The Matchup

by Alice Ward

  He was pretty good at lying after all. I didn’t know if I should be impressed or afraid.

  “Don’t let her get away, Zane.” Charles pulled his shades down to look at me. “She has stars in her eyes for you, my new friend.”

  Did I?

  Damn.

  I guessed it was evident that the gorgeous man affected me. Not that it would matter after this week. Or would it?

  A fleeting thought went through my head. Maybe I could ask Agent Matthews to do a background check on Zane. If it came back clear, I could come clean with him after this mission was over. I’d see where that would leave us.

  But I wasn’t making any call like that just yet. Although our chemistry was off the charts, I didn’t know the man. He seemed harmless but I’d feel on more steady ground after a background check was run.

  The captain and his young girlfriend finally showed up, and we were able to get the trip underway. Climbing to the front of the boat, Zane pulled me down until I was sitting between his legs.

  Charles did the same with Grace, so I thought it wasn’t going too far. I wasn’t used to so much public display of affection, but I loved it. I loved the way he held onto me. The way his hands moved lightly over my shoulders, neck, arms. The tops of my thighs. It wasn’t just sexy but felt sweet too.

  Looking over the side, I watched as the crystal-clear water changed to a deeper blue, then the captain slowed the boat to a stop and shut the engine off. The water lapped at the sides of the boat as his girlfriend lowered a ladder and offered the snorkeling gear. I put on my rig and flippers while Zane snapped a flotation device around my waist.

  “Still think I’m sexy, baby?”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “Even that gear can’t take all that hotness away.”

  I laughed, but when he put all his rig on, I thought he was still sexy too. He tried to kiss me again, but our masks kept getting in our way, making us laugh. So many emotions. As unfamiliar as all this sexual tension was, the pure joy of being with him felt unfamiliar too. When my cheeks hurt, I realized it had been a long time since I smiled so much.

  The water was deliciously warm and clear, and Zane and I waited for Grace and Charles to join us before setting off.

  Grace swam over to me immediately and gushed, “Isn’t this sublime?”

  Her enthusiasm was contagious and I used her relaxed mood to carefully dig for more information. “Incredible. Don’t see many things like this back in Pennsylvania. Where are you from?”

  “Manhattan. So’s Charles.” She pointed at some fish that were swimming below us. “Look, they’re already coming in to see us. Aren’t they pretty?”

  We both stuck our faces in the water to check out the brilliantly colored fish, then I felt arms around my waist. It was Zane, and it seemed he’d be holding me throughout our little fish watching expedition.

  The water was nice, the fish were pretty, but none of that compared to how it felt to be with Zane. Holding hands, we swam around with our faces in the clear water, pointing out things to the other. It was more than fun, it was special too.

  I could just see us in the future, talking about the fish we saw when we were in Maldives. A sharp pain stabbed my heart as I thought that might not happen at all. But I quickly put that out of my mind and went on, enjoying the day with him.

  Hours later, it was time to go, and I climbed back onto the boat exhausted but happy. I was glad to have Zane to lie back on as I rested all the way back to the dock. The breeze and rocking of the boat made me sleepy, my eyelids refusing to stay up.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re back.”

  I grinned and stretched, rubbing my eyes. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”

  Charles and Grace looked wide awake, both smiling as Charles asked, “You guys want to do lunch?”

  Before I could accept the invitation, Zane pulled me into his arms. “Nah, me and the little lady are going to take lunch in my bungalow and chill for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe we’ll catch you guys for dinner and dancing this evening?”

  “Sounds good.”

  Once the couple was out of sight, I whirled on Zane. “Why did you do that? You know that I need to be around them as much as possible.”

  He shrugged. “You’re tired.”

  “Tired?” I looked at him incredulously. “I’m always tired, but that’s no excuse for not doing my job.” I stomped off after the couple but was hauled back against a hard chest. “Let me go. I need to join them.”

  “No.”

  That pissed me off. Did he think he could shut me down with one simple word?

  I dipped and whirled out of his restraining arm before poking him in the chest with my finger. “No? Are you serious?”

  He smiled, a warning gesture painted on his face. “You’re gaining people’s attention.”

  I didn’t even look around me. I knew he was right. With a deep inhalation, I forced myself to relax. “You’re right. Let’s just—”

  Before I could finish, his lips were on mine and I was being arched backward like a bow. I struggled for a second, opening my mouth to tell him off. It was a mistake… of the best kind.

  His tongue stroked mine as he deepened the kiss, his fingers digging into my skin. Then my fingers were digging into him. I was a maniac, hungry for more, my moans begging him to take me.

  There was clapping, and the kiss softened, then stopped.

  Zane lifted his head, a little smile playing on his lips. “Our first fight,” he told the voyeurs, who hooted and clapped some more. He looked down at me. “Maybe we should take this inside.”

  I nodded, my cells still sizzling from the heat of his kiss. I felt dizzy, like I used to feeling when I rode one of those twirling, whirling amusement park rides.

  I grinned at the winks from the women in the group. Laughed when Zane gave some random dude a high five. Then we were in his bungalow.

  “Zane—”

  His mouth was on mine again, and my back was pressed against the wood of the door. I both loved the kiss and hated how it could stop me on a dime. When he released my lips, I opened my eyes to find him smiling. “Your job is over, baby. I got everything you’ll ever need on the man.”

  “Huh?” My head was still spinning with the after-effects of that kiss.

  Damn, the Zane had me right where he wanted me. It was infuriating. Only I didn’t have the power to feel mad because my body was pulsing with desire.

  He pulled his cell out of the pocket of his swimming trunks. “While you were sleeping, those two made out like crazy. I got ten pictures of them in various states of making out. I’ll send these pictures to you then you can send them to your old friend, and your job is over. And we can get working on us. Me and you.”

  He pulled the sundress over my head, leaving me in the bikini. “Zane—”

  “Now it’s time to go back to what we were doing before. You do recall your promise to continue what we started, right?”

  “But—”

  He kissed me again, taking my mind off what I was going to say.

  The truth was, I had no idea what to say. Maybe letting him fuck my brains out would loosen things up in my head enough that I could think once the coital bliss was over. At the same time, I knew I should do something to let him know it wasn’t okay to make decisions about a job that was mine to do.

  He eased the kiss and took my hand. “I have condoms in the bedroom. That’s why I brought you to my place.”

  “But—” That’s all I got out before he pressed his finger to my lips.

  “But nothing, Sloane. I want you. You want me. No more waiting. No more talking. After we make love, you can talk all you want. Right now, I want you in my bed, naked. I want to kiss every last inch of you, then I want to make you scream my name.”

  My brain said to tell him off, but my vagina had a differing opinion.

  Brain vs Vagina.

  As Zane’s lips found mine again, I knew it wasn’t even a contest.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN
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  Zane

  The sounds of seagulls echoed outside as Sloane’s lips softened against mine. This was it. I was only moments away from having this glorious woman in my bed.

  My cock was throbbing in anticipation. My heart was pounding with desire. My… oomph… lungs were straining to breathe from where Sloane had punched me in the gut.

  I held my stomach, trying to draw in air as I watched her turn on her heel and head for the door.

  “Wait!” I yelled.

  Well, it was almost a yell. If my throat hadn’t been gulping for air, it would have been a loud one. The girl packed a damn good punch.

  I’d locked the door, and it was my only saving grace as she fiddled with it to yank open the door. I grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”

  Her glare was like mental darts striking me in the forehead. “Home. I’m not some bimbo that you can boss around. And I don’t appreciate you thinking you can take over my job.”

  What? She had to be kidding.

  Apparently not. She got the door opened and was sashaying her bikini-clad ass out of it while I pieced together the chain of events.

  All the air went out of me as I watched her walk away. I felt deflated, angry, frustrated. “So, lunch or what?” I called out lamely.

  She looked over her shoulder at me. “Are you serious? Haven’t you messed up quite enough?”

  Then she went into her bungalow, and I was left standing there like a jerk.

  I took a deep cleansing breath. It was time for a little self-reflection. Had I taken her job over? Had I overstepped my bounds? Or had I actually helped her out the way I thought I had?

  And what about our attraction?

  And why did I fucking care so fucking much?

  I slammed my door, then kicked it, immediately feeling like a child. Stalking to the little kitchen, I pulled a beer from the fridge and downed it in two long swallows.

  Grabbing another, I plopped down on the couch. Sloane Anderson was a puzzle. A beautiful, complicated puzzle. I just needed to figure her out.

  Or maybe I just needed to stick with the airheads. Sweet mouths. Sweet pussies. Empty minds. That strategy had worked just fine the past couple decades.

  But, dammit… that wasn’t what I wanted. As frustrating as she was, I wanted Sloane. Not just her body, but her mind. The intelligence behind her eyes. And if it took a few sucker punches for me to stop acting like a dick, that was okay too.

  I scrubbed my face with my hands. It wasn’t just sucker punches I needed. It was a complete mind shift. Sloane deserved more than I had been willing to give.

  She needed security. Promises. Trust.

  Could I give her that?

  The me of two days ago couldn’t, I realized. That man played life as it came to him, unwilling to step up and take charge. Could two days make that much of a difference? Or was I like a child with a new toy I’d promised I would take care of, only to get tired of dealing with the upkeep and setting it on the shelf once I was bored?

  I finished the beer and got up for a third one, trying to imagine going back to my life of a couple days ago. The smiling, giggling girls who were sweet and open for anything. The sultry ones who were more focused on what I could buy.

  Smiles. Blue eyes. Lies and deceit. Snorkels and mask.

  My cock pulsed.

  Yep.

  Even thinking about her in that goofy-looking gear turned me on.

  I had it for her. For the first time in my life, I could only think about one girl. I wasn’t about to let my pride get in the way of something that had never happened before.

  Getting up, I went to the bathroom to shower and change, then ordered us some lunch to be delivered to her place. I blew out a long breath. For the first time ever, I was going to put my heart on the line.

  It made me sick. It made me strong. And I supposed that was just about right. Getting shoved out of any comfort zone shouldn’t be comfortable. After I’d gotten dressed, I looked at the nightstand my condoms were in. I left without them. I didn’t want her to think I was asking her for a commitment just to get into her panties. I’d leave sex out of it. For now.

  When I approached her door, I lifted my hand to knock then decided to alpha up. Taking charge was what was needed in the situation. Sloane was a strong woman. She needed a stronger man.

  I walked right in and went down the short hallway, finding her on a laptop computer, earbuds in her ears. She startled at my appearance, then pulled the buds from her ears, and slammed the laptop shut.

  She was on her feet an instant later. She had showered too. Her hair was still wet and I could smell the scent of her shampoo. She had changed into shorts and a little tank top, and she wasn’t wearing a bra that I could tell. And she was furious. “Hello? Are you completely without manners?”

  “So asks Miss Manners herself,” I tossed back, nodding at the computer. “What’s up?”

  She spun around and walked over to grab a bottle of water. “I was messaging my friend if you must know. She thinks Charles is in the mafia. She’ll double what she’s paying me if I can get evidence of that.”

  I stared at her, unable to do anything else for several long moments. “No way in hell, Sloane. I can’t let you do that.”

  Her hand flew to her hip as fury took up residence on her face. “You can’t let me do that? Ha.”

  Was she insane? What made her think she could mess with a man that dangerous?

  I wasn’t sure if she was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, it was a toss-up. “Sloane, you have no idea what those people can do to you. They can disappear you like that.” I snapped my fingers. “I don’t want you to disappear.”

  “I’ll be careful. He’ll never know what I’m doing. When I told his wife that I had breakfast with the man and had an in with him, she was over the moon. She’ll get everything if she has evidence of him being in the mafia.” She took a seat and a drink of the water.

  I just stood there, shaking my head. “Yeah. She’ll get everything, including a bullet in the head.”

  But Sloane didn’t waver. She was all pumped up. Ready to go. And she had no idea of the danger she’d put herself in. So I thought I’d go another route to see if me being in danger would make her see reason. “If you’re going to be in danger then I’ll be right there with you. We’ll both be setting ourselves up for a set of cement shoes, but I won’t let you do it alone.”

  She eyed me for a moment then huffed out a breath. Was there a small glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes? “Well, I do need you, Zane. They think we’re a couple. I couldn’t just drop you and expect them to keep inviting me to hang out.”

  Cocking my head, I processed her change of mood. Yeah, she was using me, but it also gave me some leverage. “Ha. You need me. I’ve got you by the balls, baby. Not that you have balls, but you know what I mean. If I say no, then the answer is no. And I am saying—”

  “Zane, please. You don’t understand. He’ll take her kids away if she can’t put him away. Even if she gets full custody, he’ll still have visitation rights. She’s sure he’ll run off with the kids the minute he gets them. He’ll do it just to stick it to her. He’s a terrible father. Beth told me so.”

  Sloane batted her eyelashes and… were those tears pooling in her eyes? One fell. Dammit. She wasn’t fighting fair.

  “Zane, I’m not doing this for the glory if that’s what you’re thinking. I want to do it for those poor, innocent children. Imagine how scared they’d be to be suddenly taken away from their mother.”

  She was tugging at my heartstrings for sure.

  “But it really is dangerous.” I was losing the battle, I knew I was.

  Another tear fell as she looked up. “Zane, I can’t stand by and do nothing. Yes, I can give her enough evidence to get a divorce right now. And she’ll get what she wants. But those kids will be in danger of losing their mother forever. If he doesn’t take them right away, he could do it at any time.”

  Fuck me.

  Why di
d I have to go and fall for such an amazing woman?

  I turned away from her so I could think. I couldn’t think rationally when I was looking at her puppy dog expression. It was impossible to tell that face no.

  But I was agonizing over what she wanted to do. It was the mafia we were talking about here. Not just a cheating husband who’d be pissed if he found out it was us who fucked his world up. No. Now it was a group of heartless bastards we had to worry about.

  The motherfucking mafia.

  No. No way. We couldn’t do that to ourselves. Kids or no kids.

  “He shot their dog, Zane.”

  I spun around. “Huh?”

  “Charles shot their dog.” Tears shimmered in her pretty eyes. “Once, Beth threatened to leave him because she was pretty sure he was having an affair. This was a couple years ago. He shot the dog and told her if she ever left him, she’d get what the dog got. A bullet in the brain. We can’t let him get those kids and kill their mother, Zane. We just can’t.”

  Well, fuck me running.

  I found myself nodding even though I thought we needed to just get the fuck off the island. I needed to take her and get as far away from that man as we possibly could.

  And if we did try to get some information out of him to help his poor wife, we’d have to be around him a hell of a lot. How could I ever act naturally around the man, knowing all that I knew? How was I going to meet him for drinks and dancing knowing the man killed his fucking dog?

  I wasn’t an actor. I wasn’t a great liar. I wasn’t even prepared to handle such a huge burden. But there it was anyway. Thrust on me because it had been thrust on Sloane.

  Man, I must fucking be falling hard for this chick.

  That was all I could think because I would’ve never done anything like that for any other female I knew. And I was going to do it. I couldn’t let her do it alone. I couldn’t leave her in such danger. I could protect her, physically. But from the mafia?

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  What was I thinking?

  I couldn’t protect a tadpole from them. The best I could hope for was that she and I were never found out. I had to make sure we played our cards close to the vest. I had to make sure things were handled in such a way that Charles would never suspect that we could do such a thing.