I potentially had a key to Abe’s heart I shouldn’t want. And a foot-loose and fancy-free heart of my own I was now unable to control. This situation’s potential for devastation was growing by the second.
The door to the hotel room swung open, and all five of us froze like kids caught misbehaving. Abe Royal appeared with bags of food and a suspicious expression.
“Were you all engaging in light-hearted frivolity?” Abe asked.
“Does doing body-shots off of Byrne’s six-pack count as frivolity?” Freya asked.
“Evandale,” Sam growled—but one wink from his girlfriend, and the former FBI agent melted like butter.
“Gossiping about your supervisor does count,” Abe said mildly. “As would body shots, if we’re being technical about it.”
“We would never talk about you, sir,” Henry said soberly.
Eyes narrowed, he placed the food down gingerly. Avoided looking at me as he pulled items from bags and drinks from containers. “Eat,” he said, smile wry. “Grab coffee and water, nap if you need. We’ve got less than forty minutes before the four of us need to be at the auction house.”
There was a burst of energy in the room, a comfort to prepping and eating together, even in the middle of another country. When Delilah walked past me, she laid her hand on my arm.
“I’m really happy you’re here,” she said.
“Me too,” I said. And meant it. “I’m not sure I could have even attempted it without a team.”
“I get the feeling you’re the kind of woman who can pretty much do anything if you put your mind to it,” she said. “Which is my kind of woman, by the way.”
She wasn’t wrong—I’d done far worse and much harder in my life than what we were about to do during the next two days. But I’d done it alone, which was a different kind of hard.
The next forty minutes were a frantic blur of eating and dressing while Codex teased each other and chatted about the case. By the time the four of them were done and ready to meet us in the lobby, the silence in my and Abe’s room was weird.
Abe and I made eye contact—alone—for the first time since they’d arrived that morning. We let out twin sighs of relief, exchanged dual, flirtatious smiles. The hotel had returned our previously soggy clothing, freshly dry-cleaned and pressed. Abe’s navy suit was hot enough to be outlawed in fifty states—as was the slow and lingering way he was studying me.
“You look like a Grecian goddess in that dress,” he said in a rough voice. “One that’s up to no good.”
I blew him a kiss. “Naughty Athena?”
“Exactly.”
I caressed my dress. It was a pearl satin, floor-length and high-necked. My hair was swept to the side in a low bun. Desire hung, tangible, between us.
“After you, partner,” he said, holding the door open.
Just past him, one foot out the door, I turned to say thank you. Instead Abe grabbed me by the elbow and yanked me against his body. A second later, his lips were on mine, his fingers diving into my hair. I lost myself in this stolen kiss, let him consume my mouth, taste me, dive our tongues together while pressing every single inch of his body to mine. With a moan, I shoved him back against the wall, let him drag my leg high around his waist, palm splaying across my ass with a possessiveness I loved. Then he was rocking his cock between my legs. Once, twice, three times, and there I went, shaking already. Our mouths separated, I gasped in air, my sex clenched, needing to be filled, stretched, fucked by Abe.
He grabbed the back of my neck firmly, thumb tracing my jaw to land on my chin. Tilted it until our eyes were locked together. “I’ve been waiting to kiss you all goddamn day.”
“It was worth the wait.” I tried to catch his mouth again. He dodged me, kept my chin lifted.
“My team likes you,” he said.
My mouth curved. “I like them.” I let out a shaky breath. “I like seeing you with them.”
“Is that so?” His thumb caressed my lip. “Do you want to know what flustered me today, Ms. Argento?”
“What?” I whispered.
“Remembering how it felt to fuck you on the dresser,” he said.
I didn’t need reminding. My memory flooded with every aching, delicious sensation—every moan and pant, every rough word and dirty bruise. And just when I thought Abe might kiss me again, he let go. Resumed his position at the door with his palm outspread, looking