Chapter 14
Shannon
The CMA Primadonna is a big, beautiful boat. As Ace and I approach the dock, I’m momentarily mesmerized. It isn’t the size of a cruise ship, not even close, but it’s long and elegant, with several levels, lots of windows, and an upper deck that’s probably amazing in the summer.
Two men rush forward to greet us and take our suitcases, and as we walk across the short gangway onto the deck, sliding glass doors open into a beautifully decorated reception area.
There’s a huge Christmas tree on the left, a stairway on the right, and another set of sliding glass doors on the other side of the boat. We’re immediately welcomed, shown around, and given our room keys, which double as access to getting on and off the boat.
We’re pretending to be a couple on the cruise, which is fine with me, because every time he holds my hand or puts his arm around me, my skin literally tingles from his touch. Plus, we’ve already expressed interest in each other, so it doesn’t feel like we’re pretending.
Everything is so damn easy for us, I can’t help but wonder if it’s like this for all couples. Probably not, because it definitely wasn’t this way when I met Douglas.
“This is beautiful,” I tell Ace under my breath as we take the stairs down to our room.
“Are you glad you came?”
“I guess we’ll find out in the next day or so.”
We unpack a few things in our room, and I look at the two twin beds curiously.
“Aren’t we registered as a couple?” I ask.
“Erik told me it’s a European thing. There was no option available with one bed. The deluxe suites are all booked.”
“Boo.” I stick my tongue out, and he laughs.
“We can push them together if you get frisky.”
“If?”
“You planning to attack me when we turn out the lights?”
“I might.” I love pretending I’m confident about my ability to seduce him. It’s the furthest thing from the truth, but fun, nonetheless.
“I’m looking forward to it.” He grabs me and lightly kisses me. “But we should take a walk around, learn where everything is. The spy in me can’t help myself. I need to have an escape route planned if necessary.”
“Okay, but I’m thinking the main escape route is jumping in the water. Luckily, the shore isn’t very far.”
“True, but it’s probably cold as fuck this time of year.”
We wander back upstairs and find ourselves in what’s called the lounge.
It’s a large room, with windows on both sides, filled with couches, chairs, bar stools, and tables.
It appears to be a place meant for cruisers to gather and/or relax, and we’re immediately approached by a smiling waitress, asking if she can get us a glass of champagne, a cappuccino, or something else.
“I’d love a hot chocolate,” I tell her.
“Two,” Ace adds.
We sink onto a love seat, and I settle against his chest without thinking. I’m about to pull away when his arms close around me.
“You fit against me like you were made specifically for my chest,” he whispers against my ear.
“We do seem to fit together pretty well,” I say. We’ve kissed and held hands and done a lot of talking, but it hasn’t moved beyond that and I’m relatively sure he’s waiting for me to make the first move.
I want to, but it feels like there are so many other things going on, I don’t want our first time together to be overshadowed by anything. Especially not something as serious as this stalker business. Most likely, he feels that way too, but I need to be sure because this is too important.
He is too important.
“Ace?”
“Hmm?” He glances down at me, his deep-set blue eyes meeting mine with the same intensity as when he kissed me at the Christmas market.
“When this is over, whatever’s going on in Cologne, are we going to…stay friends?”
He strokes the side of my face, eyes glued to mine. “I’d like to.”
“Are you leaving as soon as you figure it out?” I blurt. “Because if you do, you might have to hire someone to protect you from me, when I find you.”
He laughs. “I have to leave at some point, but that doesn’t mean I won’t come back. I have to go back to D.C. to figure out what’s going to happen with my current assignment.”
I frown. I didn’t realize he was on an assignment. “Are you AWOL right now?” I ask.
“That’s not what it’s called—I’m not in the military anymore. But yes, essentially, I walked away from a long-term assignment to see what was happening with you.”
“Are you going to get fired?”
“Potentially, but not because I took unscheduled leave. There’s been a lot going on and I don’t know that I like the internal power struggles within the agency. They want me to do something that I have neither the ability nor the inclination to do.”
“Can you tell me what?”
He seems to consider it and then says, “They want me to convince my friend, King Erik, not to do something he needs to do for the safety of his people, and I’m not sure why they think I could or should.”
“Is it something that hurts anyone?” I ask.
“Not at all. He wants to build an intelligence agency within his government, similar to the CIA, so he has the ability to protect his country on a grand scale. I don’t know why our government doesn’t want him to, but nothing I say is going to stop him, so I’m not sure why I’m even there.”
“Are you supposed to tell me these things?”
“No, but I did anyway. I don’t mind keeping secrets to protect people, but what’s happening with this is ridiculous because it’s not really a secret, and it makes me think there’s something going on behind the scenes.
I don’t want anything to do with this particular assignment and Erik has my back because he’s keeping his plans on the down-low for now, hoping the CIA will think he’s put the entire idea on hold. ”
“And if they don’t buy it?”
“Then I’ll most likely get fired and they’ll send someone else to handle it, which won’t be good for anyone.”
I grimace. “Would they hurt you?”
“Not me, no.”
“But your friends in Limaj?”
He nods. “Let’s not talk about that, okay?”
“Why not? This is something important going on in your life, something you’ve let go because of me and I feel bad.”
“I haven’t let it go. I’m in touch with Erik or his head of security every day. With the holidays coming, I’m hoping everyone, especially back at Langley, thinks all of that stuff is on hold until January. It buys me time to help you and gives Erik time to come up with a plan.”
“So, you’re going back as soon as we’re done here?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“Us.”
I blink. “Us?”
“Whether we find your stalker.” He trails his knuckles along my cheek. “Whether you’re still in danger.” He drags them down along my throat, letting them linger there lightly. “And whether or not we decide there’s more to us than just a few innocent kisses.”
It’s time to bite the bullet, no matter how far out of my comfort zone it is. “We both know there’s more to us than that.”
“Yes, but is it enough?”
“For what?”
“To upend both of our lives? To make short-term plans that are going to have long-term ramifications.”
“You think the possibility of us being together, as a couple, is going to have something you would label ‘long-term ramifications?’” I arch my brows at him. “That sounds more like a business deal than a relationship.”
“I just meant there are a lot of things to consider. My job, your job, the fact that we live in different countries, whether or not we want the same things… This could get hella complicated.”
“I disagree.” I take his hand in both of mine and gently splay his fingers. His hands are big and a little rough, as though he uses them for his work. I assume he has fighting and weapons skills, but I don’t want to think about that.
Instead, I think about how it feels when he uses those hands to touch me. How it will feel when his touch becomes more intimate than handholding and stroking my cheek.
“Shannon?”
I’ve been quiet too long, so I bring his hand back to my cheek. “I love the way it feels when you touch me,” I say after a moment. “I love your hands. I know it’s dumb, but just looking at them makes me feel safe.”
I’m dying inside, unsure how to talk like this to a man, especially one as exciting and powerful as this one. But I refuse to stop.
“I didn’t know you ten years ago, but my father did.
For him to invite you to be my date that night, there had to be something special about you.
Obviously, he was right, because the chemistry between us ignited immediately and has remained a gently simmering fire despite the fact that we’ve had no contact in years.
And both of us have had the same memories, the same longings, the same—albeit I’m sure very different in detail—fantasies.
That isn’t a coincidence or something we should take lightly.
I can’t let you go again without at least trying. ”
“I’m thinking the same thing,” he whispers, leaning in to kiss me. Just as his lips find mine, we hear the sound of the sliding glass doors and suddenly there’s noise and a rush of people. The other cruisers are back from their excursion into Cologne and we’re no longer alone.
“Shit,” I mutter against his mouth.
He chuckles. “Don’t worry. We can go back to—”
“Ace? That you, buddy?”