Giving It All by Arianna Hart Page A

high school. The kind of smile that said he liked what he saw and wanted to see more of it.
    Never in her wildest fantasies did she think he’d give her that look. And to say she looked hot in her yoga pants, well, hell.
    Breathe, Elyana. He probably gives that look to every female he sees.
    He didn’t mean anything by it. It was just habit. Grant had been a charmer his entire life. No female was immune to his attention. He flirted with the ladies of the Garden Club and the toddlers in Sunday school.
    Dear Lord, if he was back in town for good, the ambulance service was going to be busy rushing the female population of Dale to the emergency room for possible heart attacks. Ellie snickered to herself as she got up from her chair. If she was going to meet Grant at one o’clock in the morning, she’d better get busy now. She had a ton of work to do and probably wouldn’t be in any shape to do it tomorrow.
    Grant heard Ellie creep down the stairs. She was quiet, but not silent. If this were a real op, she’d have already blown their cover. Of course, if this were a real op, he wouldn’t be trusting his six to a civilian accountant.
    Real or not, getting ready gave him a kick of adrenaline he hadn’t had in a long time.
    “Grant?” Ellie whispered loud enough to be heard twenty feet away.
    “Here.” He stepped out of the shadows. He checked her outfit and had to smile at what she considered appropriate for clandestine operations. She wore another pair of those tight, stretchy pants, a long-sleeved black shirt and black flats. Her outfit was more appropriate for a day in New York City than breaking and entering, but at least it was all black.
    “Geez, I didn’t even see you. You about scared the life out of me.”
    “You’re not supposed to see me. C’mon, I want to be back before Mom wakes up.”
    “Yes, sir.” She headed to the driver’s side door.
    “Don’t start it, just put it in neutral. I’ll push it out of the driveway and you can start it when we hit the street.”
    “That’s like fifty yards away. How are you going to push a car that far on this driveway?”
    “It’s a two-door Sentra. I could do this in my sleep. Go.” Or he used to be able to do it no problem. His team had pushed many a stolen vehicle much farther than fifty yards. “Turn off the interior light and don’t close the door all the way.”
    Ellie shook her head but did as he directed. Good, he didn’t want her to see him struggle. The gravel driveway would work against him, offering poor footing and too much friction to keep the car rolling. He was stronger now than he’d ever been, but it was mostly upper-body strength, and for this he needed to use his legs.
    As soon as he heard Ellie put the car in neutral, he began to push. For agonizing seconds, nothing happened. He would not panic, he could do this. Digging in with his good leg, he got the car rocking a bit and then it began to roll. The gravel crunched underfoot as he pushed forward, but it wasn’t stopping him. Effort is the difference between victory and defeat. In the back of his mind, he could hear his BUD/S instructor barking at him as he took every step.
    Just keep going, put out or drop out.
    He was surprised when the car hit the pavement and began rolling quickly and easily. Without wasting time congratulating himself, he ran for the passenger door and hopped in while the car was still moving.
    Ellie’s eyes were enormous as she looked at him settle in next to her. “I can’t believe you just did that and barely broke a sweat.”
    “I told you, no problem. Wait until we get to the corner and then start the engine.”
    Damn, it felt good to be in control again.
    “You used to do stuff like this all the time?” she asked as she followed his directions.
    “When you’re in enemy territory, you don’t always have the luxury of reliable transportation, so sometimes you have to liberate it. If you’re going to steal a truck, it isn’t smart to start it in