A slight nod of her head had his insides clenching.Buck up, man. It’s only an assignment. You’ve been on ones much more dangerous and life threatening. Best get into character.
He lifted his hand to caress the side of her face sliding into the wet hair at the nape of her neck. Lowering his lips, they were now only a whisper away from hers. The hell with this case, this woman here in his arms was more dangerous than anything else he’d been involved with. She put his white knight overprotective self into full gear making him want to ensure nothing bad ever happened to her again. That hadn’t always been a good thing.
When her lips actually touched his, soft and gentle, all other thoughts were thrown out the window. He simply felt, enjoyed, relished the kiss. His lips had never tasted anything this sweet, except these same lips a few days ago.
This kiss, like the last, was too short lived and soon Meg slowly pushed at his chest, her breathing a little faster than usual. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hung open and her tongue poked out again sweeping across the terrain his lips had just been touching. He hardened further.
She mustered up a smile but she’d been as affected by the contact as he was. Then her lips twisted in a smirk as she cried out, “Race you to the other side…muffin.”
Twirling neatly in the water she dove under and swam away from him. He laughed, shook his head, and pushed through the water to follow. Living here with her might be dangerous but he knew it sure as hell wouldn’t be boring.
* * * *
Meg shoved her t-shirt inside her locker then finished tying the ends of her uniform top together under her bust. Her mind wandered to this afternoon in the pool with Chris. They’d kissed, just like the first day she’d met him but this time she was actually focused on their lips meeting and not whether the manager had spotted her in the pool again.
She tried not to think about the kiss, something she hadn’t done since Eddie, but this one had been amazing. Even though she’d thought Eddie was a good kisser, she’d been wrong. He’d been pleasant but when her lips had touched Chris’s this afternoon, it had blown her mind. Butterflies quivered inside her stomach as she remembered. She licked her lips, the memory of his sweet mouth on hers returning. When she’d done that this afternoon, his eyes had glowed with an intensity that drilled right into her soul.
Had he been as affected as she or was he merely a good actor? He was an undercover agent after all. Wining, dining and romancing women all over the globe must be typical for him. Pretending to be her lover most likely was nothing compared to some of what he’d done.
Yet he’d rescued her that first day before he knew who she was. Very chivalrous. Or had he known? Had he put himself in the right location to bump intoher? She thought back to when they met and didn’t think so. He’d been staring at Moreno when she’d moved near him. He was simply in the right place at the right time. Of course she was going to help him withhisultimate goal so he wasn’tallchivalry and altruism.
Being with him this afternoon had been fun and she hadn’t experienced that in far too long. He was different from Eddie in so many ways. After their kiss, they’d flirted lightly, done more swimming then he’d cooked a wonderful meal right in the kitchenette of the suite. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten anything as good.
“You know, now that I’m living the good life, I’ll expect to be fed like this all the time,” she’d joked once she cleaned her plate.
He’d bowed his head, like the regal knight he was. “Of course, M’lady.”
She’d be doing this again and again every day for who knew how long. There’d be danger in that. And she wasn’t talking about Moreno. Being with Chris and how he was today, she could easily fall for him if she didn’t watch herself. Then when he rode off into the sunset on his trusty steed leaving her all alone, she’d have one heck of a heartache to nurse.
She stood up determined to avoid the pain at all costs. Close off those emotions and lock them deeply away behind the gates of her sarcasm. Use her witty remarks to keep any trespassers at bay. She shut her locker tugging the edge of her shorts over as much of her butt as she could then turned around. Mr. Moreno stood in the doorway to the locker room. The scowl on his face showed his mood.
Suddenly the danger of losing her heart to Chris didn’t seem like the most imminent threat there was.
Chapter 5
“Katie.” Moreno’s voice flowed over her name but she didn’t hear the lilting rhythm it usually had. He was livid about something. Had he discovered she’d ratted him out to the Feds? But how? She lifted her chin looking at the intense, dark-haired man curiously like she hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Where thehellhave you been?” he rasped out again as he moved closer and icy cold seeped inside her. His pock-marked face was rigid with anger and she tried to keep from cringing. He was only a few inches taller but his imposing figure made him appear much larger than life. The twenty year age difference also cemented the knowledge that he was much more experienced than she was. And much more powerful.
Her gaze rose to the clock. “It’s still only four-fifty, Mr. Moreno. I have ten minutes before I have to check in.”
His tanned hands clamped onto her upper arms squeezing tight. Rage emanated from his eyes. “I’m not talking about now. Where the hell were you last night after work? Carlos said you moved out of your apartment and left the key for him. I had him searching all over for you today. I thought you had bailed out on me. You know you still owe me a great deal of money and I don’t take kindly to anyone skipping out on me.”
She shook her head back and forth, hoping to convince him. “No, Mr. Moreno, I wouldn’t do that. I’ve been working hard to pay everything back. I’ve even been giving you most of my tips. I want to pay you back as soon as possible. I know you’ve been really patient waiting for the money. I moved in with a friend, that’s all. It’s a closer place and I won’t have such a long walk.” God, she was babbling which was surprising with the fear that clawed at her throat threatening to choke her.
“A friend?” Moreno’s black eyes narrowed in skepticism. “But I specifically set you up in that apartment so Carlos could keep an eye on you and keep you safe. You should have discussed this with me first.”
She should have suspected as much. No wonder he’d known about her move this quickly. She swallowed hard at the thought.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Moreno,” she replied with true regret in her voice. Because she still had to stay at this job for a while and not because she hadn’t talked to him first. She also regretted that his hands were clenching tighter around her arms. “I know Sonny originally told me about the room but I didn’t know you had set it up. I would have told you otherwise.”
Moreno took a deep breath then lowered his eyes to her boobs practically falling out of her top. His mouth twisted into a smirk, his tongue stroking across his bottom lip. Unfortunately his hands didn’t let up on their grip.
“So, who’s this friend and where does she live?”
“Um,” she cleared her throat nervously. Why hadn’t she considered this aspect of moving in with Chris? She hadn’t thought Moreno would care about her private life. “It’s a guy I met a few days ago at The Ocean Terrace Resort. He’s in town for at least a month or so, setting up some new business down here.”
Her voice trembled and she gritted her teeth to try and keep it steady. “We hit it off by the pool and he said he’d love some company as he’s got a big suite all to himself. I figured since that place is so much closer to here and a lot nicer too, I would take advantage of it for now.”
