The One Who Got Away (Wilde Ways #12) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,20

in order to be able to do this next part. Had to move freaking heaven and hell, but Ella was worth it. Sure, he couldn’t tell her everything. Dex would have his head if he did, but now that they were alone in his house—no prying eyes—Antony could at least tell her… “Because you were right.”

“Right?”

She was so close. If he just leaned forward about two more inches, he could press his mouth to hers. He could thrust his tongue past those plump lips of hers and enjoy her. “Yes. Right.” His voice had turned low. Guttural.

“What was I right about, Antony?”

He released a slow breath. Time for a confession. “I am a spy.”

Chapter Six

I am a spy.

His confession seemed to echo in Ella’s ears even as her heart thudded hard against her chest. “I knew it.”

“Yes, well, you were correct.” He gave her a half-smile. “Guilty as charged. Now, I’m afraid you can’t exactly go around and tell the world what you know. That’s not going to be allowed. I was able to get you enough clearance for the truth, but my boss wasn’t thrilled.”

“You have a boss?” That threw her. Of course, yes, he was the boss at Shark Gaming and Design, but in the spy world…

He admitted it. Antony is a spy. Clark Kent had just stared her in the eyes and finally confirmed the truth to her. Ella was both incredibly elated and extremely infuriated.

What in the hell took you so long, Antony?

“Yes, I do have a boss. Not like I run a major spy ring.” Behind his glasses, his eyes assessed her. “Now, to circle back to your point about calling the police. That can’t happen. Because I don’t know who I am dealing with here. I’m not sure if this is some jerk who wanted to mug me or someone who might have a much different agenda. I need to talk to this guy myself. See what’s happening.”

The drumming of her heartbeat was still far too fast and too loud.

“You stay here,” he continued in that rough voice that she hadn’t heard him use much before. Except for, well, the one night they’d been together. The night that should have been her parting gift to herself but instead had become something a whole lot more. Something that threatened to wreck me. She shouldn’t have responded so strongly to him. Days later, the intensity of her response still stunned her. Her response. His. They’d been desperate for each other that night. Wild.

Completely out of control.

She’d never seen Antony that way. He was always so carefully guarded. His emotions were held in rigid check. But that night…

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he added as his gaze lingered on her. “And I’ll be back with answers.” The wheels of the chair screeched as he pushed back away from her.

His words registered and made her vision go completely red. “Hell, no.” She shot upright and glared at him.

He’d risen out of the chair. He blinked. Frowned down at her. “Excuse me?”

“I’m your bodyguard.”

His half-smile came again. A little too smug. Correction, a lot too smug. “Yes, of course, I am thrilled that you agreed to the position.”

Was he being deliberately difficult? She was sure he was. “No. You missed the point. I’m your bodyguard. That means I guard your body.”

“That does sound like the definition…”

Had he just smothered a laugh? His eyes were gleaming. Gleaming—when he’d nearly been attacked hours before. “It also means…” Ella added doggedly. “That wherever you go, I go. What you do, I do.”

Now his brows lowered. and his eyes stopped gleaming. The smugness vanished. “That’s not going to be possible.”

It was her turn to smile. “Oh, but I’m afraid it is possible. In fact, you are not leaving this house without me. If you try, then I’ll call Eric. I’ll tell him what you’ve done. I’ll turn over the information that you just discovered to him and to the police.”

“You would not.”

“Try me.” A dare.

He gaped at her. “But I told my boss you could be trusted!”

He had? Good to know. Very good. “Then you take me with you. You trust me to do my job and keep you safe. This makes two attacks on you. First the break-in that occurred in Asheville. Now the near mugging or kidnapping or whatever it was here.” A third attack could come at any time. She had to be prepared. “I can’t risk you.” Whoops. There had been way too much emotion in