by Cynthia Eden
“I couldn’t tell you. Knowing the truth would have just put you at risk.”
“I’m sure that’s the line Superman gave to Lois back in the day, but it’s BS.” Her chin notched up.
His nostrils flared.
“You’re a spy.”
A curt nod.
“And my brother…he’s a spy.”
“I told you—”
“Where is he? Right now? You talked to him, and I want to talk to—”
“He’s gone dark, Alyssa. I tried to reach him, but I can’t. He probably ditched his phone right after he texted me. It’s standard procedure when your cover is blown. He may not know if he can trust others in the organization. He has to figure out who turned on him.”
“But…he contacted you.”
“He sent me a text. Told me his cover was blown. Asked me to protect you.” He raked a hand through his hair. “And the next thing I knew, someone was shooting at you.”
Yes, someone had shot at her. In the next instant, Sebastian had swooped in. Picked her up. Tossed her into the limo and gotten her the hell out of there. “So bad guys want to kill me in order to hurt my brother?”
“Looks that way.” He stalked toward her, moving to her side of the island and walking with that silent stealth of his. “But I’m going to keep you safe.”
“Because you’re a super spy.”
He kept heading toward her. “Yes.”
“Prove it.”
He stopped right in front of her. “Excuse me?”
“Prove that you’re a super spy.”
“It’s not like I carry super spy ID on me, sweet—um, Alyssa.”
She stared up into his eyes. “How do I know you’re not lying to me?”
“Because the bullets were real. The message at your home was real. The bastard after you is real.”
“Okay.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You make some excellent points.”
His hand lifted. His knuckles brushed over her cheek.
Alyssa stiffened.
“Don’t,” he seemed to bite off the word. “Please, don’t be afraid of me.”
What? “I’m not.” Was she supposed to be?
“Then why do you always tense when I touch you?”
“Because I like it too much.”
Oh, sweet hell. She had not just told him that embarrassing truth.
But, yes, judging by the way his eyes had widened, she had. “I’d like to take those words back now.”
Sebastian shook his head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Then I’d like for you to forget I said them.”
“That’s not going to happen, either.”
“Then what is going to happen?”
“You’re going to ask me to kiss you.”
She laughed. “No, that’s—”
“You’re going to ask me for anything that you want.” His gaze was on her mouth. “And I’m going to give it to you.”
Why was she breathing hard? Why was she leaning toward him? Why was she thinking way too much about the one kiss they’d already shared? “I’m not your type,” Alyssa blurted.
Shit! She had to stop that. Worst habit ever. When stressed…blurt.
“You are exactly my type.” He was still staring at her mouth.
“Oh, sure. And that’s why you’ve kept your distance from me all these years.”
Now his gaze lifted.
Lust.
Need. A consuming desire.
Her heart slammed into her chest with one very powerful thud. He’d never looked at her that way. No man had ever looked at her with such wild hunger in his eyes.
“Sometimes, if you don’t keep a distance, then you don’t keep control.” His voice was rough. “With you, I’ve kept control.”
This was some seriously uncharted territory.
“You don’t know the real me. You saw the image. The same one everybody else saw. But that image is falling away. Because of what’s happening, it has to vanish with you. So now you’re going to see me for exactly who I am.”
“Why does that sound like an ominous warning?” Her voice was husky, and, oh, jeez, sensual. She wet her lips.
He growled.
She liked that sound far too much. It had a primitive power that sent heat surging through her.
“It’s a warning. Because you want the truth about me? The full truth?”
“It is what I’ve been asking for.” In case he’d missed that part.
“I want to strip you naked.”
What?
“I want to lift you up and drive into you right now. I want to fuck you for hours. No, days. And that would only be the start. Because I’ve wanted you for so long, the need is almost savage. I’d have to take you over and over again, and, I know that every time I have you, I’ll only want you more.”
She couldn’t breathe. Alyssa was also pretty sure that she’d imagined his words. Instinctively, she shook her head.
His hand fell away. “Right.” He backed up a step. “Forgot. I’m in this shit alone. You never felt the same way. Should have kept my mouth shut.” A rough laugh. “Chalk it up to some oversharing madness. Don’t worry, I know how to keep my hands to myself. Just—you asked for the truth, so I gave it to you.” His gaze scorched her. “Or maybe I was just tired of holding back with you.” His jaw locked. “I can keep you safe and stay away from—”
“How do you know I never felt the same way?” Her heartbeat was so loud. Surely, he heard it.
Sebastian shook his head. “You don’t.”
“So you’re telling me how I feel?”
He winced. “Your brother told me that most days, you hate my guts. On good days, you tolerate me. On bad days—”
“Even on bad days, I fantasize about having sex with you.”
His jaw dropped.
“No!” Alyssa slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Say it again.”
She was not saying anything again. She side-stepped around him. Hurried to get out of the kitchen.
“Because I fantasize about you all of the time, Alyssa. You’re in my head. Have been since the day we met, and I can’t get you out.”
She stopped. Her legs felt absolutely rooted to the spot. His words rushed through her. They pretty much splintered everything that Alyssa had thought that she’d known but…
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “You’re a spy.”
“Yes.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “That means you’ve been lying to me for years.”
Did she want a denial? She didn’t get one. He simply stared back at her.
“Right.” She squared her shoulders. “You lied to me before. You could be lying to me now. How am I supposed to trust anything that you say to me?”
“You think I’m lying about wanting you?”
“I…” God, she was so confused! And scared. And a thousand other things.
“Ask me to kiss you,” Sebastian said.
“What?” She whirled to fully face him.
“Ask me to kiss you. Then I’ll kiss you, and you’ll know exactly how I feel.” His hands clenched at his sides.
“This is an insane conversation. Everything that is happening is insane!” She needed some space. She’d go upstairs and have a meltdown in peace, thank you very much. Once more, she spun away.
And once more…
“I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you, and that is not a lie.”
Her hand rose and pressed to her heart. For some reason, it ached. “Liar.” Barely a whisper. So she said it again. Louder. Harder. “Liar.”
He didn’t make a sound behind her, but she could feel him closing in. “That’s not a lie.”
Don’t look back at him. “I’m not some super genius like my brother. Not like my parents,” Alyssa spoke the words flatly. “Or even like you.” She’d been the one who didn’t fit in her super over-achieving family. The wild one who ran barefoot whenever she had a chance and colored on a
ll the walls because she’d wanted to make things look pretty. Not gifted with a sky-high IQ like Antony and her scientist parents. So different from them. When she’d been a kid, that knowledge had hurt. No, it had devastated her. She’d always felt lost. Or, worse, like she didn’t belong.
“Alyssa—”
“But I’m not a fool. And you know what? I have one very good memory.” Certain words in particular had haunted her. Her voice roughened as she added, “‘I swear that I will never, ever put my hands on your sister.’ Such a fun birthday gift to me. You…announcing your plans.”
Behind her, he cursed. Low, savage, and very inventively.
“I’m going upstairs. I need to be alone for a while.” Her spine was so straight and stiff that it hurt as she marched forward.
“You forgot the last part.”
She hadn’t forgotten anything.
“Or maybe,” he added softly. “You just walked away before you could hear the rest.”
She shouldn’t stop.
Why had she stopped?
“Antony said I was wrong for you. He didn’t want me—or my hands—anywhere near you. Protective older brother in full effect.”
Her brother was protective of her. He also had a tendency to butt in where he didn’t belong when it came to her personal life.
“So I told him that I’d keep my hands off…”
Right. An agreement so quickly and easily given. A humiliation that still haunted—
“Unless you asked for my hands to be on you.”
Shock rolled through her.
“Because if you ever ask for my hands, for my mouth, for anything from me—you’ll get it. When you want me, I’m yours.”
She didn’t move.
“I’m tired of having the woman I want most in the world so close and not doing a damn thing about that desire.”
No, no, he was not saying—
“I told you how I feel,” he growled. “Now you get to decide what happens next.”
What would happen next? Slowly, she turned to face him once more. His eyes seemed to burn with green fire. His jaw was locked tight. His face appeared almost savage with his emotions. He looked wild and rough, and so very different from the man she usually saw. The guy who flashed his dimples and got everything he wanted.
Only he’s telling me that I’m what he wants. “You’ve never said anything before.”
“No, I pretty much just watched and wanted in silence.” A pause. “And I wanted to kick the asses of the jerks you dated. Hell, when I thought you were going to marry that ER doctor, I nearly lost my shit.”
“I wasn’t going to marry him. We were just dating. He wanted to move faster. Wanted more than I was ready to give. Didn’t feel right.” Because…
Because even back then, she’d been fantasizing about Sebastian. Even when she’d known he was wrong for her.
Wrong in so many ways.
And maybe that was why she was so drawn to him. Alyssa nodded. “It’s because you can’t have what you want.”
A faint line appeared between his brows. “I don’t understand.”
It was a basic psychology thing. People wanted what they couldn’t have. Forbid someone from having something? You instantly make the person crave that object more. “You only want me because my brother told you to stay away. It’s the whole appeal of forbidden fruit thing. If I was one of the long line of women who surround you so eagerly, you wouldn’t care about me. I’m different because you think I’m a challenge. Once the challenge is over, you’ll walk away.”
His eyes gleamed. “Wanna bet?”
“Is everything a joke to you?” she whispered.
“No. Not everything. You’re not. You’re also not fucking forbidden fruit. You’re the woman I’ve dreamed about for years, and getting you into bed isn’t a challenge. It’s more like the freaking end game. Because you’re—”
An alarm sounded. The ear-piercing shrieks had her flinching as her gaze flew frantically around the room. “Sebastian? What’s happening?”
“Rear of the property. Sensor just caught motion.”
Her head jerked back toward him. He’d pulled out his phone and was staring at the screen.
“Some fucking asshole is out there.” He tapped a button on his phone and barked, “Close in, now! Get the sonofabitch!” Then he lunged toward the back of the house.
She rushed after him and grabbed his arm. “Stop!”
He frowned back at her.
“You can’t run out there! Let your guards handle it! You’re not—um, you’re not—”
“This is the kind of shit I handle.” His voice was grim. “He comes here, thinking he’ll get you? The bastard will be dealing with me.”
Because Sebastian wasn’t some spoiled playboy like she’d thought.
He’s a freaking spy.
Chapter Seven
“I didn’t know I was trespassing!” The guy lifted his hands. “I was…hiking. Taking nature pictures.” He glanced at the burly guard and then at Sebastian. The fellow’s eyelids flickered. “I must have gotten lost.”
“Do I look like a dumbass?” Sebastian asked him conversationally.
“Uh…”
“The correct answer is…‘No, you don’t look like a dumbass.’” His eyes narrowed on the trespasser. “I know you.”
“No, I don’t think we’ve met—”
“I don’t forget faces. Ever. I know your face.” He mentally ran through the list in his head and… “Fuck, you’re a reporter. Gavin Hall. You joined up with the Asheville Sun a few months back.”
The sunlight glinted off Gavin’s blond hair and the bright light easily let Sebastian see the uneasiness on the other man’s face. “I’m a reporter, yes,” Gavin responded cautiously. “But I was out here doing a nature piece and—”
“Bullshit.” He didn’t have time for this crap. “You want me to get your ass fired? Because I can do that with one phone call.”
Gavin’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Let’s cut the crap. Why are you on my property?”
“Because you’re the story.” A miserable shrug from Gavin. “I was at the theater last night…uh, doing a report on the new show. I happened to be outside when all the action went down, and I saw those shots nearly hit your lady.”
My lady?
“You got her in the limo and out of there fast as lightning, and then the cops swarmed. They weren’t sharing info, so I thought I’d come out here and see what I could find…”
His words trailed away. He seemed to waver and pale a bit more. He should go pale. He should be freaking terrified.
Sebastian lunged toward him. “You were out there when the shots were fired.” He grabbed the reporter’s shirt front.
“I don’t—I don’t think you should be—”
“You took pictures of the scene, didn’t you?” He could see the truth in Gavin’s eyes. “Pictures of me and my lady.”
“When you get a story like that, you have to act. I mean, I only had my phone with me, but it’s top of the line and the camera on it was good enough for me to—”
“I want the pictures,” Sebastian cut through his words. “And I want them now.”
Gavin’s gaze darted away.
“Oh, hell, no.” Sebastian shook his head. “Do not tell me—”
“They’re already up on the website. It was a big story, man. My boss was thrilled. He knew other news outlets would want to pick up the details and link back to us so—”
Sebastian let Gavin go. Disgusted, he snarled, “You put her picture up on your site.”
A miserable nod. “It’s the news…”
“You know who she is. You recognized her, didn’t you?”
Gavin licked his lower lip. “Hard not to recognize Antony Kyle’s little sister. Just didn’t know the two of you were an item. That part right there was news, you know, it was—”
“Take the photos down. Delete any copies you have.”
Gavin gaped. “Dude, tha
t’s like shutting the barn door after—”
“Come on my property again, and I’ll have your ass thrown in jail for trespassing. I’ve got cops on speed dial.” Well, one cop. “Don’t push me.” He motioned to the silent, watchful guard. “Escort his ass out of here.”
As Gavin brushed by him, mumbling some half-ass apology, Sebastian let his hand slip into the reporter’s coat pocket. And as easy as one, two, three…
Gavin walked out, not even realizing that he’d left his phone behind. Or rather, not even realizing that his phone had been taken.
By the time Sebastian walked back in his house, he had unlocked the phone, and he was scrolling through the pictures Gavin had taken. Like I’d really trust the guy to delete them on his own.
Sure enough, there was Sebastian, grabbing Alyssa. Scooping her into his arms. He zoomed in on the picture a bit, and Sebastian swore when he saw the expression on his own face—
“Did you catch him?”
He glanced up. Way up. Alyssa was on the second floor. Her hands were spread along the wooden railing.
“Was it the guy who shot at me?”
“No.” Sebastian tightened his hold on the phone. “Just a jerk reporter after a story. I’ve taken care of him.” He’d make sure all of the photos vanished from the website, too. But…shit, they’d already been recirculated on the internet.
Good thing he was talented at making certain things vanish.
“I have to do some quick work in my office.” He turned away from her. “Why don’t you try to rest a bit? We can talk again later.” He had to get those photos taken care of now. He hurried into his office. Sebastian fired up the computer, and his fingers flew over the keyboard as he went after his target and—
“You don’t want me to know something.”
His head whipped up.
Alyssa stood in the doorway.
He frowned at her. “You got down the stairs fast.” Like ninja fast.
“What are you doing?” She bit her lower lip. “Better question…what are you hiding from me?”
“The reporter who just got his ass tossed off my property? He took pictures of us outside the theater. The pictures are circulating on the web, and I’m making them vanish.”