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He rubs me over my panties.

My eyelids flutter closed.

Desire threatens to overtake my senses.

So I go with it. Let out a soft sigh. Dig my fingertips into the fabric of his shirt.

Let him think he can win my loyalty through sex. That means I get to have him again. And that’s worth anything.

He pushes the fabric aside and teases me with one finger. Then two.

Fuck, that feels good.

I reach for him, but he grabs my wrist to stop me.

I let out a soft whimper. It’s more vulnerable than I intend it to be. Which is strange. How can he bring out this softer side of me?

No.

It’s good. That’s what he wants to see. Who he wants me to be. “Please.” I let that same vulnerability drop into my voice.

“Please what?” he asks.

“Fuck me.”

He smiles we both know that’s not why you’re here. He removes his hand from where I want it, but he keeps his other firmly around my wrist. “You can stay for dinner, but your bag stays in the safe.”

“How about a full cavity search first?” I suggest, but there’s no defiance in my voice. My entire body is screaming hell yes.

He smiles. “If you want to take off your clothes and bend over, I won’t stop you.”

My blood flows south. My thoughts dissolve

When did he get so good at this?

“Don’t make me demand the purse at gunpoint.” Humor drops into his voice. “It’s bad enough I haven’t offered you a drink yet. My mother won’t let me hear the end of my lack of manners.”

I almost smile at the memory of his mother. We met once. She liked me. And I liked the way all his weaknesses were on display in their dynamic.

But not as a spy.

As a person who wanted to know where he hurt so I could avoid his bruises.

I push that aside. Stay focused on the fact he’s threatening to shoot me.

“You carry a backup now?” I ask.

“Maybe,” he says. “Maybe not.”

I could call his bluff, but who knows what else he’ll do to drive me out of my mind.

I can only take so much anticipation.

I rise to my feet and drop my purse on the ground next to him. Then I start on him. My own pat-down.

His neck, over his chest, his stomach, his back, his hips.

He looks down at me as I drop to my knees.