Page 8 of Palace of Betrayal

Leo knocked the lamp from the table with his hand and it crashed to the floor as she cried out, her knees buckling as he held her to him for support. Withdrawing his hand, he leaned in close to lick the taste of her from his fingers and she shuddered.

Bending close to her ear, he whispered, “Don’t toy with me, Bebe. I’m not the man for that.”

With those words, he backed into the bathroom, leaving her legs weak and Bebe wondering what the hell had just happened.

Three

León rolled over, his back cracking from a night spent on the couch in his own bedroom. He groaned as his mind flashed to last night and everything that had happened. When he’d come out of the bathroom last night, after a very cold shower, Bebe had been asleep. He’d felt like a creeper as he’d watched her for a moment but he’d wanted to see if she was awake so he could apologise, but she was either out or a damn good actress.

She hadn’t been acting when he touched her though, nobody was that good. Rolling to his feet, he speared his fingers through his hair as he noticed the empty, perfectly made bed. He hadn’t heard her get up, which was unusual. After years in the army, he hadn’t thought anyone could get the jump on him, but she had. He didn’t know if that was a testament to her skills or if he’d let his own get rusty.

After a quick shower and change into jeans and a pale blue shirt, León headed for the main living room. He still needed to apologise but for now, at least, it would have to wait. They had a show to put on.

The smell of coffee hit him as he entered the main living area. Bebe was sitting on his balcony in a short, black silk robe, her feet up on the balcony, her long and shapely legs on display. The vision made him pause as she looked out over the vista of fields in the distance to the left, the ocean to the right. It was still early, the air just starting to warm the sand-coloured stone of the streets of his land as if bestowing a gift.

It was hard to see the woman he knew her to be as he watched her. A killer, a dangerous deadly accomplice in this game they were playing to try and weed out a traitor. All thoughts of lust left his body at the thought of someone close to him being the culprit. When his butler had come to remove the lamp last night, a man he’d trusted fully, he found himself looking at him differently.

Bebe leaned back, looking over her shoulder at him, a smile touching her lips. “Are you going to come out and talk to me or do you have voyeuristic tendencies I need to know about?”

He hated that he didn’t know if it was genuine or not. Forcing a relaxed smile, he moved toward her, resting his hands on her shoulders, and leaning down to drop a kiss on her upturned mouth. It was meant to be light, but the second his mouth found hers, it was like a fire was lit in his blood.

His tongue explored her mouth, and he felt like he’d never get enough of her taste. Bebe sighed, her hand finding his neck, and he knew she could feel how wild his pulse was as he struggled for control.

Pulling back, he searched her eyes for the answer and found only the same desire reflected back at him. “I’m sorry for last night.” His voice was barely a rasp as he spoke low against her neck, so nobody else would hear his words.

“It’s okay, I was partly to blame.”

At her words, he felt lighter. Not that his soul would ever be clean again after the things he’d seen and done in the army. Yet Bebe made him feel hope. After less than twelve hours, he felt she understood him more than anyone else. Perhaps because they were the same in many ways.

León took the seat opposite her as Bebe dropped her feet to the floor, crossing her legs. She was totally make-up free and looked fresh-faced and more beautiful than she had a right to at this early hour. It was barely seven and she was up and ready to take on the day. He liked the quietness of early mornings until the small sounds that the world was waking up greeted him. The peace allowed him to mentally ready himself for the day ahead.

Pouring coffee from the carafe that was delivered every morning by his butler Hans, he watched her as he took a sip. “Did you sleep okay?”

Bebe nodded, her head tilted as she watched him, her gaze confident and bold. He felt like every secret he had was being uncovered, pried from his mind without a single word from her.

“Pretty well actually. Your bed is the bomb.”

León felt his lips curve. “The bomb?”

“Yeah, you know, awesome, amazing. The bomb.”

León lifted his chin. “Ah, I see.”

“So, what’s the plan today?”

He knew her words were directed at the plan for her to get to know people and plant her own bugs and cameras. “I have to meet my father at eleven for a short meeting with his advisors on foreign affairs and then I’ll give you a tour of the property. After lunch, I thought we could go visit the orchid farms.”

“That sounds lovely. Shall I wait for you here?”

“No, I’ll let security know you’re free to walk around the gardens.”

Bebe finished her coffee and stood, stretching her arms over her head and sighing. He watched her long, lithe legs and the sweet curve of her ass as she walked away and wondered if he’d survive this mission without succumbing to her magnetism.

“You know, you could come and help me pick out something to wear instead of just ogling me.”

León jumped to his feet, eager to play the role of a besotted boyfriend if his reward was that he got to look at her without censure. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her close, bending his head to her neck and inhaling the sweet seductive scent of her, his mind remembering the honey taste of her on his fingers last night. “Need some help getting dressed?”

Bebe chuckled, a deep intoxicating sound, but her expression told him she knew this was for show so the person listening believed their cover.