yeah."

It was Geek.

"If you ask me if I know what my wife is doing, I think I might scream," he teased.

"She's gone," Geek said without preamble.

"What do you mean, 'gone'?" He raked his fingers through his hair and felt like pulling it out by the roots.

The woman just could not stay put.

"I think she was taken," Geek went on.

The blood drained from his head and extremities and he had to lean on the wall for support.

The other guys came up beside him, noticing his distress.

"I was in the office," Geek continued. "You told me the danger was over hours ago. Then I heard your car come into the garage, and I heard Maddie talking to someone, then the sound of the door closing and the car taking off."

"It was not my car," he said icily.

"I know that now. I saw the license plate. It had New York plates. I called you as soon as I realized, what happened. Dammit, Mac, this is all my fault. I wouldn't blame you if you recommended me out of SEALs. What a fuck-up!"

"Take it easy, Geek. It's more my fault than yours. If I had come home right away, or if I'd taken her along like she wanted, none of this would have happened. I'm on my way home. Call the commander and tell him to send some of those CIA super sleuths, as well. They claim they can track anyone. Let's hope that's true."

Ian hung up and looked at his buddies. He didn't have to explain what had happened. As they made plans to go back to the base and regroup while he returned home, there was only one thing Ian could think: Where are you, Maddie?

If only she had her favorite sword…