of rain landed on my head. The drop turned into a sprinkle immediately, and I shivered, hoping these rain clouds stayed thunder-free. A second later, a large umbrella opened over my head courtesy of Abe.
“Oh, thank you,” I said, surprised again at these tiny gestures of thoughtfulness. “I didn’t bring one.”
“My pleasure,” he said smoothly. “Shall we walk back to our hotel? It should be less than a mile if you don’t mind sharing this enclosed space with me.”
I cast a glance his way. It wasn’t that I was nervous. It was that I craved being in Abe Royal’s space the same way I craved water, food, and air. From the first moment I saw him in that ballroom, being around him had felt like a necessity. Suddenly faced with his presence again, I realized how much I’d ached these past forty-eight hours, ached the way you do with fever.
“The closer I am to you, the easier it is to steal from your pockets,” I mused.
He laughed softly, a dangerous sound that raised the hair on the back of neck. “I am a willing victim this evening, Sloane.”
We headed down the street, the sides of our bodies brushing together, and I almost stumbled at the use of my real name and the words willing victim. We were about to walk, together, to our neighboring rooms. Together. Where we’d go sleep… separately.
I shivered again, but not from cold. Abe had walked into that pub this evening looking too handsome, too dashing, too refined. His tuxedo was tailored perfectly, exposing the long lines of his body, the poetry of his broad shoulders, the elegance of his clean-shaven jaw. He’d been at the symphony, and really, the man was a fucking symphony: no note wasted, no scale imperfect, no crescendo too loud.
Although the second his eyes had landed on mine, they flared with a lust so raw that heat pulsed between my legs. And those lips on my cheek spoke of the sinful devil in him, the man so confident he simply took what he wanted.
Take me, I wanted to beg.
“Thank you for allowing me to stay this evening,” Abe said. “I hope I didn’t ruin your operation.”
“Humphrey wanted to talk with the both of us,” I replied. “You helped him share what I needed. You asked the right questions.”
“As did you,” he said.
“So, thank you.” I swallowed hard, saw him do the same. Given our last conversation, when we’d both refused to budge, this tiny allowance felt like a major milestone. Certainly, the experience I’d had with Abe was bizarre as hell, given that I’d never had a work partner before or ever worked with a team. I was distractingly attracted to Abe. I also felt safe around him. Protected, even though I’d always been able to hold my own, physically and intellectually. Our on-the-fly tap messaging caused a giddiness in my stomach. We were two minds, working as one, playing off each other’s ideas. I felt connected to him. I felt entwined.
I wasn’t sure if it was a smart idea to feel professionally entwined with a man who made me literally faint with lust.
We crossed a busy intersection, the rain falling harder against the umbrella. Abe looked both ways, laying his palm at the small of my back to guide me forward. More heat flared there.
“You did extremely well back there, Sloane,” he said. “In fact, you’re a natural. If you were coming through the FBI’s training academy right now and I was your instructor, you’d be the one I watched for excellence. I didn’t do anything back there you couldn’t have done on your own.” He paused. “I’m sure I’m not the first person to comment on your remarkable charisma.”
I avoided making eye contact, even though I appreciated everything he’d said. He was right. I was often told I was charming and alluring. But that was because I was the biological byproduct of two professional grifters. Charm was our bread and butter, and while undercover I could slip into those roles without hesitation.
Technically, I was using my powers for good now. Only a former con artist could catch other con artists so easily. Being a private detective was my way of enforcing my own moral code.
But having those attributes commented on made me uncomfortable. It was the reminder I didn’t need that my genes and upbringing predisposed me to be an excellent liar.
“Do you think we convinced Humphrey that we are valiant in our passion?” I asked, dodging the compliment.