Classified by Debra Webb Page B

whacked him on the shoulder. “We’re alive and still on target. That’s half the game.”
    “You want to shower first?” He needed some distance and a few minutes to get his head together.
    She waved him off, apparently more interested in the vista. “You go ahead. I want a long, luxurious bath in that amazing tub. You won’t want to wait me out, believe me.”
    Levi rounded up his bag and shut himself inside the enormous bathroom. He leaned against the door and worked at erasing the images of her soaking in that made-for-two marble tub that started reeling in his head the moment she mentioned her plan.
    Food and caffeine hadn’t gotten him back on track. Sleep deprivation had to be the problem. Not once since he’d begun fieldwork with the Colby Agency had he experienced such difficulty staying on track.
    He’d been shot at before. He was trained for this. Why the hell couldn’t he keep his feet under him?
    Maybe a shower would clear his head. Incredibly, the separate shower, including full body sprayers and glass on three sides, was larger than the tub. Complimentary soaps and shampoos lined a built-in nook in the shower wall. He turned on the spray of water and set it to hot, chucked his boots and stripped off his clothes.
    He stepped into the fancy, tiled mini room, let the water slide over his skin and grimaced. Too hot. He adjusted the temperature and then just stood beneath the broad-spectrum mist. The tension slowly melted from his aching muscles. He scrubbed a hand over his face, blew off the idea that he needed to shave. Later. This felt too good to move. He turned his back and let the rain of heat work its magic on those tense muscles. Oh yeah. This might take longer than Casey had anticipated. She might be sorry she’d given him first dibs.
    He wasn’t worried about her taking off on him. He had the name the same as she did. Finding and interviewing this Alayna was the next step. If they split up and started asking questions separately they could end up with the same result here as encountered in Pozos. They had to work together. For now.
    The instant her image formed in his head his body reacted. A blunt craving rippled through every muscle as he replayed that crazy kiss…over and over. Arousal was instantaneous.
    Cool air swept through the shower and he opened his eyes.
    He was greeted by Casey’s smile. “Sorry. I just need something from my bag.” Her eyes drifted from his, traveling downward so slowly that his lower anatomy reacted as strongly as if she’d trailed her lips down that same path. When she’d finished her tour she smiled at him again and crossed to the counter where her bag was.
    Levi grabbed a bottle of shampoo and dumped enough on his head to lather a gorilla. He didn’t care if it dripped into his eyes. Maybe he could burn her image from his retinas.
    After she’d cleared out, it took several minutes to rinse his hair. That really had been a stupid idea. A quick scrub of his body and he was ready to find a towel. He checked the room before exiting the shower to make sure she hadn’t strolled back in.
    Shaving crossed his mind again but he passed. Dressed and smelling like a perfume shop, he made his big exit. It had taken some time, but he had his head together now. He had her figured out. The kiss, the invading of his shower time had been about keeping him off balance. That, he decided, was her method of operation. None of it meant anything. It was all just a distraction ploy.
    Well, he was onto her now.
    Surprisingly he found her crashed on the couch.
    Her blond hair glistened against the red and blue silk pillows. Completely relaxed by sleep, the feminine details she tried so valiantly to mask with toughness were breathtaking. Especially the lips. His mouth watered at the memory of her taste.
    He shook his head. So much for having his head together. Yeah, he was really onto her now.
    The French doors stood open. Theirs was an invitation he couldn’t decline,