The Agent's Proposition

by Stone, Lyn

  He sat up and gave her the sweetest smile. “I have never in my life ripped clothes off a woman. How gauche would that be? Undressing is foreplay. Why miss out on that?”

  Then he said something in Italian that sounded really enticing. Tess wished she knew the language. All she understood was carissima. An endearment. So the big, bad Cochran was a romantic at heart, or at least on the surface. Either way, for her benefit. How sweet was that?

  She watched with fascination as he reached down and removed her shoes, taking time to caress one half-numb foot, then the other. That felt so heavenly, she groaned.

  His hand traveled up her leg, beneath the silken skirt of her dress and rested for a moment on her hip. One teasing finger slipped beneath the strap at the side of her thong. His lazy gaze never left hers.

  Tess saw right into his mind in that instant, as if he had opened up to her on purpose, an offering of trust, a gift. She saw raw anticipation. She saw all that he imagined they would do together. She saw need that stretched beyond the night. Tantalizing. And erotic.

  Slowly, he removed his hand from beneath the dress, caressing her leg as he began to lift the hem. She sat up a little. He slid his arms around her and unzipped, still in no great hurry. The silk brushed her nerve endings, making her skin tingle wherever it touched. When he drew the dress over her head and carefully laid it aside, Tess shivered with eagerness.

  “Cold?” he asked, trailing one finger over her shoulder and down between her breasts.

  She shook her head, still holding his gaze. “Now you.”

  He removed his shoes, then stood and slipped off his jacket, letting it fall to the floor beside him.

  Then he removed the gun from the back of his belt, twirled it once on his finger, caught it fast in his grip and grinned. Tess laughed at the antic as he carefully laid his weapon aside. He was making this fun, and she was thoroughly into it. She clapped her hands slowly and waited for more.

  Strong fingers worked the buttons of his shirt, and he took that off as well. She had seen him without it before, but not like this. Not in a bedroom, with her half naked and his eyes on her reaction. She pursed her lips in a silent whistle.

  Tess sighed audibly at the sight of that massive chest, with its tightly drawn nipples and dusting of dark brown curls. He unbuckled his belt and slid it slowly out of the loops, dropping it to one side as he worked the fastener and unzipped his pants. There was a pause as he raised one eyebrow in question. Tess nodded. Then he dropped the pants and stepped out of them.

  His dark blue briefs hardly concealed anything; in fact, they emphasized everything. Was this how women got off on male strippers? She had never seen one in action for real, but it couldn’t be any more provocative than this.

  Obviously at ease with his state of undress, he joined her on the berth, sitting beside her as she lay propped on the pillows. He looked pointedly at her bra. “That has served its purpose for tonight, don’t you think?”

  He snaked one hand beneath her back and unsnapped the fastener with expertise. Tess did not want to consider how many times he had practiced that particular move. He brushed the straps off her shoulders and pulled the cups away from her breasts.

  For a long moment, he just looked at her. “You’re excited,” he said, raising that eyebrow again.

  “So are you,” she said, looking down at the blatant evidence of that.

  “You’re not going to say no,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

  “I would have said it long before now,” she admitted. To reinforce her willingness, she removed the thong and dropped it over the side of the berth.

  “No regrets in the morning?” he asked, as if that would be a condition. He stripped off his briefs.

  Oh my. She tried not to stare.

  “No regrets ever,” she promised. This was what it was. Sex for the sake of sex. Odd that she didn’t feel promiscuous. She should, but instead she felt…free. Free of the old rules she had made for herself, since no one else had bothered to make any for her. Free of the self-doubt that had held her prisoner for so long. Cameron might not love her, but he had freed her. No, there would be no regrets. None at all.

  She held out her arms, and he came over her, bracing on his elbows as he lowered his body onto hers, a delicious weight, unfamiliar yet comfortable. Comforting.

  “I didn’t plan for this,” she murmured as he nuzzled her breasts. “You have protection?”

  He abandoned his quest for the moment and looked up at her. “I do.”

  “So you gave this some thought before?”

  “Since I first saw you on the dock at Tybee,” he said.

  Maybe so, but she suspected he had gotten condoms in the men’s room at one of the clubs. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “Hope springs eternal,” he confessed with a smile. “Aren’t you glad?”

  “Elated. Ah, do that again.”

  He moved against her as he returned his attention to her breasts, caressing her lower body with his as he stoked the fire between them.

  Tess let herself go, loving the small surprises he plied with his mouth and tongue, even as she wished he would hurry.

  But Cameron was obviously not a fan of speed. A man with a slow hand. The words to an old tune from years ago ran through her mind. She loved slow.

  The night was perfect, with the lazy splash of waves, the cozy comfort of the lavish cabin that cocooned them, the lovely scent of his skin and the feel of it as she kissed him. Sheer perfection. If he only would get on with it.

  But he took her higher, made her want more, stirred in her a need she had never known before.

  At last, he drew back, kneeling above her to don the protection. Instead of an interruption of pleasure, that, too, became a part of the teasing prologue. Emboldened by his openness, she reached out and smoothed down the roll of latex until he was covered. He remained where he was, looking down at her as she stroked him.

  Unhurried as ever, he took her hand and laced his fingers through hers as he lowered himself again and entered her. She lifted her hips to make him thrust, but he controlled the foray until fully seated inside her.

  She almost cried out with frustration, contracting around him with a fury. He slowly withdrew all the way, then sank into her again with maddening control.

  He stroked once, twice and then again. Tess cried out, the pleasure too keen.

  Her mind still soaring, she felt him begin thrusting faster and harder, his control slipping by degrees, pushing her faster and faster to the edge of reason. Suddenly she reached a pinnacle, and they plunged together, a free fall that stole her breath and shook her so violently, she wept.

  Finally, he withdrew and held her close, whispering something that sounded tender and comforting, though she missed the words. She hadn’t the strength to imagine it was anything to do with love. But it was enough. She closed her eyes, stroked his wide shoulders and drifted into sleep, glad she was in his arms. No, no regrets at all.

  Morning crept in through the window, throwing weak sunlight across the bed. Tess knew she was alone before she opened her eyes and was glad of that, she told herself.

  Who wanted to face a new lover with mascara smudged beneath her eyes and her hair a messy tangle? She rolled out of bed and went to repair the damage. After a shower and quick shampoo, she wrapped a towel around her body, another around her hair, brushed her teeth and went back in the cabin to find something to wear.

  She decided not to think about last night. They had both known that it would happen, and it had. No need to rehash it. In the light of day, that might make them both uncomfortable.

  But, oh, when she thought of that body of his, the smooth silk over steel muscles, the way he moved, his hands. Those wonderful hands. She groaned low in her throat just remembering….

  He opened the door a crack and, without looking in, said, “Put on your suit. We’re checking out the smaller beaches this morning.”

  So much for reflection on his part. He’d pr
obably forgotten the details before his feet hit the floor.

  “Good morning to you, too,” she muttered as she snatched up the bikini she had left lying across the chair yesterday.

  All business again, was he? She desperately needed to keep a strong check on her emotions so she could act that way, too. Maybe he gave lessons. She yanked on the suit, cursing when the strap twisted.

  “Not a morning person, huh,” he said on the other side of the door. “I bring coffee.” His hand, holding a mug, appeared through the partially open door.

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake, come in.”

  He was smiling and looking like a cool million when he entered. And he was wearing only his swimsuit. Tess closed her eyes against the sight, but it wasn’t working.

  “Take the coffee and let me help you out there,” he suggested.

  Tess took the mug and turned around, sipping the strong black brew as he straightened her strap and brushed his palm over her back. “You have dimples just above your cheeks.” He touched one with his finger. “Devilishly cute.”

  “Beat it while I fix my hair. I’ll be out in ten,” she said, a little miffed that he could look so good, while she needed time to look halfway decent.

  He started out. “Want an omelet or fruit?” he asked as he went.

  “Toast. And more coffee. Does anything rattle you, Cochran?” she demanded.

  He laughed. “You do. Like a maraca, babe. The trick was to wake up before you did this morning and work out for a while. By the way, the raccoon look was sweet on you. I watched you sleep.”

  She almost threw the mug at him. Infuriating man! But she couldn’t quite contain the smile. She’d had only one other morning after. This one was going infinitely better, even with the teasing. Probably because of it.

  She had rattled Cameron. Like a maraca. How ’bout that?

  This trip to the beaches proved no more eventful than the one they’d made the day before. The search was a bit easier in that there weren’t as many faces to scan, but Cameron found that keeping his eyes off Tess was the hardest part.

  Wasn’t it odd how much more at ease she seemed with him and with herself? He had expected awkwardness between them today, after making love with her last night. He had worried about it. She obviously wasn’t used to falling into bed with someone on impulse. In fact, he’d bet she hadn’t had more than one or two lovers before this.

  Her inexperience was a definite turn-on, but that wasn’t what had prompted him to make a play. She had really wanted him, too, and he knew it. Not just sex, but him in particular. Yet she didn’t seem to have any expectations, either of another bout in the bedroom or a future relationship. He couldn’t quite figure her out. What exactly did she want?

  Whatever it was, he wanted her to have it. That, too, seemed odd. Why such a blinding need to please this woman at all cost? Didn’t make sense, given his past involvement. Brenda was in total eclipse.

  And why was it that everything Tess did, however innocent, seemed sexy or endearing, or both? Man, you’d think he was falling for her or something.

  She was just standing there now, her gaze traveling from stranger to stranger as she idly licked at the cone of Italian ice cream he’d bought her. It was damned difficult to keep from getting hot just watching her.

  “There,” she said, tossing the ice cream and pointing down the beach. “Could be him.”

  They took off, walking faster than usual to catch up. The guy they were following veered off the beach and disappeared in the surrounding vegetation. They followed the path through the trees and emerged on the far side of the tree line in time to see him hop into a speedboat docked there in an inlet. He was gone before they could see his face.

  “What do you think?” Tess asked.

  “Right size, moved like him. Could have been.” Cameron checked the time. “Let’s go back to the marina. I think we’ve covered about as much ground as we can. We’ll stop for dinner, catch a nap and go back out tonight.”

  She stopped and looked up at him. “About the nap part…Cameron, I think we’d better not, well, you know. No regrets, I swear, but this could get in the way if we let it.”

  “Yeah, I know. You’re probably right.” He continued back to the beach, mostly so he wouldn’t have to look at her when they had this discussion. She was right and he knew it.

  He’d had sex with women he worked with before, but Tess was different. She had gotten into his mind and was playing with his concentration.

  He had to compartmentalize big-time for the duration of the mission. Put off whatever this little affair might turn into eventually. It was too intense to pursue it right now. However, he couldn’t let it go. “Could I maybe give you a call or something after we get back to the world?”

  She nodded. “Back to the world. Odd how that describes it so well.”

  He hadn’t thought much about it. It was a common phrase used by agents, even soldiers coming off assignment, especially when they were out of country. Last night had been out of this world, that was for sure. He felt like an alien inside himself, one with all sorts of feelings he hadn’t experienced before.

  He tried not to compare Tess to Brenda, the woman he had once thought he loved. Still, the two things they had in common were impossible to ignore. They were both career-oriented government agents, and they were both smart and efficient.

  They were both beautiful, too, but not in the same ways. Tess’s beauty came from inside, radiating out. Brenda’s had been all surface and no substance, though it had taken him a while to see that. She had been hot, all right, but with no real warmth. Why hadn’t he realized that at the time? The fact that he hadn’t, ought to make him doubt his assessment of Tess, but it didn’t.

  He knew her in ways he had never known Brenda. The thing was, Tess let him know her. She was so special, he could never know enough about her to satisfy himself. He wanted years to learn more.

  She was looking at him strangely as they walked side by side in the sand. “Are you okay with it, Cam?”

  When had anyone called him Cam? Not since he was a kid. “Sure,” he said. “So will it be all right if I call you?”

  She shrugged. “Who knows what will happen between now and then? Last night was what it was. Let’s leave it at that for now.”

  Cameron tried to tamp down his disappointment. And he had worried about her reaction to their sleeping together? He should have paid more attention to how involved he was getting.

  The remainder of the afternoon passed swiftly and without incident. Tess called a report in to Control. Nothing new from there.

  She tried not to think about how Cameron felt or the fact that she’d been able to read him last night, even a little this morning. She had picked up on his confusion concerning the two of them, maybe some anger there, too, but she wasn’t sure whether it was directed at himself or her.

  Every now and then she would catch a flash of what he was thinking. But then, she wasn’t always certain whether what she sensed was a feeling he was having or one she was projecting.

  She managed to redo her hair with the curling iron she’d brought with her. Her dress had survived intact, and the shoes still hurt her feet.

  “Did I overdo the makeup?” she asked Cameron when she emerged from her cabin.

  “Looks perfect.” He reached up and rearranged a curl with a little tug. Then he lifted her chin with one finger and brushed his thumb just below her bottom lip. She leaned into his touch, unable to help herself.

  He had closed her out now. She couldn’t tell whether the gesture was one of intimacy and affection or if he was merely sprucing up her disguise. She hoped…

  “Okay, sport, let’s go find him,” he said, breaking the spell.

  Chapter 8

  At another marina far away, a man accessed his wireless connection. He laughed when he saw the codes had changed again. He wondered if another little blackout would get things moving faster on the financial front. Fingertips resting on the keys, he paused to think
it through. At least it would show them that they couldn’t outfox him.

  But no, he would wait. The latest report through channels declared that the matter was being settled, so no further blackouts were needed right now. Funds were being amassed. He would check the Swiss account tomorrow and see if there had been a deposit.

  Getting the money out might pose a few problems, but he was in no hurry. Once he cut the power, they would be in such a stew that monitoring the Swiss account would drop pretty low on their list of priorities.

  Instead of dousing their lights again, he’d just give them a little shove with another warning message tonight.

  What a stroke of genius. The boy he’d chosen to take the heat was Egyptian, persona non grata in his own family, virtually broke and the perfect example of a greedy little terrorist.

  He finished the message and logged off. Might as well get dressed, go out on the town and enjoy the evening since he would soon be moving on.

  Fort-de-France had looked so perfect when he’d sailed in a few months ago, but like everywhere else he had docked in the last couple of years, the up-close and personal view disappointed.

  He smiled and stretched, looking across the water at the old city. At least it had electricity!

  “Where to first?” Tess asked when Cameron was behind the wheel and backing out of the parking space.

  “Hôtel Byblos.”

  He drove, obviously lost in thoughts she couldn’t determine, until he turned onto Avenue Paul-Signac. “Les Caves du Roy. It’s bigger, the busiest disco and the most difficult to cover. Fortunately, it’s Tuesday and off-season.”

  He pulled up to the hotel and waited for the valet. “It’ll be deafening. Jack-E’s a wild DJ, so put your cell on vibrate and carry it in your hand. Am I on your speed dial?”

  “Not yet. I’ll fix that.” She pulled out her cell phone. “Okay, you’re number one,” she assured him when she’d programmed her phone.

  “This time we’ll separate after we go in. Buzz me if you hit pay dirt. I’ll do the same. Work your way to the back. Then you go right and I’ll go left. Try to cover the crowd to the middle as you go. It’s okay to appear that you’re looking for someone. Most everybody will be if they’re not already hooked up.”