Chapter 12
Laura’s breath caught as she walked into the swanky restaurant. If she’d found Drew tempting in board shorts on the beach under a cool sunrise, she didn’t know how to define what she felt for him now in the formal tuxedo.
He stood as she approached the table, coming around to pull out her chair. “You smell delicious, Mrs. Ketterly,” he said softly, his lips brushing her cheek with a chaste kiss. “How’s the ankle?”
She wanted more, wanted to cling, but based on this morning’s experience, she didn’t want to risk it here. “It’s holding up,” she replied, taking her seat. They both needed absolute focus on the job rather than each other. Anything less than one hundred percent and they would deserve whatever Hackett threw their way.
“You look…” Sharp. Handsome as sin. Tempting. “Stunning,” she decided, as he settled back into his own seat across the table. “How was your afternoon?”
“I’m thinking it wasn’t nearly as productive as yours.”
She understood the sub-context and sympathized. How could he not harbor at least a little resentment over sticking with the team plan when she knew how badly he wanted to take on Hackett by himself?
If he only knew how relieved she’d been when Eva had told her about his choice. Feeling another smile spread across her face, she kept it light. “We had fun. More than I expected, really.” And they’d managed to dodge one clear attempt on her life in the process. She’d tell him about that later, when they could laugh about it and not worry about being overheard. Then she recalled the charges they’d racked up from King Street to Market, but it had been such a good, normal time. “I’ll pay you back,” she promised in a low whisper.
“That isn’t something to worry about tonight.”
“True.” She opened her menu when he did, reluctantly taking her eyes off the handsome picture he made. “Have you decided?”
“Not completely.” He rattled off his top choices and suggested an appetizer along with a white wine.
“Sounds good to me.” She wasn’t sure she could eat more than a bite of anything as the nerves jumped in her belly. “What time do we need to be at the theater?”
“We don’t have to go.”
She arched a brow. He seemed to be in an odd mood tonight, though she could hardly claim to know his moods well. Of course they had to go. It was part of the plan. And when they’d completed their round of guarding Aziz, they’d regroup at the hotel Eva had booked for them on the Isle of Palms.
“You don’t have to go,” he clarified.
As if that made it any better. She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as her elation turned to defeat. If she didn’t go, if he didn’t want her to go, it could only mean he had something else planned.
A solitary showdown.
Well, she wasn’t about to let him make that kind of mistake. She raised her water glass and took a slow sip. When exactly had she started believing the hype over the reality? Mr. and Mrs. Ketterly, dressed for an elegant evening, didn’t exist beyond the task at hand. She pressed her legs together, using the revolver strapped to her thigh as a cold reminder of where things stood.
“Laura?”
“Hmm.” She couldn’t meet his gaze, not even when he reached out and lowered her menu. Instead, she watched the people passing by on the sidewalk outside.
“I’m not changing the plan.” He cleared his throat. “I swear. I only want you to be safe.”
His quiet intensity drew her full attention. Her eyes, body, it felt as though even her soul was listening and waiting for him to offer up some great profound statement.
“You’re worried about my safety?”
He nodded.
She realized she wasn’t worried about that at all. She trusted the team, the plan. She trusted him to stick by her and give it a chance to work. When had he become more important? Would she feel this way if they were sharing a meal in a dining facility on some forward operating base on the other side of the world? Her concern for him no longer had anything to do with guilt over what Hackett had done to his life. Nothing to do with her professional obligations. Everything inside her knew this had taken an absolutely personal detour.
It would be best for both of them if she focused on the job and their combined safety.
Anything else was silly. Ridiculous. An unexpected result of spending the day with three women in love chattering about weddings over late afternoon mojitos. Drew wasn’t the unexpected, white knight, love of her life. He was a man who needed her help to restore his life and reclaim his place in the world.
Her dress, his tux, the romantic atmosphere was an act. Part of the job. She had the good fortune to be working with a talented and honorable man, whether or not he wanted to admit it.
She clutched the menu in her lap to control the urge to reach out for him and confess her tangled, roiling feelings. “I don’t want to miss the show.” There, that sounded reasonable. “I’ve heard such good reviews.” Even better and more in character.
“Me too. We’ll enjoy it, I’m sure.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Did you get a chance to speak with your boss?”
Laura nodded. Eva had arranged that with a disposable cell on the drive from Haleswood to Charleston. It had been interesting, if not exactly helpful. Her statement, taken by the sheriff, had been faxed to Ft. Bragg, but she knew there would be serious fallout.
“What happened? They didn’t fire you?”
“Not in so many words,” she said with a smile. “You know it’s more difficult than that,” she added, searching for the words that would tell him the truth and maintain the ruse. “This might not have been the best weekend for us to indulge in a romantic holiday.”
“I’ll take that as a personal challenge.”
“You will?”
“Of course.” He winked at her, gave her the full-blown sexy smile. “I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
“I don’t.” She meant it. No matter what happened professionally or personally, as long as they captured Hackett, she wouldn’t regret a moment of this crazy experience. With him. Startling as it was, she let her mind wander through the minefield of potential desire and disaster as the various courses of their excellent dinner came and went.
What Hackett had done to Drew was unconscionable. Though she and Ross hadn’t really made a mistake with the reports, she knew she’d never feel complete if she didn’t try to make things right and file the clarifications and updates. On top of that, the idea that Hackett continued to betray his country, even ordering an assassination of a future ambassador right here on American soil, was intolerable.
When they left the restaurant Drew took her hand and led her to a waiting horse-drawn carriage. “What’s all this?”
“A little surprise and a little more fun. I figure we’ve earned it.”
She couldn’t stop the smile, enjoying every moment as the ruse spun out. The carriage took them along the Battery where the moonlight painted the water in a pale gleam. “Won’t we be late?”
“We have plenty of time.” He balanced their joined hands on his knee.
“I’m starting to feel like Cinderella.” She blamed the frivolous admission on the balmy night and the last glass of wine.
“As long as you don’t go looking for a prince.” He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“That’s a prince kind of move,” she teased.
“I’ve managed to catch a few movies along the way,” he admitted. “Are you smitten yet?”
“Definitely.” Whether he thought she was playing along or sincere, it felt good to admit it. When they reached the theater, he helped her down, kept her hand in his as they joined the crowd milling around. She spotted Aziz immediately and squeezed Drew’s fingers.
But Drew’s gaze remained on the other side of the room, locked with Hackett. She rubbed Drew’s arm, then brushed a bit of lint from his lapel. They had to stay cool and maintain the pretense. After all, this was the heart of the plan, to bait Hackett into action.
“Give him enough rope to hang himself, darling,” she murmured at Drew’s ear. She focused on smiling at the people milling around them. Somewhere nearby, Ross and his team had the situation covered.
She and Drew had the one thing Hackett couldn’t anticipate: effective backup. Ross’s team would soon tip the scales in their favor and Hackett’s days of treason would come to an end.
***
Drew wished he had more details on Hackett’s attempt on Laura earlier today. From what Nicole had relayed through Rick, it sounded like a half-assed attempt to get under her skin.
Now, staring at the man, he wasn’t so sure.
Despite the plans and contingencies, Hackett being here didn’t feel like a good thing. Having Aziz standing right in the middle of the lobby surrounded by innocent bystanders felt even worse. When Hackett initially contracted the hit, he’d requested it look like a random crime.
He’d come to watch his hit man in action, which was what they needed, but Drew had to wonder if Hackett suspected the pending double-cross. No, Drew decided, taking a calming breath. There was no trail, not a single shred of data linking either Andrew Garner or Thomas Ketterly to the assassin Hackett thought he’d hired.
Today’s contact and confirmation had been designed to give Hackett confidence and Drew had to have faith that ploy was working.
“I should kill him and be done,” Drew grumbled.
“Think of the plan,” she scolded, smiling up at him as if he’d made some delightful observation.
“Think of the tax dollars saved,” he muttered.
“Fair point,” she allowed, tugging him away. “But let’s find our seats anyway.”
A happy usher led them to a private box with a perfect view of the stage. “Wow,” Laura breathed when they were alone. “Remind me to thank Allie and Ross.”
“No kidding.” They had the high ground at last. If he only had a rifle, Drew could pick off any member of the audience at any given time. He looked over his shoulder at the curtain draped across the entrance to their box.
“Can I trust you to stay put for five minutes?”
“Where would I go?” he asked innocently. That earned him her arch look, an expression he shouldn’t enjoy quite so much.
This was the plan and his pretend wife was armed, trained, and there were other experts close by keeping eyes on her. He had to trust them to carry this out the right way.
“If he so much as touches you, I’ll kill him.”
The words came out a little stronger than he’d intended. Her lovely hazel eyes went wide, then filled with amusement. She bent down, giving him a terrific view of her cleavage above the soft, pale green fabric before distracting him with a quick, hard kiss. “That might be the sweetest thing a man has ever said to me.”
Startled by that reply, he let her go without another word. The lingering floral scent of her perfume was his only company in the box while he waited. She had to get out there and be bait. If Hackett got impatient and made a move on her, there would be one more nail to pound into the legal coffin and keep him buried.
Sitting back, he perused the program, watched the seats below fill up, and waited impatiently for the signal that Ross had captured Hackett.
At the first high-pitched scream from the lobby, he jerked in his seat, along with everyone else. Adrenaline firing through him, he clutched his phone, imagining how it was playing out while he waited for the theater security team to announce the all clear. Instead, a fire alarm went off. A surge of worry, strong as an electric current and nearly as debilitating, flooded his system. The fire alarm hadn’t been part of the plan.
The fire doors dividing the lobby and theater slammed shut. No! Separating him from Laura was not the plan at all. Hackett had improvised—Drew felt it in his gut. He rushed out of the box, knocking over the usher making sure everyone evacuated.
Ignoring the shouts behind him, he searched for a way back to the lobby. Below him, the theater patrons obediently cooperated with the ushers, moving hastily toward the exits.
He would vacate the building only when he and Laura walked out of here together. He pounded down the wide steps and skidded to a stop at the nearest door. He yanked, swore, and rattled, but it wouldn’t give.
No windows meant he had no idea what kind of trouble she might be dealing with on the other side. Ushers hollered at him, running at him from either side.
Drew darted into the nearest row, racing toward the center aisle. There had to be another way back to the lobby. At the very least, an exit closer to the front of the theater. He slid, struggling for traction in the smooth-soled rental shoes.
He would not allow Laura to deal with Hackett alone. Teams and plans were all well and good, until someone screwed up. He charged up to the stage, remarkably empty, darting around set pieces as he aimed for the wings closest to the lobby. The red exit sign glowed like a beacon and he headed for it at full speed.
Each choice and detail about tonight’s plan flashed through his head. Every single option suddenly felt like a dreadful mistake. No earpieces meant he was severed from Laura, with no hope of an immediate update. The phone, which should’ve been enough, wasn’t. What had they been thinking to play this so casually?
He burst through the emergency exit and out into the thick humid air of the Charleston evening. Determined, he ran for the front of the building, dodging and weaving around confused patrons and costumed actors clogging his path.
She wasn’t here. He resisted the swell of panic as he scanned the groups being urged away from the building to make room for emergency personnel.
She wasn’t here.
It should have been a simple thing. The fake bullet in Aziz would appease Hackett and mark phase one of their plan complete. But getting a visual on Hackett amid the evacuating crowd proved impossible as most of the men looked the same in dark formalwear at night on the congested street.
Feeling choked, he tugged at his tie, let it hang loose as he unbuttoned his collar. Best he could tell, Laura and Aziz were still inside. It was the only answer. Blind to everything but his purpose, he started up the steps. A uniformed man tried to turn him away and Drew threw a fast, hard jab. The man dropped to his knees, clutching his bleeding nose as Drew marched on.
Through the glass door, he finally spotted Laura. On her knees, administering CPR to a man on the floor. Aziz. Relief that she was safe swamped him. He rushed to her side before anyone else could stop him. “What happened?”
She only shook her head, counting compressions. “Are the paramedics here?”
“Not yet.”
“He’s going to make it.” She breathed into Aziz’s mouth. “He is going to live, damn it.”
Slowly the rest of the scene registered in Drew’s mind. The pale green of her gown was stained with blood, probably Aziz’s. One man held pressure on a leg wound while two others stood guard along with the theater security staff. Another long minute passed before paramedics rushed in, relieving Laura of the medical responsibility.
He pulled her close, offering his handkerchief to wipe away the blood on her hands. “Hackett?” he whispered at her ear.
She nodded, her full lower lip caught in her teeth. “I pulled the fire alarm when… when he…”
“Good thinking,” he said, drawing her away from the scene one cautious step at a time. “Put this on.” He handed her his jacket to cover the blood on her dress.
“He’ll live,” she said. “He’ll live.”
He guided her away until Nicole, dressed as a theater usher, pointed them toward the box office. “This way,” she said.
They followed her into the office and right on through the emergency exit door. She handed them a key. “Room 304 at the Francis Marion.”
“Where’s Hackett?” he demanded.
“We’ll find him.” Nicole gave them another nudge. “Ross is on the phone with his friends in CPD. Be careful.”
***
Twice on the short walk, Laura tried to explain how it all went wrong, but Drew shushed her. Her ankle was killing her in these heels and she couldn’t quite muster up enough temper to offset the pain.
“I should’ve put a bullet in him,” she muttered, plagued by defeat and exhaustion. Drew had been right all along and she just kept leading him the wrong way. “I’ll call it in, drop a net over the city.”
Drew stopped short, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her. Hard. Different from that wondrous kiss on the beach, but she didn’t mind…until he released her. Then she had something new to think about.
The litany of questions cycling through her head shifted from Hackett’s bizarre behavior to questions about Drew. His motives and plans. His thoughts about her. About them. If such a term even applied to this situation.
They made it to the Francis Marion without incident and Drew hailed a cab. She didn’t give voice to any of her questions, although having him silence her with kisses made it more than a little tempting.
He tucked her close to his side as he gave the cabbie the name of their last hotel—on the Isle of Palms. She nearly laughed. Of course he wouldn’t stay where Ross wanted him to stay, though right now she was happy to leave downtown far behind.
“Send the text that you’re okay.”
She pulled the phone from her evening bag and did as he asked, then tucked it away again. The trip was over in fifteen quiet minutes. He paid the driver and then helped her out, keeping his arm around her as they entered the hotel lobby.
The chill of the air conditioning crept under the collar of his coat and raised goose bumps along her nape. She snuggled into his embrace, the strength of his arm making her feel sheltered. Protected. Not that she really needed protection. How had she never recognized that a part of her wanted it?
He opened the door to the room, checked that the tag he’d left was still in place and no one had entered the room since he’d left, then brought her inside.
She stopped in the small space and leaned back against the wall. The adrenaline high was kicking in and the best, most logical outlet was standing just out of arm’s reach. “If I say something stupid, will you kiss me again?”
“I’d rather skip the stupid part.”
“Really?” She’d prefer the more direct route herself.
“Do you want me to kiss you?”
“Desperately,” she confessed. He raised an eyebrow and she laughed. “But we should probably sort out what happened first.”
He must have considered that stupid because his mouth covered hers so fast it stole her breath. Lips parted, she welcomed the hot sweep of his tongue into her mouth. The warm scent of early summer clung to his skin, enveloping her as his breath became hers.
She arched against him, sliding her hands up to his shoulders, across his broad back. His fingers dug into her hips and she felt a mirroring desperation in his touch, felt the hard ridge of him at her center as he pulled her hips to his.
He pulled away, his eyes searching her face. “What are we doing?”
“Everything.” She licked her lips, savoring the taste of him. “I hope.”
“Wait.”
He stepped back and pushed his hands through his hair. It might be stupid, possibly selfish, but she wanted those hands back on her body.
She slid out of his tuxedo jacket and handed it to him as she moved into the room.
“What are you doing?”
“Not waiting.” She reached back and pulled down the zipper that ran from her shoulder blades to the end of her spine. Only the thin straps kept her dress from falling to the floor and giving him a full view of the lingerie she’d splurged on this afternoon. “Not talking.”
“I need to know what happened,” he blurted. “You were right.”
“Right now?”
He nodded.
She should’ve known. More, she knew better than to push aside the mission for the sake of temptation. They were role-playing the husband and wife thing and the natural chemistry enhanced the act. The adrenaline of squeaking through that encounter, of saving Aziz—she had to believe they’d saved him—was something better managed with a clear head and a concise conversation. It wasn’t wise to let loose her passion for a dangerous man she didn’t really know.
Except, watching Drew’s cautious approach, staring at the open collar of his formal white shirt while he settled in the chair at the desk, she thought she knew him well enough for tonight.
She knew the things that mattered. Whatever he’d had to do, she didn’t blame him for surviving. The world happened. Bad things happened because good and bad people made mistakes out of greed or charity, joy or despair. Circumstances didn’t define people of character and integrity.
He had both in spades.
Laura trusted her well-honed instincts. She trusted him, despite the questions and skeletons lurking in his past. He’d shown her time and again he had a code of honor anchored to a solid moral foundation. Whatever actions he’d been forced to take hadn’t killed the root of whatever made him a good man.
“You went out to the lobby,” he prompted.
“Yes, I went out,” she repeated, “per the plan.” She slid out of her strappy heels, the sparkles on the straps glinting in the light. Drawing up her sore ankle, she started to rub at the achy spots.
“Here,” Drew scooted forward on the rolling chair and held out his hand for her foot. “Keep talking.”
It was a challenge with his hands on her skin. “It’s not as bad as last night. The ache is right… there.”
“I’ve found it.”
Had he ever. It was as if he’d flipped a release valve. Her whole body seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Whoa. Thanks.”
“Hackett,” he said, his voice curt.
“He was still in the lobby, watching Aziz and everyone who came within arm’s reach of his entourage. When Hackett moved in, I couldn’t intercept Aziz as planned.” She paused for another long sigh of relief. Drew’s hands were pure magic. “Then I caught sight of Hackett’s gun.”
“He gave up on the assassin.” Drew’s eyebrows pulled together in a small scowl aimed at her foot.
“Just like you said he would. I couldn’t get a clear shot at Hackett, so I pulled the fire alarm.”
“You made him miss.”
She shrugged. “It was the only option. The chaos must have been too much for Aziz, though. While they were evacuating, he clutched at his chest and slumped to the ground.”
“His heart should be fine. He’s not much older than me.”
“Stranger things have happened.” Had definitely happened, if she only counted events since finding Drew in the City Market. “I should have just shot Hackett.”
“Now you sound like me.”
“That’s not such a bad thing, you know.” Thinking more clearly now that blind desire had been dialed down a bit by calm discussion and his comforting massage of her ankle, she realized how much she meant it. “You have more than a few good reasons to want him dead.”
“Did you hit your head tonight?”
“Stop. I feel almost normal again.” She held his gaze for a long minute, memorizing those serious blue eyes. “What now?”
“We wait for an update from Ross.” He tilted his head toward the phone on the desk. “They’ll let us know when they catch Hackett.”
“I should’ve followed him, but Aziz collapsed and…” She paused, gathering her thoughts, weighing the impact. “I figured you wanted Aziz to live more than you wanted Hackett to die.”
He kept his eyes cast down at her foot, but she caught the telltale twitch in the muscles of his jaw, the fleeting tension in his hands that transmitted to her foot. Unsure how to interpret it, the heavy silence pressed in on her. “Was I wrong?”
“No.” He looked up and she leaned back from the sharp awareness in his blue gaze. “Aziz is in perfect health. The heart attack is a ruse. Has to be.”
She knew there were drugs that could simulate a cardiac incident. “Why?”
“Who knows?” He shrugged and pushed to his feet. “We made a mistake tonight inviting Hackett to the hit.”
“But you wanted to bring him out.”
“Yes, but the mistake was sending you to the lobby alone.”
“Ross and his team had the bases covered.” She shifted from the bed to the chair he’d vacated, catching her dress when it slipped from her shoulders. Tucking her feet under her, she watched him stare out into the darkness beyond the sliding door.
“Not nearly.” He pulled open the door and the sound of the ocean, the cool night air flooded the room. “You’re a loose end. I’m an idiot, putting you right in his path.”
“Then we’re all idiots. We all agreed to take this route.”
He turned, temper and frustration rolling off him in waves as endless as the ocean outside. “I knew his routine. I could’ve acted days ago.”
“Why didn’t you?”
His shoulders hitched and his eyebrows snapped together. “Damned if I know.”
She pressed her lips together, refusing to blurt out her theory. Oh, she was sure he wanted Hackett dead, but she had a sneaking suspicion Drew wanted more. Having seen him in action, she knew it would’ve been relatively easy for Drew to kill and walk away. But she thought he wanted to see Hackett behind bars, exposed and punished as a traitor as much as she did.
She suspected that end goal had become more important with every hour Drew spent on American soil. She believed he intended to clear his name, but if Hackett didn’t survive the process, he wouldn’t have felt a moment’s regret.
“Tell me about Aziz.”
“Why?”
“Humor me.”
“I’d rather do more than humor you when your dress is sliding off your body.”
“You had your chance at me and decided to talk.”
“I’m not going to have another chance?” His lips twitched and he tapped his chest with a finger. “Makes me an idiot.”
“You’ll get no argument from me,” she said, laughing just a little. “What’s different about Aziz?”
“Was I supposed to let Hackett just drop him the way he’s taken out everyone else who stood up to him?”
“No. Which I suspect is one reason you didn’t kill Hackett days ago.”
“One reason?”
She nodded. “Now quit dodging the question. What is Aziz to you?”
“He’s the eldest son of the man who saved my life. The man who was later identified as me during the investigation. His family nursed me back to health. He took over when the Americans left the area. He used the business model we gave them to keep his family out of trouble, away from the illegal operations. That isn’t easy.”
“Not at all.” Corruption was an ever-present problem in the world, but in certain areas it was simply the way life worked. She started to piece it all together, recalling the information from the old file in the new context of what she was learning about Drew. “You became a son.”
Drew shrugged that off. “I did what needed to be done.”
“With the end goal of finding and stopping Hackett. You’re working with Aziz. The two of you created an opportunity and gave Hackett the target he couldn’t refuse. You’re in it together.”
“Yes,” he admitted.
His gaze locked with hers, and she knew he waited for her disapproval. He’d have to wait a long time. “That was really smart.”
“What?”
“You heard me. That was smart. I’m sorry I blew your original plan.”
“I blame Carpenter.”
“Fair enough.” She couldn’t quite smother the grin. “Where do you want to go from here?”
“If I know Aziz, he’ll do as we planned and get himself declared dead.”
“I know someone in that theater saw Hackett pull the trigger.”
“Which means he’s probably off the radar by now.”
“You underestimate Ross’s team.”
“Teams have always let me down.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Isn’t Aziz a type of teammate?”
“He’s family.”
Laura snorted. “Family is a type of team.”
“Maybe.” The confusion clouding his face made her want to soothe him. “I’m not really a team player.”
“You clearly don’t want to be convinced,” she said. “I’ll just point out that you didn’t know Nicole caught that picture of you. I’m confident Hackett won’t know he’s been tailed by the Cypress team.” She stood up, holding her dress in place. “I’m going to change clothes. We should get some rest before Ross calls with a new plan.”
“I can end this tonight,” Drew said pointedly.
She shot him a glance over her shoulder, felt the heat in his eyes as he watched her. “You try a move like that, and this won’t end the way you hope.”
“Might be worth it.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels.
“As much as I understand the sentiment, I won’t let you make me an accessory to murder.”
“Not a team move?”
She shook her head.
“All right.” He took a step toward her. Then another. “Will you kick me off the team if I do this?”
She felt the heat of his body against her exposed skin, but the only contact was the brush of his lips against her nape. It caused a delicious skip in her pulse. “That might be construed as a stupid question.”
“Promise?”
She stood there, pleasantly immobile while he pushed the straps of her gown off her shoulders. As the fabric puddled at her feet, excitement and anticipation surged through her system like lightning.
“Turn around.” His rough voice rasped across her senses. She obeyed, gasping at the stark need in his vivid blue eyes.
She wanted to do this fast, before she could obsess or over-analyze the moment and ramifications. Instead, he seemed to move in slow motion. His gaze cruised over her body, setting off sparks from her head to her toes and back up again.
“You’re stunning.”
She shook her head in denial. Between the cool air and his hot gaze her body trembled, a manifestation of her own sudden uncertainty. She must look ridiculous wearing only ivory lace lingerie and the gun strapped to her thigh.
He took her hands and pulled her forward until her breasts rubbed the crisp fabric of his shirt. She tipped her face up, inviting his kiss, thrilling when he indulged her, claimed her.
When he abruptly pulled away, the fear of disapproval came roaring to the surface. She would not be denied this time.
But he’d only paused to turn her until she faced the mirror.
“Look at yourself.”
She didn’t want to, tried to look anywhere but at her reflection. She knew what she’d see: breasts too small for her fuller hips and thighs. She was in good shape, she liked her body, she just never thought of it as ‘stunning.’
“You steal my breath, Laura.”
His words whispered across her skin, sank into her heart. She was in over her head.
“You just like the gun.” She felt ridiculous, exposed, and suddenly too fragile while he remained fully dressed behind her.
“I won’t deny it adds a little something.” In the mirror she caught his wink as his hands cruised over her body, dipping low. His touch was light and teasing as he traced the edge of the holster. “May I?” He touched the handle of the little revolver.
The potential embarrassment over the strange situation faded quickly under his tender hands. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from their reflection, her temperature rising with every beat of her pulse.
He stilled, waiting. “Laura?”
She nodded, understanding. He was asking about more than just the gun. He withdrew the revolver and set it aside, his fingertips trailing fire across her skin as he explored her curves. Finally, she couldn’t take anymore teasing. She turned, kissing him and giving herself completely to him and the moment.
***
Drew stroked the supple skin of Laura’s shoulder, his mind a perfect blank. The night air chilled the sweat on his skin but did nothing to cool his desire for the woman tucked close to his side.
He stretched and shifted just enough to catch the sheet and draw it up over them. It was too much work, would take him too far from her, if he got up and closed the balcony door. The soothing sound of the waves nipping at the beach would lull him to sleep soon enough. But he felt bad when she trembled and he felt the chill on her skin. Rolling out of bed, he closed the door and after indulging in one last look at her tangled with the sheets, he turned off the light.
Though he tried not to disturb her, the minute he was in the bed she scooted closer, wrapping one of her long legs with his and laying her hand right over his heart. Something shifted deep inside him, not unlike the peripheral rumble of a passing train. He’d convinced himself that he’d forgotten how to care for someone—anyone—but somehow when his well-fortified defenses encountered Laura, they’d crumbled to dust.
Situational awareness was key to survival. It applied to dangerous field work, but he wasn’t sure how to apply it to a woman as capable and tempting as Laura Talbot.
Staying together wouldn’t be easy. He wasn’t sure it was even possible. Hell, he wasn’t sure she’d be up for that. He wouldn’t blame her for wanting to be rid of him as soon as the adrenaline wore off.
Christ, when had he become so emotional? They’d had sex. Great sex, but still. A one-night stand had to be exactly what she needed. She’d said no regrets, but that was about the case, before things had turned… physical. He stared across the dark room thinking he should’ve left the door open, because he’d never get any sleep at this rate.
He ran his hand over her hair, smoothing it behind her ear, praying sleep would come soon and save him from his risky, sappy thoughts.
But what if? What if the great sex and chemistry between them caused her to think about more... more of whatever came after a one-night stand? Although he hadn’t been thinking of her in those terms when he’d kissed her.
It was damn strange that having Laura beside him made him think about how it might be to have her in his future. She felt so right, his entire system felt relaxed and loose. And hopeful.
He couldn’t be sure where she’d draw the line, how much she’d weigh the things he’d done in recent years against him. They both knew he was no prize, despite the occasional ‘prince’ move in a carriage, but maybe…
They didn’t even know if he had a future.
Maybe there was something more to strive for. A relationship. He wasn’t certain about what he could offer her, but it was an intriguing concept. And it was the first time since he’d been back on his feet that he’d given serious thought to a goal beyond bringing Hackett to justice.