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What are those reasons again?
Teeth sinking into her bottom lip, her eyes flying over my shirt, as her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, had me remembering why we did our best never to be alone together in private.
Is today really Valentine’s Day? I went to reach for my brother’s dog tags around my neck, then lowered my arm. I couldn’t bring them with me since I wasn’t there as Oliver Lucas, but as Joseph James Jendell. What a name Mya had come up with. I was only surprised she hadn’t added a Junior at the end just to fuck with me.
“You know, Julia did a hell of a job teaching you to become a photographer.”
That was not what had been on her mind. Not even close. “I feel like there was a compliment somewhere in there for me.” I smiled, but my fingers itched at my sides to reach for her. To curve my hand around her waist and draw her against me.
“How much longer are we going to do this?”
There was that sad tone of hers again. The one that crushed me. As one of the strongest women I’d ever met, whenever her confidence slipped, it gutted me. But we were all human, and moments of doubt could infil the toughest of us all, even Mya. I just planned to always be there to tip her chin up and remind her she was Mya-Never-Surrender-Vanzetti.
“Which part? The cover story? Or the not touching each other?” My heart skipped right up into my throat as I waited for her answer.
“Both?”
The little break in her voice had me taking a few steps away so I was out of reach. If she wanted us to behave, even in private, I’d respect that. It just hurt. Like a motherfucker. Emotionally and physically.
“Oliver?” She wet her lips, and the way she said my name sent the blood rushing straight to my dick, leaving none left in my other head.
“Huh?” I blinked, my gaze riveted on her lips, which were the same tone of pink as the blush dusting her cheekbones.
“We’ve made it two months without misbehaving?” She’d somehow turned her statement into a question, but what was she asking me?
Seventy-six days since we’d been together. Not that I’d been counting. I mean, clearly, that’s a lie. I’m counting. Right down to the painful minute.
“Mya?” My turn to say her name back to her, and hope it’d have the same impact. That she’d be ready to say screw it and, at the very least, let me hold her in my arms. I’d take anything from her. Call me a golden retriever, I didn’t care.
“What if I was wrong, and the tension between us will be what blows our cover?” She closed her eyes, bringing her hand to her forehead, pushing at the skin there as if she had a headache. “Maybe we should get it out of our systems before we snap in public. Hopefully afterward we can behave again until the?—”
“Tension mounts?” I swallowed, doing my best not to breathe too hard, say too much, to not scare her off.
“Right.” Light, nearly mahogany-colored eyes landed back on mine.
My attention slipped down, right along with the bead of sweat rolling between the valley of her breasts, disappearing beneath the dress.
“You don’t have condoms, right?”
Her words redirected my eyes up. “You said we shouldn’t carry them to reduce temptation.”
“You never listen to me.” She gave me a hesitant smile and a little shoulder lift. “I’m hoping that’s the case now.”
I contemplated my next moves. None of which involved leaving this suite without having this woman come at least three times. But first . . .
I extended my hand. “Come here.”
She slowly accepted my touch, and in contrast, I quickly, but gently tugged her against me.
“We’re going to get through this,” I said into her ear as I held her tight, her cheek to my chest.
As much as my dick wanted more, all the other parts of me needed this moment with her safe in my embrace. To feel her big, beautiful heart tangled with the beats of mine.
“We’ll be okay,” I added. “We’ll take these pricks down and everything will be good. All this effort won’t be in vain.”
It was a long-ass op, and we’d thought we’d come close to a meeting with Hugo Soren in Paris, but it’d been a no-go. Same thing happened in Yemen, but nope. “Third time’s a charm.” I pulled back and framed her face with my big hands. “And with any luck, this new story we’re working on will draw him here, and you won’t even have to flirt with the guy.” And I won’t have to break cover and kill him for staring at your ass.
That diplomat we’d interviewed had no idea how close he’d come to having an artery or two severed with how much he’d ogled my girl. Pretending to only be “work friends” with Mya for this assignment had tested my control on so many levels.
