It was the faint rustle in the hallway that alerted him. Two hours had passed. Two hours of holding Simone, enjoying the feel of her body against his, of trying to memorize everything about her.
The softness of her skin.
The sweet scent that clung to her.
Even the gentle sound of her breathing.
He’d wanted to remember everything because he knew that he’d be losing her.
Ryan’s hand slid under the pillow that rested beneath his head.
He’d shut the bedroom door earlier and made sure that the heavy curtains covered the windows. He waited, body deliberately at ease, one leg shoved from beneath the covers, his right hand still around Simone, as the door slowly opened. No sound. His gaze pierced through the darkness, and he saw the figure coming into the room.
A shadow that moved swiftly, that edged toward the bed and…
Put a gun to Ryan’s head.
So expected. “Hello, Logan,” Ryan said softly. “It took you longer to make an appearance in here than I anticipated. Even after I told the guards to be sure and let you pass by with minimal fuss…”
“What the hell…?” Logan Sterling began. He eased the weapon back.
“Ryan?” Simone’s sleepy voice. “What’s happening?”
Ryan yanked his gun from beneath the pillow and aimed it at their intruder. “I believe your family decided to stop by for a little visit, sweetheart.”
She started to roll away from Ryan, but he stopped her with a soft, “You’re naked.”
“Shit.” Simone yanked the covers around herself. Then she rolled away from Ryan, hit the button on the nearby lamp, and then let out a hard shriek. “Logan! Logan, you’re pointing a gun at Ryan!” Then, in the next heartbeat, “Ryan, you’re pointing a gun at Logan!”
Indeed, they were pointing weapons at one another. “Ready to start firing?” Ryan asked, keeping his tone polite with an extreme effort. “Or do you want to talk?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
There were lots of nice, soothing ways to wake up. You could wake up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. You could wake up to the amazing sight of someone actually bringing you breakfast in bed. The soft, sweet sound of birds chirping could bring you to wakefulness.
Or you could open your eyes and find the two men that you cared about most in this world…aiming guns at each other. That was not a nice, soothing way to wake up, FYI. It was horrifying. Thus, her scream.
“Put the guns down!” Simone blasted as she clutched the sheet to her chest with both hands. “Now!”
They did not.
Ryan sat up in bed. Part of the comforter had pooled at his waist, so his dick was covered, a good thing. Meanwhile, Logan was dressed like a true cat burglar. All in black, from his head to his feet, and his intent gaze was locked on Ryan with icy determination. And more than a bit of rage.
There was also—as crazy as it seemed to her—what appeared to be recognition in Logan’s stare. Something that unsettled her far more than the rage ever could. “You two…” Her head turned between them. “Have you two met before?”
A jerky nod from Logan.
A slow, scary smile from Ryan. “Our paths have crossed.”
Oh, no. She jumped out of the bed, and Simone yanked the sheet with her. She kept it wrapped around her body as she glared at Ryan. “If you knew who he was all along, if you knew I was connected to him and if I find out that you were just stringing me along in some sort of elaborate manipulation scheme with your CIA buddies in order to trap or hurt Logan in some way…” Pain stabbed through her. “I will not forgive you!” Ever.
“What?” Ryan gaped at her. And, ignoring the gun that Logan had pointed at him, Ryan leapt from the bed. “Hell, no, I didn’t know who he was all along. You didn’t tell me who you were retrieving the broach and earrings for until about two hours ago! You were protecting him as if your life depended on concealing his identity?—”
“Aw, thanks, Simone, that’s touching,” Logan drawled.
“And you told me his identity only after I’d already viewed security footage from the lobby that showed me the guy’s image as he lurked about. One look, and I recognized him from a case in Vegas that exploded in my face.”
Security footage? A case in Vegas?
