FIVE
“Edgars. Jeremy and Sydney.” Con slapped a sappy smile on his face and stared down into Sophie’s eyes. “Mr. and Mrs.”
The woman at the hotel desk made a sound of appreciation for his little performance. Sophie looked shell-shocked. Who could blame her? Besides telling her that she was posing as his bride, he hadn’t warned her how far he’d go to pull this off.
While the clerk checked them in, Con slipped a hand around Sophie’s back.
She stiffened at his touch but allowed him to lean in close. He dipped his nose to her throat and took a big whiff of that perfume he couldn’t stop thinking about.
She squirmed but that only played to the amorous moment.
“You smell amazing,” he murmured, suddenly unable to stop breathing her in.
When she lifted a hand and cradled his jaw, a dart of desire hit him square in the groin. And why should he be surprised? Sophie was a beautiful woman. She was single. And it had been a long time since he had a woman in bed.
He brushed his lips across the pulse in her throat, and she issued a low humming noise that only amped up…well, whatever she was doing to his body.
She tipped her head up to his and darted a little sideways look at the clerk. “Honey…we should take this to our room.”
“Of course, doll.” The words rolled off his tongue with far too much ease. Considering that he’d been watching her sleep and thinking that she had doll-like features, his choice of endearment wasn’t surprising.
He stepped back but kept his hand on Sophie’s spine. The minute he dropped his face to her neck, his cock was throbbing hard. The urge to yank her into him—and show her just how this could be—became an internal struggle.
Damn, he needed to ask for extended leave ASAP. Acting for the sake of this op was one thing. Acting on his own desires? Quite another.
He twisted to look at the clerk. She smiled and nodded at him, pushing a card with an access code across the desk to him.
He thanked her and shifted the strap of his duffel bag over his shoulder in a secure position before he bent to pick up Sophie’s bag. “This way, my bride!”
They didn’t take two steps before Sophie was calling out his behavior in a hiss. “Don’t you think that was going a little far?”
The notes of her perfume tormented him as the air conditioning in the hotel wafted it right at his face.
“We have to make everyone believe we’re who we say we are,” he whispered back.
As they moved toward the elevators, they passed a large atrium with huge plants native to the area. The big windows stretched across the ceiling, opening the space up to the blue sky.
Sophie slowed her steps, head tipped back and an expression of awe on her face. “Your…employer…sent us here ?”
“I’m willing to bet the room has better furniture too. We’ll explore later.”
They passed through the space that held a bit of the tropical heat and seemed to unleash the full impact of Sophie’s perfume.
He had to get her to the room. Get some space. Clear his head.
Once they entered the room, she let out a strangled noise. Her hand fluttered to her chest, and she stared at the light, airy space. “Oh my god! This is our room?”
She drifted through the spacious suite, her steps quiet on the marble floor. Turkish rugs in deep hues of red and blue broke up the room into smaller areas and invited them farther in. He dropped their bags and trailed behind her, taking in the luxury accommodations while experiencing her delight.
They passed a sitting area with a cozy sofa that was low to the floor in a warm brown leather. Glass doors showcased one hell of a view and something that made her gasp.
“A private pool?”
“Pretty sure the government wouldn’t have chosen that. My guess is whoever booked the room got the last one available.” The deep blue tile of the pool made the water into a turquoise mirage.
They stood there a moment, soaking it all in. Then, at the same time, they turned to face the bed.
The king-sized bed.
The ornate headboard and high-end bedding in calming shades of white and tan didn’t make the bed any less of an obstacle.
“One bed.” Sophie’s throat worked on a delicate gulp.
He caught her stare. “We’ll create a wall down the middle with pillows.”
“If we’re sharing a bed, I’d at least like to know your first name.”
“Ryan.”
She nodded, folding one arm across her body and pressing her fist to her lips. She swept into the adjoining bathroom and let out a little cry.
“Con! You have to see this bathtub!”
He followed. That space was even more opulent with marble vanity tops and double sinks sporting gold taps. The serene colors against the deep sapphire blue tub made it stand out as the crowning jewel.
She switched on the tap and gave a little squeal of delight as water flowed from a faucet designed to mimic a waterfall.
When she straightened, she caught his gaze on her. Whatever she saw on his face made her freeze.
His stare lingered on her mouth. The plump rose pout had been driving him crazy since the plane. Now her lips parted on a silent sigh.
A long heartbeat pulsed between them.
Sophie broke the moment. “I’m sure we have details to settle before we get to work.”
He gave her a no-nonsense nod like he would give to any of his men. She was no different from the men he served with or anybody else he worked with to ensure the country was a safer place.
Only the crystal chandelier caught the warm brown hues of her hair, she had a banging body…and she smelled like heaven’s own candy store.
Swinging out of the bathroom, he strode to the front of the suite where he’d dropped their bags. He snatched up his own and carried it to the table for two set in front of the glass doors, ignoring the backdrop of Istanbul and a private swimming pool on a terrace that was cantilevered off the side in an infinity pool.
In swift, economical movements, he unzipped the bag and located what he was looking for.
Sophie followed him and stood two feet away, watching him. When he held out a card to her, she accepted it. Their fingers brushed in the exchange, which had his body aware of her all over again despite his determination to keep their dealings professional.
She looked down at the card in her hand. “A fake ID.”
He nodded.
“Where’s yours?”
“In my wallet. In fact, give me your real ID. I assume you brought it?”
She nodded and unzipped her purse. She passed him the ID for safekeeping, and he took it outside.
“What are you doing with it?” She rushed after him.
He pulled out a lighter and held the flame under the card until her name and images melted off.
“Is that necessary? How am I going to drive?”
“I should have thought of you keeping it before now.” He continued to melt the plastic until it was warped and unreadable, then he tossed it in the outdoor fireplace near the pool. Later, he’d light a fire and finish it off.
“What about your real ID?” she asked.
“Don’t have one.” He swung to face her, debating how much to share. But if she was to trust him implicitly and without question, he needed to show her some trust too. “To the world, I’m dead, Sophie.”
She blinked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“My SEAL team is black ops. Deep black ops. As in six feet deep.”
Her stunned expression and the way her lips popped open propelled him closer.
Then the warm breeze washed over her, sending the notes of her perfume dancing into his head.
In one step, he brought his body up against hers. She gasped even as she went on tiptoe to meet him halfway.
He hadn’t kissed a woman in a long time, but the minute his mouth brushed over hers, he knew it was the biggest goddamn mistake of his life.
Because he was never going to get enough of her.
The drugged sensation in his veins spread through every corner of his body. When she hooked her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts against his chest, they shared a moan.
He took advantage of her parted lips by swiping his tongue across the full bottom one. Fuck. She even tasted like heaven.
He was, in military terms, FUBAR’d.
* * * * *
In Con’s strong arms, Sophie felt completely safe. In her new reality of jet-setting across the world, deciphering cryptograms that may or may not lead to a future bombing and melting IDs, she clung to him like a tree to the ground in a hurricane.
The feel of his mouth sent need skittering between her thighs. And his hands roving down her sides to latch on to hips, that she always thought to be a little too wide only set her on fire.
His tongue swept over hers, pulling groan after groan from her. He walked her back into the suite, and she just knew if she didn’t stop this, they’d wind up in bed together.
Her body was totally on board. Her logical brain told her it was a terrible idea. They had to work together, and look how things ended up with Benjamin. Not that she’d be winning any awards “out from under” Con, but she knew better than to get involved with a man that…
Well, he was hot. And smart. Masculine as hell. And the best kisser she’d ever had the pleasure of kissing back.
When he slid his hand up her spine and plunged his fingers into her hair, he tore from the kiss and buried his face against her throat. She angled her head, inviting him closer though she knew with every pulse in her veins that this couldn’t happen.
He fastened his lips on her earlobe and sucked it lightly. Liquid heat soaked her panties, and her nipples pinched into pebbles.
“Sophie…god, you’re delicious .” He spattered kisses up her throat to her jaw and around to her mouth.
She twisted into the kiss, deepening it by stroking her tongue over his. The growl rumbling through his broad chest was the best response she’d ever received.
Running her hands down his back, she drank in the hard planes of muscle riding under his shirt. What would he feel like naked? Against her?
Inside her?
With a gasp and some supreme willpower, she broke the kiss. She cast a glance around for any form of distraction that would keep her from ripping off her clothes and riding him into the beautiful Turkish sunset.
Her gaze landed on the pool, shimmering beneath the bright blue sky.
“Maybe we should…cool off. Take a swim.”
“Great idea.” He promptly whipped off his shirt and tossed it toward the lounge chairs. It slid to the ground with a careless whisper.
Wow. Tattoos.
Her insides clutched at the new view before her eyes. Ryan Constantine.
Her first thought was he was bigger than she thought. The second was that all those beautiful tattoos were just begging for her tongue.
They were doing this.
Were they doing this?
Not to be outdone by any man, she gripped her hem and pulled off her top too.
The brush of her hair cascading around her bare shoulders and tumbling down to the tops of her breasts made her even more aware of how long she’d gone without being touched by a man. If they went through with this, her Friday night special of a toy and some lube were never going to be enough.
His eyes were hooded but didn’t mask the dark depths glittering with desire. “I don’t know when I’ve wanted a woman this bad.”
Her breath caught. “I know I’ve never wanted a man this bad.”
The corner of his mouth hitched into a bad-boy smile that sent her reeling. Her hands lifted like someone else held puppet strings attached to them. When her palms stretched over the warm, velvet steel of his pecs, she let out a mewl of need.
He yanked her flush against him and kissed her until she was dizzy. Until she’d never be able to think straight again. Forget the cryptogram—she didn’t know her own name, and she’d never be able to read it on her destroyed ID anyway.
She kissed him back with a fervor she’d only heard existed until now. When he cupped her breast and swiped his thumb over the stiff point, she knew she was a goner. Swim or not, she’d never cool down.
Reaching for his belt buckle, she began to navigate the very foreign territory of undressing a man she hardly knew. But Con had no trouble unhooking her bra or divesting her of her loose pants.
She kicked off her shoes and stepped out of her clothes, leaving her standing in her underwear. Thank god she never bought cheap, ugly undergarments and preferred the beautiful French brands. Surviving in a man’s world and knowing what she wore underneath her suits and stuffy blouses gave her a small thrill that few would understand.
She dug her fingers into Con’s shoulders and grazed her teeth across his jaw, which yanked a growl from him. He dropped a hand between them and finished with his fly that she’d forgotten to unzip the minute her clothes fell off.
“Sophie. Christ. I need you.” He took her hand and pressed it over the open V of his jeans. Over his long…thick…hard… Did she say long and thick? She did. Her mind looped as she learned his size and shape.
Would all that fit inside her? She was going to find out—to hell with coworker boundaries. He was different from her colleagues. After this was over, she’d never see him again.
She slid her palm down his length, feeling his cock stretch as though trying to fit her hand.
He ducked his head to her throat again and kissed and sucked until she shook with desire.
When he released her to remove his boots and shuck off his jeans, her mouth started to water at just how good he looked. This couldn’t be happening—not to her. She was a nerd. She didn’t get guys like Con.
I’m about to.
Before she could catch her breath, he stepped out of his boxer briefs, picked her up and jumped into the pool with her in his arms.
She sputtered at the shock of water, though it was warm from the sun. Con pinned her to the side of the pool and claimed her mouth once more.
She looped her arms around his neck and levered her body into his hard erection, wishing she’d had a chance to remove her panties before he threw her into the pool.
Suddenly, the kiss slowed. He lifted his head and looked at her.
Some of the sexual haze in his eyes flowed away. “What’s different about you?”
She blinked. Her academic mind cast around for answers to his question. What was different about her now that she was wet besides her hair hanging around her face in thick, soaking wet locks?
All at once, it struck her. The perfume she’d spritzed on in the airplane bathroom.
She’d thrown it in her bag as a last-minute impulse. Then applied it on the plane because she felt tired and grubby and thought it may energize her.
“Oh god.”
His gaze locked on her. “Sophie.”
“It’s…I mean… It’s a natural mistake.”
“What is a natural mistake?” He bit off the words through his teeth. Water beaded on his neck and shoulders, reminding her all too well of what they’d been so close to doing.
When she didn’t answer, he growled, “Sophie.”
In a rush, she explained. “It must be my perfume. It’s a pheromone perfume.”
“What does that mean?”
“I bought it because I was thinking about going on one of those dating sites. You know, getting out there again. I thought the pheromone perfume might make things easier, give me a little jump on dating.”
“What is it supposed to do?”
She peeked up at him. “Simulate human pheromones that attract a person to another person.”
“I see.” His jaw flexed so hard she waited for a popping sound as it snapped.
“I’m sorry, Con. I didn’t actually think it would work.” But of course it had. A beautiful god of a man like Ryan Constantine couldn’t possibly want a mousy bookworm like her otherwise. Her ex had pounded that into her brain time and again with his cheating.
He drifted toward the steps and hauled himself out of the water, leaving her to stare at the perfect planes of his backside she would never get a chance to grip in the throes of bliss.
There went her chance.
It was probably for the better.