“There’s no one here.” Should she admit her mistake? She never felt so foolish as she did with him.
She gestured to the mannequin on the floor. “I thought someone was in the room when I came in, and I mistook the mannequin for a real man. Go ahead, laugh it up.”
His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open as he took in the scene—her with a pistol, and the lifelike mannequin on the floor. Then, his lips curled up, the skin at his eyes crinkled and a silent laugh shook his body, followed by a real one that was hearty and full.
He pressed a hand to his stomach, his eyes closing and his back arching, then bending over as the laughter came forth in full force.
Though she had told him to laugh, she didn’t actually want him to do it.
She holstered her gun and crossed her arms while she waited for him to finish.
After several moments, when it was clear he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, she turned and started walking out of the room.
“Wait! Wait, I-I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m really not.” He started laughing once more.
“Ethan!”
He tucked the gun behind him and approached her, pulling her into his body as his humor at the situation receded. It felt nice to be held by him laughing, even if he was laughing at her.
“I’m not laughing at you.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Yes, I am.” He started again, but it was a more muted chuckle.
“You could have made the same mistake, you know. I’m not on the top of my game right now.”
His smile died instantly. “I know. You need to get your head examined and cleaned. You might have a concussion.”
Mission first, she nearly said. “Not yet. If you really meant what you said about coming with me, then let’s search together. The two of us can find the people behind this faster than each of us on our own. Besides, it’ll be easier for me to keep an eye on you.”
“That was going to be my line.” He brushed back some of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. The last time he’d done that, they’d been in bed together. It seemed like ages ago, almost another lifetime.
She went solid at the sound of voices down the hall. They were just murmurs, but they were growing closer. When Ethan stilled around her, she knew he’d heard it as well.
He tucked her closer against him. “I don’t think we can hide. Best to follow my lead.”
“No,youfollowmylead.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, he smiled. “We probably have the same idea for the lead. Fake a tryst?”
She nodded. They were often on the same wavelength, or at least they had been until a few months ago when they’d broken up.
Best not to think about that. It was one thing to have him hold her or nearly kiss her in the middle of a mission—the adrenaline rush during a job always made passion sharper and quicker—but all that would fade once the terrorists were caught.
She could fake being a couple now, but she just had to remind herself that they’d still be over once this night was through, and nothing would change that. Not the feel of his arms or the safety she still felt there despite everything, not the way their bodies just seemed to fit together or the way he smiled at her as if…as if he still loved her.
But he didn’t love her anymore—did he?—and maybe she’d never really deserved his love in the first place.
The mission. She just had to focus on the mission, and everything would be okay.
They positioned themselves a little bit differently, so they’d each have easier access to their guns and still be able to keep an eye on the door. The second his lips fell on hers, all she wanted to do was close her eyes and revel in him.
It had been three months since they’d properly kissed. Three months of longing, of yearning for the feel of him, the taste of him. This wasn’t even like their usual kisses since they kept their eyes open and on each other and the door, yet it added another level of intimacy to their kiss that she hadn’t expected.
