Love & Compromise (Agents in Love Book 3)

by Chantel Rhondeau

  “I need to get upstairs,” she said. “Could you bring me something to drink with a lot of caffeine and maybe an ice pack if you have it.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need help upstairs?”

  “I’ll be okay,” she said. “Now that I’m standing, I should be able to make it. I just get dizzy if I move too fast. I need to get into the dark.”

  Without another word, Kole crossed to the library’s windows and pulled the blinds. “Let me shut the blinds out in the foyer so you can get upstairs. I’ll be up in a few minutes with your drink and ice.”

  Jenessa waited until the light in the hallway became dimmer before exiting the library and heading up the stairs. She made her way slowly, holding firmly onto the railing.

  Despite the headache, she couldn’t stop thinking about the problem they had. How could she discover the culprit passing information to Paul without a clear trail to follow? She’d never had this problem in past, but the people she normally investigated hadn’t used bank accounts as transferring stations for massive campaign funds.

  Stepping into her room, she crossed quickly to the windows and pulled the thick curtains closed. The room plunged into complete darkness, blotting out all light. Clarissa might have been a bitch who Jenessa hated on principal, but the woman had liked privacy from any potential spying eyes into her bedroom. That same cautioned helped Jenessa now, since the darkness was exactly what she needed.

  Clarissa had probably used the curtains to keep her sexcapades secret. If anyone had spied into the room, they might have taken pictures and forced Clarissa out of D.C. Of course, the bitch should have worried about her relationship and not cheated on Kole in the first place.

  Taking off her bra to relieve the pressure it put on her neck, Jenessa slipped beneath the covers, waiting for Kole. She didn’t feel well enough to bend over and retrieve her suitcase from the bottom of the closet floor. Bending down would make the blood rush to her head, causing further dizziness and pain. As attentive and kind as he’d been all day, she was sure he’d grab the meds for her.

  A light tap on her door startled her from a light doze she’d fallen into almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. “Come in,” she called softly.

  The door cracked open, letting in very little light. “Sorry it took me a minute. I had to make a makeshift ice pack.”

  Kole’s deep voice was soothing in her ears, not causing further pain.

  The weight of his body settled on the bed next to her. “I brought you a soda. Here, let me help you.”

  His hand slipped behind her neck, and the end of a straw poked against her lips. Jenessa completely relaxed, letting him take all the work of holding up her head, and greedily sucked the caffeine down.

  When she’d drank all she could, she let the straw fall away. “There’s a blister pack of pills in the front pocket of my suitcase. Could you get them? It’s in the back of the closet.”

  Kole lowered her head back to the pillow, gently caressing her neck as he pulled away. “Here’s this for you,” he whispered, pushing the ice pack against her hand.

  Jenessa quickly put it over her eyes. “You can turn a light on now if you need to.”

  Kole rummaged in the closet, and Jenessa couldn’t help but think how nice it was to have someone take care of her. When she was a girl, her mom would rub her back and neck, smooth her hair and massage her head, anything to comfort her and make the pain more bearable. For too many years she’d been on her own when this happened, forced to be self-reliant and suffer through.

  “I’ve got the pill,” he said, his weight settling back on the bed. “Do you need a drink with it?”

  “No.” Jenessa held out her hand, accepting the medicine. “It melts in my mouth. If it works, I should feel better in about a half hour. I need to sleep.”

  Kole didn’t rise, and Jenessa could sense his hesitation.

  “What is it?” she asked, popping the pill under her tongue and letting the minty medicine dissolve.

  “Is there anything else I can do? We really need to get you better. Tonight’s party might be the only chance we have to get into Victor Strauss’s house. I can’t break into his computer without your help.”

  Jenessa sighed and turned her back on him, facing the wall and repositioning the ice pack to block any possible light. “My mom used to rub my back and head for me. It sometimes helped, but I know that isn’t your scene.”

  “Shows how little you know. I’m excellent at taking care of people.”

  The warmth of his body cradled behind her and his hand passed over the top of the blanket against her back.

  “Like this?” he asked, moving his hand upward and running his fingertips through her hair.

  Jenessa couldn’t stop the groan of contentment that left her throat. “Just like that. It feels good.”

  “Then I’ll massage, you sleep. We have some time before we need to get ready for the party.”

  Kole stroked Jenessa’s head until her breathing leveled out into the even sounds of sleep. Knowing he shouldn’t stay with her but unwilling to leave, Kole quickly set an alarm on his cell phone and then snuggled against her back.

  When he wrapped his arm around her, Jenessa murmured something in her sleep, pulled his hand to clutch it against her chest, and let out a contented-sounding sigh. He was sure she wouldn’t do that if she was awake and not out of her mind with pain, but he wouldn’t argue about cuddling. If it made her feel better to have him there, that was a plus in Kole’s mind.

  Something had changed since he kissed her at the party and told her the truth about Clarissa. There was a greater kindness between them, and all Kole could really concentrate on was what might happen if he kissed her again. Kissed her in his house while they were alone, not putting on a show for anyone. Kissed her for real.

  He knew he had no right to think like that. Jenessa wasn’t his plaything or actual girlfriend. For the past five years, he hadn’t even thought about kissing a woman. Kole had lived with the certainty that every interested female would only be after whatever fame and fortune his family could offer, not a relationship with him. He’d convinced himself all women were like Clarissa, and he was better off on his own.

  More and more, he wondered if his dad had set him up with Jenessa in the hope of forcing him to see a woman as something other than a user. If that were the case, it was working, and Kole had no clue how to stop it.

  Knowing he tempted fate and the chance Jenessa might wake up and push him away, Kole rested his lips against the back of her neck, kissing the soft skin while breathing in the strawberry scent of her hair. He doubted she’d smelled like strawberries before meeting the beauty consultant yesterday, but it was nice. Sweet, subtle, and pure. The perfume Clarissa had always worn was strong, musky, and had nothing of innocence to it.

  Maybe he was overwhelmed by how different Jenessa was from Clarissa and that was where his strong attraction stemmed from. Perhaps if he held onto his head for a few more days without making a fool of himself, his infatuation with Jenessa would fade naturally.

  In the meantime, he wouldn’t delay solving the case, but he certainly wouldn’t hurry it along either. With the way he felt about her, the more time they spent together, the better.

  Coming to some sort of peace in his mind with that, Kole squeezed her a bit tighter and closed his eyes, prepared to hold and cherish her until he no longer could.

  Jenessa woke to the sound of heavy metal music, feeling chilled but completely clear headed. The pill had done the trick and cured her headache.

  The music turned off, alerting her that Kole was still in the room. Had she dreamed he held her and kissed her neck or had it really happened? She couldn’t imagine him doing that. It must have been visions generated by her over-active and hopeful imagination.

  Pulling the now-warming ice pack away from her eyes, Jenessa rolled over to find Kole sitting on the edge of the bed. The screen of his cell phone lit his face but otherwise the room was pitch black.


  “Have you been sitting there this whole time?” she asked.

  He turned his head, and Jenessa noted the smile on his lips. At least he wasn’t annoyed with her for becoming sick.

  “I laid down too. I wanted to be nearby in case you needed something,” he said. “Hope you don’t mind.”

  Considering she’d fallen asleep quickly and felt better, Jenessa had no complaints. It had been wonderful having him there to massage her head while she drifted off. “I don’t mind at all,” she replied. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

  “Are you better?”

  She nodded, though realized he probably couldn’t see her in the dark. “I’ll live, for sure. How long until we have to leave for the party?”

  “An hour. I would have let you sleep longer, but I know you have to do all that stuff to make yourself into a socialite again.”

  Sighing, she sat up. “It’s such a pain in the ass. Now I know why I don’t normally bother with makeup.”

  “You certainly don’t need it.”

  She tried to swallow down her surprise. Was this the same man she’d ridden in the airplane with? “That’s funny,” she finally said. “You didn’t feel that way a few days ago.”

  “A few days ago, I was thinking in terms of our job. Today, I’m just talking about how beautiful you are. Sure, you have to get dolled up to go to this party because it will be full of shallow people who expect that, but that’s just for show.”

  “I thought you were one of those people expecting it,” she said softly, uncertain why she didn’t just drop the subject. He’d paid her a compliment, she should accept it and move on. However, it didn’t ring true from what he’d said before, and she needed to know what his game was this time.

  “I’m turning on the lamp,” he said instead of answering.

  Jenessa closed her eyes and waited until the light flared in front of her eyelids, squinting against the bright light. When her vision cleared, he was looking at her.

  “You are beautiful,” he said with an intensity that couldn’t be ignored. “I thought after what we talked about last night, everything we shared, that you understood me better. I’m not the ass I tried to be before.” He chuckled and shook his head. “At least, not entirely. But I push people away to keep from getting attached to them. I wasn’t looking at you as a person before, merely a partner in this case and someone who had a part to play.”

  Even though her mouth dried out and nerves made her insides squirm, she had to ask. “You don’t think of me just in those terms anymore?”

  He shook his head. “You’re a real person now, Nessa, and a much better one than most. You don’t play games, and you’re honest and kind. I really appreciate that. You make me feel like there might be hope for the future.”

  Did he mean a future with her? That couldn’t be what he was saying, but Jenessa didn’t know how else to take it. Confused, she kept her mouth shut and just returned his gaze.

  After a few more moments, Kole looked away, standing from the bed. “I should get out of here so you can get ready. I’ve been thinking about an excuse to go into Victor Strauss’s office tonight. I hope you’re okay with this, but we should say we’re looking for a private place to be together if anyone catches us.”

  A private place? Did he mean he wanted everyone to think they were having sex at the party? She supposed that was better than people realizing they were investigating Victor.

  “That’ll work,” she replied.

  He had almost reached the doorway to the room, but turned back and stared at her, his intense gaze pinning her to the spot she sat. “It might mean we have to make out to put on a good show tonight. I hope you can handle that, even if I am an asshole.”

  Jenessa felt heat rise to her cheeks when she thought how nice making out with him would be. Hopefully the light from the lamp didn’t reveal her embarrassment. “I think that’s probably the best idea. We should stay close together while we search the office, too, in case someone enters and we need to start kissing.”

  He nodded and opened the door. “I almost hope we get caught.”

  With that, he marched from the room and shut the door firmly behind him.

  Jenessa clutched her hands to her chest, excitement and a tingling of fear racing through her body. He sounded like he truly wanted to kiss her. Could that be right? They were in the middle of an investigation, but nothing new had happened since they arrived. Everyone on the board had been perfectly safe the past week.

  Was Kole bored and passing the time, trying to make things more interesting for himself? Somehow, she didn’t think he’d do that sort of thing. He had truly had his heart trampled by Clarissa and his brother. If he wanted to kiss her, did that mean he wanted more than a working relationship? Or maybe he thought the same thing Shelley did. He could get over his ex by sleeping with someone else.

  Confused and nervous, Jenessa grabbed her phone and sent a text message to Shelley. The woman was married and pregnant, but she knew the dating game better than anyone Jenessa had ever met.

  Help me, Shelley! Kole says he wants to kiss me, but I don’t know if he’s serious. What should I do?

  Chapter 11

  Kole paced around the large game room in Victor Strauss’s house, watching as Jenessa shot a game of pool with the man. She played her part perfectly, batting her eyelashes and giggling softly at anything Victor said.

  Victor certainly seemed to have recovered quickly from his car being tampered with and crashing into a tree last month. It seemed awfully suspicious that he hadn’t been hurt much in the accident. While his driver had barely clung to life in the ICU, Victor was out and about, laughing and hosting parties. Kole had to wonder if he was even inside the car that night or if it was all a lie. Could S.A.T.O. have somehow rigged things to make Victor appear in danger because he was the one giving them information?

  Kole hadn’t discussed any of his suspicions with his father, but he wondered what else the mole was giving S.A.T.O. The names of board members wouldn’t be enough to keep Paul Billings happy. The board was privy to many secrets, including who was under investigation by homeland security and the domestic terror unit. They also knew about the special cases Nick had agents working on. They knew who were suspected to be the biggest enemies to the United States.

  How much would Paul pay for that kind of information? From what Kole had heard, the former anti-terror leader was charming and persuasive. If Paul banded together a bunch of America’s enemies, what horrors could he accomplish? Nick Kendall seemed to think Paul was mostly after money at this point, but Kole wondered if the man had some sort of revenge in mind. If Jenessa was right about Paul blaming the board members for him losing the only woman he ever loved, wouldn’t he like to hurt them equally as badly? Simple murders seemed like too neat of a solution. It wouldn’t satisfy Paul’s wish for vengeance.

  “Hey, Kole. How’s it going?”

  Surprised by the familiar voice, Kole forced a smile Stanley Brighton’s direction, the final member of the board who needed to meet Jenessa. “I didn’t expect you to be here. Don’t you usually go home to Pennsylvania for long weekends?”

  Stanley shrugged. “I knew Victor was throwing this fund raiser for one of the men trying to steal my seat next election. I wanted to check out the kind of support he was getting.”

  Kole narrowed his eyebrows. “This party is for an opponent of yours? I had no clue. The people of Pennsylvania love you. Do you think there’s any chance you’ll lose the election?”

  “I hope not, but some constituents are calling for new blood. I’ve been a Representative for a lot of years now.”

  “Are you upset Victor’s backing your opponent?”

  While the members of the board weren’t exactly friends, Kole had expected there to be some form of loyalty and comradery. Victor helping Stanley’s opponent was shocking.

  “Not upset, per se.” Stanley sighed. “Perhaps disappointed, but I know Victor’s job is setting up fundraising parties. It’s
part of what he does as a lobbyist. If his bosses tell him to have a fundraiser for my opponent, he does what they say.” Stanley gave him a sideways glance from the corner of his eye. “Are you upset with Victor? He seems mighty chummy with your girl.”

  Involuntarily, Kole’s lip twitched into a snarl and he rolled his eyes. “He does seem quite taken with her, doesn’t he? Maybe it’s time we retrieved her. After all, she hasn’t met you yet.”

  Stanley chuckled and clapped a friendly hand against his shoulder. “Sounds like a plan. Besides, Victor needs to get back to work and attend to his other guests. He’s getting the big money to schmooze people who will actually donate, not hit on your lady.”

  Kole flashed Stanley a grin. “Good point. Let’s help him out.”

  Marching across the room with his eyes laser-focused on Jenessa, Kole knew people stopped to take notice. He could be conspicuous and menacing when he wanted to be, and he and Jenessa needed to start planting the right idea in people’s heads so when they slipped away from the party no one wondered why or came looking for them.

  Approaching from behind as Jenessa bent over the pool table to make a shot, Kole wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “Hey, baby.”

  Missing the cue ball, Jenessa let out a soft shriek and then stood upright, twisting in Kole’s arms. “Oh, lover, you scared me.” She fluttered her eyelashes and leaned her head against his chest, circling her arms around him. “I thought someone was attacking me, but I know I’ll always be safe with you.”

  The simpering, fake quality to her voice rubbed Kole the wrong way, but she was doing her job. He couldn’t be angry with her for not hugging him for real. However, the more jealous he looked, the better. People in the room had to know that Kole felt a desperate need to stake his claim on his woman.

  “I think we’ve been apart too long, Jen,” he said, knowing his voice would carry to both Victor and Stanley, as well as the other nearby guests. “I thought tonight was going to be our night.”

  She let out a soft giggle and looked up at him. “Of course, it is, silly.” Jenessa wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him downward. “I didn’t want to be rude to your friends, but I’m up for spending time with my man. Kiss me and forget all your troubles, love.”