A Thousand Kisses Deep by Wendy Rosnau

she asked Eva, "Do you mind if I ask Nemo to dance with me?"
    "No. Go ahead." Eva glanced at Nemo and saw he was staring at them. No, he was staring at Melita. It was then that she understood something that had eluded her over the past three years. Nemo watched over Melita like a hawk because he wanted to. There was something between them. Something they had successfully kept a secret from everyone.
    "I'm going to freshen up and order an after-dinner brandy at the bar," Eva announced. "I'll meet you back here in a little while. Enjoy the music."
    Eva lingered out of sight to watch Melita and Nemo as they joined the dancers, then she disappeared into the crowd. She visited the rest room, then steered herself in the direction of the bar and ordered a brandy. She was about to pay for the drink when a body wrapped around her and leaned in.
    "I've got it."
    Eva's heart skipped a beat. She didn't need to look to know who it was. His voice was deep and distinct, as powerful as the arm that stretched forward and slid the money to the bartender.
    It was noisy, and the party atmosphere was perfect for two strangers to meet at the bar, Eva thought. She took a sip of her brandy to fortify her courage, then turned slightly and looked up into Sly McEwen's sober face.
    He looked good. That's what immediately came to mind. It was a crazy thought. He'd shaved off the chin strap, but kept the sideburns. He wore faded jeans and a blue cotton shirt, a pair of sunglasses tucked into the pocket made him look like a tourist. A rich, bad-boy tourist.
    "I was hoping you'd be close by." He leaned in a little closer, his thigh making direct contact with her hip. "Where's the guard?"
    "Dancing with Melita. Is Sly your real name?"
    "Will that be a problem?"
    "No. I was just curious."
    "It's short for Slayton. I'm told my father came straight from Kilkenny , Ireland ."
    It was awkward, standing there having what appeared to be a normal conversation with a man who was in the business of killing people. A man who wanted to kill her father. A stranger who had held her for over an hour while she slept off her migraine.
    He glanced at her exposed shoulders, then lowered his gaze to her chest where her breasts rose and fell with each labored breath she took. "And you, Evka Amara Creon—is that a Slovakian name?"
    "Yes, I suppose it is."
    He knew her middle name. Knew about the migraines, and the pills. Knew she lived with Simon and how they spent their evenings in the backyard. What else did he know? Was there a profile on her somewhere like the one she'd found in Simon's computer on him?
    "I've never done any research on the name, though I'm sure there would be something in my father's file at Onyxx," she prompted.
    An anxious customer knocked into Eva at the bar, shoving her forward into Sly's chest. He reached out and pulled her more tightly against him, then gave the rude man a threatening look.
    The man quickly apologized. " Me sing-horite, miss."
    "Ne. Endaxi," she answered then looked back up at Sly. "He meant nothing by it." She followed his eyes and saw that he was staring at her hand flattened against his chest, her fingertips pressed to his warm skin and a smattering of hair in the open vee of his shirt.
    She removed her hand and said, "There are balconies above the taverna. I'll meet you on the third level. It is more private than the others. Not many people go there."
    She slipped out of his protective circle and started weaving her way through the crowd. She found the stairs, started up them as she scanned the dance floor. Nemo was wearing a bright-red shirt and she spied him easily as he twirled Melita in her full yellow dress. The timing was perfect, she decided. They were laughing and enjoying the music. Enjoying each other. They wouldn't miss her for a while.
    To her disappointment two couples were already on the balcony when she arrived. They were both in passionate embraces, paying her no mind. Still, the situation made her feel awkward and