Page 80 of Lure

“No?” He looked thoughtful, then swooped in for another kiss. This time, he licked the seam of my lips apart to plunge inside and tease my tongue with his own. I forgot all about brushing teeth or even why morning breath wasn’t pleasant.

Voodoo tasted like a hint of peppermint, and then all him. The sensuous movement of his mouth against mine had me straining upward and my nipples going hard as I braced a hand against his chest.

When he dragged out my lower lip with his teeth, a shudder of pleasure danced through me. “Hmm. Tastes too good to be ignored.” Then he winked at me and opened the bedroom door again. “Breakfast?”

The teasing notes in his voice excited me. His kiss had also chased away the shadows. “It did taste good.” The man definitelydeserved a compliment. “Though, I have to admit… not sure it quite tops coffee.” I darted out under his arm as I said the last.

His little growl was absolutely delightful. Once I was downstairs though some of my good mood evaporated. Bones and Lunchbox were in the kitchen, but there was no sign of Alphabet or of Goblin. Hopefully, he was getting some sleep.

Bones gave me a long look as I padded barefoot into the kitchen, then his gaze went past me and seemed to chill even further. Whatever his problem was at the moment, though, it didn’t seem to be with me. I followed my nose to the cup of straight up coffee.

No espresso.

Well, I wasn’t going to complain. Lunchbox had prepared a little feast and considering how piled up the guys’ plates were, I didn’t protest even though I just stuck to scrambled eggs and plain toast.

The mournful look on Lunchbox’s face almost made me laugh.Almost. Then his words from the night before wandered back through my head.

If Maurizio was stupid with me, he wouldn’t survive. Lunchbox had said it so matter-of-fact and no one contradicted him. I couldn’t help the little thrill that went through me at the blunt declaration.

Bloodthirsty? Maybe.

But after the past few weeks? There was also some real comfort in his words. Even more in the sentiment.

“We’ll be leaving within the hour,” Bones said. “It’s early, but we want to scout the location of the yacht as well as his villa. We need to get a look at his security and the number of people around him.”

It took me a minute to realize he was talking to me. “Is there a strict timetable? I’m sure Alphabet already knows.”

“Yes and no,” Lunchbox answered. “We know wherewe’llbe starting and what we need to know. Everything after that is TBD. We’ll keep you both in the loop.”

“However,” Bones said, “regardless of schedule, we won’t be back with Gallo until well after dark, unless he just decides to fall in our laps.”

“It’s worth mentioning that the last time I was around Maurizio, he preferred to entertain and play cards or even just drink and enjoy his pipes or cigars until well after one in the morning. Maybe it would be easier to take him in the afternoon? They are probably napping then to prepare for the evening.”

“Too many eyes,” Bones told me. “There are issues with acquiring a target after dark, but the risks and the chances for discovery often double if we do it in the light of day.”

I nodded then took another sip of my coffee. They were almost done with their food. When they started to rinse off their dishes, I said, “I can do the dishes if you want. My contribution.”

“You’re contributing just fine,” Voodoo told me, then dipped his head to drop a kiss on my lips. “If you can go back to sleep, do it. Tonight is going to be a long one.”

My stomach clenched. “He might have answers.”

“Hemight.” Bones emphasized that last word as Voodoo brushed a hand against my cheek.

“I know, don’t get my hopes up.” Message received.

“We’ll know what he knows, Grace,” Bones said. “You have my word on that. Nudge Alphabet and let’s go.” Then he pivoted and headed out. It didn’t take long for the chime of the door to signal his exit. The guys were all dressed in slacks or jeans, lightweight shirts, linen and everyone had sunglasses.

They looked like tourists. That was the point I guessed. Voodoo headed back upstairs.

“Hey,” Lunchbox squatted next to my chair. “You have your phone and our contacts.”

I patted the pocket of my shorts. “I do.”

“Good, it’ll work here too. If anything happens—anythingand you need us back, call any of us. Even if we don’t answer, we’ll see the call and we’ll come.”

I blew out a breath and some of the tension wrapping me up tight eased. “So only call if there is a real emergency.”

“That would be the plan. If we get a call from you, we’re aborting the mission and coming straight back here.” He lifted his hand and paused until I nodded. Then he cupped my cheek. The light stroke of his thumb against my skin had my pulse racing.

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