by Zoe Dawson
She had no idea what to say as the reality of what she was doing started to crash back in. Breathless, her mouth tingling, she whispered, “Vincent—”
“Shh,” he instructed, taking her mouth again, only this time in a kiss so gentle, it seduced her all over again.
She was powerless against this, against him. It was too good, and he was impossible to push away. Especially when she didn’t really want the contact to end. She shut out thoughts of what would happen next and tried hard, very hard, to just enjoy this for what it was.
She kissed him back, her fingers still in his hair, toying with the thick waves. She’d stop him. At some point. Just not quite yet.
He slowed the kiss, then finally ended it. But rather than having an awkward moment when he lifted his head and looked into her eyes again, he smiled. And she was so charmed, she smiled back. He made it somehow normal, and natural, with a little hint of naughtiness in his twinkling eyes.
From the living room, someone yelled, “Fitzgerald?”
He stared at her as if he was trying to figure her out. As if she was a puzzle he needed to solve. “Okay. I’ll be right there.”
He lowered his voice. “That wasn’t something I planned to do, Dr. Baang,” he said, his voice filled with remorse.
“You should probably call me Sky.”
He closed his eyes and dipped his head, letting out a hard breath. “I should actually stick with Dr. Baang. It’d be easier to keep my hands off you, which is what I should be doing instead of…this. But Sky it is when we’re alone. When we’re not, it’s Dr. Baang.” He brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. “You call me Vin. Only my mom calls me Vincent.”
He hadn’t wanted to kiss her. Of course, this was a bad setup for both of them. He was her watchdog, and she was nothing more than a woman who needed to be looked after. She really should keep everything in perspective. But the way he’d kissed her…he’d let his guard down. Was he now sorry about that, or was he just trying to manipulate her in some way? She was much too tired for this.
“Sleep well, Sky,” he said softly. “We’ll be watching over you.”
When he parted from her and slipped out the door, closing it with a click as he left, she could hear muttering in the hall.
She touched her tingling lips. She’d been so sheltered when she was young, never experiencing normal interaction between her peers since she entered college at ten. But now she was twenty-two and had tried sex once. It had been awkward and uncomfortable. The guy had been all over her, barely giving her a chance to breathe, let alone acclimate to being intimate. Maybe if she’d experienced the normal interaction between males and females, it wouldn’t have ended in such a disaster.
He’d also been more interested in her work than he was in her. He’d tried to steal her ideas. After that terrible experience two years ago, she’d thought it best to sacrifice any personal life for her achievements. Especially after her father died in that terrible prison. She pushed back the hot rush of emotion that always pressed against the backs of her eyes when she thought about him.
So, she had no business kissing Vin or enjoying any of it. But she had. He wasn’t fast or overwhelming. He’d kissed her as if it were her he was enjoying—not in a rush to get to the next thing.
That made her hot and cold all over.
She grabbed the bag of toiletries, went into the bathroom and finished getting ready for bed. After settling down to sleep, she snuggled into the mattress, her head against her own pillow, and she relaxed knowing that Vin was between her and those kidnappers.
So accustomed to waking at six to do yoga, she didn’t change her routine, thankful that Vin had brought her CDs. If she wasn’t doing work that could protect and serve the United States, she would choose to be a yoga instructor. She quickly pushed those thoughts out of her head. Yoga was exercise and a frivolous pursuit, not a career.
Her destiny had been set on a different path, beginning when she was six years old.
After showering and dressing in the garments that Vin had brought her, she left her bedroom, trying to tamp down her eagerness to see him. But when she came out into the living room, Miller and Strong were sitting there.
“Where’s Agent Fitzgerald?”
“He’s at NCIS. Left about forty-five minutes ago.”
Her stomach dropped. He had said he would be here for her and the thought that maybe he was saying those things just so she'd be easier to handle not only brought distrust, but anger. She knew all about manipulations and was only disgusted with herself for falling for it. She hated being handled. She was unschooled concerning men, especially when it came to Vin. He was confident and smooth. She had been so burned in the past. It was best she forget about holding on to him as a lifeline. She should go right back to relying on herself. That lapse in her judgment needed to be chalked up to her inexperience.
“Fitzgerald.”
“She’s at it again, man. She’s on the rampage about going to work. Insists that she be allowed.”
He was actually happy to get away from Dr. Baang. He needed breathing room after last night. What had he been thinking? He hadn’t been. He’d been tired, and she was so damned enticing, smelling so good, standing there staring up at him as if she knew he wanted nothing more than to kiss her damn sexy mouth.
He’d just been riffling through her unmentionables drawer, his hands all over lace and silk that had been against her body. Tiny bits of frilly, feminine lingerie that had cupped those full breasts. For a woman who dressed so simply, he had expected white everything, but, no. There had been red, leopard-print, blue, delicate pink and sinful black, and he felt like a freaking perv for touching it all.
And he’d lost the battle with temptation. Now, in the light of day, he realized that it had been a bad move, but it didn’t stop him from getting sidetracked here and there thinking about her soft mouth, the way she’d breathed into his ear. Damn, he’d gotten as hard as a rock after that.
But he couldn’t seem to get that comment she’d made out of his mind. That he was wasting his talent at NCIS. It could have been that she was angry, and it was an off-the-cuff comment, but it brought back all the emotions from dealing with his former girlfriend and, to a more intense degree, his family.
Not to mention the impact it could have in his professional life. Getting involved with her wasn’t strictly against NCIS’s rules, but it was splitting hairs. She was vulnerable because she was scared, and that was something he should keep in mind. Although, kissing her yesterday had nothing whatsoever to do with taking advantage of the situation. It was all about his deep attraction to her.
Vin cringed when he heard her strident voice in the background. He had been summoned here early by Chris to help Amber and Beau track down the kidnappers. But they seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Facial rec had come up with nothing.
“Really, Miller? You can’t handle a five-foot-four little slip of a woman. She probably doesn’t even weigh a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet.”
“She’s tough as nails and relentless. She’s been at us since you left. For three hours, man.”
With derision in his voice, he interrupted, “I know. You’ve been calling me and interrupting me for three hours with your complaints.”
Sounding completely harried, Miller said, “I’m just telling you like it is.”
He sighed. “I’ll come back and take care of it. Sit tight.” He rose from his desk and approached Chris. “I’m going back to the safe house, and I think it’s best if I stick with her from now on.”
“What’s up?”
He rolled his eyes. “She’s giving our two agents a hard time. She wants to go to work.”
Chris shook his head. “That’s out of the question.”
“Is it? It’s a restricted area with heavy security. It might take her mind off the danger she’s in.”
“Are you sure about this?” One of Chris’s eyebrows arched upward. “We still don’t know why those guys kidnappe
d her or even who they are.”
“I can handle her. Keep her in line. Besides, Beau is damn good and so is Amber. We work as a team. I’ll take my laptop and work when I can.”
With a quick flick of his wrist, Chris gestured with his thumb. “Okay, you shepherd her. I’ll have Miller and Strong come back tonight to back you up.”
“Oorah.” He grabbed his laptop case, shoved the machine inside and grabbed his gear. The hour drive went by quickly, and he was soon pulling into the garage. He told himself that he would have to keep himself in check. Getting in any deeper with her wouldn’t be smart. He gave a quick look around as he went inside. Vigilant on the ride over, he’d seen nothing out of the ordinary.
He could hear her through the door when he got close enough. With a grin on his face from her tenacity, he knocked.
“Who’s there?”
“Your relief.”
“About time,” Miller grumbled. He opened the door looking browbeaten and sheepish.
“Dr. Baang, if you could just lower your voice and calm down, you’ll see reason.”
Strong was backed against the kitchen counter, and Sky was in his face. His hands were raised as if to ward off a thug. Vin chuckled softly.
Sky’s voice sliced through the air like a knife. “You are the one being unreasonable, Agent Strong. I’ve been working on important research and keeping me holed up in this loft isn’t getting the job done. My facility is so secure a gnat couldn’t get past it.”
Vin rubbed a hand across his mouth to hide his smile. She was a spitfire—no two ways about it. He couldn’t help but admire her resolve. She had no shortage of strength or courage, even though he was sure she would disagree.
“Are these guys giving you a hard time, Dr. Baang?”
Miller gave him a murderous look, and Strong narrowed his eyes and tightened his lips.
She wheeled on Vin, her eyes blazing. “What would you know about it? You weren’t here.”
Miller chuckled, and Strong patted him on the back as they both hightailed it out of the apartment. “Good luck, smart-ass.”
“Oh, believe me, I heard about it. I’m here now.”
She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him. “I want to go to work. Why is that so—”
“Okay, I’m here to take you.” He shrugged.
That snapped her mouth shut. She was more than ready to lay into him.
“You’re very good at handling people. Aren’t you, Agent Fitzgerald?”
“I’m here to do a job, Dr. Baang. Protecting you is my assignment,” he said with a hard cast to his words. Yes, he needed that reminder. The moment he saw her, everything in him wanted to just walk up to her and…he pushed those thoughts away. “What’s gotten you so upset?”
She looked him up and down. “Nothing, it seems.”
Confused, he studied her face. Something was wrong. Somewhere between last night and this morning, he’d lost her. Which was actually a good thing. It was the distance he needed. But he needed her to be cooperative, too. This was going to be like walking a tight wire with no net.
He leaned against the counter and rubbed at his eyes. He really needed to get some sleep. He met Sky’s gaze and tried to read what she was thinking. She didn’t flinch, didn’t blink, didn’t smile. There were delicate purple shadows beneath her cobalt-blue eyes. But she didn’t give him anything—except the impression that he’d disappointed her somehow, and she was too proud to bend beneath the weight of it.
But her disappointment in him only made him sigh. He knew about disappointing his former girlfriend, Brittany, and bitterly disappointing his family. “What’s wrong, Sky?”
“Absolutely nothing, Vin,” she said. “Except I hate being handled,” she muttered under her breath, but he heard her. She better get used to it. Until this was over, he was going to be handling every aspect of her protection. She marched across to the closet and pulled out her coat and shrugged into it.
He had the stray thought of what she was wearing underneath the black trousers and the cream silk shirt with a blue raw silk sweater over it. Most guys wouldn’t even know what raw silk was, but Vin was a detail guy, and he didn’t miss anything. Every nuance about this woman added up to one interesting, sexy package.
“I’m ready,” she said.
He preceded her, making sure the coast was clear before they descended to the parking garage level. The air was cold, and when he glanced back at her, he could see her breath fogging the air. She was mad. At him. Damned if he knew why and damned if he’d asked her again what was wrong. This was better…for both of them.
She sat in silence in the passenger seat as he made sure they weren’t followed or watched. There was no one in the street. No suspicious cars, no suspicious people. Nothing to alarm him, yet there was a sense of danger that prickled on the back of his neck and twisted in his gut.
Just because he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary didn’t mean there wasn’t something out of the ordinary. He could chalk it up to lack of sleep. Something that he wasn’t only used to as a Marine, but also as an NCIS agent. There were times when the leads were so hot that he, Beau and Amber wouldn’t sleep.
It was the nature of the job. Even as he turned the corner, he was studying everything around him. Looking for that one detail out of place, that one distinctive sign that would point to something amiss. But there was nothing.
Maybe he was paranoid.
He rolled his shoulders to ease that sixth sense feeling and glanced at Sky. “I’m sorry.”
She sniffed and just kept her eyes forward. “For what?”
“For whatever has upset you. I’m sorry.”
She turned to look at him, her eyes softening just a tad, then they hardened. “I just want my life back. Could you work a little harder at that?”
Okay, all her barriers were in place, tighter than they were yesterday after he’d rescued her from those bastards. Something had ticked her off. He wanted to find out what it was, but it was best that she stay mad at him. This assignment wasn’t going to get any easier. Sky was an ache that settled in his gut. He couldn’t give into the temptation again. But even though she was giving him attitude, all he wanted to do was kiss her again.
Chapter Four
He caught himself staring at Dr. Baang without even realizing he was doing it. Not again. He’d lost count of the times he’d looked up from his notes. He tried to force his gaze back to them but failed. He might as well forget about getting anything done; it was almost lunchtime anyway.
It was chilly outside and downright frosty in her lab. She was giving him the cold shoulder. He should be thankful. Kissing her hadn’t really been a genius move. And he was a smart, dedicated agent. But she was distracting, and he couldn’t seem to help it. Every time he looked at her. She didn’t seem to have the same problem. She focused on her work, but he noticed that she glanced at him every so often, as if she’d almost forgotten he was there. When she looked at him, her mouth tightened. He must have reminded her that she wasn’t free to do as she pleased.
He had to wonder about that. She’d said her work was her life. Was that something she’d actually chosen? Or was it ingrained in her from the time that she’d been a little girl? He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to grow up in a world full of people who were older, but not smarter than her.
He liked Sky and was definitely intrigued by her. It was clear to him that she didn’t really know how to interact with a man who was deeply interested in her. She was good at what she did—that was clear from the way she was immersed in her research. But she didn’t seem wholly at ease in her own skin. She didn’t play on her femininity like other women did, which only made her more sensual and attractive. She was so different from Brittany. Blonde, blue eyes, she was a stunning woman, and they’d been together for two years. But she hadn’t understood him, not to his core. He got the gut feeling that Sky had the same kind of philosophy, which made her all wrong for him and someone he shouldn’
t even be looking at, let alone wanting. But there was something about her, something he couldn’t seem to let go of.
The thought had tugged on his thoughts through the morning and right up until the lunch hour.
“You ready to get something to eat?” he asked.
She either didn’t hear him, or she was ignoring him. He walked up to her and touched her shoulder. She jumped away and turned toward him. “Are you trying to scare the crap out of me?”
“Ah, no. I asked you a question.”
“What is it you asked me?”
“Whether you were ready to get something to eat. Take a break.”
She looked at him as if he’d just spouted gibberish.
“You do eat, don’t you?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course, I eat. I sometimes get caught up in my research and forget.”
He decided to just let it go. She turned to her computer and secured it, then she walked toward the door. He followed her out and to the cafeteria.
“How is the investigation going?” she asked as she chose a salad, water and some broccoli soup. He picked up a roast beef sandwich and grabbed a soda.
“We’re rerunning the sketches through facial rec. We didn’t get a hit on any of those guys.”
They settled at a table. “Does that mean they just aren’t criminal types or wanted by the international community?”
“Doubtful. I think running them again can’t hurt. Not sure if they’re mercenaries or not, but from the looks of them and the way they executed your kidnapping, that would be my guess.”
She picked up her fork and toyed with her salad. Her face told him she was trying to remain calm, but her fork kept moving. “What do you think they want?”
He took his eyes off her fidgety fork. “If it was your research, they would have stolen your laptop and been gone, but that’s not it. They wanted you. So, it’s something locked in your head.”
“You don’t think it’s ransom or something like that?”
