a status update on the past few hours. Eve is in my possession, but I’m not such a fool to believe Benefield isn’t, right this second, thinking of a way to take her back.
He made a show of throwing her away, of downgrading her to a worthless whore, but it doesn’t change the fact I took something precious.
To him, Eve isn’t a person, but rather an object, a shiny toy that’s all his. Nobody got to touch her, except now she belongs to me.
We’ve swept the suite for cameras, more times than I can count, and still find new bugs to destroy.
“Eyes.” Knox points to his temple, reminding me to put Mitzy’s magical contact lenses back in.
“No go.” I keep my reply short and to the point while pulling my pants back on.
Instead of a suit, I dress in black tactical pants, a black long-sleeved t-shirt, and black boots. Not the attire of a businessman on vacation.
Knox doesn’t like my answer, but I refuse to be held back by anything that might degrade my performance. Itchy, dry eyes that blur my vision are non-starters. Not all of Mitzy’s tech works perfectly.
As I dress, my body’s acutely aware of Eve in the bathroom. She’s putting on clothes I desperately wish I could keep her out of, but that is not my place. I’m not here to start anything with her, as much as I’d like otherwise.
Focus on the mission, Max!
I berate my distraction. Distracted minds are dangerous. My team deserves one hundred percent of my focus. Until this op is done, Eve is nothing more than a package which needs to be moved from point A to point B.
Except she’s a whole lot more than that. I’ve never mixed personal with business in my life. Laser-focused, I concentrate all my energy on completing the mission objective. I shouldn’t be thinking about Eve, at least not in that way.
But I can’t help myself. I can’t help but feel something for her. And that totally sucks.
“You dressed in there?” I call out to the bathroom rather than take a look myself. If I walk in on Eve half-dressed, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control my reactions.
“Almost.” Her light, lilting voice is like a warm blanket settling over me.
I lean down and lace my boots, tugging tight on the strings as I lock them in. I hear her approach and brace for impact.
That’s how it is with Eve. Every time I look at her, it’s like getting hit with a ton of bricks. The woman doesn’t just steal my breath, she makes the very foundation of my world shake.
“Can I ask a question?” She pads over to me in her bare feet.
I inch up my gaze, hoping the rest of her is clothed. Sure enough, denim clads her legs and a dark t-shirt covers those tits I can’t stop thinking about now that I’ve seen them.
“Shoot.”
“Um…”
“Um—what?” I love the way her brows push together when she’s not sure of herself.
“Why am I wearing this?” She makes a vague gesture with her hand, moving it up and down her body.
My gaze follows the sweep of her arm. I catch and trip on her tits that I can no longer see. I fall down her narrow waist and slide across the flare of her hips. Hips which a man could definitely grab a hold of during sex. I fall past her legs, especially where they come together. I ache to explore more of what she has between her legs, but that is not something I will ever get to do.
I’m Eve’s rescuer. Not her lover. I’m not her boyfriend. I’m nothing to her. My gaze continues its journey down her body and then back up. I lick my lips.
“What’s wrong with what you’re wearing?”
“It’s just…” She shifts her weight off her heels. Her bare toes curl into the carpet. “I thought…”
“You thought, what?” I finish tying the laces of my boots and sit up straight.
“I suppose… I just figured…” She twists at the waist, looking back toward the tub. “I guess I thought you’d want to…”
I put a finger to my lips, a gesture for silence. Knox cleared out the cameras, but I can’t be sure there aren’t any bugs that can still hear.
“Your job isn’t to think, now is it?”
She takes a step back, eyes widening. The tone of my voice scared her. Which sucks. It’s not meant for her but rather anyone listening in.
Knox pokes his head into the bedroom. “You gonna