Page 5

She really is, though. This thing is an absolute death trap. Does she even have any life jackets?

“Aye aye, captain,” Tahnee said, snapping a sloppy salute. “I’ll brush up on my maritime law.”

“See that you do.”

The world seemed to come to a halt as Robb stared into her deep, dark eyes, knowing that he needed to either arrest her or find an excuse to get out of there, but unable to do either.

He’d just gone against everything he stood for. All his training, the oath he’d sworn when he joined the Agency – apparently it all meant nothing in the face of one beautiful woman with the courage of her convictions. He admired her. He wanted to be with her. He never, ever wanted to see her again.

How am I going to go back to work and act like this never happened?

He was dimly aware of a chanting sound in his ears, and he dragged his attention back to reality long enough to realize that everyone was counting down the seconds to midnight.

It would be the perfect time to slip off the boat and disappear. Not that he particularly wanted to jump into Sydney Harbour, either, but he felt like it was the least he deserved after fucking up this mission so spectacularly.

Tahnee counted down toward zero as she turned to look out over the revelers, her cheerful voice carrying over the crowd, seemingly not having a care in the world. And maybe she didn’t. Someone who could be so cavalier about whether or not she got arrested was obviously operating on a different level to someone as by-the-book as Robb himself.

Grabbing on to her party hat and straightening it up before it could slide right off her head, she turned back to Robb, her eyes bright.

“Five… four… three…” she whispered.

Robb gazed at her, unable to make his mouth form even the simplest of words, and she continued her countdown without him.

“Two… one.”

Her lips were on his before he knew what was happening, and he didn’t know what was more surprising: the fact that she’d just kissed the guy with a diametrically opposed worldview who’d been chasing her around the city, or the fact that the kiss crackled with an electricity that could only mean one thing.

He was so astounded that he couldn’t even think straight, but his dingo had no such issues.

Our mate! it howled. Our mate is here! We have found her!

Yeah, Robb thought dazedly, even as he found himself kissing her back, feeling the warm softness of her perfect mouth, his arms wrapping around her, his hand snaking up into her hair to cradle the back of her head. Yeah, we sure have.

It was a long moment before he realized that the fireworks going off were literal, not metaphorical, and the world was lit up with a shimmering gold that penetrated his closed eyelids, the sounds of exploding gunpowder and delirious cheering and Auld Lang Syne ringing in his ears.

He kept his eyes closed a little longer, willing himself into ignorance so that he could enjoy these few precious seconds of perfection before reality came crashing back in, melting into his mate’s embrace, feeling her lips against his own.

But he was nothing if not practical, and after a few moments he pulled back.

This absolutely could not happen. Would not. Tahnee might have been his mate, and it might have been something that a part of him wanted more than anything else in the world… but it was impossible. He’d already gone way too far even before they’d known they were mates, and now there was no choice but to cut ties entirely.

They really should’ve sent someone else for this mission, he thought dazedly as he stared into Tahnee’s eyes. She looked just as shocked as he felt – but then, her expression changed to one of understanding.

This has to end. Now. If I stay with her tonight, I’ll never leave.

“Wow,” she said, sounding a little breathless – though she was obviously trying to cover it up. Her pupils – just visible against the near-black of her irises – were dilated, though, her pulse jumping in her throat, and there was no hiding that. “Here I was trying to lure you close enough to kiss you with my little ‘oh go on then, arrest me’ routine, but it seems like the clock did the job for me.”

Her hand was still resting on his chest – Robb hoped to God she couldn’t feel how fast his heart was beating.

“Get out of here, before I change my mind,” he muttered, even as the dingo howled in confusion.

Tahnee nodded – and then, she darted forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek. Even that brief touch burned in the most beautiful of ways, and it was all he could do not to grab her, throw her over his shoulder, and take her below deck. Not that he thought she would let him, given how fiercely independent she obviously was.

“Bye, Robbo,” she whispered in his ear – and then she was gone, sauntering along the deck as if nothing unexpected had just happened, the crowd parting for her like the Red Sea as she twirled her YEAR 2000! glasses.

Wait. My YEAR 2000! glasses, Robb thought, as he raised his hand up to his face to confirm that they were, in fact, gone. When had she even taken them?

She turned briefly, and, with a smirk, slipped the glasses on while staring straight at him. It was clearly equal parts an invitation and an attempt to piss him off: When you’re ready, come chase me again. I’ll be waiting.