Page 13 of Croatia Collateral

The fiery gleam in Giva’s eyes radiated danger and... passion.

Dax’s groin responded to both, but he couldn’t let her know. “I know how to kiss and make it look natural.” He raised a hand and ran one of his fingers along the smooth, soft skin of her bare arm. “To convince the casual observers, we need to practice together.”

“Then practice this.” She wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck and pulled him down to press her lips to his.

Dax’s arms came up around her waist, his hands pressing into the small of her back.

Her fingers wove into his hair, urging him closer as she opened to him.

With one hand pressing her against him, he raised the other to grab a handful of her hair. He swept his tongue past her teeth to tangle with hers, caressing it in languorous thrusts.

The more he kissed her, the more he wanted to.

No.

He wanted more. To get closer, to feel her skin against his.

Her calf wrapped around his thigh, and her breasts pressed against his chest.

The hand he held at the small of her back slid lower to cup her ass, and the kiss intensified until he finally had to lift his head to take a breath.

Her leg skimmed over his as she lowered her foot to the floor. She looked up into his face, a devilish smile curling the corners of her lips. “How’s that for convincing?” she whispered.

Then she lowered her arms from around his neck to press against his chest.

Giva stepped back. “Rehearsal’s over. Good night.” With those parting words, she spun on her heel and returned to her room, her hips swaying in that damned red dress.

Dax tugged at the collar of his shirt, then adjusted his trousers to ease his cock straining against the fabric.

He’d hoped to teach her he could easily convince their dangerous audience they were truly Evan Maas and his sexy girlfriend, Sasha Royce.

Instead, Giva had schooled him in his own lesson. Where he’d lost himself in the kiss, she’d made him feel like the kiss was real and that she’d lost control as much as he had. But she hadn’t lost control. She’d been in complete control the entire time and had walked away as if the kiss meant nothing but a great job acting.

Dax ran a hand through his hair. He would have to take a page from Giva’s book and keep it professional. They were headed into treacherous territory. If they were caught, they could be murdered on the spot.

He hefted his duffel bag onto his shoulder and strode into the other bedroom, closing the door behind him. What he needed was a reset. A cold shower, sleep and time to process what he’d walked into when he’d gone into the bar, expecting to meet with Ace Hammerson.

He dropped his bag on the floor, opened it and dug out a clean T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts, figuring he could wear them to sleep in when he usually slept nude. No need to freak out his partner on this mission.

Keep it professional.

He stripped out of the clothes he’d worn, thinking to make a good impression on his new boss, only to meet with his potential new partner instead. They were off-the-rack items he’d picked up in a department store, but he thought he’d looked semi-decent in them.

Shopping wasn’t something he enjoyed. He knew his size and usually spent less than fifteen minutes choosing items. Because he’d moved around so much, he limited his wardrobe to what would fit in his duffel bag.

From the sound of it, he and Giva would spend an inordinate amount of time selecting clothing based on the styles and brands Evan Maas preferred.

Just the thought of being confined inside a store, trying on item after item, made Dax want to hit the pavement outside and run ten miles.

Having Giva with him the entire time might make the effort more bearable. It would also give them more time to get to know each other, not that they would be able to speak freely in front of clerks or concierges. But he’d learned there was more to knowing someone than only words could reveal.

Still rock-hard from that kiss, he adjusted the water temperature in the shower to lukewarm and stepped beneath the spray. He’d hoped the shower would relax his libido, but the water skimming over his skin reminded him of her hands sliding across the back of his neck and weaving into his hair.

He could imagine what those hands would feel like moving further south.

With a groan, he turned the handle on the faucet, adjusting the water temperature to colder.

He forced himself to stand in the chilly spray until his body and mind cooperated.

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