fighting for control. “Are you certain? Let me prove you wrong.”
“How?” her voice was barely above a whisper. She slid her tongue across her lips quickly.
“Let me give you that tour of Berlin. I’d like to show you something.” She didn’t know what she’d expected, but an invitation to tour Germany hadn’t been even close.
What would it hurt? She nodded. “All right. Tomorrow we will go. Providing my…father.” She nearly stumbled over calling Edward Wegner that. “Approves of the outing.”
“I’ll see that he does.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a quick kiss, then turned on his heels and left. Anya lifted her fingers to her lips. They still tingled from his kiss. She hadn’t realized until he’d done it, but she’d been hoping he’d kiss her. Now she couldn’t wait for their day together… What was he going to show her? How would it prove anything?
She cradled the book in her arms and left the library, careful to ensure no one saw her. Anya had come this far without being caught, and it would not help for someone to discover her nightly visits to the library now. Once she was in her room, she hid the book and crawled into bed. She had no desire to read any longer, and had too much to ponder over to focus. Instead, she tossed and turned all night, sleep impossible because of that chaste kiss.
Anya dressed the next morning, not as bright-eyed and alert as she would have liked. She would not miss what she had planned with Mr. Jones this day though. Whatever he had to show her…she desperately wanted to see. So, she’d work through her exhaustion. Perhaps later she could nap or even retire early. As long as she was inside the embassy, no one paid that close attention to her. She was a good girl, after all. Anya rolled her eyes. No one truly knew her if they believed that. Not that any of them would considering they had no idea who she really was or that Ana was no longer accounted for.
She left her room and headed to the foyer. When she had awakened, she had found a note on her bedside table. She didn’t want to discover how Arthur Jones had managed to sneak it into her bedroom without her realizing it. She must have slept at least a little for that to happen. He had left instructions on what time and where to meet him. By sheer luck, she’d managed to wake up in time to follow what he’d wrote. Otherwise, he’d have been left to do his little tour on his own.
Mr. Jones was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. When he noticed her, he stood up straight and his lips tilted upward and happiness exuded from him. His smile was devastating. He’d always looked so stern before. This was the first time she’d ever beheld him in any other fashion, and a smile on Arthur Jones was something she hoped to see more often in the future.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“As much as I will ever be,” she said. Her voice was still hoarse, and she hadn’t had time to eat breakfast. All she’d had was a bit of water after she’d brushed her teeth.
“Come along then,” he said, and they exited the embassy. “We will drive for a bit, and then the rest of the day we will be walking.”
“This tour will take all day?” She hadn’t counted on that. “What are you going to show me?”
“That is the plan,” he told her. “It will be fun. I promise.”
They headed to the car, and he held the door open for her. She slid inside and waited for him to join her. He sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine, then shifted the gearshift and headed to the gate of the embassy, and when they opened, he drove away from the embassy and toward a part of Berlin that Anya had never visited. Anya hoped she wouldn’t come to regret this decision. He drove along the river until he reached a bridge to take him to an island. Once he reached a point he could no longer drive, he parked the car.
“Here we are,” he said. “One of the best parts of the city. This is Museum Island.”
They started down the first path. Mr. Jones shoved his hands into his pockets. Did he do that so he could resist temptation? She wanted to move closer