Page 48 of Even If the Sky is Falling
His full lips quirked into a half smile as he stared down at her. “Of course, you can.”
Shea stopped dancing and held him in place. Was she about to make a huge mistake? Possible. Was she drunk with lust, in the arms of a superhot bookseller? Yes, and she didn’t want the moment to pass her by. “When you said that you imagined being held captive, it took my mind places. It made me want to ask for something I haven’t had.”
Nick raised a brow, but his hands never left her hips. If anything, he gripped her tighter. “Where did your mind go, and what do you want to ask?”
Shea took a deep breath and released a torrent of words. “I know we haven’t kissed yet, but when we do, I have a certain way I want to be seduced. I’ve never asked this of anyone, but I’m really into the idea of role-playing. I really, really want to have sex with you. Tonight, while the world is on fire. I hope I’m not being too presumptuous.”
Eventually, she stopped speaking, but couldn’t bring herself to look up.
Because the silence was too much to bear, Shea opened her mouth to apologize, but Nick beat her to the punch. He took her by the chin, pulled her face upward and said, “It sounds like I need to kiss you now. Because I really want to learn how to seduce you properly.”
Perhaps being embarrassingly honest helped nudge the ball forward because Nick captured her mouth in a swift movement. His lips caught her off guard but gave her exactly what she needed. As their tongues met and mingled, Shea couldn’t stop the moan against his mouth. She delighted in the sensation of his soft beard brushing against her cheek. The way his hands quickly left her hips to cradle the back of her neck. She melted in his embrace, tempted to grind herself against his hard body.
Their kiss was just as decadent as she thought it would be. And the more she sipped from him, the faster scorching arousal swept through her body, setting fire to her chest. Shea absently wondered if the way he sucked and nibbled on her bottom lip was a preview of what else he could do with his mouth. He dragged her closer to his body and she inhaled as much of his sinful cologne as she could. The spicy citrus, mixed with the cocoa butter on his beard, made the edges of her brain hazy with desire. But before she could collapse into a desperate frenzy, Nick saved her by pulling away from her face.
She wove on her feet in a drunken daze. “You’re an amazing kisser,” she murmured while her eyes fluttered shut.
Nick’s large hands slid down her back before returning to her hips. “And you’re a gifted liar, Ms. Perez,” he murmured in a soft voice.
Shea’s eyes sprang open. “Huh?”
He released her and took a step back. The smirk on his face confused the hell out of her. “You may have fooled our other CIA operatives, but you didn’t count on meeting me.”
It took a moment for her lust-addled brain to catch up with his words, but when Shea understood, her jaw dropped.Oh my god, he’s really doing this...Jesus, he was a keeper. Although this was her secret sexy fantasy to rule all fantasies, Shea wasn’t great at improvised acting.
But if Nick was trying, she was sure as shit gonna try too.
“Excuse me?” she asked in an indignant tone. She had the feeling that a “Ms. Perez” would deny her identity until she bit down on the cyanide pill in her back molar. But since this was Nick, Shea would probably give up all kinds of national secrets if he kissed her again.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” he said, walking a circle around her. When he disappeared from view, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Was this what you had in mind? This isn’t too corny, is it?”
She shook her head. “No, this is perfect, Nick.”
“You’re also an amazing kisser,” he replied in a soft voice. “I wanted to return the compliment before getting too carried away.”
Shea fought to keep from giggling, but he was being too damned adorable. “Thank you,” she whispered while grinning hard.
“I’ve been watching you for a while, Vera Perez,” he said, returning to his stern daddy voice, which absolutely drenched her panties. “I suspected you were a Cuban national, but what I don’t know...is how long have you been spying on the United States?”
Okay, so the addition ofVerawas a little too much. Nick was interrogating a woman he’d named after “truth”? Every little detail of this game made her silently squee with excitement. She craned her neck to look behind her and said in a haughty tone, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. My name is... Catherine Parsons and I’m just a secretary.”
Nick ran his fingers down her back, leaving a trail of shivers ending at the base of her spine. As good as the sensation felt, Shea remained still, eager to see where he’d lead her in their little dance. “When was the last time you checked in with your handler?”
He still hid from her view when he asked the question. Leaving her to comfortably roll her eyes to the ceiling as she thought.Would Vera have a handler?“I don’t have a—”
“—not anymore. Mateo was found dead this morning,” Nick said as he stepped before her. “Which means you’re in trouble, Ms. Perez. Because whoever wanted Mateo out of the picture will soon want to tie off the other loose end.”
Shea raised a brow as she stared Nick down. “I’m not a loose end.”
Nick’s eyes roved over her face before his gaze dropped to her body. His mouth curved at one corner, giving her a slick grin. “You sound sure about that.”
Before she could return a witty comeback, he turned on his heel, walked to the kitchenette and retrieved a chair. When he returned, he placed it before her and took a seat.
“I think I’ll leave,” Shea said, placing her hands on her hips. “You don’t have enough to keep me here, Agent...”
“Roberts. You can call me Agent Roberts,” he finished, before gesturing to the bed behind her. “And I have more than enough to keep you here. Why don’t you just take a seat, Ms. Perez.”
Behind her, Nick’s bed. Before her, Nick sitting with his back erect, legs astride and looking as severe as any 1950s G-man.Oh well, I suppose I’m stuck.Shea smoothed her shirt down as she sat. “You have the wrong woman, Agent Roberts, really,” she said, folding her hands on her lap, “this is quite an embarrassment to your nation.”
