ETHAN
Two years ago…
VRS Victoria, Purple-Class Command Ship
Location: Need to Know
Two weeks after Ethan had formed a tenuous alliance with Anda, they both watched as Admiral Thomason was escorted onto a helicopter in cuffs. The remaining labs were being shut down by separate teams of agents, and Anda would leave on the next helicopter out, to keep up appearances that she was an actress on the wrong ship at the wrong time, and not an agent.
Marcello still didn’t know his involvement in any of this, as far as he knew, but that would change. They’d already discussed what she would share with Marcello—that Ethan had been working to shut down the labs, and that she had ‘used’ his work to finish the job before he could. It would be a mix of truth and fiction, designed to keep the secret that he knew she was an agent, and the secret she knew about his full involvement in this mission. He trusted Anda to keep his secret, just as she trusted him with hers.
“Meet me in the bay in an hour.”
She glanced over at him, those sinful lips and penetrating eyes meeting his. “Why?”
He’d tasted a lot of those lips over the last two weeks.
Now, he wanted to taste more.
Now, he wanted to tasteeverything.
“You know why.”
Her face didn’t betray her emotions. If he hadn’t been watching her so closely, he might’ve missed the small gasp that escaped her.
“If you don’t stop by, I’ll understand but, if you do come, I want to be clear. I’m not talking about a fling. I’ve never been the one-night-stand type.”
“You live on a ship ninety-nine percent of the time.”
“More like eighty at the moment.” But that wouldn’t be forever, he already knew that. “It’s probably the same amount of time you spend on movie sets and away on missions. Am I right?”
Her lips pursed which, annoyingly, was also sexy.
“Long-distance isn’t easy, but it’s only as hard as we make it. I want to explore things with you, whatever that means. When you leave later today, I don’t want that to be the last time I ever see you.”
She shrugged. “So, it’s about sex. We can meet up when—”
Fucking hell. “It’s not just about sex. It’s about you. We’ve spent two weeks together on the same ship, yet I hardly know anything about you. Yes, I want to sleep with you, but I don’t want our relationship to end at the edge of a bed.”
He dragged a hand through his hair and glanced around. Only a few were glancing their way, but he didn’t want to risk more conversation.
He let out a sigh. “You don’t come to the bay, I’ll understand. But I hope you’ll give me a chance. Trust me, Anda, just a little more. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.”
“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I never do.”
He walked away, then paced the bay during the next hour. He’d never wanted a woman more than her.
What was it about her? She was smart and sexy and confident, and extremely capable at her job. She’d snuck into Thomason’s quarters and obtained secret information that implicated him in everything, and all within a few minutes. Then, she’d flirted with the bastard to keep him distracted while Ethan had sorted through it and determined which ships were still running illegal operations. She’d done it all with a smile and grace and determination…she was a fucking great agent. Valleria was lucky to have her.
He’d be lucky to have her, too, and not just in bed.
He whirled around when he heard the slight creak of the bay door opening.
She locked eyes with him as she entered, then closed and locked the door. She leaned her back against it, her hands behind her. “It looks like my helicopter’s been delayed until tomorrow.”
It only took three seconds for the blood to start pumping to a certain part of his body. “Thank Christ for that.”
