by Skye Jordan
“You know I’ve got you covered,” Decker said. He glanced over his shoulder at Everly. “You’ll all be completely protected.”
Austin followed Decker’s gaze. Everly kept running the top of her pen across her lower lip. The motion drew his attention to her mouth and back to their passionate kiss. It had been days ago, but he swore he could still taste her passion on his tongue.
“I want an extra-tight circle on her,” Austin reminded Decker. “Someone needs to be glued to her whenever she’s got Bella.”
“Already done.”
He pried his gaze off Everly and looked at the floorplan again. “We’re always more vulnerable outside the house.”
Decker reached across the table and moved the papers so the three locations they would be visiting on the island—the home, the resort where Titus Security members were staying, and the training field—and their accompanying security plans lay side by side.
“I’ve put together three escape scenarios from every location—by land, sea, and air. Cody and his chopper arrive on the island an hour after we do. He’ll be on standby until we’re safely back home.”
Austin released a breath and nodded at the plans. “These are good.” He shook his head and laughed at himself. “I’m barely restraining myself from asking you to add two more escape plans to each location.”
Decker grinned. “Don’t worry, boss. I already have them”—he tapped his temple—”right here.”
“I don’t doubt it.” He met Decker’s gaze directly. “Thank you.”
He nodded acknowledgment. “I have a partial asset map put together for you, but nothing unusual or new has shown up in Everly’s background. We haven’t located her mother, but we will.”
“Good.” He exhaled. “That’s good.”
“Based on the countries and areas where she’s spent her life, I’m inclined to believe her skills that look tactical to us are simply defensive tools she’s used over the years to stay safe and fend off any potential attacks. She seems to have been in the worst areas at the worst times, which makes sense. War creates strife. Strife creates a need for aid.”
Austin had been so busy suspecting her of something devious, he hadn’t considered that angle. “Maybe.”
“Maybe you just need to get to know her better,” Decker suggested.
“That’s a bit of a double-edged sword.” It might put his mind at ease, but it would also most certainly fire up desires he shouldn’t have for his daughter’s nanny. He pulled the papers together and tapped them on the table to straighten them. “Thanks for indulging my paranoia.”
“Doing everything within your power to keep Bella safe and with you is not paranoid. It’s being a good father.”
He thanked Decker again and moved to Everly’s seat. When she looked up and smiled, he gestured to the chair opposite her. “May I?”
She laughed. “It’s your plane.”
“No, just a rental.”
“Some rental.”
He slid into the seat across from her. “What are you working on?”
She glanced down at the open guidebook. “Trying to figure out how best to use our time. There’s so much I want to show Bella, so many learning opportunities. It’s just a matter of prioritizing and scheduling. And I’m not quite sure how to do that without taking resources away from your own plans.”
He knew she meant the security team. He pulled a sheet of paper from those Decker had just given him and slid it toward her. “This should help. Decker finalized a schedule.”
“Thanks.” She took it and looked it over.
“The security team is here for you and Bella. I’ll only need them one afternoon for a training demonstration, but I can even do that without them. Just run your ideas past me before you make any solid plans. Decker will coordinate everything. Since this is a working vacation, I’d like to spend the evenings with Bella. There’s just one party I need you to attend. I want Bella there, but I won’t be able to give her the focused attention she needs. Originally, I thought it would be closer to the end of the trip, but I just found out the only time the resort could accommodate us is tonight. Beyond that, consider your evenings your own. A member of the security team will drop you and pick you up from wherever you want to go, no questions asked.”
Even if that means going out and meeting men. He hated the idea, but he forced himself to allow her that option. In some ways, he hoped she’d take it. Hoped she hooked up with someone. If she did, it would instantly cure him of this attraction.
“That’s nice. Thank you. I hope it’s also okay if I stay at the house,” she said, still reading over the schedule. “I don’t have any desire to go anywhere without Bella.”
Damn. “It’s your choice. I just want you to know you’re free to go out.”
She laid the schedule on the table and met his gaze. “What does your training demo include?”
“Drills like those I run with my guys on the property. It gives Titus’s employees a chance to experience the equipment and me an opportunity to show Titus the kind of data I collect and suggest areas for improvement.”
“Sounds fun.”
He laughed. “I don’t know another woman who would think so.”
“I’ve always been a little different.”
No joke. He was beginning to think that difference was making her irresistible. He was also beginning to see how Decker’s assessment of her unusual instincts might be right.
When her gaze drifted out the window again, he said, “You’ve seemed distracted since I told you about the trip.”
“Have I?” She shook her head. “I think travel just stirs memories.”
“Good memories? Bad memories?”
“Both.”
When she didn’t go on, Austin had the odd sensation of distance growing between them. In fact, she’d seemed more than distracted since he’d told her about the trip, she’d been distant, too. Like she’d flipped a switch and shut him out. He hadn’t realized how intimate their relationship had become until he felt like she was holding him at arm’s length.
“How dressy is this dinner tonight? Unless Bella and I can wear sundresses and flip-flops, I’ll have to go shopping.”
He smiled. “You’ll have to go shopping.”
“Oh, damn,” she said with an exaggerated shake of her head. “Bella’s going to hate that. You know how she avoids everything pretty or sparkly. I’ll never get her to try on anything.”
“You mean you’ll never get her out of the dressing room.”
She met his gaze with a grin. “And I’ll need your credit card.”
He broke into laughter, making Everly laugh too. It went a long way toward closing the distance he’d sensed growing for two days. “I’ll make sure Decker brings a couple of them.”
“Decker’s taking us shopping? I’m sure he’ll love that. I’ll have to brush up on my ice-picking skills, see if I can work a smile out of him.”
“You don’t think he likes you?”
“I know he doesn’t. Which is fine,” she was quick to add. “Whether someone likes me or not is way down on my list of important things in life.”
“Then you’ll be surprised to know he’s your biggest advocate. In fact, he’s the reason I hired you.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Very serious,” he said. “And I quote ‘She’s sweet, strong, smart, and she’s got spunk.’”
She laughed. “No way.”
“Oh,” he said, smiling, “And ‘She’d be a great role model for Bella.’”
“Nuh-uh.”
Austin grinned. “Yep.”
“Never would have guessed.”
“Of course, that was before you made him in the market, so…”
She rolled her eyes before closing them. “Men’s egos. I swear you guys can be so fragile.”
That made Austin laugh. Bella stirred at her side, and Everly looked down. She shifted Bella’s weight and pulled at the fabric of her T-shirt clinging to her body.
“This little thing can put off some serious heat.”
Something happened at the poker table to send up a rousing chorus of laughter.
“No way, man,” Decker said. “Pull up your sleeves, dude. There’s no way you just laid out four aces.”
Bella shifted again, her face scrunched, and she turned her head, pressing her face to Everly’s side with a sound of complaint.
“How much longer is the flight?” Everly asked.
“Not sure. Maybe forty-five minutes.” He slid from the seat and stood. “There’s a small bedroom in the back. Let’s lay her down.”
He offered to take her, but Everly shook her head. “I’m not going to risk her waking up before she’s ready. Bella functions best on Bella’s schedule.”
Austin chuckled. “You figured that out fast.”
He led her to the back room where a twin bed was tucked into a small space, and watched Everly struggle to get Bella into a position to lay her down without waking her up. She put a knee on the mattress and leaned over, holding Bella close to her until his daughter’s small body was curled on the mattress. Then she stayed close, murmuring soothing encouragement for Bella to rest.
Everly’s hair fell forward, and she tossed it over her shoulder. The move also gave Austin a perfect view of the open neckline of Everly’s T-shirt and the swell of her full breasts against her lace bra.
Heat licked his belly before he turned his gaze away. But it was too late. The image was burned into his memory. Right along with the sight of water streaming down her fit body on the pool deck. And the image of her dark hair slicked off her wet face, her blue eyes flashing at him from the jungle pond.
She finally straightened with a sigh. In the small space, Austin was only inches behind her. The scent of something floral filled his head. Camellia? Jasmine? He didn’t know. But the scent pulled up the vivid memory of the last time they’d been this close. To the passion that erupted between them whenever they were within two feet of each other. To the resulting feel of her mouth under his, her tongue teasing his mouth, her body beneath his hands.
“Sometimes it seems fast,” she murmured, confusing Austin until he realized she was responding to his comment about how quickly she’d figured out Bella’s habits. “And sometimes it feels like—not exactly second nature, but natural. Like I’ve been with you both for a long time.”
A languid sensation quieted everything inside Austin, allowing him to hyperfocus in the moment—on the way her heat rose gently off her body. On the invisible buzz between them. On the way his body seemed to lean toward her, craving connection. Having her so close made everything inside him calm and settle in one way yet rev and race in another.
“You’re right.” Only after he heard the words did he realize he’d said them aloud. The sudden resurgence of intimacy between them made Austin crave more. And more. And more.
“It does seem like you’ve been with us a lot longer than you have.”
A smile curved her cheek. A bump of turbulence nudged the plane, but she didn’t turn to leave. Austin pressed a hand to the wall beside them, bracing himself.
“She’s come a long way with you in a short time,” he told her. “You have a knack that Decker saw before I did.”
“I don’t know about that.” She laughed and glanced over her shoulder for a split second before returning her gaze to Bella. “Probably more trial and error than a knack. Every kid is so different, you know?”
“No,” he admitted. “Bella’s the only kid I know. I’ve only known her for two years, and she changes so much every day, I often wonder if I’ll ever know her. But I can definitely see changes in her since you’ve been with us.”
She looked at him again, and his gaze lowered to watch her lips move.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah. I was just thinking about it. The changes are subtle, but they’re there. She sits at dinner with us now. She interrupts conversations less. She’s far more patient when her wants or needs aren’t immediately met. She sleeps a lot better.”
“She does?”
“Hasn’t woken once in the night since you came to the house.”
“That’s not because of me,” she insisted.
“There’s no other explanation. Maybe she just, I don’t know, somehow feels more settled with you there. I know I do.”
Her gaze sharpened. “What?”
He shrugged. “You bring something to the house that’s been missing. Some sort of…” He searched for the right words but couldn’t nail it down. “I don’t know. Organization or confidence or control. You have a way about you that’s secure, grounded. Like you could handle anything that comes.”
Another bump of turbulence made them sway. Austin’s hand automatically moved to her waist. Before he could take it away, she covered it with her own and looked at him over her shoulder. “Thank you. That’s really nice to hear.”
The continued patch of rough air made him tighten his hand on her waist. When it passed, she was a whisper away from leaning on him. Austin could feel the curves of her body and where they would fit if she just eased back an inch. And that inch had to be the most energized, electrified space on the entire fucking plane.
“Should I bring her back to the seat?” she asked, her voice soft. “Buckle her in?”
The plane had already stilled. But neither of them moved away from the other. “I think she’s fine. It probably feels stronger because we’re standing.”
Everly nodded and looked at Bella again. Silence fell. Comfort set in. And Austin experienced the strangest sense of relief that the intimacy between them had been restored, even while knowing he shouldn’t foster it.
“I swear I can hear you thinking.” A hint of humor edged her hushed voice, and when she looked at him again, a sultry burn darkened her eyes. “It’s not going away. This thing between us.”
Dread swept into the intimacy and dimmed the glow. He couldn’t argue with her. Their attraction seemed to get stronger with each passing day. “It might.” He tried on the idea for size and immediately knew it wasn’t a good fit. “Maybe, you know, with time.”
She laughed. The sound was laced with relief and affection and a real kind of joy that made Austin smile.
When her laughter faded and more of that rich, electrified silence slipped in, Austin knew she was dead right.
“It doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” she said, her words tentative, as if she were testing them out as much as Austin had been testing his own. “I know where I stand. I have my priorities in line. Neither of us is interested in anything permanent or even long-term.” She paused, and in the silence, Austin’s mind spun. “Nothing will interfere with how I care for Bella. She’ll always come first.”
He felt like they’d jumped some invisible chasm and he was face-to-face with an impossible decision. “I don’t know… I can’t even…”
She closed that last inch of space between them, the move utterly imperceptible. All Austin knew was that her body was truly touching his now. Every delicious curve. He couldn’t think with his mind caught up in her spell. She had a way of making him feel so much with such little contact, his brain seemed to short out.
When he exhaled and lowered his chin to her shoulder, she pulled his hand from her waist and drew his arm across her body, adding another spin cycle to his thoughts. He tilted his head, pressed his mouth to her shoulder and groaned.
As if he had no control over his body, his arm tightened and pulled her even closer. He turned his head just enough to press his lips to her skin. And her sigh just about pulled him apart at the seams.
“I can’t.” His murmur vibrated against her neck. “We can’t.”
But he didn’t pull away. Knew he wouldn’t do it on his own. And Everly wasn’t putting a stop to anything. In fact, she turned toward him another inch, reached back, and combed her fingers into his hair. All he had to do was lift his head, and his mouth could be on hers. He could taste her heat, her passion. He was already standing on a l
edge, his erection stiff against the luscious curve of her ass. And, damn, she felt utterly perfect against him.
“Good afternoon.” The pilot’s voice cut into the cabin over the intercom. “We’ll be landing in approximately twenty minutes. If everyone could return to their seats and fasten their seat belts, we’ll have you on the ground shortly.”
“Fuck,” Austin breathed.
Everly laughed and released him. Austin straightened and put some space between them, trying to still his swimming brain while Everly leaned over Bella and pulled her into her arms.
She turned and smiled at him with a lazy, lusty look in her eyes. “I guess Bella’s going to have to bend to someone else’s schedule today.”
Everly retied the straps of the halter behind her neck as she looked out the window at the sun setting over the Caribbean. The room she’d been given had floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the sea in variegated blues. Every room in the modern stucco-and-glass house was equally as mesmerizing.
She tossed her hair back and surveyed the new fit in the mirror. Yes, better. The halter’s straps were positioned wide on the bodice, pulling her breasts up and together, just enough for them to plump at the lace and sequined edge. She turned, checking the back. The diamond of lace exposed her shoulders and teased the eye to the small of her back where it joined the skirt, a layer of sheer-covered satin.
She faced the mirror again and made a final adjustment to the thin satin trim around her waist. The bodice fitted intimately to her upper body. The skirt flowed sensually over the curve of her hips, shifted with her body as she moved and ended three inches above her knee, allowing a glimpse of her thighs.
She played with the skirt a little, swishing it around to make sure it sufficiently concealed her Tac Force blade strapped high on her left thigh.
