by Jill Sanders
They ate in silence. She was too anxious to swallow anything more than a few bites of scrambled eggs and nibble on the dry toast.
For the rest of the time they were alone there, the minutes seemed to tick by. She jumped at each creak in the floorboard.
“Why don’t you go upstairs?” Cole said after half an hour of her trying to focus on her book. Cole was working on his laptop at the table and each time her eyes strayed from her book, she found him watching her. “Take a bath, relax.”
“I’m not going to let my guard down now.” She tossed her book next to her on the sofa and stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. “Haven’t you watched horror flicks, any of them? Everyone knows the moment you are alone or get naked, the bad guy jumps out from the closet.”
Cole’s chuckle stopped her. “Sorry.” He coughed lightly to cover it up. “Go on.” He motioned for her to continue.
“Maybe if I had something else to go on.” She moved over and sat next to him. “Tell me who’s after us, exactly.”
He leaned back, reached for his laptop, and after a moment, spun the screen around.
A very faint, very fuzzy picture of a beautiful woman dressed in all black filled his screen.
“Badumna, it’s her code name,” he said.
She glanced up at him. “Code…” A smile caused one side of her lips to curl up as her eyebrows shot up. “Do you have a code name?”
He smiled back and shook his head. “None that I’m telling you.”
Her eyes moved back to the screen, taking in everything she could about the woman. “She doesn’t look too bad. Pretty.” She tilted her head. The woman was probably a year or two older than she was. It was hard to tell from the fuzzy image.
“Don’t let her looks fool you. She’s one of the deadliest assassins for hire in Russia. Rumor is, she’s the one that got Jason Dickerson.”
Ashley’s eyes jumped up to his. “The Lord Bishop of London?”
“The very same.” Cole clicked the mouse and another image flashed. This time, there were two fuzzy men in dark black.
“We think these two are hers. The one on the left used to be Interpol, the other was FBI.”
“One of ours?” She leaned closer to the screen.
“It’s amazing who will sell out. Even we aren’t immune.”
Her skin crawled. “Was it one of those men who broke in…”
His hand touching hers stopped the dark thoughts.
“Yeah, we’re sure it was Anton who attacked you, but they could have both been there that night. We’re not sure.”
“Do either of them have blue eyes?” she asked out of the blue.
“Both of them do.”
“Why?” She pushed the computer back to him. “Why us? Why you? What did you do?”
“This is where it gets tricky.” He clicked again, then turned the screen and she smiled.
“The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt.” She frowned up at him. “Stolen years ago.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “What has this got to do with all this?”
“One of the largest art thefts in the world, 1990. This one and a dozen other pieces were reported to have been seen at a Russian mafia member’s home outside of Moscow.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“That’s because it’s been under wraps. We sent a team in, but the paintings had been moved.” His eyes met hers. “To Paris.”
“Is that…” His nod stopped her. “But?”
“Instead of meeting our informant, I had a run-in with Badumna.”
“She’s the one that shot you?” Her voice rose.
“Yes.” He reached across the table and took her hand.
“Where are the paintings now?” she asked after getting her emotions back in check.
He shrugged. “After Paris, we lost the trail.”
“Then why have they followed you here? If you don’t know anything else?”
“Good question. My guess is, Badumna wanted to finish the job. Her kill record has never been tarnished, until now.”
“You’re Harry Potter?” she asked, under her breath and he tried not to chuckle at the comparison. “She wants to kill you because you lived?”
Cole heard the car drive up and dropped Ashley’s hand. “Stay put,” he said, just as his phone chimed. Glancing down at it, he smiled. “Relax, it’s RJ.” He glanced out the window and waved at his boss. Tony and Greig, two other field agents he’d worked with on past cases, stepped out of the back of the car and waved up at him.
He knew there would be an hour of bringing the team up to speed and checking the perimeter.
He helped Ashley stand up. “Why don’t you head upstairs, relax a little while we take care of business?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but then she took a deep breath. “Promise me you’ll keep me posted?”
“Promise.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
After she disappeared up the stairs, he let his team inside and got down to business.
When Ashley surfaced again, it was dark outside. He’d walked the outside of the house twice, making sure all the new security measures were in place.
After introducing Ashley to his team, he helped her heat up dinner.
“We’ll be out of your way as much as possible,” RJ explained to Ashley over some of Mrs. Anderson’s pot pies. “You won’t even know we’re here.”
“Right,” Ashley said, glancing in his direction.
“We’ve taken the rooms on the second floor and will take shifts making rounds outside,” RJ continued. The man had a way of calming and defusing situations.
By the end of dinner, Ashley was almost eating out of his boss’s hand. She laughed more over dinner than she had since he’d run into her in Paris. Jealousy surfaced quickly.
RJ wasn’t your typical smooth talker. The man was very large and very intimidating looking. However, with his dark skin and thick Brazilian accent, women fell at his feet instantly.
Greig and Tony, for their parts, looked like they had just stepped out of the Matrix. Both men had crew cuts, wore all black, and never showed emotion. Cole, along with everyone else in the office, called them the Smith brothers. He’d worked with both men on several other jobs and trusted them more than any other agents.
Tony was currently on rounds, leaving Greig sitting in the command booth, which was nothing more than a table set up in the basement with all the computer screens that were hooked up to the security cameras.
“Thank you for dinner. I’ll take these down to Greig and Tony.” RJ stood up and grabbed the other two pot pies they had heated up. “If you need anything…” RJ’s eyes moved from Ashley’s to his. “We’re here.”
“Thanks,” Cole said, dismissing him quickly.
Already, he knew Ashley felt safer having them around.
He smiled over at her. “So, what do you want to do now?”
She glanced around the empty room and sighed. “I suppose I could go for that relaxing bath now.”
He chuckled. “How about I join you?” He stood up and took the dishes to the sink. “We can do these later.” He took her hand and led her up the stairs.
He watched as her eyes moved over the closed doors on the second floor. Stepping into the bathroom, he shut the door behind them as she started to fill the bathtub.
“It’s a little small for both of us.” She turned towards him. “Don’t you think?”
He smiled. “We’ll make do.” He ran his fingertip down her cheek. “Now, there is a matter of too many clothes that we’ll have to remedy.”
She smiled, and he could have sworn he heard a purr escape her lips as her eyes closed slowly.
Taking his time, he peeled off the oversized sweatshirt she was wearing.
“How’s the head?” he asked as he pulled it over her head.
“One hundred percent.”
He kissed her slowly as the rest of their clothes melted away. By the time he’d removed all of them, he was wonderi
ng just how he was going to fit into the tub with her.
“Ashley,” he groaned as her naked body slid against his own.
“Now,” she moaned. “I can’t wait.” She arched for him.
Taking her hips in his hands, he spun her around and bent her over the countertop. He entered her as she held onto the marble. His eyes met hers in the mirror as he held still, embedded deeply inside her heat.
“More,” she moaned. Her hips slowly started to circle, causing the last hold on his control to break.
16
Ashley soaked in the tub, laying in front of Cole until the water grew cool. Her body was totally relaxed from the orgasmic journey he’d taken her on before helping her into the water.
Then he’d taken his time washing her entire body and using his fingers on her until she’d cried out and splashed most of the water over the edge of the tub.
“We’ve made a mess.” She peeled her eyes open when the water got a little too cool for her liking.
“I made it,” he sighed. “I’ll clean it up.”
When she started to get up, he helped her. “Easy, we don’t want a repeat trip,” he joked.
She was thankful he was there when her foot slipped on the wet floor. And it reminded her of something she’d meant to ask him. She wrapped a towel around herself and waited until he’d tied one around his hips.
“Will you teach me something?” she asked, stepping onto the floor mat and watching him as he used a towel to soak up the water on the floor.
His eyes moved to hers and a slow smile formed on his lips. “Anything,”
“I want to learn to shoot a gun,” she said quickly. His smile fell away and his eyebrows rose.
“Why?” He frowned.
“I might need—”
“No,” he interrupted.
“But—” He gave her a look that stopped her. Narrowing her own eyes, she raised her chin slightly and turned towards the door. “I bet RJ would teach me.”
She heard him chuckle and then was spun around quickly. He backed her up slowly until her shoulders were against the hard wood of the door. Cole held her softly to the door as heat flooded his narrowed eyes.
“Fine,” he growled out finally. “Tomorrow,” he promised.
She smiled and leaned up on her toes to kiss him. “Perfect.”
“Until then, I can show you a few moves for close combat.”
Smiling, she ducked under his arms and waited until he dropped them to open the bathroom door. She pulled on a pair of his sweats and one of his T-shirts and turned back towards him.
“Well?” She cocked her hip out and he laughed.
For the next half hour, Cole showed her a few moves that would come in handy if she was ever mugged. For the most part, she felt like she was wasting his time.
He’d worked her up showing her all the moves until she was almost melting next to his skin. She was breathless and desperately wanted to rip his clothes off him. When he stood up and started walking towards the stairs, she frowned.
“I’m going to go make the rounds.” He slid his shoes on.
“I thought…” she started, then bit her lip.
He glanced up when she didn’t finish speaking. “I want to make sure the team is settled. I’ll be back.” He stood up and headed towards the stairs.
She watched him go and tried not to pout as she looked up at the ceiling.
She missed her family, her freedom, and her art. She was wondering what it would take to convince him to get some paint and canvases up there. Then she remembered what RJ had mentioned over dinner.
They had brought enough supplies for an entire week. Which meant seven more days in the cabin with Cole. Seven more days of hiding out from the world. Seven more days without painting.
She’d finished her book yesterday, so she either had to pick out another one from the small library on the main floor or try to hunt down some art supplies.
She knew there was an art store less than fifteen minutes away and wondered if Cole would agree to driving her down there for a few things.
She must have fallen asleep. When Cole climbed in beside her, she woke as he wrapped her in his arms.
“Everything okay?” she asked sleepily.
“Yes.” He kissed the back of her head and pulled her into the crook of his body. “Go back to sleep.” He buried his face into her hair and held onto her.
When she woke next, it was to an empty bed. She smelled bacon and coffee, and her stomach growled. Pulling on a thick pair of socks, she made her way downstairs as she braided her hair to keep it out of her eyes. She figured she’d shower after breakfast, since her stomach was growling so loudly.
Instead of Cole in the kitchen, Greig was standing at the stove over a pan of sizzling bacon.
“Morning,” she said, sitting down at the bar.
“Morning.” He turned towards her with a smile. “There’s coffee.” He nodded to the pot.
“Hmm.” She stifled a yawn. “Maybe later.” She felt her stomach roll at the thought of caffeine so early in the morning. Glancing at the clock, she groaned. “Do you guys always wake this early?”
“I had the night shift, so technically, I haven’t been to bed yet.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “And you’re stuck cooking breakfast?” She stood up and reached for the spatula from him.
He willingly gave it to her.
“Yeah, it’s the rules, but considering I get to sleep until noon, it’s not so bad.”
She flipped the bacon and inhaled one of the best scents in the world.
“I’ll cook the eggs,” he said, pulling out another pan and getting to work.
They worked silently, side by side.
“Where’s Cole?” she finally asked after turning her burner off.
“He and RJ ran into town for some more supplies. They should be back any minute now.”
Her heart sank. She wished he would have asked her before heading out. She remained deep in thought as she finished getting breakfast ready.
By the time she heard the car pull up outside, breakfast was done. She held it together as RJ and Cole stepped in with a few bags and joined them for food.
Everyone ate, talking about plans, security measures, and past jobs they had worked on together. After she was done eating, she excused herself and disappeared upstairs. Her heart sank a little more when Cole didn’t immediately join her or explain why he hadn’t asked if she needed anything.
Still, by the time she’d showered and dressed, she’d talked herself out of being angry at him. After all, he wasn’t obligated to ask if she wanted anything. Still, it would have been nice for him to think of her. That thought kept running through her mind, and she worried that it meant he wasn’t really in this for a longtime relationship.
When she stepped down the stairs, she realized just how wrong she’d been.
Cole stood at the base of the stairs, a smile on his lips as he watched Ashley’s eyes go wide.
“What… what’s all this?” she asked.
“I thought you’d be going crazy, so I picked up a few things.” He motioned to the art supplies he’d collected for her.
“You…” Her eyes moved over to his. Shaking her head, she walked over to the supplies and brushed a finger over the new canvases, paints, brushes, and tools.
She was silent as she assessed every item. “These are new.” She turned to him.
“Yes, we couldn’t risk a trip to your place. There was a store, just in town.”
She turned to him. “Thank you.” She walked into his arms and kissed him, then rested her forehead against his shoulder. “I should have never doubted.”
“What?” He frowned down at her, brushing a strand of loose hair from her braid.
“You.” She stepped back, a smile on her lips. “Can we go for a hike? So I can paint?”
He frowned again. “No, we can’t go that far away from the house, but how about sitting out on the deck?”
“I’ll take it.”
She swooped up some of the supplies.
“I’ll help.” He gathered the canvases and followed her out to the deck.
He sat on the deck for the next few hours, watching her work. At first, he thought she’d paint the scene in front of them, but instead, a different scene started to form on the canvas. By the time she stopped working, the scene included a lake, geese, and a large moon rising over the water. There was something about the image that caught his eye and he moved closer.
“Is that…” He squinted at it. “A face?”
She smiled back at him. “What do you think?”
The scenery was amazing, but what was more amazing was the fact that the scenery made up a woman’s face. The moon was the eye, the lake and river tears. The trees, hills, and everything else formed a beautiful woman’s sad face. It was shockingly beautiful.
“Your talent amazes me.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I love everything about it.”
“It feels so wonderful to paint again.” She took a deep breath and looked around. “I didn’t know how much longer I could go without it.” She turned around and took his hand with her paint splattered ones. “Thank you.”
They took a break for lunch, then she surprised him by pulling out another canvas and getting back to work outside. She looked up at him. “I’m enjoying the sun while it lasts.”
He’d been trying to get some research done on his computer, but half the time, he found himself just watching her paint. He gave up pretending to get any work done and shut his laptop down.
Several hours passed and he hadn’t seen or heard from his team since lunch, but knew that they were making the rounds. RJ had told him that the best he could do was stick to Ashley’s side at all times and to let the others handle the rest.
Still, he had never enjoyed a babysitting job as much as he was enjoying this one. Maybe it was because he’d loved Ashley for as long as he could remember.
When his stomach growled loud enough for Ashley to hear, the moved inside and heated up dinner. Instead of watching a movie downstairs, went upstairs to lay in the bed as they watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
“I don’t get this movie,” he said after a while. “I mean, is she an escort?”
