At His Command by Karen Anders

together.” His voice sounded raw and misused.
    Sia dropped her gaze and took a moment to gather herself. Breathing deeply, she wiped at her eyes. “I’m always so damn angry. It serves me well in court, but it’s murder on relationships.” She tried to laugh, but it was half-hearted.
    “We owe it to those pilots, Sia. If they were victims, we need to bring out the truth and put a stop to the murders.”
    She nodded. “We’re in total agreement about that.”
    “About our past, we should bury it and try not to let it interfere with our investigation. I understand how you feel, but you have to abide by the orders you were given.”
    Temper flared in her eyes, but she banked it. “I’ll participate in the investigation.” She didn’t give an inch and he accepted that. They would probably clash again, but for now the storm was over.
    Then without warning her arms went around his neck and she hugged him hard. He stroked her hair and kissed her temple and some of the pain she’d inflicted leeched away.
    Sia was so torn, so confused. Their private and professional lives were at odds, but her emotions—damn, they were making her crazy.
    Dumping on him had been so wrong, but it released a lot of pressure inside her. It was all so much—unburdening herself, trying to reconcile her feelings for him and her anger toward him, then this…overload of sensations with him holding her, caring about her.
    He tipped her head back so their gazes could meet. She trembled a little, wanted to be strong enough to scoot away, but had the presence of mind to finally admit to herself this felt good. It was time they hashed out their past. It was time it was dealt with and then she could walk away and have it resolved.
    They held each other for several minutes. Like a fog settling over her, the gray of his eyes held her steadfastly and all she could think was she wanted to be able to look into his whenever she wanted to. Like this, intimate and personal, or across a crowded room, when nothing more than a quick smile would say everything that needed to be said between them. She had lost that and that loss left a deeper hole than anything else.
    She started to speak, to try to find the words, but he tucked her against his chest then, and she knew there’d come a time when she would say what was on her mind, no matter how painful. Reality had a way of intruding to keep her locked up in a situation that seemed to have no end. But she was on the scent now and she wouldn’t let up until the truth was revealed. She had to have that. Lieutenants Washington and Saunders deserved that. And her sweet, strong, funny brother deserved that.
    It was a just cause.
    When he finally shifted away from her, she only felt it was too soon.
    He kissed her temple, then her cheek.
    His expression wasn’t readable and that gave her pause. “Go and get cleaned up,” he said.
    “Is that an order?” she asked, a smile playing with the corners of her mouth.
    He shook his head and his lips curved a little, too. “Meet me in the officers’ mess when you’re ready.”
    “Should I salute you before I go?”
    In response, he lifted her hand up to his lips, kissing the back first, then the palm, before curling her fingers in to seal it there. It was a simple gesture, both intimate and heartbreaking, and because she wanted to hold on tightly to both of those things, knowing what lay ahead, she kept her fingers tightly curled as he responded.
    “Get going, wiseass.”
    Back in her stateroom, she took a quick shower and dressed in her uniform, eager to get to the mess and food. She was starving. She was also ready to continue with the investigation. She mentally reminded herself to check her email to see if there had been any news from her legalman.
    Stepping outside, she slipped her briefcase strap over her shoulder and turned toward the mess.
    Sia was jostled by several crewmembers as she made her way to the mess. A lot of hungry sailors were crowding the