There went the pen again as Jace came to a stand. “That color. On you. You probably shouldn’t go around wearing it if we’re trying to …put things on pause.”
Amy set her mug down and walked to the other side of the island. She folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the bar. “Maybe Ilikethat you like it,” she admitted.
Jace rounded the small table and matched her posture by leaning against the table, a mere foot or two between them. Heat radiated off his muscled arms as he folded them as well. “If you don’t play fair, I’ll be forced to break a few rules of my own.”
“Like what?” Her voice wobbled.
He straightened up, shuffled one foot between hers, and closed the gap between them. With his eyes locked on hers, Jace slid those glorious hands right onto her hips.
Yes.They were made to be there. Her heart broke into a hurried, heated beat. In an almost unconscious defense, she braced herself by resting her hands against his chest.
Her heart thundered to the point it hurt. The gorgeous, masculine smell of him, the solid chest muscles that rippled beneath her palm as he breathed. All of it had worked a spell over her that she didn’t want to shake.
“Like this one,” Jace murmured. He lowered his lips to the neckline of her sweater, and pressed a hot, lingering kiss to her throat. And then another, this one closer to her earlobe. “I don’t want to bejustfriends, Amy.”
A new thrill shot through her chest as she took in those words.
He pulled back, fixed his heavenly blue eyes on hers. “I’m going to get you out of this mess, and afterward, I want to be with you, date you, see where things lead.” His gaze fell to a distant spot on the floor. “I know I shouldn’t muddle the mission with my feelings for you, but it’s already done.” He set his gaze back on her. “You’re driving me crazy, you know that?”
No. She hadn’t known that at all. She gulped. Her heart hammered as visions of that recurring dream flooded her mind. “Well, maybe we could give in to just… one little kiss.”
Jace’s eyes widened a second before that dimple showed at his cheek. It was gone as quick as it came. His eyes narrowed then, the picture of desire and passion and everything she was feeling too.
Her fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt as Jace leaned in, visions of those dreams urging her to savor every blissful detail.
He used the soft, rounded part of his bottom lip to trace her mouth achingly slow. At last, he pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her lips. And then, with a succession of gentle kisses, Jace coaxed a moan from deep in her throat.
Please, Jace, don’t stop now.She tipped her head, explored the heavenly sensation of his velvety tongue on hers, and released a pent-up whimper from deep in her throat.
“I’ve been dying to do this,” he mumbled against her mouth. Another series of skin-tingling kisses showed her how very much those dreams paled in comparison to the real thing. It was a wonder any woman could keep her wits around Jace after experiencing his kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for more. “So have I,” she admitted before bringing her lips back to his. And Amy meant it; she could dothisfor the rest of her life.
* * *
Slivers of moonglow spilled into the spare bedroom through the cracks in the blinds. Jace propped his hands behind his head and counted the bright white streaks. Seven.
That wasn’t a lot of light, considering the rest of the room was black. Still, at least there wassome. In hours, light would replace the dark completely. Maybe then he could stop thinking about the growing list of businesses that were lining up to have Denver’sAverage Amypromote them.
At Jace’s suggestion, Amy had asked for regular updates on every establishment that had inquired about the ads, stating that she wanted to make sure she didn’t have any personal conflicts with promoting them. Creed had done his best to track down each business owner. In many cases, they were small, local establishments owned by humble civilians. In other cases, specialists had been hired to promote and advertise as they saw fit, meaning the owners had nothing to do with the process.
And then there were a few businesses that caused a raised brow. A company owned by an anonymous sole proprietor. One who happened to own several businesses scattered over the U.S. The perfect set up for laundering large amounts of cash.
Jace could hardly wait for the team’s next conference call. Sure, not a lot had happened to cause added concern—no more personal life pictures had shown up on the site. The conversation surrounding Amy had remained steady, nothing indicating they’d make a move any time soon.
But that almost made him sweat all the more. He’d never been a fan of that moment before a storm. Of waiting for the raging tempest to blow into his neck of the woods so he could have a crack at it. No, Jace was more of the hunt-it-down type. And he couldn’t recall being so anxious to hunt down a storm in all his life. This storm threatened Amy.
Jace sat up and flopped the pillow over before settling onto it once more.
His train of thought had never been so severed. Every time he tried focusing on a facet of the mission, it seemed someone stepped in with a razor and sliced his focus until it splayed in every direction.
Satisfying his need to kiss Amy the other day had been a double-edged sword. Sure, it had satiated him for the moment, but he’d be danged if it hadn’t made him want more of the same in the seconds, hours, and even days that followed. His desire to be closer to her—that was usually the first detour his mind took.Slice one.
His desperation to keep Amy safe followed, which led to thoughts of the sting op, something they couldn’t arrange until they gained access to the perfect covert profile.Slice two, three, and four.
And even if they did gain access to the perfect internet guise, they wouldn’t get very far if they couldn’t arrange for a meeting with the guy who mattered most. The man at the top of the ring.Another severing cut.Another distraction. Another problem to factor into his calculation for success.
But he wasn’t in this alone. His team members, unparalleled in their level of skill, were putting those specialties to good use.
Jace used that fact to press the frazzled pieces back together. He pictured wrapping electrical tape around them and reminded himself that they were all important thoughts and facts. Things he usually managed to consider all at once while analyzing a case. Of course, those other cases lacked the one detail that separated this case from all the others he’d worked on: Amy Nelson.
