13. Damon
13
DAMON
I knew what was at stake here. And I was complicating matters by wanting her. The last six days had felt like a six-day first date. Like when you are making sure to put your best foot forward.
It was all part of the role. But there was a part of me that was enjoying the time spent with Ari. Sometimes it was far too easy to forget it was pretend.
It wasn’t just the Royal Heart, but our lives too. I’d dragged Ari into this.
She might have been all business, but on my end, there were feelings there that we didn’t need floating to the surface.
The grounds where the auction was being held were spectacular. Lush green lawns led to the stone steps of a mansion that was gothic in nature, complete with gargoyles. The house itself was massive. Three stories and stunning. According to the blueprints, the place had fifty-seven rooms. And all the attendees were either staying in the mansion or in the miniature chalets that dotted the edges of the property. Ari and I would be in one of the chalets... with one bed.
Lucas had already reminded us that once we set foot inside the doors, we were being watched. Hell, we’d thought it was bad back in the city, but now we were in a fishbowl. All guests would be treated with deference and suspicion . We had to act extremely in love, and it would be unwise to assume privacy in our own rooms. Which meant every conversation, every touch, every moment that felt private would potentially be observed.
I strolled around the Rolls-Royce to open the door for Ari, and she placed her delicate hand in mine, the ring on her finger glinting in the late-afternoon light.
A zing of electricity snaked up my spine, worked its way back down, and finally unfurled in my gut. It felt like getting punched in the solar plexus.
Was she the same Ari I’d left behind? She certainly wasn’t a teenager anymore.
How’s ignoring her working out for you?
Not well. Because Ari Denton, or rather Michelle Christopher, was going to be the death of me.
She slid her leg out, and my gaze caught on her taut brown skin. For a second, I let my eyes travel up the length of her calf. The sky-blue ruffle of her dress shifted, giving me a glimpse of two more inches of leg.
God. Get it together.
She stepped out, the movement bringing her body against mine. I forced a grin onto my face, leaned in.
“Showtime?” she asked.
“It’s been showtime,” I whispered against the shell of her ear.
“Only sort of. Tonight you get to find out I’m a terrible bed hog.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“I swear to God,” she said, muttering to herself, then added, “Remember, avoid Contessa Annabelle Bouchon at all costs.”
The contessa. She was the only person on the guest list who might recognize me, from a job in Saint-Tropez six years ago. My only access point to her safe, her husband, had died on his yacht from a heart attack. I’d taken the risk and chosen to seduce her to gain access. I’d covered my scar and worn a prosthetic nose piece, but she was still a risk.
Though not one worth pulling out for.
“I know, my darling.” I wrapped an arm around her waist. “We’ve got this.”
She lifted her chin. “I know that.”
I chuckled and released her, sliding my hand gently down her arm and taking her hand in mine. “Well, angel, shall we?”
She turned to me. “Why must you call me that?”
“Because you’re adorable. And your eyes are mischievous. And you have secret claws you like to sink into me.” I led her along the gravel path.
A butler in full regalia stopped us. “Mr. and Mrs. Christopher, welcome to the Black Rose Auction.”
“Thank you.”
“Your bags will be brought straight to your room. Feel free to join the reception in the sunroom.”
Ari smiled. “Thank you. Do you mind showing me the facilities? I’d like to freshen up a little.”
He smiled and pointed the way. Ari knew exactly where she was going, but she was sliding into her role.
She’d worn her hair up, pinning her long, thick hair up. What I wouldn’t give to unpin it and sink my hands into her soft tresses.
No. No, don’t. That is not what we’re here for.
The plan was for Ari to see how far she could go inside and scope things out while looking for the bathroom. I would head to the sunroom.
At the front door, Ari leaned in and kissed my cheek. Her lips were soft against my skin. I sucked in a short breath, not expecting the contact. “I’ll be back in a tick, love,” she said.
“Yeah, back in a tick.” And I had just that amount of time to get my act together. Because this wasn’t real. And if I lost sight of that along the way, Ari’s life could be at risk.
Ari
I was a fool.
Had I really thought I could do this? The last six days had felt like being on holiday. But tonight, we’d be in the same bed. Just the one.
That was ridiculous. I could still feel the skip of electricity through my body from when he took my hand. Damon was trouble. So much fucking trouble. And then there was the prince. I’d been doing a little digging into him. I liked to know who I was working with... especially when they could get me killed.
I found my way to the bathroom, where Penny met me, sliding into her role. “Oh, hi. I love your shoes.”
I grinned at her as our fingertips grazed and she swapped her midsized clutch with mine. A quick peek inside showed me additional tools they hadn’t been able to camouflage, including the Taser and tiny communications units.
“Thank you so much. I have to say, your makeup is gorgeous.”
She chuckled. “Thanks. I learned early on how to do my own makeup, especially when traveling.”
I nodded conspiratorially as I placed a listening device in my ear. “I know what you mean. That color of blush is just stunning on you.”
“Thank you. You’re so sweet. What’s your name?” Penny asked as though we were complete strangers.
“Michelle. Michelle Christopher.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Penny Walsh, soon to be Winston.”
“Oh my gosh. I guess I should have noticed that massive engagement ring.”
Penny lifted her finger and signaled the code for the antechamber that led to the Royal Heart: 5-2-3-7-4. I nodded my understanding, and then she excused herself.
“Hopefully I’ll see you around again, Penny.”
“Thank you.”
Once she was gone, I adjusted my pendant. It was a beautiful piece, and the camera was state-of-the-art. Technology had made them so tiny these days. Galen should be happy with the images it captured. Thirty seconds later, I followed behind her. I was meandering down the hall as if admiring the artwork but discreetly checking security checkpoints and rotations.
I needed to get as close to the main offices on this level as I could to verify that the information we’d been given was accurate, but I only made it about halfway before a security guard found me. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m looking for the reception. I think I got turned around. Do you mind helping me?” I gave him a broad smile.
He nodded briskly and pointed in the exact opposite direction.
“Oh, I think I turned the wrong way from the bathroom. Thank you.” Then I walked briskly before pausing at a painting. “I’m sorry, who’s the artist of this piece?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I can have the host find you and tell you.”
“I would love that. It’s beautiful.”
He angled his head and gave me another nod that indicated he just needed me as far away from the direction I’d come as possible. Which told me there were things down that way that I would probably find quite interesting. Not my concern though. I had one target, and one target only.
When I located my supposed husband, he was surrounded by women. But immediately, his gaze landed on me and followed me across the room as I snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
He excused himself and found me, then planted a kiss on my cheek and wrapped an arm around my waist. I laid my hand over his and easily passed him the comm unit from the tiny packet I’d gotten from Penny.
He leaned in and kissed my cheek again before brushing a hand over his ear and placing it inside.
Immediately, Lucas’s voice came over the comms. “Mic check, one, two, one, two. Damon, if you can hear me, touch your belt. And Ari, if you can hear me, touch your hair.”
We both complied, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “All right, excellent. You have your assignments. If anything goes wrong, reach out. In the meantime, remember you are being watched. This has got to be as realistic as possible. We go in two nights. So tonight, scope things out the best you can, study your tablets, and maintain your roles.”
With their status as royalty, Lucas and Penny weren’t being as tightly surveilled, but they had to be just as careful. Smuggling communications equipment in must have been a feat.
This wasn’t a joke. I knew it and I was terrified.
As we talked and mingled with the other guests, I was doing a mental check through the guest list. There were diplomats, aristocrats, art collectors, vineyard owners, and more publicly famous people. I met an actor whose movies I’d seen and enjoyed thoroughly. For an action star, he was really short. Barely my height of five foot eight. And I was pretty sure he was wearing lifts.
I’d already caught sight of Reaper, and unlike the last time, he was in nothing but leather. Lord, that man was attractive. I also noted the woman he was speaking to. Juliet Bryson: petite, brunette, beautiful. The vibrant emerald dress she wore was cinched at the waist, giving her great curves.
After an hour, my feet were screaming for a break. I scanned the crowd to find my husband once again, with a woman. One who looked far too familiar with him as she stroked his arm.
Why was this woman eyeballing him like she wanted to eat him alive? I approached slowly, only catching the latest part of their conversation.
“Gareth, don’t you remember we met in Saint-Tropez six years ago?” the woman asked.
He frowned. “I’m sorry, my name is Simon Christopher.”
Damon tried to inch away from her, but I could tell he knew her.
Panic gripped me for a moment as I tried to figure out just what the hell we were going to do about the fact that she recognized him. Or what I wanted to do about the fact that it appeared they’d had some sort of intimate relationship.
Not your circus, not your monkeys. Stick to the role.
We had a problem. And it was currently wrapped around my fake husband.
“Don’t you remember? You used to call me Contessa ?”
He winced, as if trying to place her. “I’m so sorry. I don’t recognize you.”
“And here I thought I was impossible to forget. But you know, I’ve had a little work done, so maybe that’s why.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’ve never been to Saint-Tropez.”
“Listen, I’m not trying to embarrass you here, but I just knew that I’d see you again. We said goodbye against the hotel wall.”
And there it was. Fury unfurled in my gut, and I stepped right up to him, disengaging her hand from his bicep. “Simon, sweetheart, I found the piece I wanted to show you. It’s over here.”
Damon’s gaze snapped to mine, and I could have sworn I saw relief in it.
I turned to the contessa. “Have we met?”
She lifted a brow and eyed me up and down. When her gaze narrowed, I could see the malice in those beautiful clear gray eyes. “Who are you?”
“I’m his wife, Michelle.” I put my hand out, not expecting her to take it.
Her brows lifted. “Contessa Annabelle Bouchon. I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was married.”
“Oh, we just got married two years ago. We’re sort of on our extended honeymoon.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist, and he threw an arm around my shoulders while placing a kiss at my temple. His fingers danced over the skin on my shoulders. “Yes, I just met the contessa. Unfortunately, she thinks I’m someone else.”
I could have given him shit. I could have thrown him under the bus. But despite the pang of jealousy, the twist of anger, the stab that he had been with this gorgeous creature, I knew we had a job to do.
“Oh, that’s odd. Although, I will say, my husband does have one of those faces. There was once a woman in Paris who swore she’d seen him somewhere before. It turns out, she was thinking about that movie star. You know the one in that really dirty Polish movie? Ah, I forgot the title. That guy is a model and an actor. Gorgeous. Except, obviously, Simon here has blue eyes. But I can see the resemblance. It’s in the set of the mouth. The jawline, a little bit. But personally, I think he looks like the model David Gandy. Like a younger version. And also harder.” It was so helpful that Damon had added contacts as part of his disguise.
I gave her a wink and grinned as I lifted onto my tiptoes, asking for a kiss. Damon, of course, obliged, and his lips lingered, stealing my breath for just a moment but long enough to make my brain fog. When he pulled back, I was slightly dazed. It was like every time our breaths mingled, he somehow managed to intoxicate me. Then I turned to the contessa with a sweet smile. “How did you and this mystery man know each other?”
The contessa lifted a brow, her nose slightly wrinkled and her lips pursed. “Well, I see maybe I was mistaken. The man I knew didn’t have a scar and had a more refined taste.”
Damon kept his arm around me tight, and he turned to the contessa. “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, but it wasn’t me. But then, my tastes are perhaps more discerning.”
And with that, he turned me around and deliberately walked us in the opposite direction. I held myself stiffly, but he held me close and pressed another kiss to my temple. “Easy does it.”
He pulled me to the dance floor, wrapped his arms around me, and twirled me around as somebody played the instrumental version of what sounded like a Beyoncé song, but I didn’t make it easy for him. My steps were stilted as we danced.
“You played that well, angel.”
Fury bubble up at the thought of him with that woman. “I played that well? Are you kidding me? The woman was practically draped all over you. We, in case you have forgotten, are supposed to be in love.”
“Easy, hellcat. She’s not remembering that night well. I drugged her, took her to a room, and stole her necklace. I absolutely did not have sex with her. That’s what she wanted and likely what she thought happened, but no.”
“Wow, you are even more?—”
Before I could say anything else, he kissed me so softly my heart ached. But true to form, like most things with Damon, it turned possessive, and demanding. And then he pulled back just when I started to melt. “Let’s not pretend you don’t know who I am. But you can relax. Retract the claws just a little. I never fucked her. She was just trying to get under your skin.”
I refused to admit she’d gotten her wish. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
I twirled out of his hold and headed straight for the balcony. I was jealous. This was the dangerous part. Somewhere between getting to know Damon even better, planning this mission, and sleeping in the same suite as him over the last few nights, I’d forgotten who I was, who he was. I’d started to believe that the kisses and the touches and the looks were real. I was jealous over someone who wasn’t mine and was never going to be.
When I realized he was following me, I stopped abruptly, but Damon took my elbow and dragged me out to the balcony anyway. “You look like you need a break.”
Once outside, he took the signal jammer from my clutch and flipped it on.
When the red light started flashing, I breathed a sigh of relief. I could safely be out here for a few moments. No one could listen in.
“I’m fine. It’s just a lot,” I said as I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
He nodded. “I know.” He cleared his throat suddenly. “Angel, I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I am grateful I’m with you in here.”
I shook my head and sipped my champagne. “You sure you don’t mean to say that to the contessa .” I said her title with enough malice to make his brow lift.
He took the glass from my hand and placed it on the stone balcony. “You know full well I was on a job. I barely remember her, and any part I do remember was for the job.” He scrutinized me closely. “You look tense, angel.”
“That’s hardly fair. I—I am tense. I’m not like you. All these years, you’ve been honing this skill. I have not. And how did you not have a scar when she met you?” My curiosity got the better of me there.
“Scar-filling makeup. Hard to be anonymous with identifiable markings. But I learned to hide it.”
“God, all those years, you never looked back, did you?”
He shrugged. “I thought about you a lot while I was gone. More than you know. I’ve missed you, angel.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “I can’t do this now, Damon. I just... I really can’t.”
“Fuck. I get it. I walked away and didn’t come back. I knew you would blame me for what happened to your father. I thought I was doing the best thing by staying away from you.”
“You didn’t think about how I would feel? You brought my father back to me nearly dead and then left us ! I understood why. But you didn’t come back. You didn’t check on me. You didn’t come to his funeral. I was all alone with Aunt Adele. And to know you were the one he loved the most... that killed me.” I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. “And when you did come back, it was to hand me money and walk away. I needed more than that, Damon.”
He dropped his head into his hands and scrubbed his face. “I fucked up, Ari. When I reached out to Adele, she said you didn’t want anything to do with me.”
My heart cracked in two. “Of course I didn’t. You’d abandoned me. You’d abandoned him . Why would I want to see you?”
He nodded slowly. “I know. I was following protocol. Your father taught me well. I was to stay away from you if anything ever went bad. I did what I was supposed to do, but every damned day, I regretted listening to him. Every damned day, I regretted leaving the first stable family I’d ever known. But I always thought I was doing the right thing. Keeping you safe. You didn’t need someone like me in your life.”
“Right. And now?” I whispered.
“And now, I couldn’t walk away from you if I tried. You deserve so much better. But the only way I’ll go is if you tell me to. I walked away once. I’m not doing it again. Please don’t ask me to tear out my heart again. I can’t do it.”
“I...” My voice cracked. It was too hard to keep the shields up.
His voice was more of a low growl than actual words when he whispered, “Ari Sari.”
Before I knew what was happening, our bodies crashed together and our lips drew together like we were magnets.
Our tongues met, then danced wildly, lips exploring each other hungrily. Damon’s hands were everywhere, pulling me closer to him, his erection pressing hard against my thigh. I moaned softly into his mouth while tangling my fingers in his hair and kissed him back with equal ferocity.
When he cupped my face, he licked into my mouth, teasing me. I was lost in him, melting under his touch. His body was hard against mine, desperation clawing at me.
My hands moved from his hair to his chest. He groaned into the kiss, and his hands slid down my back to my ass.
I moaned into his mouth again, then he broke the kiss and trailed hot, wet kisses down my neck. He nipped and licked at my skin, sending shivers down my spine. I could feel his breath on my skin, his hands squeezing and kneading.
This time, before we could get too carried away, I pulled back, acutely aware of what we were supposed to be doing. “Wait.”
His breath was coming in sharp pants. “Yeah?”
I cleared my throat, trying to stay strong. Kissing him was dangerous to my equilibrium and my sanity. “Um, I think... we need to stay focused. We should go get ready.”
The muscle in his jaw ticked several times, but eventually he nodded. “You’re right. We need to stay on mission. But after, we’re going to have this conversation.”
My brain oh-so-unhelpfully added, In a bed .