“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know it hurts, but as long as you’re in the field with your sister, it’s not smart to spend even a night with him.”
She forced a brittle smile on her face. “Of course. I was making sure he didn’t cause a scene. I’ve found flirting keeps him from going over the top.”
Her dad sighed. “Sure you were. I was serious about leaving, though. We need to be in London by morning.”
Kenzie strode into the townhouse, ready to deal with her twin, who would likely have an enormous amount of opinions on how she’d handled things.
Kala was in the kitchen, a tub of ice cream and a bottle of vodka in front of her. “Hey, I already packed. I left some sweats out for you to change in to, but I thought you could use some comfort food. And vodka. Are we in a Ben sucks mood tonight or the world sucks because I can’t be with that douchebag Canadian? I’m prepared for either.”
“Kala,” Lou admonished.
But it was just the way her sister was. She’d basically told Kenz she loved her. “I’m in an I need a hug mood.”
Her twin—who was not touchy feely in any way—opened her arms. “I’m sorry it was shitty. I know it’s partially my fault. Come here.”
She hugged her sister and hoped this stupid feeling would go away.
Chapter Three
Ben stood outside the swanky restaurant. Top. He wondered what it meant. His brain had gone straight to the sexual meaning, but then it always did when he was thinking about Ms. Magenta.
He’d kissed her.
He’d finally kissed her and it…
Maybe it was because they had loads of pent-up sexual frustration between them, and it couldn’t possibly be as good as he built it up in his head.
It had felt…wrong.
He’d been a dick. She’d come all the way to Toronto to give him a debrief on the possible attempted assassination of Dr. Rebecca Walsh. Her car had blown up outside her home in Sweden, and everyone knew she had connections to Manny since it had been Manny’s father’s kidnapping of the good doctor that had led to his death. While Manny pretended to admire the famous neurosurgeon, Ben knew the truth. Manny hated her.
So that intel was important, and he’d known she would be the one coming after she’d kissed him in the hospital months before.
He didn’t count that as their first kiss since she’d done it because he’d saved her.
He could still see her body on that fucking table.
He’d come to apologize to her and he’d known exactly where to go. While he might not know where she laid her head at night, he knew where she spent her time. The Hideout. He’d been to the place before, and Maggie’s team treated it like their clubhouse. They played in the club and did not mind having classified meetings in the conference room.
The first time he’d come she’d been sitting waiting for him in an electric blue corset that made his eyes damn near bulge out of his head. And he’d wondered if she’d been playing with Cooper McKay.
So when he went looking for her this time, he’d gone straight for the club.
He’d found her there and after kissing her she’d asked him to meet her here.
Should he leave? Did he have the answer he needed in that one kiss?
“Ben?”
He turned and she was there. She’d changed from athleisure wear to a cocktail dress that clung to her every curve. Her magenta hair curled around her shoulders like sweet candy he wanted to sink his hands into.
But that kiss…
That fucking kiss. “Was it weird for you the way it was for me?”
Her head tilted slightly. “What are you talking about? The fact that you saved my life and Cooper made a big scene? I was unconscious, you know. I couldn’t control how he reacted.”
She was referring to the time he couldn’t forget. “We should probably talk about that, but it wasn’t what I meant. I was talking about the kiss. I kissed you an hour ago and I’m worried it was forgettable enough that you’ve already put it out of your mind.”
