The man was seriously lethal, and not just in a professional way.
Giving him the smile she knew he was waiting for, Gracie said, “Well, I’m sure there are a million other things you’d rather be doing than babysitting me. Especially, when I know for a fact you haven’t been able to sleep worth a damn since we got here.”
“I’m good. The couch is actually more comfortable than it looks.”
Gracie waited until she was certain he was going to stick with the lie before responding. “I sure hope your undercover skills are better than that,Mr. Winters. Otherwise, we’re screwed.”
Feigning hurt feelings, Nate put a hand to his chest. “I’ll have you know, I’m the first person the team comes to when they need someone to go under. What do you have to say about that,Mrs. Winters?”
Crossing her arms, Gracie studied him a moment. “Better. I almost believed you that time. Maybe there’s hope for us, yet.”
“You think I’m lying?”
“About the undercover part? I’m not sure. But you were lying through your teeth when you said the couch was comfortable.”
“Yeah?” he challenged with a smart-ass grin. “What makes you so sure?”
“I’ve been sleeping less than twenty feet away. I can literally hear you tossing and turning throughout the night, which is ridiculous seeing as how there’s a perfectly comfortable bed with plenty of room for the both of us.”
At the mention of sharing a bed, Nate blinked, and his demeanor completely changed. Gracie could see the wall going back up and actually felt him pulling away again.
Damn her and her big mouth, anyway.
“So, I looked at the weather.” He turned around and started for the kitchen. “The rain’s supposed to continue throughout the night, but be cleared out by morning. I thought, if you wanted, we could rent one of those canoes we saw when we checked in and take it for a spin around the lake.”
“Really?”
The idea probably excited her more than it should have, but the walls in this place were seriously starting to close in on her.
“Sure. If it stays nice, we could even go down to the beach area and swim a bit. Then, I thought maybe we could go into town for some pizza or something after. If you want.”
Gracie felt like jumping up and down. “God, yes,” she moaned.
Nate’s gaze shot to hers for a split second before refocusing on the glass he was filling with water. He swallowed a big gulp before clearing his throat.
“We’ll plan on that, then.”
Not sure what that was all about, she smiled and said, “Great. I can’t wait.”
With a renewed spirit, she went over to the kitchen table and began to arrange the deck of cards Nate had bought for them.
Just the thought of being able to go and do all those things tomorrow made playing another game of solitaire bearable.
Sneaking a sideways glance, she saw the grimace crossing over Nate’s face as he sat back down onto the not-so-comfortable couch and went back to work on his computer. Gracie decided right then she’d give him one more night of misery on the damn thing, and then she was going to convince him to share a bed with her.
And she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
Chapter 10
“Tell me you found something.”
“Not yet, but we’re still looking.”
With the phone to his ear, Achim walked across Nathan Carter’s apartment. While he continued searching for what he was almost certain wasn’t there, he braced himself for the tongue lashing that was about to come.
“I do not pay you to simplylook, Achim. I pay you to do what needs to be done. So far, you haven’t given me shit on this.” There was a moment of silence, and then, “If you cannot give me what I want, perhaps I should consider finding someone else to do this job. Someone morecapable.”
Achim rolled his eyes. Edric Yavuz wouldn’t be where he was today if not for him, and he knew it.
