Rhys shrugged while I attempted to tell myself that I didn’t find Paintball Rhys sexy as hell.

* * *

Standing in the clearing where our paintball exercise had begun, I grinned at the sight of my colleagues covered in paint. The only teams who remained unscathed were Rhys and I, Jackson and Camille, Xander and Laura, Stuart and David, and Ben and Nick.

Everyone else had been shot.

Jackson grinned at the red team. “Well done.”

“We had a great team leader.” Xander patted Rhys’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Jackson chuckled, “we’re all surprised the ex-professional boxer whooped our asses.”

Rhys shrugged, a slight smile curling his lips. My eyes zeroed in on his mouth, as Jackson’s voice grew muffled.

“Are we all set?”

“Huh?” I asked, dragging my gaze and thoughts off Rhys.

Jackson gave me a knowing look. “I said, now that the team exercise is over, let’s just play.”

My heart dropped. “As in … no rules. Just …”

“Play until we’re exhausted? Pretty much. We booked the outdoor grounds for three hours, and Rhys led the red team to victory in thirty minutes. We might as well get our money’s worth.” Jackson lifted his gun. “You all have ten seconds to get your ugly, khaki, no-good keisters out of here before I cover your cargo pants in paint.”

Laughter filled the woods at his Home Alone reference as we took off toward the cover of the trees. This time, knowing Rhys was the enemy, I went off on my own.

Pain flared in my shoulder, and I cried out, realizing I’d been hit. Spinning around, I saw Pete aiming at me with his stupid overpowered gun, a calculated look in his eyes. Just as he was about to fire again, red paint splattered all over his visor.

Then just all over him, period.

Glancing around, I found Rhys, standing behind a tree, gun aimed at Pete. His head turned toward me, and he winked.

I grinned. Grateful.

Then I shot him.

Rhys looked down at his chest in apparent shock, and I threw my head back in laughter. It cut off when he lifted his head, eyes narrowed in determination.

Oh dear God, what had I done?

With a yelp of apprehension, I spun around and bolted through the trees. I half expected to feel the sting of shots across my back, but instead I heard racing footsteps.

Oh hell!

A strong arm caught me around the waist, a heavy weight propelling me toward the nearest tree. At the last second I found myself turned and pulled into Rhys’s arms as we collided with the trunk. He wasted no time pushing me against the tree as he ripped off his mask. Determined heat filled his beautiful green eyes as he gripped the bottom of my mask and gently took it off.

“What are—”

My words were lost in his kiss.