Surrender to Temptation (Agent Lovers Series Book 1)

by Harper Steen

  “I know. We should go check on them and make sure they aren’t up to something new. They’re certainly pissed enough to try something again.” Gray slipped off his wet things, dropped them carelessly on the tile and wrapped a towel around his hips. Chris nodded and followed him up the stairs to the second floor, the monitoring bracelets in his hand.

  At first Jeff stayed in the pool, out of his brother’s direct line of fire, but eventually he got curious and climbed out of the water. Why do they want to put those monitoring bracelets back on the women? He followed Gray and Chris into the house. Liz and Jennifer impressed him as being very level-headed. Maybe somewhat brash and wild, but still quite reasonable. So, why the bracelets?

  He took the stairs up a floor and discovered his brother and Chris listening intently at Gray’s bedroom door. Quietly, Jeff took a place next to them and pressed his ear, like theirs, against the door.

  ***

  “So now what do we do?” Jennifer asked.

  “I want to get out of here as quickly as possible—order from our boss or not! Who does he think he is…” Liz threw the towel she’d just dried off with onto the floor, “Talking to me like that! Just because I slept with him? I’m not going let him imply that I’m some kind of idiot!”

  “Me, either! We had good reasons for our behavior. This is exactly how I was afraid they’d act if we got involved with them.”

  “Don’t rub my nose in it!” Liz said. When Jennifer was right, she was really right. “Are you coming?” She didn’t bother to explain where, but Jennifer didn’t need an explanation.

  “Of course! But we don’t have a car. How are we supposed to carry Brutus and Furball? I doubt Gray will loan us the BMW, especially after the mess we made of his Mercedes.”

  “He doesn’t need to. Once we’re gone, they’ll be happy to send our pets back along with our things. We just have to get out of their reach and go convince Townsend to drop the order.”

  “And how do you plan to get away from here? Hitchhike?”

  “Yeah, right!” Liz shook her head. “I’ll just borrow the keys to Jeff’s Harley. They’re right in his jacket pocket.”

  “Don’t you think they’ll suspect something, now that we’re barricading ourselves up here and avoiding them like the plague?”

  “Hm…” Liz crossed her arms over her chest, pursed her lips and stared for a moment at the beige carpet. As she sank her feet into the thick pile, she considered their options. Then she looked up again with a smile. “We’ll just cozy up to them. For a couple of hours we’ll keep our distance and stay just friendly enough so they don’t guess we have something up our sleeves. Toward evening we’ll unthaw a bit more, and if they feel any distrust at that point it’ll disappear. Then as soon as they’re asleep, we’ll take off.”

  “I hope they won’t expect anything! The last thing I want to do is stay here until the doctor gives his okay.”

  “We’ll just have to play it by ear.” Liz pulled open the top drawer of the dresser, fished out some clean underwear and turned back toward Jennifer. “How do you feel about going down now and getting some lunch? Maybe we’ll even get a chance to grab the keys.”

  Quickly the men abandoned their listening post, ran back down the stairs and huddled in the backyard.

  “They want to steal my Harley! Do something!” Jeff demanded.

  “No worries! Nothing will happen to your motorcycle,” Gray said.

  “What did Jennifer mean about the doctor giving his okay?”

  Sooner or later Jeff would find out, anyway, Gray realized, so he decided he might as well tell him now. “Liz and Jennifer were both seriously injured on their last job, including getting bruised ribs. Since I wanted to keep their families from learning about what they were doing, I brought them here to recover. I didn’t ask them whether or not they wanted to come here. It was authorized and approved by Townsend.” He went on to summarize the events that had led up to the women staying at his house.

  “Well, of course, if Townsend signed off on the whole thing, who could question it?” said Jeff. “Welcome to the Middle Ages! You know, that’s one messed up stunt you pulled. What kind of a job did these two do exactly?” Jeff looked from his brother to Chris.

  “The same kind Chris and I used to do, and that you still do.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. Those two are in one of Townsend’s Special Forces units?” He looked from one man to the other in disbelief.

  “Not just any of his units. They’re in the best—namely, the same unit you’re in. You’re colleagues!”

  “They’re in the Dozen?” Jeff’s eyes grew round and his jaw dropped. Stunned, he stared at his brother. “How’s that even possible?”

  “I have no idea how they wound up there, but sometime I’ll tell you about their last mission. You’ll be impressed. Even you would never do what they did. And that’s saying a lot.”

  “Good Lord!” Jeff looked shocked at the news.

  “Quiet! They’re coming.” Chris quickly struck up an irrelevant conversation about weed killers, and they joined in, doing their best to act interested.

  Jennifer stuck her head briefly outside through the open door and asked in a voice that was polite, but not overly warm, “Should we heat up the food?”

  “Sure. Why not? Do you need some help?”

  “No, leave it. We can get it, Gray.” She disappeared inside again.

  “What about my motorcycle keys?” whispered Jeff.

  “They can’t do anything as long as they have the bracelets on. Those things work just like electronic leashes,” said Gray just as quietly. He winked conspiratorially at his brother over the table. “You should know that better than anyone.”

  A couple of minutes later Jennifer and Liz emerged carrying dishes and beverages. They put them all on the table, then went back into the kitchen and brought back the reheated food.

  After the meal, Jeff stacked the dishes and disappeared with them into the kitchen. He wasn’t sticking around for the inevitable debate, no matter how curious he was.

  “Liz?”

  “Yes?” She looked up from the table top she’d been staring at for a while.

  “Did you forget something?”

  “What have I forgotten?” Gray set the bracelet on the table. She looked at him in disbelief. “You’re not serious, are you?”

  “Either you put it on, or I’ll put it on for you! It’s your choice.”

  Chris put the second bracelet on the table right in front of Jennifer. “The same goes for you. Either you put it on voluntarily, or I’ll put it on for you!”

  “I have a choice? I have a choice?” Liz shouted. “Do you know what you are? You’re lower than a pig!” Then she bent close to Gray and hissed, “Go fuck yourself the next time!”

  Somehow, Liz realized, the men had begun to suspect what she and Jennifer had planned. If the guys were going to make them wear these bracelets, their plan was dead. Liz raged to herself. Now the keys they had just stolen were of absolutely no use. No, Liz told herself resolutely. She wouldn’t let them thwart her plans again. Not this time! She spread her arms wide and flung the bracelet into the lawn before she jumped up and ran into the house.

  Jeff looked up in surprise when she shot past him into the entry. Giving chase, Gray crossed the kitchen a second later and caught Liz by the front door.

  Just as she was about to open the door and storm out, she was seized by the shoulder and pulled back into the entrance hall. Instinctively, she whirled around to hit her assailant. She knew that a single, accurate strike would do the trick, and she aimed for his right temple. She didn’t intend to seriously hurt him, but she had to give Gray the slip, or he would ruin their escape.

  Gray had expected a desperate attack and he anticipated exactly how Liz would execute it. His right arm shot up and with a firm grip he seized her wrist before her hand could reach its target. Holding her hand tightly, he pressed her body, face first, against the wall next to the front door. He p
ressed his second hand flat between Liz’s shoulder blades, shoved a knee between her legs and pinned her in place.

  Imprisoned between the wall and Gray, Liz wanted to scream in frustration.

  “First of all,” Gray said, “you will never raise a hand to me again. Secondly, if you ignore the first rule, I’ll spank you until your bottom burns hot enough to fry an egg on it. And thirdly, you will not disobey Townsend’s express order!” His mouth was just a fraction of an inch from her left ear. “I will personally see to it that you obey him, and that you rest and let your injuries heal.”

  Liz trembled with rage. “Kiss my—”

  “Gladly.” Gray pressed his lower body provocatively against her backside. “But this isn’t the place for that, sweetheart.”

  “You miserable pig!”

  He didn’t react to her insult. He simply called out to Chris, who appeared a minute later carrying the bracelet that Liz had thrown into the grass. Their first attempt to put the bracelet on Liz’s free wrist failed when she pulled her arm back with a jerk. The resentment in her eyes didn’t have any effect on Chris. He just shrugged his shoulders and looked at his friend.

  Gray held her firmly but did not tighten his grip to force her into submission that way. He spoke in an unemotional tone, “You know there isn’t any point in resisting anymore—unless you want to spend the rest of the day, the night, tomorrow and the day after that standing here with me holding your face against the wall. I won’t let you go until you’re wearing the monitoring bracelet. How long it takes you to put it on is completely up to you.”

  For the second time Chris reached for her wrist. This time Liz didn’t struggle. After the clasp was latched, Gray released her and took a step back so that she could move freely.

  Liz’s eyes flashed in suppressed anger over her thwarted flight and, above all, because once again, Gray had the upper hand. She pushed past him and headed for the stairs, but she didn’t get far. After she'd gone just a few steps he took her by the arm and held out his hand. “Give me the keys,” he said softly.

  With her gaze stubbornly locked straight ahead, she fished the motorcycle keys out of her pants pocket and put them into his palm. Then she walked over to the stairs.

  Jennifer stood waiting at the bottom of them with a glum expression on her face. She hadn’t made the mistake of trying to get away from Chris as Liz had done with Gray, and the monitoring bracelet was back on her wrist.

  “They knew.”

  “You think?” Liz hissed. “I got that impression too.”

  ***

  “Oh my God!” Jeff couldn’t believe what he’d just heard from Gray about the women’s last mission. When Gray had referred to it earlier, Jeff had realized something of what the men were dealing with. But he certainly hadn’t counted on the women being so reckless.

  He could see now why Townsend had chosen them for his best squad, but their approach to things left Jeff speechless. Although he wasn’t exactly faint-hearted when it came to his own missions, and while he’d been known to take certain risks himself, he had never done anything like what they’d done. He had to admit it: Gray was completely right about them.

  It had been five years since he himself started going on assignments so dangerous they could cost him his life, and he always went into them with a touch of anxiety. Nothing that would cripple him, but enough care to make him be cautious—and stay alive.

  He had noticed that Jennifer at least voiced some occasional doubt about their methods. But Liz didn’t appear to have any fear, which he knew had the potential put her at even greater risk some day.

  “Imagine how we felt when they ignored every single one of our orders. I had a better chance of making a solid concrete wall collapse by yelling at it than I did of getting Liz or Jennifer to do anything I ordered them to.” Desperation resonated in Gray’s voice as he leaned back in his chair.

  Jeff gave his brother a penetrating gaze. Clearly this stubborn, anger-provoking, gorgeous woman meant a lot to him. Jeff ran a hand over the tight muscles of his neck and sighed. “But that doesn’t completely explain the monitoring bracelets. That is depriving them of their freedom, old boy—and that’s putting it nicely. At some point, they’ll be completely healthy again and they’ll be sent out on missions just like that one. You can’t do anything about that.”

  “You think we don’t know that? But maybe we can get them to approach those assignments more cautiously and not act like they’re in Die Hard.”

  Gray certainly hoped that he could get the women to act with more caution in the future. He knew he would do his damnedest to be able to keep supervising their assignments.

  Over the course of the day, he had come to realize letting her go wasn’t going to be easy. After the additional weeks of recovery that remained, it would be even harder. He had imagined their time together in his house would go completely differently.

  Initially, he’d thought he would enjoy a brief, passionate fling with her, but he’d quickly realized that he wanted more from Liz than a temporary relationship. It felt so right when they were together. It felt right to her, too—Gray was sure of it. He didn’t want to—couldn’t, wouldn’t—simply let her disappear from his life. He didn’t have any idea how to keep that from happening, but he felt sure he could come up with something. He had always been able to find a solution for any problem.

  “What do you say we talk man-to-man? Maybe I can help somehow, brother to brother.” The hopeful undercurrent of Jeff’s words made Gray look up in surprise. Doubt was clearly written all over his face. “How could you help me?”

  “I’m not a little boy anymore, no matter what you think.” Jeff shook his head, took a deep breath and changed the habit of a lifetime by opening up to his brother. “Why do you think I’ve always followed in your footsteps? It’s not to compete with you, like you seem to think. It’s because I admire you. You were my role model. You still are, and I’m sure you always will be. Couldn’t you tell that?” He laughed and rolled his eyes. “And to think you were always the one who always got praised for his intelligence.”

  Gray stared at his younger brother in disbelief. “What about all the ways you’ve provoked me, again and again, all these years? Don’t just tell me that was your way of showing me how much you like me!”

  “Um…well... sort of.” With a sheepish grin, Jeff scratched his head.

  “You idiot!” Gray shook his head and laughed softly. “You could have talked to me at any time. We didn’t have to go through all this stupid teasing.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Jeff leaned forward belligerently in his chair. “Do you have any idea how unapproachable you’ve been with me ever since we were kids? No matter what I did, you were always cool toward me. When I was a teenager, I wore the same clothes you did. I joined the same clubs and hung out at the same places. I followed you into the Army. Even when I was admitted into Townsend’s Dozen, you ignored me.”

  “I’ve never—”

  “Don’t interrupt me!” Jeff said. “Who knows when I’ll have another chance to get this out, considering the way you keep me at arm’s length.”

  Gray blinked in astonishment at Jeff’s aggressive tone. He’d never before seen his brother so upset before. Usually, Jeff made a joke of almost everything, no matter how inappropriate it was to do so. He had an extremely weird sense of humor that Gray thought bordered on lunacy. Now, Gray realized that he’d been misjudging his brother for years. Their intense rivalry was actually Jeff’s way of getting closer to him—though this was an admittedly weird way to do it. And Gray was so stupid, he hadn’t even noticed that’s what Jeff was doing the whole time.

  Once the altercations between them had escalated to what had been, in Gray’s opinion, an unacceptable level, he had decided it best to cut back contact with his brother to a minimum. Gray didn’t want to totally destroy what little bond there was between them. Gray had been incredibly wrong in his assessment.

  He suddenly felt as though a heavy weight had been
lifted from his shoulders. Jeff was right. It really was time for them to talk like brothers.

  Jeff ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He stared at the carpet. “Once Mom and Dad weren’t there anymore, things got worse between us. Didn’t you notice?” He looked up and met Gray’s sober gaze. Sadness showed in his eyes. “You grew even colder toward me and limited our contact as much as possible. If we did happen to meet, I got the feeling I was standing across from a stranger who just happened to look like me.” Jeff leaned his elbows on his knees and let his head drop as he gave a mirthless laugh, at the thought of how he tried in vain to get his brother to show any feelings. Nothing worked, not provocation, not insults, nothing.

  “You really are an idiot.” Gray shook his head. “Instead of insulting me every time you saw me, you should have just talked to me for a change.”

  “Yeah, right!” Jeff’s voice dripped with cynicism. “Blocks of ice are warmer than you! No one could break through that self-control and deadly composure of yours. You seemed completely unapproachable. That’s why I tried to draw you out. I wanted to know if you really were as unfeeling as you came across. Not once did you show me your temper.”

  “I’m not unfeeling,” said Gray.

  “I know that now.”

  “Oh, yeah? How?”

  “This morning, for the first time, you reacted to being provoked—even before I said anything to Liz.” Jeff raised his head and sat up straight. He gave Gray a mischievous smile. “You were jealous because you thought I’d make a play for Liz.” He laughed softly—not a mocking laugh, but one of relief. “And later you even lost your composure. Can you imagine how that made me feel?”

  Gray nodded and the corners of his mouth gave a telltale twitch. “I’m starting to get a clue.”

  “If you hadn’t pushed my face in the dirt and made me eat grass, I’d probably have laughed to see your careful façade finally starting to crumble.”

  “You’re really crazy, you know that?”