“What the…?” Teague carefully lowered the coat. “Is that thing real?”
“Very.”
“Who are you?”
“I told you. Jaeda Bennett.”
“You mean you told the truth about that?” He raised a skeptical brow.
She felt the corner of her mouth quirk and sent the urge to smile into whimpering submission. She had to keep her cool. Think straight. But he made it difficult with a curve of muscle peeking at her from the V in his robe, and his impressive calm in the face of a cocked firearm. The fact that the pistol looked more like a toy didn’t help. Damn it.
“You’re not a computer master, are you?” He tossed her coat on the bed and crossed his arms.
She wished he hadn’t, since it made his chest muscles bulge. She wanted to sink her teeth into them…just a little. Concentrate! She blinked. “I am, actually.”
“Would you put that thing away? I’m not going to attack you. I might make you leave. Make you walk back into London through however many inches of snow are out there in nothing more than that robe and those ridiculous red shoes of yours. But I mean you no bodily harm.”
Warily, she affixed the safety and lowered the weapon to her side.
“What kind of computer master carries a gun? I mean, look at you. You’ve got the stance and posture of someone who has obviously received extensive fight training. Really, who are you?”
Danger is imminent. Don’t let your target out of your sight.
Jaeda gasped. “It suddenly occurs to me that you’re not who I thought you were.”
“That’s not an answer. And who did you think I was that you needed to point a pistol at me?”
Brushing past him, she tossed the weapon on top of her coat and headed toward his dresser. Pointing at the gun, she said, “Don’t touch that.”
“I hadn’t intended to. Are you going to tell me what this is all about?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe isn’t good enough. You’re a guest in my home.”
“Sort of, but not really.” She took a pair of his underwear from a small top drawer. From a long drawer at the bottom, she chose a pair of white drawstring sweatpants.
“You seem to have an intimate knowledge of my belongings. Did you snoop while I slept?”
“Yes.”
He laughed. “Your blunt honesty would be so much more refreshing if you were a bit more forthright. I thought you were mysterious last night, but now… Well, you’ve quite exceeded your mystery quotient.”
“Have I?” She went into his closet and dressed. She chose the smallest sweater she could find on the closet’s rear shelves and drew it over her head then rolled the sleeves at her wrists. She gave her legs stretching kicks. The sweats accommodated longer legs than hers, but the elastic at the ankles kept them from slipping around her feet and tripping her.
In the bedroom, he adjusted a pair of pale gray sweatpants at his trim waist.
“I can’t think. Put on a shirt, would ya?” She waved a dismissive hand at him but couldn’t take her eyes from his striking body.
He struck a pose, flexing his biceps and making his pectoral muscles ripple. Jaeda lost the ability to breathe for a moment.
He became serious. “How much longer do you think I can keep up this flippant attitude? You’ve misled me. Is anything you showed me of yourself last night true?”
Her throat grew thick with emotion. “It’s all true. How I got my job, and why I’m in England. I let you see me – the real me. You’re probably the only person in the country I’ve let see me.” Her throat closed, making speech impossible. She swallowed hard and managed to whisper, “Last night was real, and now, I need you to tell me you love me.”
“I love you,” he said without hesitating.
Chapter Thirteen
Jaeda jerked. Her pulse went wild, and her brain felt ready to explode. “You do?”
“You scared the hell out of me.” Teague took a sweatshirt from his dresser and unfolded it. “I met a special, one-in-a million woman last night. When I found my business card fallen from your pocket, I thought you’d faked everything.” He drew on the shirt then closed the space between them and cupped her cheek. “You just showed me that you didn’t.”
“You love me, after one night?”
“You said you needed me to say I love you. The potential is certainly there, though it’s suddenly become more complicated. I have a lot of questions. You have a lot of explaining. But I love the kindness in you. You’re wicked smart, and I adore it when you show your vulnerability. It lets me know you’re real. Keep opening up to me, and you’ll capture my heart. I want the truth.”
Capture his heart.
He’d said the magic words. She didn’t have a choice. Sighing, she went to the window and shifted the drapery barely enough to see the rear lawn. Snow covered the sleigh tracks, turning them into mere indentations. Nothing below indicated a trespassing, much less a threat. She had time…she hoped.
“Okay,” she said.
“Okay?”
She went to him and took his hand then led the way to his sitting room. She sat on the green couch and patted the cushion next to her.
“You don’t work for the Pentagon, do you?” he asked, accepting her invitation.
“No. I work for an agency. And please understand that I can’t tell you which one.”
“An agency. And agents work for an agency. So you’re an agent.”
“Yes.”
His brows arched. “A spy.”
“An operative.”
He shook his head and raked fingers through his hair. “And your real name is Jaeda Bennett?”
She nodded. “I couldn’t lie. You caught on every time I did. I’m a good liar, Teague, but you’re better at reading body language.”
“I’ve always called it judging character well.”
“Whatever you call it, you’re good at it. You earned my respect right away.”
A light sparked in his gaze, and he released a heavy breath through his nostrils. “I like that you respect me. It means a lot. So you’re a spy – sorry, operative - on a mission. Am I your mission?”
“Yes. I planted myself in your path last night. I knew where you would be and when. I was given as much information as I needed to logistically see this mission through.”
“Remarkable. But I’m just me. I don’t sell government secrets, not that I know any, and I’m not privy to any top-secret or illegal dealings. So why are you here?”
“I can’t say.” Her stomach clenched, and she resisted the urge to touch him. Connect with him.
“You can’t say, or you won’t say?”
“I can’t.”
“I see. Is it one of those things where you could tell me but then you’d have to kill me? Or do you really not know?”
“I really don’t know. I’ve been given an objective, but it’s short term, need-to-know. I expect I won’t learn more until I can confirm I’ve completed my assignment.”
“Which is…?”
Jaeda shook her head. She couldn’t tell him her assignment was to make him fall in love with her. If she did, he’d be sure not to.
“That’s disheartening.” He rubbed his chin. “Why me?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re not exactly a wealth of information, are you?”
She smiled, unable to help it. “I’m a wealth of know-how and ability. The information – not so much. It tends to come in bits and pieces.”
“And last night. Were those skills you learned in your training? Do you perform this service for the agency as a routine duty?”
His acerbic tone and pained glance sliced her like a dagger’s blade. “They didn’t ask it of me. Never have. They gave me an assignment and vital information but left the means to achieve my goal at my discretion. I chose to be with you last night, not as an agent, but as a woman. And you’re the first man I’ve been with since joining the agency seven years ago.”
His eyes
widened and he leaned toward her. “Good God, you’re telling the truth.”
“You have that effect on me. I told you, I can’t lie to you.”
Taking her face between his hands, he looked her in the eyes with such tender affection that she melted inside. He tilted his head and took her lips. The kiss sent her world careening onto a foreign axis, and she gripped his shoulders.
“Jaeda,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Hmm?” She closed her lids and drank in the feel of him. The scent of him. The taste of him. If her assignment had been to give Teague her heart, she could consider her job done and done well.
“What now?” he asked, pressing his bristly cheek against hers and hugging her close.
“I’m not sure.”
“Promise me something?”
“What?”
“Promise you won’t point that gun at me anymore.”
She chuckled. “Under one condition.”
“Name it.”
“Kiss me properly.”
His eyes closed, he took her lips in a devouring assault on her senses. His hands, his mouth, his entire body consumed her. At some point, she realized he had pulled her onto his lap, yet she didn’t remember getting there. A place deep inside, left dormant for so long, came to life in a blaze of heat and energy. She returned his kisses with every ounce of passion he had unleashed in her. Letting her hands roam, she explored him through his clothing.
“How was that?” he asked, his gaze hooded and his voice deep and raspy.
“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe you should try again so I can get a better idea.”
He laughed, the sound filling her with happiness. Dread, however, crept up her spine and prevented the happiness from progressing into joy. He was unlike any man she had ever met, and when her mission ended and she went on her way, she would leave a piece of herself behind. A vital piece.
He grimaced. “As eager as I am to peel my clothes from your delectable body and have my way with you, I must ignore the needs of my loins in favor of the needs of my stomach. Are you as hungry as I?”
She opened her mouth to say no and talk him into taking her to bed when her rumbling stomach rudely answered for her.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He lifted her from his lap and set her on her feet. “I wonder if Mrs. Chesley has found her way to the kitchen after this morning’s ordeal.”
Did he have to be so charming? And so right? If she faced imminent danger, she would need her strength. Defeated, she went to the door. “There’s only one way to find out.”
Downstairs, the smell of baking bread filled the hallway leading to the kitchen. Jaeda’s stomach folded in on itself, making her realize how great her hunger had grown.
Sutton pushed through the swinging door with a covered tray and blocked their way. “Ah, I was about to send for you,” he said with a grim smile. “The morning room has been prepared. You may break your fast there. Please follow me.”
The butler passed, and Teague winked at her. “Please follow me,” he mocked quietly, imitating Sutton’s stuffy tone and stiff posture.
She swallowed a laugh and tried to make a disapproving face. She suspected she failed, however, when he grinned.
The morning room hurt her eyes at first with its snow-bright light glaring through walls of windows and catching on silver domed trays lining an antique sideboard. Had the sun shone on the white-blanketed ground outside, the room would have been blinding. She didn’t hesitate to move inside, though. A surprising warmth welcomed her along with the mouthwatering smells of breakfast.
In a corner, an ornate blue and white ceramic brazier gave off delightful heat and glowed red through the grates on its door. Jaeda’s toes curled into an incredibly plush Persian wall-to-wall woven in a huge flower pattern of oranges, pinks, yellows and creamy white. In the center stood a rectangular table covered in a fine ecru tablecloth with six cushioned high-backed chairs.
“Are we expecting company?” she asked.
Teague chuckled and shook his head. He indicated she should move to the sideboard then followed. “Mrs. Chesley does this whenever I have a houseguest. Though it’s rare that I have fewer than three guests when I entertain. It could be worse.”
“How?” she asked, lifting a shiny dome and spooning a poached egg onto her plate.
“She could have sent a prepared tray to my room, assuming we wanted to break our fast in bed.”
Heat rushed to hers cheeks.
“You’re adorable when you blush,” he said. Leaning close, he whispered, “I wouldn’t expect a spy to blush so prettily.”
“Operative.”
At the doorway, Sutton asked, “Would either of you care for a hot beverage. Tea, coffee or cocoa?”
Jaeda spotted a pitcher of orange juice at the end of the buffet. “No, thank you.”
“I’ll have Earl Grey, Sutton,” answered Teague.
“Very good.” The butler bowed and turned on his heel.
“Does he always do that?” she asked. “Bow, I mean.”
“Usually. He’s in rare form this morning, though. I think he likes you.”
Her plate full, she set it on the table and went for juice. “I wouldn’t think he knows me well enough to decide that.”
Teague put two sausages on his plate with a set of tongs. “They talk, you know. Caster. Sutton. I heard Mrs. Wilson speaking with you in your room last night, and you were very kind to Mrs. Chesley this morning. You don’t treat my staff like servants. You must know that wins you points.”
“To be honest, I hadn’t given it a thought.” She took two sets of silverware wrapped in napkins from a pile then sat before her plate. Taking a sip from her juice, she cut a glance at him through her lashes.
He took a seat next to her. “I have a disturbing confession to make.”
She didn’t like how somber he looked. Handing him silverware, she asked, “Disturbing for you or me?”
“You, I’m afraid. I’m sorry for it.”
Chapter Fourteen
Here it came. Now Teague would tell her about his nefarious dealings and she would have to pretend it didn’t matter so he could feel free to fall in love with her. Bracing for his confession, Jaeda put the napkin on her lap then stabbed her fork into some fruit salad.
“I wasn’t surprised to see the paperclips in your coat pocket. I saw them sticking out of my desk drawer last night.”
“But you acted like you hadn’t seen them before this morning. You pretended to be upset?”
“Hell, no. I was angry. I thought you might be up to something, but when I saw my card, I knew it for certain. It’s not right to go through a person’s drawers, especially when they’re locked. What did you find?”
“What are you hiding?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Is that your spy look? All calm and in control? I see the turmoil in you.”
She chewed and swallowed, taking her time. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“And answering a question with a question isn’t an answer, either. What did you find?”
“If you’re so upset about my unlocking your desk, why did you take me to bed last night?”
“Did your agency teach you this – answering a question with a question?”
She quirked the corner of her mouth. “Like that?”
“Touché. So what did you find?”
He was persistent, and he rose another notch on her respect gauge. “Nothing. I wasn’t fast enough. I didn’t even open the drawer.” She eyed her plate and wondered how she’d eaten half her breakfast already.
He studied her a moment then rested against his seatback.
“Are you relieved?” she asked.
“No. I’m glad you told me the truth.”
“Good. So what are you hiding?”
He set his fork on his plate and turned to fully face her. “You think I’m some sort of criminal because your agency sent you after me. Well, I’m not. You say you have no idea why they’ve targeted me, and
I can assure you I haven’t the slightest clue. Do you want to see what’s in that drawer?” He took her hand and stood, drawing her to her feet. “I’ll show you what’s in that drawer right now.”
“How do I know you didn’t remove your secrets from it?”
Before he could answer, a sharp crack broke the stillness of the morning. One of the windows shattered.
Jaeda’s senses sharpened. Listening for another shot, she slammed a hand on Teague’s shoulder while kicking a foot out from under him. He dropped to the carpet, knocking the chairs askew. Before he could release a grunt upon impact with the floor, she joined him.
“Ssh,” she hissed, putting a finger to her lips. “Are you shot?”
He shook his head, his eyes wide and his face flushed.
“Stay here.”
In combat fashion, she lizard crawled on her belly to a low, intact window. Freezing air poured through the smashed one. At the far right of the rear lawn, a movement shifted shadows at the corner of the stables. Then a rifle barrel eased into view a moment before a face peered her way.
“Rush.” Damn him. She should have taken that jackass out at The Barrister’s Press.
“Who?” Teague asked, inches from her ear.
Jaeda startled. How did he move so silently? “I told you to stay put.”
“Someone just fired a gun at me. I’m hardly going to lie about and wait for the finishing shot. Now, what did you see?”
Frowning, she pointed toward the stable.
“I know him,” he whispered, a deep scowl hardening his features.
“That’s impossible. He’s my contact with the agency.”
Teague slowly shook his head. “He’s a new client of mine. He works for an emir in Saudi Arabia who hired me to manage money market investments for a portion of his portfolio. I knew there was something I didn’t like about him.”
Shit! The guy was moving huge amounts of money out of the Middle East? “No, he’s not. He’s a double agent. Do you know the source of his funds?”
“Of course. I have to know everything – bank accounts, wire transfers, origination papers. It’s not legitimate without the proper signatures and documentation.”
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