His body burned up with desire.

They just had to get through this before Ash gave into his baser instincts and, for the first time in his career on an active tour of duty, mixed his army life with his personal one.

Every time he thought he was back in control, Fliss slipped beneath the surface and unraveled him like a kitten would toy with a ball of yarn. Suddenly, he didn’t want to fight it anymore. He wanted to know how it would feel to give in—just this once—and steal one perfect kiss from those plump, quivering lips.

One kiss.

No, he’d survived ambushes, engaged in fifty-hour firefights and fought with the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. He’d pick any one of those over letting this woman get close enough to sneak behind his armor.

Just one kiss.

It was a constant battle between his baser instincts and his brain. Only an animal couldn’t control their baser instincts, he warned himself contemptuously. Besides, this woman could hurt him more than any enemy could.

But just one kiss.