The Matchup

by Alice Ward

  Wait. No, a mark was what someone was called when they were targeted to be killed.

  I’d have to read up on spy lingo. I didn’t want to come out like a fool after all. And I would, after I was sure of course, confront my little spy about what I knew to be true. And I’d tell Sloane I wanted to help her.

  There had never been as much excitement running through me over anything, other than sex. I had to admit I was pretty excited about getting to that part too.

  The woman was taking me by storm. I knew it from the moment I laid eyes on her that she was the woman of all women. I had been right.

  For the first time ever, I wanted to get to know a woman for more than just how great she was in the sack.

  I wanted to know that about her too, but I wanted to know it all. Every last detail.

  Had she ever gone to Afghanistan? Or was that just a cover? Did she really like me? Or was I just a cover?

  Not that it mattered. If she gave me a chance just because she thought I might help her out inadvertently, so be it. I was completely cool with that.

  Use me, baby.

  I could take it. It was her I was worried about. She seemed so strong but also fragile. And she was outnumbered. What if they found her out? Would she be in danger?

  She was probably pretty tough. Her body was tone, tight, muscular in a feminine way. But what if they had a gun?

  Maybe in addition to being her cover, I could also protect her.

  We got to her door, and she unlocked it and in we went. She turned and gave me a sexy smile. “Hey, why don’t you run over to your place for a few minutes to give me a chance to freshen up. Just like ten to fifteen, okay?” She ran her hand over my cheek. “I’m sorry for overreacting, Zane. Maybe I was a little jealous of those girls.”

  “Maybe?” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. Pure heat moved through me, and that was just from her cheek.

  Damn.

  I was in for a rush with Sloane. If an innocent kiss could cause my balls to tighten, I could only imagine what would happen when my lips were everywhere.

  “See you in fifteen then?” She gave me an expectant look.

  “Fifteen it is.” I turned and left her to her business. Business that I’d be watching like a hawk.

  As soon as I got out of that door, I hauled ass to my bungalow. Going through it without turning any lights on, I made my way to the deck and got the sliding door open before Sloane went out on her deck. A thing I was certain she was going to do.

  Hiding behind one of the tall plants, I waited. And I waited. I almost gave up and thought I had been wrong.

  But then her door slid open, and she stepped outside. Immediately, her attention was turned to the bungalow next door. When she raised her cell up and snapped a few pictures, I pumped my fist into the air a few times. I’d been right.

  My little Sloane was a spy of some kind, and the couple in the bungalow next to hers also had secrets.

  How’d I get so lucky to get mixed up in a caper like this?

  I didn’t know what kind of angel was smiling down on me, but I lifted my head and said a silent thank you to them. Being into something so intense, so secretive, so dangerous. There had to be an element of danger, didn’t there?

  I nodded as Sloane reentered her bungalow and I took the opportunity to freshen up myself. In the bathroom, I pushed back my hair, checking out my reflection. I thought I looked pretty damn good. I’d charm my little spy.

  Maybe not tonight, or even tomorrow, but one day in the near future, Sloane would confide in me about her endeavors. I was sure she would.

  The fishing game was over. This was a whole new sport. I was about to start dating a spy. A real-life private investigator who also made me want to investigate every part of her.

  Life had never been so good.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sloane

  As soon as the door closed behind Zane, I dropped my face into my hands. Dinner for two. How was I going to watch the rabbit and his mate and manage to keep from dragging Zane into bed? Because the bed was entirely too close to the table where my hunky next-door neighbor was involved.

  The back deck. It would be perfect. Away from the bed and with a good view of Smith’s bungalow.

  The ocean breeze cleared my head and I remembered what my purpose had been in ditching Zane for a few minutes. I took out my cell, snapped a few pics and sent them. Then went back inside and picked up the sat phone to contact Agent Matthews.

  “Anderson, is all well?”

  “It is. I’ve found the rabbit. Looks as if it’s in the burrow for the night. No odd activity to report.”

  “That’s good. You do remember your duty, right?”

  I sighed, knowing I was going to get that speech again. The one about being careful and not putting myself into any danger. He treated me like a little girl sometimes.

  “Yes, sir. I’m not to confront him at any time.” I shifted my weight as I looked out at the gorgeous full moon that was rising over the calm water. “It’s nice out here, Matthews. Have you ever visited Maldives?”

  He made an aggravated grunt. “No. My normal missions aren’t exactly in paradise.”

  “Maybe once we’ve snared our prey, you can bring Mrs. Matthews here.”

  The girl in me wanted to gush, tell him how romantic it would be. I wanted to tell him about the glass panels in the floor that allowed you to see the wildlife swimming under your feet. But I kept my mouth shut, knowing Agent Matthews wouldn’t be impressed.

  He wasn’t. “Get some rest while you can. And remember you are eyes and ears only.”

  “Yes, sir. You should have received initial photos. I’ll upload more as attained.”

  “Very good. Check in at oh-nine-hundred tomorrow.”

  “Yes, sir. I—” The line went dead.

  Putting the satellite phone away, I pulled off my sandals and padded out to the deck. This time I took in the scene that was splayed out before me. The rabbit’s lights were out, and I heard high-pitched giggles coming from his direction. I was sure he wasn’t going anywhere else for the night.

  I could relax.

  Hearing footsteps, I found Zane on his own deck. “Are you ready for me?”

  Was I?

  Damn, he was hot. Just standing there, leaning against the railing, not even trying to be sexy as shit. Yet he was.

  “I think I’m ready. Come on over.”

  He came across the pier that separated us and onto the deck with me. Sliding his arms around me, he swayed to his own music. “I think you’re ready too, Sloane.”

  Resting my hands against his broad chest, I couldn’t help but bite my lower lip. His body was rock-hard, yet he moved with ease as he moved backward with me, dancing me to the two-person lounge chair where I plopped down with a laugh. “Look at those stars. They seem closer here, don’t you think?”

  He was grinning too as he crawled in beside me. “I do. Too bad all I have eyes for is you.”

  I laughed at the corny line. “Sweet talker.” I smiled at him. Something about Zane just made me smile.

  It was crazy.

  He curled a strand of my hair around his finger. “Our dinner will be brought to us soon. I had a wild idea. If you’re game.”

  “It depends on how wild.”

  He pulled a short strip of black material out of his pocket. The breeze blew it in a snakelike wave. “I thought it might be fun to blindfold you and give you bites of food, letting you guess what I’m feeding you.”

  Desire curled inside my stomach. The rabbit was in for the night. I was officially off the clock. “Do you like games?” I asked him.

  His eyes darkened. “Yeah.”

  “Me too.”

  He blew out what I took to be a nervous laugh. “That was easier than I thought it would be.” He chuckled as he stroked the blindfold against my cheek. “I thought you might try to strangle me with it.”

  “Well, I’m not taking that option off the table.”

  He kissed my
hair. “I think you’re a complicated young woman, and I look forward to peeling all the layers back.”

  I grinned. “I’m surprised to realize you have any layers at all. At first, I thought you were totally superficial.”

  “And now…?”

  “It’s too early to tell, but I think you’re a very surprising man.” I ran my hand through the thick wave of dark hair at the top of his head. “You’re not as bad as I’ve made you out to be. I thought you’d dump me to go with those girls.”

  “Why would I do that when I have the best girl right here?” He tweaked my nose, making me feel cute.

  A quick knock on the front door interrupted us, and Zane got up to let them in. When I sat up to follow him, he pushed me back down. “Stay here. I’ll be back with your surprise.”

  Sinking back into the cushions, I luxuriated in the concept of being taken care of. I’d never had a man wait on me before. Unfortunately, I was normally attracted to alpha males who were kind of on the dick side. Catering to a woman wasn’t a thing any of the men I’d been with would stoop to doing.

  Zane was gold. Too bad I had to find him at a time when I couldn’t be honest about who I was.

  Damn, my luck.

  When he returned, he had the blindfold ready. “Come here.”

  I sat up and shivered as the blindfold covered my eyes, taking me to complete darkness. “I hope you know this means I’m trusting you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone before. You’re not going to feed me snake or something else disgusting, are you?”

  “I’d never do that.” He gave my cheek a peck as he pulled me up to stand. “You look hot as shit with this thing on. When you’re ready for something more, I’d like to use it again.”

  The flash of heat that moved through me was intense. “Oh my.”

  The warmth of his breath was against my ear. “Do you trust me?”

  Yes. No.

  “As much as I trust anyone.”

  One of his strong arms swept me off my feet, and I was pressed against his hard chest. “Allow me. I don’t want you to trip.”

  I fake sighed. “My hero.”

  His warm lips touched my cheek again. “I can be your hero or anything you’ll let me.”

  My heart sped up as I thought about him being more to me than a short-term thing. Could he really be my hero? The king of men who’d take me as his own and show me every day that he loved me and that I was the center of his whole world?

  It was a nice fantasy, but I knew better than to fall into that trap. I’d enjoy our time for however long we had it and try hard not to look past that.

  Zane carried me inside and sat me down on a chair and pressed a glass to my lips. “A little white wine.”

  The taste was perfect, slightly sweet, and light. “Refreshing. I like it.”

  I heard him swallow too then his fingertip ran over my lips. “Open up.”

  My entire core pulsed. Shit, this wasn’t going to be just a simple meal, was it?

  After I parted my lips, he placed something on my tongue. I chewed and an explosion of flavor filled my mouth. “That was some kind of fish.”

  “Here, have another bite, then tell me what kind you think it is.” He put another piece into my mouth.

  After thoroughly tasting it and placing the texture of it, I had my answer, “Ahi tuna.”

  “Correct. You earn a drink.” The wine was once more given to me.

  He went through bite after bite, testing me, and I passed most of them, earning my sip of delicious wine. When he placed some chocolate cake in my mouth, I was happy to see the dessert portion meant the meal was over.

  I had no idea eating while blindfolded could be so erotic.

  He pulled the blindfold off and looked at me with a hazy gaze. I smiled at the smudge of chocolate on his lip, and it took all my willpower not to lick it off. Instead, I ran my thumb over it, then let it linger on his mouth.

  He sucked, and I felt it in my clit. He kissed the pad of my thumb before I lowered my hand to my side. “Thank you for a very interesting dinner.”

  I expected him to say something completely playboy like can’t wait for breakfast, but he simply gazed at me, his eyes scanning my face.

  “Come snorkeling with me tomorrow,” he suggested. “Early morning is the best time to see the most fish.”

  I opened my mouth to say yes, then remembered where I was, why I was here. If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up spending all of my time with Zane, causing me to fail this assignment. I did have Smith to look after. I couldn’t commit to anything until I saw Smith doing it.

  “We’ll see.” A thought sprang into my head that might just do the trick. “I’m writing a book. I need some time to do that, and I never know exactly when creativity will hit me. If you want to be with me, then you’ll have to do activities like that around my uncertain schedule.”

  He gave me a skeptical look. “You’re a photojournalist who’s also writing a book?”

  “Yes. Is that so hard to believe?”

  “A little. How do you find the time to do all this?” He cocked his head to one side and waited for my answer.

  Fidgeting with the hem of my dress, I suddenly felt as if I was on the stand, being questioned by some lawyer. “I haven’t found much time. I thought I might find it here, which is one of the reasons I came alone.”

  The disbelieving expression changed to one of intrigue as he popped a piece of chocolate truffle into his mouth. “So this book, what’s it going to be about?”

  Oh. Shit. I hadn’t had time to even read a book for pleasure in a long time. I scanned my mind for the last book I read. Of course, it would be a trashy novel. I used it anyway.

  “It’s a love story, a romantic adventure with lots of steamy scenes.”

  “Steamy scenes, huh?” His fingers linked with mine. “Do you need some inspiration?”

  I laughed. “Is that an offer?”

  There was no hesitation. “Yes.”

  I took a long sip of my wine, clinging to the cool glass instead of to him, like I wanted to do. No man had ever affected me the way Zane did. It was like my body was being pulled toward his. Like he had a gravitational pull on me somehow. Whatever it was, I felt helpless to stop it.

  “What makes you think I don’t have lots of ideas in my head already?”

  He didn’t answer, just led me back out onto the deck where he took the wine out of my hand. “Sit.”

  I would have normally bristled at any command, but I found myself sinking into the cushions, scooting over so that he could have room beside me.

  “Exactly how many men from your past am I competing with, Sloane?”

  “Three.” I couldn’t believe I blurted that out so fast. “Don’t ruin things by telling me your number, okay?”

  “It’s not as many as you probably think.” One seductive finger ran over my collarbone as his gaze lingered over the area. “And none of them have been serious. I seem to attract a certain type of female. Ditzy and on the easy side.”

  “You like those kinds of girls?” I was perplexed. If he liked that type then what was he doing with me?

  “That’s a complicated question.”

  “How so?”

  He looked up at the stars as if they might give him answers. “For all of my life, I’ve avoided being held down in one place, so being with women who were, um, not exactly marriage material suited me just fine.”

  “And now?”

  He exhaled a long breath and looked down at me again. “And now, I’m not sure. Recently, I’ve felt, I don’t know, unsettled. Restless, maybe. Or searching might be the better word.”

  I pushed his hair from his face. “What are you searching for?”

  He shook his head as his eyes dropped to my lips before meeting mine again. “I think I might have found it.”

  This could be a line, I knew that. In fact, it probably was. He was most likely feeding me the exact same words he fed every woman. The thing was… I didn’t care.

 
All I cared about was how close his lips were to mine. Then closer. Closer.

  There.

  His lips were so warm and they tasted of wine and chocolate. Some people said that fireworks exploded before their eyes. For me, kissing Zane was like sinking into a warm bath.

  It was then that I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I was screwed.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Zane

  Her lips were soft, supple, yielding, and I was in way over my head. She was warm and sweet, mouth opening to give and receive. I’d never experienced anything like it.

  One of her hands snaked its way around my neck as she ran her tongue around mine seductively. My brain was turning to mush at sonic speed.

  What the hell was happening to me?

  Gently, so as not to alarm her that I was freaking out inside, I ended the amazing kiss that threatened to change the man I’d been. I rested my forehead on hers as I steadied myself the best I could. “Wow, Sloane.”

  Her body trembled under me. “I agree, wow.”

  All I wanted to do was scoop her up and take her to the nearest bed. But I had to regroup. The woman possessed a power over me none ever had — the power to hurt me. No one had ever possessed that power.

  I had to pull back, make some adjustments. Taking her hand in mine, I had to stop it from running all over me the way it was. “Well, I better let you get some rest so you can get to writing tomorrow morning.” Letting her hand go, I started to sit up.

  She reached out and touched my shoulder, stopping me. “Really, Zane? You want to leave?”

  Giving her a quick glance, I pushed to my feet and ran my hands through my hair. “You have a lot to do. I don’t want to get in the way of your first novel. Which I know will be a best seller. I expect you to dedicate the book to me, you know.” Fuck. I was rambling, but I couldn’t stop myself.

  She stood too and followed me to the door. I could feel her presence — sexy, yearning, and confused as hell.

  She had every right to be confused. I was too.

  When I reached out for the doorknob, I felt her hand on my shoulder. “Zane, is everything okay?”