by Lea Hart
“That’s what the people here believe as well,” Daisy replied. “And interestingly enough, the intel is suggesting that Ian doesn’t have much choice about participating.”
“What does that mean?”
“The back door you installed the other day has allowed the analyst to enter the syndicate’s network, and communication has been intercepted indicating that his new friends don’t plan on letting him live if he doesn’t make his fleet of planes available.”
“No shit,” Seth exclaimed. “Did it start out that way, or was he a willing participant in the beginning?”
“What we’ve come across suggests he was completely willing when it was just drugs being stuffed into the belly of his planes and less so when guns were added. We came across some emails that suggest he balked with the latest development but was quickly put in his place.”
“So, the chances of him cooperating at some point are pretty good.”
“Absolutely, and once we get some intel that gives us a clue where the materials are being stored, we’re going to bring Ian in and give him a good squeeze until he flips.”
“I hope to hell it all lines up.”
“Me too,” Daisy replied. “Since chasing this poison all over the world is not my idea of a good time.”
“Been there done that, have the bullet hole to commemorate the experience.”
“I spoke with Anthony earlier, and he told me this was likely your last op. Was he yanking my chain or are you finally ready to give up this glamorous side hustle?”
“I’m readier than I’ve ever been, and McCallan Security needs me. We’ve got a hell of a business, and it’s time I put some focus on making it grow.”
“Good for you, Seth.”
“Didn’t expect that reaction from you.”
“I know what being in this game costs, and if you can get out alive and have a relatively sane life, then you should.”
“I’m sure going to try.”
“Let me know when you wrap up things there.”
“Roger that.” He ended the call and gazed out the large bay window, asking himself if he really was ready to embrace civilian life. When no new revelation came screaming down from the heavens, he checked the computer screen and saw that the Trojan was launched. He shut everything down and was about to wipe the keyboard when he heard Tessa call his name. “What’s up?”
“Ian has left the party and is headed this way.”
“Fuck, that’s not much notice.”
“Follow my lead.”
“What?” he asked as he checked the desk and made sure everything was in place.
“I’ve got a plan, and I want you to go along with it.”
“We can go out the back, and…”
“We won’t make it.”
Seeing her determination, he nodded. “Okay, sweetie. Show me what you got.”
He pushed the chair in and followed her out of the office, praying he wasn’t going to have to do anything drastic to ensure the op wasn’t blown.
The front door opened, and he heard Ian’s voice along with a woman’s and figured the man wouldn’t lose his shit completely since he was likely about to get laid. He took Tessa’s hand and squeezed. “You sure about this?”
“Get ready to be amazed.”
“Hope so,” he muttered as they walked into the foyer.
“It’s about time,” Tessa said loudly, stomping over to Ian.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Ian shouted.
“Getting my weekend interrupted because you don’t answer your phone.” Turning to the woman, she nodded. “I’m the faithful assistant.”
“Hi, I’m Holly.”
“Nice to meet you. Are you sure you want to get involved with this guy?”
“Well…I’m not really…”
“What the fuck is your problem, Tessa? Have you lost your mind?”
“I may have because I was having a really nice afternoon with Seth and had to interrupt it because you won’t take the time to answer your calls.”
“I was at a goddamn party and didn’t hear it.”
“Figures,” Tessa replied as she crossed her arms.
“Why the hell is your boyfriend here again?”
“Because I have a life and was in the middle of it when the alarm company called me saying your system had been breached.”
“What does that mean?”
“I have no clue, but with all the people next door, it could’ve been anything.”
“Did you check the house and grounds?”
“Of course I did since I’m not an idiot.”
Seth walked over to Tessa and took her hand. “Why don’t we head out, sweetie?”
“She needs to make sure the system is working before she does,” Ian spat out.
Seth watched Tessa’s face get red and didn’t know if it was a result of incredible acting or real emotion.”
Tessa flipped her hand up and sucked in a breath. “I quit, Ian.”
“What?”
“I’m not going to work for you anymore.”
Holly stepped back and frowned. “I can’t be around this negative energy.”
“Just give me a minute, doll, and we can get back to our plans.”
“I’ve changed my mind, Ian.” Opening the front door, she waved and then ran across the grass.
Seth saw the barely contained rage in Ian’s face and knew they either had to leave or he was going to end up in a nasty confrontation with the guy. “We’ll be leaving too.”
“Wait a fucking second,” Ian shouted as he stepped closer to Tessa. “I don’t accept your resignation.”
“Too bad because it’s effective immediately.”
“Just like that?” he shouted in response.
“Yes,” she snapped her fingers. “Just like that.”
“You have to stay and train someone new.”
“I don’t have to do anything.”
“I’ll give you some time to get yourself straightened out and expect to see you back in the office this week.”
“I am straight and am done working for you.” Taking Seth’s hand, she let out a breath. “I’m ready to get started on that new life we talked about.”
“Absodamnlutley,” he replied before bending down and kissing her hard. He led her toward the door and waved over his shoulder. “Later, Ian.”
“Yeah, later, Ian,” Tessa called out as she followed Seth to the car. “I haven’t felt this good in a really long time.”
“I thought I made you feel really good this morning.”
“You did, honey.”
He opened the door to the car and heard Ian’s front door slam. “Good riddance.”
Once they’d cleared the front gates, he took Tessa’s hand. “That was a brilliant move, and you may have a future in the spy game after all.”
“I figured my quitting would be the perfect diversion. He was so surprised and pissed that he didn’t have time to think about why we were there.”
“How soon is he going to figure out there was never a problem with the alarm system?”
“Forever. He’s never dealt with it himself, so he has no idea if it’s total bullshit or not.”
“You were really convincing back there; I thought you were going to lose your shit.”
“I’m a competent actress, and that was nothing.”
“I’m impressed, Tessa.”
“Well, don’t be since I’m going to have to quit a couple more times before he accepts it.”
“I’ll be happy to stand at your side until he does because once the reality of not having you around settles in, he’s going to be relentless.”
“Doesn’t matter to me what he does.”
“Because you’re free?”
“Yes, baby. I’m F.R.E.E., and we need to celebrate.”
“What kind of celebration would you like?”
“A naked one with pizza and a bottle of wine.”
Pressing his foot on the gas, he grinned. �
��Coming right up.”
“Thank you, Seth.”
“For what?”
“The best weekend of my life.”
He took her hand and pressed a kiss to it and prayed it was just the beginning.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Tessa stood on the sidewalk in front of her building and watched the truck with the pod packed with her life drive down Ventura Blvd. and let out a breath. “It’s done.”
Seth dropped his chin to her head and tightened his hold. “One step closer to making your dream happen.”
“Hope so.”
“Said with as little enthusiasm as possible.”
Turning into his embrace, she rested her head against his chest. “I’m sure, after some tacos and margaritas, my enthusiasm for this move across the country will return.”
“Coming right up,” he replied.
“Did you book your flight home for tomorrow?”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
She took his hand and started walking toward the entrance of the building. “We’ve been done with the assignment for three days, and I imagine you have about a hundred more important things to do.” Once they were inside the elevator and headed up to her floor, she studied his face. “I know the sex is great, but shouldn’t you be getting back to Vegas to get on with your life?”
“Way to make a man feel good, honey.”
She gave him a hip bump and rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure your ego is just fine without me stroking it.”
“But, I’ve got some other body parts that love your special touch and…”
“What, Seth? What’s got you hanging out in LA and watching me pack up my life? I know it isn’t all that exciting.”
“But the breaks we take when I can get you distracted enough are!”
Feeling his energy shift, she laughed as he slowly backed her next to the wall and caged her in with his arms. “The ride isn’t long enough for you to…”
“Just want to give you a little kiss.”
His head dropped slowly and the excitement she’d come to crave fluttered in her stomach as he slowly pressed his mouth against hers.
Gentle but insistent, his kisses demanded her full participation.
Until she heard the elevator doors open and Garrett’s loud groan fill the hall. Pulling her mouth away, she leaned to the left. “What?”
“Lip locking isn’t an Olympic sport, and the twenty-four-hour training you two seem to be doing might be a bit much.”
Seth guided Tessa off the elevator and then pulled her against his side. “None of your snarky comments are going to change the kissing, so you might as well as stop.”
Garrett waved his hands and stepped onto the elevator. “Believe me; I know.”
“Have fun tonight, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Tessa called out as the doors closed.
“Is he being especially snide because he’s going to miss you or because he’s tired of watching us with our hands all over one another?”
“Probably both.” Turning, she started walking down the hall toward her apartment. “He’s never really had to share me with anyone, so it’s understandable.”
“Wish I was sorry, but I’m not.”
“You’re going to be gone by tomorrow, so Garrett will have me all to himself until I leave at the end of the month.”
“I don’t like the idea of leaving you in town alone. What if Ian decides to stop by again and get aggressive? If I hadn’t been here on Monday when he stopped by, who knows what would’ve happened?”
Tessa stepped into her apartment and let out a groan. “I’m not a damsel in distress and would’ve handled it.”
“The guy I saw on Monday was ready to put his hands on you and express his anger and frustration physically. And, if I hadn’t stepped in when I did, he would’ve.”
“I think the strong message you sent him will be more than enough of a deterrent.”
“And my presence ensures it.”
“As much as I love having my own personal knight in shining armor, it’s time you went back to your life.”
“Not really interested since I enjoy being around you way too much.”
She walked over to the last patch of sunlight left in her apartment and collapsed on the floor. Rolling on her back, she tilted her face toward the warmth and let out a breath. “I want you to go.”
“Why?” Seth asked as he joined her on the floor.
“Because if you don’t, then saying goodbye is going to be that much harder.” She rolled her head and watched a satisfied smile form on his handsome face. “Don’t be insufferable about this.”
“It’s going to be hard not to since you basically just confessed you’re falling for me.”
She covered her face with her hands and let out a moan. “Attachment is an expected outcome if two people spend time together, so don’t read more into my statement than there is.”
“That’s bullshit, and we both know it.” Moving closer, he wrapped her in his arms. “We’re getting addicted to each other and pretending otherwise is a waste of time.”
“That’s just the sex that’s making you feel that way.”
“It’s a lot more than that, and you know it. We’ve spent the last seven days together, and it’s not all been spent with my body buried in yours.”
“And your point is?”
“We fit together, and I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”
“But I’m headed to New York, and the last time I checked, that was a hell of a commute to Vegas.”
“True, but is that enough of a deterrent? I, for one, don’t think it is and don’t plan on ignoring the thing happening between us just because it’s inconvenient.”
“You want to try and date long distance?”
“I want to do something together and, if that’s all that’s available, then I’ll take it.”
“I’m planning on taking the city by storm and becoming a successful working actress.”
“I know.”
Narrowing her eyes, she leaned back. “And…”
“What does that have to do with us continuing to see one another?”
“Everything.”
He lifted himself up and grinned as he rocked his hips against hers. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and, I, for one, have a lot of will.”
She slid her hand around to the back of his neck and pulled him close. “I can feel your strong will and don’t know what to do about it.”
Rolling his hips, he grinned. “That’s a lie, and we both know it.”
“All we have is the air mattress since all my furniture just left in the storage pod, and I don’t think it’s any match for your…”
“Enthusiasm?” he finished as he rolled on his back and took her with him.
“Yes, let’s go with that.”
“Then we better just stay here on the floor so neither of us in danger of sustaining an injury.”
“You sure you can handle being on the bottom?”
His hand gripped her hip tightly. “I can handle anything you’ve got, woman.”
Throwing her head back, she let out a laugh. “I doubt that.”
“Guess you better try me and find out.”
Bending down, she took his face in her hands and told herself not to fall for the man any more than she had. Though, how that was going to be possible, she didn’t know.
***
Post-coital glow wasn’t for wimps.
That was damn sure.
Especially when it did weird shit to your heart and made it do strange flippy things.
Which meant he should just add it to the already long list of things he never thought were possible.
Thinking of the long list, he tried to pick out the most surprising one and decided it was the one about wanting to hear her thoughts on just about everything. There wasn’t a detail he wasn’t interested in, and that included the caramel apple question (a definite yes but only if they came from the carts that dotted D
isneyland). Add to that the one about horror movies (an absolute no), panda bears (come on, who doesn’t love those animals) and, finally, brussels sprouts (under no circumstance should they be allowed to desecrate pizza) and he was hooked on knowing everything.
Running his hand down her back, he enjoyed the silky feel of her skin and heard her first little snore. A sign he’d recently come to learn meant that unconsciousness was guaranteed for at least an hour. Her breath ruffled the hair on his chest, and he asked himself once again how he could talk her into hanging in Vegas.
Time together was essential.
Not only to see if the thing running between them was the real deal, but more importantly, because the thought of not having her in his world every day made his gut clench in a way that spelled trouble.
The kind he’d always done his best to avoid.
He knew what happened when you allowed yourself to want impossible things but couldn’t seem to stop himself from wanting something with Tessa.
And that was despite the hard-won lesson he’d learned early about avoiding dark rabbit holes where only tears and pain resided. His dear old mom had taught him that one when she’d skipped out on him and his brothers, and it was one he’d never forgotten.
So why was he laying on the floor with a beautiful, smart, brave woman asleep on his chest and wanting the most impossible thing of all?
Every fiber, muscle, breath, and bone in his body wanted to keep her close, and he guessed the only thing all that wanting was going to do was break his fucking heart.
If that’s what he could even call that cold, hard thing in his chest.
Except…it didn’t feel so hard anymore or very impenetrable.
It felt full and warm.
Closing his eyes, he mentally slapped himself upside the head and instructed that soft part of him to shut the shit down and get it together.
No good was going to come of exposing his soft center and, considering the woman who was making him all mushy had expressed exactly zero interest in anything long-term, it was doubly true.
Which meant the only answer was to tuck his feelings away and pray they stayed where he shoved them.
And that’s exactly what he would do.
