9. Damon
9
DAMON
A ri was freaking out.
I knew it from the moment I saw her stiff shoulders and her too-wide eyes after Reaper left us at lunch. It was one thing to imagine being in the field. It was another to be here and face the stark realization that anything could go wrong at any moment.
Reaper had been unsettling. Like the man could peel back your skin and see all of your secrets. I especially wasn’t fond of the way he’d been eyeing Ari.
I wasn’t worried about our covers, but a guy like that could sniff out something being off. We couldn’t necessarily risk it.
We’d spent the afternoon walking the city hand in hand. We saw Six , had dinner in Little Italy, did touristy sightseeing. She’d managed it well enough, but by the time we returned to the hotel, I could see the tension in her face.
This was going to take a toll.
There was a chance I was going to have to go in and do this by myself.
Or maybe you trust her to pull it together.
No. Screw the invitation. I could make it work.
It’s a two-man job for the vault. And that’s just for the vault. Getting out of there with the necklace would take everything and everyone you have.
Lucas would just have to help me out. Because there was no way I was comfortable taking Ari in there. If she was on edge, that would put our cover under scrutiny.
Not to mention this wasn’t exactly a learn-on-the-job gig.
The energy in the air shifted, and immediately my hair stood at attention. I knew she was there, but she didn’t speak.
“Are you going to stare at me all night?” I asked.
She padded into the living room of the hotel suite wearing silky shorts and a matching tank. My gaze swept over her and immediately noted her nipples were hard, and I had to drag my eyeballs away.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” There would be no point in telling her. She’d probably object.
“You’re doing something .” She came closer, and one glance at my laptop made her brows furrow. “The blueprints? You planning on liberating something else from the auction? I thought we were on the same team.”
I glowered at her. “What do you mean?”
“Those plans. You’re going to try to break into the vault by yourself before I get there.”
I hesitated. “What makes you say that?”
“I’m not stupid. That’s a plan for a one-man version of the job.”
“Ari, listen to me. That’s not?—”
She threw her hands up, stopping me midsentence. “God, I’ve been so tense and anxious, worried I’m going to put a foot wrong this whole time, and you’re busy trying to figure out how you cut me out. Why pull me in if this is what you were planning?”
“Won’t you just sit down and stop talking? That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Okay, then tell me, what are you doing exactly? Because to me, it looks like you’re trying to do this job on your own. Which means you’re double-crossing us.”
How could one small woman be so damned frustrating? “Oh my God, three plus one does not equal ten.”
“What?”
“Ari, you were clearly ill at ease today. You were freaking out every time I touched you. We have to be a couple madly in love. You’re not comfortable with me, and I get it. You hate me, and I get that even more. You hold me responsible for your father’s death. Extra got it. I don’t want you to be afraid, for fuck’s sake. Also, after lunch with Reaper, it struck me that you really are just an analyst. I’m coming up with a plan B in case you’re not okay to do this.”
She blinked at me slowly, and her voice was soft and breathy when she spoke. “What?”
I repeated, “Plan B.”
“You’re doing this because you think I’m uncomfortable?” she asked.
“Yes. I’m not trying to undermine you. Trying to crack this vault alone is a terrible idea. It’s a two-man job at best. It’ll take me three times as long alone. But that’s not the point. This plan is making you uncomfortable. Reaper made you uncomfortable? The people there will be ten times worse, with no facade of civility.”
She stuttered, “I-I can do this.”
“Ari, look...” I reached for her, and she skittered back. “See? You’re on edge.”
She chewed on her bottom lip, unable to deny I was right. The action just made me want to kiss her again, so I forced my eyes back to the plans.
“I could certainly use a second set of eyes on how to do this with one man, but I’m not trying to cut you out. I’m not trying to undermine you. I’m not trying to run in and steal the necklace. Remember, I’m working with Lucas. I want the best outcome for this. And taking you in while you’re uncomfortable with me touching you is not a good path to success.”
I could feel her gaze on me for a moment. The side of my face was heating from its intensity. Christ. It was already hard enough, trying to keep all my focus and attention on the blueprints, but when she was standing there looking like the softest material I could ever touch, it was impossible.
Eyes on the prize.
Except Ari definitely was the prize.
“I...” She cleared her throat. “I think we should practice .”
I lifted my gaze. “What?”
“I think we should practice . I was caught off guard today. The reality of it all. I can do this, but I’m not used to trusting anyone. I don’t avoid the field because I’m afraid of it. It’s just easier if—I only have myself to count on. I need time to get used to you as my partner—as someone I can count on. With a little time and prep, I could be ready.”
“Fuck.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “I shouldn’t have kissed you, Ari. For some reason I thought it would help.”
She cleared her throat. “Did that kiss have anything to do with the mission?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, so we should practice then. I wasn’t prepared when you kissed me. So practicing is the only way I’ll get used to you touching me in public. Like an inoculation.”
“What?”
“An inoculation. You expose someone to a virus, and then their body knows how to fight it. Not all vaccines are like that, but you get the idea.”
“You think I’m like a virus? Like a foreign agent?”
“Sort of.” She bit her lip again, and it was so cute, I had to bite back a groan.
“Ari, we can’t do that. I won’t be kissing you again until you ask me to. I’m not going to make you uncomfortable.”
“I’m asking you to now.”
I pushed away from the table. “Ari.”
She licked her lips nervously. “Look, I just need to get used to you touching me, okay? The rest of the afternoon was okay, it’s just a lot. But this is the job and I can do it.”
“This is a bad idea, Ari.”
“It won’t be if I’m prepared for it. I don’t date because I don’t have time. And it also requires small talk and being near people, and it just feels like too much effort for too little return. And for your information, the reason I’m an analyst is because it’s easier and safer with numbers and patterns. People are more complicated.”
“You’re doing just fine with me.”
“I knew you before, so maybe it’s easier to manage with you. Or maybe I don’t feel like I’m managing with you at all. Anyway, we should practice.”
I stared at her. “Ari.”
“Either you kiss me, or I’ll kiss you. And that will be far more awkward.”
She was asking me to kiss her.
This was potentially dangerous. How the hell would she not see right through how badly I wanted to kiss her?
“Ari, if we’re going through with this, we’re going to have to touch a lot . We’re going to have to be in what look like sexual positions. I need to do a lot more than kiss you in front of people.”
She sighed. “You and I have a lot of problems that I don’t want to work out, but I trust you enough to know you won’t deliberately hurt me. So just kiss me already. I just need to get used to it.”
She had no idea what she was asking for. That kiss earlier on the balcony had been for show.
So show her.
I stalked toward her, and even though she was obviously nervous, she stood stock-still. “Remember, Ari, you asked me to do this.”
Was I reminding her or myself? Because I knew that when I touched my lips to hers, it would be a whole hell of a lot more than a kiss.
I closed the distance between us, backing her against the wall. Her eyes widened in surprise, and a small gasp escaped her lips. I leaned in and wrapped my hand gently around her neck, then tilted her head back slightly. Her pulse raced under my fingertips, and I couldn’t help but smile at the effect I had on her.
I lowered my lips to hers, gently at first. But as I felt her responding, her arms wrapping around my neck, I deepened the angle, entwining our tongues together in a slow, wet kiss.
I could taste the sweetness of her mouth, feel her body pressing against mine, and it was like nothing else existed in the world except for the two of us in that moment.
My hand tightened around her neck ever so slightly, eliciting a soft moan from her.
I fisted her hair and changed my angle as I licked into her mouth. The trick of it was, as I pressed into her lush curves and my cock fought my zipper, it was she who was owning me.
I’d meant to show her just how intimate we’d be, to prove that she couldn’t handle it. But when she’d kissed me earlier today, she’d definitely been holding back.
This Ari was all seductress and would have me begging for mercy any second now.
I reached down and grabbed her ass, pulling our bodies somehow even closer. Her breasts were crushed against my chest. Her hands fisted in my hair now, and she kissed me back, her tongue tangling with mine.
An rumble escaped my lips as I picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist and rocked her hips against me. She ground her sweet heat against my cock, and fuck my life, the tingling started at the base of my spine.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Involuntarily, I grasped her, assisting her in rocking against my cock and torturing me. Fuck, this was a recipe for disaster.
I tilted my head down and started kissing her throat, inhaling her scent.
The animal in me growled.
She whispered my name while moving restlessly against me. I didn’t know what was happening here, but I knew this couldn’t continue. I wouldn’t survive it.
Too bad, because she’s under your skin.
I stilled, then set her down on her feet before stepping back. “You think you can handle that, angel?”