Page 5 of Kissing Kayley
One of my polyglot/psychologist/Secret Service special agent brother’s eyebrows slowly arched in that annoying way it always had.
“I don’t know, little sis,” he languidly said. “Whyever do you ask?” His lips curved in an evil smirk.
“Can you scare me up a deck of cards, a bottle of decent whisky or bourbon, andthatdude? And a couple of extra people so it doesn’t look sus?” I glanced over at Belefonte again and…
Yeah. Total damned snack.
Correction—more like a five-course meal.
“Well, I know you’re not looking for an orgy,” Leo said. “So if you’re asking if I can scare you up an off-hours poker game including Belefonte so you have an excuse to feel him out, why don’t we save time and simplify things?”
I blinked. “Huh?”
But he’d already cleared his throat, pointed, then crooked two fingers at the man…
Who immediately strode toward us.
Fuuuuck me.
Leo—that blessed rat bastard big brother of mine—also summoned the head of his detail.
And that was how, five minutes later, I found myself outside and walking with Belefonte along a boardwalk ringing one of the nearby thermal features. Two agents followed at a discreet distance.
While Belefonte was now officially off duty for the day, he looked just as alert as any of the other agents.
And for once in my forty-seven years I felt clueless as hell.
“Uh, sorry about the change in plans,” I said. “I only asked my brother for a little info about you. I didn’t realize he was going to go all… brotherly.”
He smirked. “It’s okay, ma’am.”
“Kayley or Kay, please. And is Belefonte your first or last name?”
“Last. Victor Belefonte. You can call me Vic.”
I stopped in front of one of the information plaques along the railing. It wasn’t completely dark yet but there was a nearly full moon, bright enough it would soon cast shadows. It felt like we were almost alone although I knew there were trained snipers hidden all over and keeping an eye out for threats, in addition to the agents discretely trailing us.
I conversationally plunged ahead. “I guess if I’m going to make this awkward, I might as well make itallllthe way awkward. Are you straight, single, and potentially interested in me? Obviously, answering no to any or all of those questions won’t be held against you, I promise. I don’t want to waste your time or mine, and I’ll thank you for the lovely evening walk.”
He smiled as he leaned forward on the railing, on his elbows, hands clasped together. He slowly looked around before he answered and I realized what he was doing—making sure there were no press around.
He kept his voice low, barely moving his lips as he spoke. “And I’m completely off the clock right now, Kayley?”
“Yup. Far as I’m concerned, you’re another civvie.”
He focused those handsome blue eyes on me. “I am straight and single. And I would be interested in spending more time with you, yes. But I’m currently stationed in DC. I’m eligible to retire in a little over two years, with a decent pension. I’d like to spend those last two years on The Shift, because I worked my ass off to get here. It’s my understanding you live in Laguna Beach.”
I stepped up next to him and mirrored how he leaned on the rail. In the cool night air we stood close enough I felt the warmth from his arm against mine even though we weren’t touching.
I also fought to keep the disappointment out of my tone. “I do. And I’m not moving anytime soon. I live close to my parents, not to mention I have my career.”
He nodded.
I stared at the sulfur-tinged steam wafting from the thermal pool. “Would you be willing to explore a no-strings-attached, down-low, confidential arrangement on a trial basis while we’re out here? Presuming we both have fun tonight, obviously. And yes, I mean sex.”
When he spoke again, I strained to hear. “You mean would I be willing to have an opportunity to completely wreck a beautiful, intelligent woman as long as my former boss—who happens to be her big brother and who also happens to be married to my current boss, andthatman can have me sent overseas to a black-ops CIA site and tortured—doesn’t kill me for it?”
When I looked, I spotted the sexy smirk curling his lips.
