Page 54 of The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold
“Sterling!” He shook her.
Alex pushed her hair out of her face and looked at King, who was studying her like he didn’t know whether to curse her or kiss her.
“David!” a voice yelled in the distance. They were on the other side of the falls, Alex realized. Trapped between the curtain of the water and the stone of the mountain, alone in a cave—or grotto—that was hidden by the mist. The others were still on the other side, yelling, “Donna! Are you—”
“We’re okay!” King shouted, but he never took his eyes off of Alex. It was like they were the only people on earth, wrapped in a cocoon of silence and stone and—
“Sterling...” That time, the voice was low and deep. A warning or a prayer. He was just right there—kissing distance apart. And he was drawing closer. And closer. Until—
He stopped. His gaze slid off her, and Alex pulled back. Even in the cool water, her face went red because... of course he wasn’t going to kiss her. Kissing is for people who don’t hate each other. Kissing is for—
“Sterling.” That time, he laughed—ahathat echoed off the stone and was lost under the roar of the falls as King pointed behind herand Alex turned to see a circle of light in the shadows, bright and shining through the stone on the far side of the cave.
“Is that...”
“A tunnel,” King whispered.
“Wait.” It mattered. She knew it mattered, but her lungs weren’t quite working. Her brain wasn’t quite working. It took a moment for her to realize—“If the sun is shining through there, then...”
“We don’t need to go over the mountain,” King said.
“We can go under it.” Alex didn’t know whether to grin or groan because the mission was on, but the moment...
The moment was over.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Present Day
The Island
King
“You could stay here,” King tried, but Alex glared at him because glaring was apparently her favorite form of cardio.
If there was one clear advantage to Fertility Week, it was that the group bonding and therapy sessions were set aside for private reflection and romantic couple time, leaving this couple plenty of time for what they had to do.
“Just an offer.” King threw open his suitcase and started digging for the latch to the hidden compartment. “Last time, it was easy enough once we got to the other side.”
“Last time, significantly fewer people wanted us dead.”
He gave a shrug because that was easier than sayingSuit yourself. The compartment clicked open to reveal an array of weapons and tools, and King started pulling out his favorites.
“What’s that?” Alex actually sounded offended.
“What? This?” He picked up a gun and inserted a clip. “I know it’s been a while, Sterling, but these are called weapons.”
“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Kingsley.”
He couldn’t help himself. He laughed. But there was something in the set of Alex’s shoulders.
“I thought you were out of the life.” Her voice was softer than he liked it. Almost fragile.
“Iwasout.” He dug another clip out of the bag. “But I wasn’t dead. You didn’t honestly expect us to go in there unarmed, did you?”
She gave him agive me some creditlook, then she went to the wall of the bungalow and unscrewed the air vent and pulled out a duffel bag. “Not exactly.” He gave her a look. “What? Like you’ve never left a go bag before.”
He smiled but didn’t say a word because there are some things a smart man should never say to Alexandra Sterling. Especially if she is holding a weapon.
