Lou might technically be her sister’s bestie, but she was more like a fourth sister. She’d been with them since they were kids, and she didn’t play. But the good news? Kenzie was excellent at justification. She nodded Lou’s way like she made her point and was deeply grateful for it. “Yes, and now we know which twin should take the lead with our gorgeous best friend of the target. Me.”
“She’s going to kill you,” Lou said with a sigh.
It was time to get serious. “Do you honestly think Kala made a connection with Brian?”
If she had, then Kenz would have to think about stepping back. There was still time. She glanced down at her watch. The opening breakfast was about to begin. She was sure Kala was awake and ready to punch her in the face. She could get over here and take Kenzie’s place quickly.
Lou sighed. “No. Of course she didn’t. She found him deeply annoying because he’s not Cooper McKay, who she claims to find deeply annoying as well.” Lou checked her hair in the mirror and fixed her glasses. “But he liked her. I think that was all about the gorgeous bombshell thing you both have going. He might not have noticed the daggers she was shooting him, and I managed to make sure those were all verbal, thank you.”
“Do you really think she’s the best person to work Brian?” She had Lou in a corner with that question.
“I will admit you’ll probably be able to get more out of him.” Lou pulled her cell and her fingers ran over the keys as she spoke. “Kala didn’t like him, but I think some of that is the tension between her and Coop. It’s going to explode at some point.”
Kenzie felt a bright smile cross her face. She loved a love story, and her twin was in the middle of an epic one. Kala and Coop had loved each other for a long time, but Coop had been a dumbass kid and he’d hurt Kala and Kala had been…she’d been Kala and had not taken it well. Her twin wasn’t one to forgive easily, and she never, ever forgot. Which was why it had been great to throw them together on a CIA team and let them work out their issues while they all saved the world and got to do cool things. Well, when their parents let them.
Sometimes she thought the whole I’m-a-spy thing would be cooler if her handler wasn’t her dad.
“It’s going to explode into a beautiful wave of love and passion,” Kenzie said confidently. Manifestation was a real thing. Positive thoughts led to positive actions. It was how she handled her life. Rise above the fray. Well, until she needed to kick a little ass, and then she manifested that, too. “You watch. They’ll be married in a year or two. It’s why I was so enthusiastic about bringing him on the team. I knew when she said we should consider Coop that she was coming out of her tiff with him.”
“Tiff?” Lou settled her bag over her shoulder. “It’s been twelve years. I know everyone says you’re like your mom, but there’s a whole lot of Big Tag in there, too. But seriously, we need to talk about how you’re going to handle Brian. You can’t go in and be one hundred percent Kenz.”
She started out the door. It was time. “I know that. I’m never one hundred percent me when I’m working. I’m Kara. I’m the operative. I’m not looking for true love. I say that shit because it makes Dad and Kala vomit. I wouldn’t mind a couple of wild nights, though. I thought the whole spy thing would be way more interesting. James Bond gets all the sex, and when I find a hottie who I could seduce intel out of, my dad always finds another way. It’s sad.”
Lou stopped and faced her. “Kara, you’re my cousin and I adore you, but I think you should be more careful.”
Yep. She should since she now saw what Lou had seen. Brian Peters was standing right there in all his golden god gorgeousness. He had on a suit that looked like it had been tailored to fit his big body to perfection. He was talking to someone. A woman, and though Kenzie couldn’t see her face, it was evident she was attracted to him since she kept leaning in and putting her hand on his arm.
She might have some competition. She tamped down the urge to walk over and tell the woman to take her hands off her man because that was an utterly ridiculous impulse. He wasn’t hers and wouldn’t be. Despite her teasing, this wasn’t a love match. It was an op. He was an op but one she wanted to enjoy fully.
It had been a long time since she felt this kind of flashfire instant attraction. Though it had been Kala physically there the night they met, through the magic of Lou’s glasses she’d been there for it all. They had cameras and sent back all kinds of data, but what she’d mostly gotten was how much Brian Peters called to her. He was charming and funny, and she’d been alone for a long time. Not even a slutty one-night stand because she worked all the time, and when she wasn’t working she was at her home club, and those men were friends and brothers.
She belonged to a whole-ass sex club she’d helped to found and she’d never once had sex at The Hideout.
According to Tash—who did have a gloriously slutty night with Dare—the target was a Dom. Like used to be in the lifestyle Dom. Apparently, he no longer went to clubs after his ex-wife used it against him in their divorce, but Tash had said he hadn’t missed a step.
Was Brian a top, too? Even if he wasn’t formally a Dom, he had the dominance thing down.
There was the sound of a throat clearing. It contained no small amount of impatience.
Lou. Lou was still here and likely pissed that she’d walked out in the open still talking like they were besties without a care in the world. Nope. She had to be Kara now, and Kara had rejected this man once. She couldn’t walk up and sayhey, want to see my boobs?
She had to play this carefully because the truth of the matter was her sister would be Kara again at some point. No matter how much they wanted to be the exact same person, Kala had some skills Kenzie didn’t, and vice versa. They would need to get Dare Nash’s laptop, and Kala was better with a computer. So she had to ride a line with him.
“I’m going to be careful. You should go and make sure Tash is ready in case this goes well.” If all went the way it should, Tasha was going to see Dare today. Her sister had thought she would never see the man again, but now she was going to be close to him. Physically.
Forced proximity. She loved that trope.
She wondered if Brian’s room was a king or two queens because only one bed was also a fave.
“I’ll try to handle your twin,” Lou whispered, and then she was gone with Brian never seeing her.
But in that moment his eyes came up and he did see Kenzie. Those baby blues took on a distinctly predatory gaze, the kind that let awoman know a man was beyond interested.
Damn, but that was a feeling. Arousal. Desire. Longing.
No matter what happened she knew this mission would change everything.
* * * *
