Page 33 of Iron Willed Warrior

“Yet we struggle to get along for ten minutes straight. Now we’re supposed to be in a relationship? I just have my doubts we can pull this off.”

He fixed me with an intense look. That fiery gaze started moving down my body.

Cole had subtly checked me out before, even though he’d denied it. But this time, there was a different glint in his eyes. A shameless, open hunger, layered with possessiveness. Like he’d destroy anyone and anything that stood between us.

Cole’s eyes lifted to meet mine, and the breath whooshed out of my lungs.

He finally pushed back from the fireplace, taking several steps away from me. “Still skeptical?”

I swallowed. My mouth had gone dry, and my skin was damp with sweat. “That was…a good start.”

“Suppose we’ll need some practice to perfect it.” His voice was rough.

I studied him, biting my lip. “Meet me at the bar whereDean works. Eight tonight. In the meantime, I’ll give you access to my secure files. So you can read up on everything else we’ve gathered on Westwick.”

“Roger that.”

We both stood there another moment. That same intensity still thick in the air.

“See you tonight,” he finally said.

When Cole had left, I slumped onto the couch, my head falling back. I needed a cold shower.

But tonight, we’d be at it again. Practicing this fake relationship of ours. And at the resort, we’d be inseparable. We would have to convince everyone there, including Westwick, that we were in love. Okay, maybe notin love, but sleeping together.

Given the way Cole had just looked at me, I was on my way to believing it.

What had I gotten myself into?

CHAPTER TEN

Cole

I gotto the bar a couple minutes before eight. The place was packed, even more than the night before. Guns N’ Roses blasted through the speakers. I pushed through the crowd, scanning for Brynn, but she wasn’t here yet. So I pulled up to the bar instead, finding a sliver of space at the end.

I’d spent all afternoon reviewing the files on Garon Westwick and the preparations for the mission. Brynn’s task force, along with River’s hacker network, had been hard at work. I’d been relieved to see how thoroughly they’d outlined the situation. Blueprints of the resort, profiles of other guests who had already booked rooms. Had to hand it to the Feds. They’d done well with this one, and I gave a lot of the credit to Brynn.

If anything, I should’ve been feeling more relaxed tonight now that Brynn and I had reached some kind of understanding and we’d solidified our cover stories. But instead, my fingers tapped impatiently against the bar top. I wasn’t a fan of surprises, yet this mission kept delivering one after the other.

Earlier, when she had challenged me to prove I could be a convincing boyfriend… Let’s just say, I didn’t have to rely on mynonexistent acting skills. I was attracted to her. No denying it. Which was great for pulling off this fake relationship thing. But sure as hell inconvenient when it came to not blurring the lines.

After a few minutes, Dean made his way over to me. “Here again? I thought you got enough whiskey last night.”

“That’s why I’m sticking with beer.” I ordered something on the lighter side. A session ale that wasn’t heavy on the alcohol. “I’m meeting Brynn.”

Dean poured my beer and brought it over. “I can’t figure the two of you out. Are you at each other’s throats? Or did you find your vibe?”

“Hell if I know,” I muttered. “Technically, we’re working tonight. Practicing.”

“Practicing? Do I want to know what it is you’ll be practicing?”

“Just don’t be surprised by how we’re acting tonight.”

Dean laughed, clearly confused. But he would catch on fast. He knew we had to get our cover stories straight.

Truth was, I didn’t know what to expect tonight either. What had happened earlier… Jeez, it had been a challenge not to get hard when I’d been right there in front of her, giving her the thorough eye-fuck that I had been denying myself since we’d met.

But that attraction wasn’t the reason I had suggested tweaking our cover story. By playing her boyfriend, I would be able to stay close to her at all times. Brynn would have to be alone with Westwick at some point, but I could make sure that happened on her terms when she was ready. I didn’t put anything past that asshole. Maybe he preferred to sit back and let his Stillwater lieutenants get their hands dirty. But if he’d held his nineteen-year-old nanny prisoner inside his house, then he was capable of plenty.

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