Seized (Hostage Rescue Team Series, #7) Read Online Free Page A

and fallen in love with over the past year. So stupid of her.
    One-sided love was the worst and she had nobody to blame for this situation but herself. Looking back, Sawyer had never given any indication that he wanted anything more than friendship. But he also hadn’t discouraged her when she’d begun flirting with him after he’d broken up with his ex-fiancée. It had given her hope.
    And then he’d gone and kissed her. To shut her up.
    The humiliation was almost as painful as the ache in her heart. Since that day they hadn’t said a word to each other.
    Normally they exchanged e-mails, texted or talked on the phone at least once a week, even before his breakup with Trina. Just checking in with each other, sharing jokes, talking about their favorite TV show. They used to text each other after every episode on Sunday nights to discuss the zombie apocalypse neither one of them could get enough of. Other times she’d tell him something funny about her day, maybe something her mom had done.
    So many times she’d thought of him these past few months, picked up her phone to shoot him a message and then remembered they were no longer close and stopped herself. Since that shut-up-kiss, there’d been total radio silence from him. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to reach out now.
    “Have you guys eaten?” Ethan asked her and Marisol, steering them both to the table where some of his teammates sat. Carmela knew them all, since they’d been to her mom’s place in Miami back in June for a cookout.
    “No, and we’re starving,” Carmela answered. She took a seat in the chair Schroder pulled out for her, and after they gave their orders, set about making small talk with the guys until the waitress brought their food out.
    She ate her spinach salad with bacon and barbecued chicken in silence, painfully aware that Sawyer was now seated at the far end of the long table. He just had this...presence about him that made him impossible to ignore.
    When she glanced up and caught him watching her again, she quickly averted her gaze. It hurt way too much to look at him. The small, white gold crucifix necklace he’d given her last Christmas seemed heavy against her skin. It was such a sweet gift, something beautiful just from him and a respectful acknowledgment of her Catholic faith, she couldn’t bear to take it off even if they weren’t on speaking terms anymore.
    Ten more minutes, she told herself. That was all she had to get through. She’d finish her meal, put on a smile, say goodbye to everyone, and catch a cab back to the hotel where she could finally relax. Maybe she’d go down to the pool and soak in the hot tub for a bit.
    Suddenly Sawyer got up and rounded the end of the table. A quick glance his way warned her he was headed straight for her.
    Her stomach fisted tight and she had to force the bite of salad down her throat.
    He dragged a chair over from the next table, insinuating himself between her and Marisol. She stiffened as he swung it around and straddled the seat in a casual, masculine pose, resting his thick forearms along the back.
    Close enough that there was no way she could ignore him without coming off as a total bitch in front of the others. Then they’d all know something was up and wonder why, and Ethan would start asking questions she’d be forced to lie about.
    No thank you. Right now her brother was too wrapped up in Soli to notice something was wrong between her and Sawyer and she hoped it stayed that way.
    Sawyer’s big frame seemed to take up all the space beside her, making every cell in her body vibrate with his nearness. His clean, citrusy scent teased her, his sheer size and presence making it impossible to avoid looking at him. When she finally glanced over and met that espresso-brown gaze, a jagged pain tore through her chest. God, the sight of him was like a punch to her senses.
    “Hey,” he said softly.
    “Hey,” she answered, her tone wooden. She would be polite,