he might show up at the hotel. Either way, he'll ask you out. You'll go. Pick your opportunity carefully. You'll have only one shot at this. Once he's tipped to your real reason for being there, he'll be trying to take you out."
"I'm expected to walk up to him in front of witnesses and shoot him?"
"You're expected to do what you were sent here to do. Assassinate one of the world's most vicious terrorists. Shoot him. Poison him. Fuck him to death. Whatever it takes to do your job."
"Will I have poison?" AJ asked flatly.
"You will."
"Then two out of three can be considered options." She stood up and looked down at him. "Relax, superspy. I'm going to kill the little bastard, just like I said. Now, I'm off to take a nap. How long do I have? "
CHAPTER SIX
« ^ »
AJ sat on a silk-covered stool at the marble dressing table in the large, well-lit, and luxurious bathroom off her bedroom. Kane leaned against the sink counter, arms folded over his broad chest. Having a man—and such a large man, at that—in such an intimate space made it feel overcrowded and confining.
And damn it, she could smell him. It was a unique smell. Not soap, not cologne. Agents didn't use fragrance when they were on an op. It was the scent of his skin. How weird was that? She'd never been aware of a man's smell before. Pheromones. Being aware of what it was didn't make it less annoying. Distracting. Arousing.
"Smudge on a little more brown," Kane instructed. "Yeah. Like that. A little more undernea—no, more… Here, just give me that thing."
"Excuse me?"
"Lemme do it. You're not blending it right."
"Who're you, Max Factor?"
"Hand it over."
"I can do my own makeup."
He looked at her.
AJ sighed. "Here." She handed him the small eye shadow brush. "I've no doubt you can apply makeup better than I can. You certainly tend to wear more of it than I do."
She turned on the seat so he could apply the color himself. Kane stepped in front of her, his jean-clad groin at eye level, and about six inches away. A rush of sexual awareness washed over her. Jesus God. Her eyes shot to his face. It was impassive. Was it possible that he didn't feel anything? How could this attraction be so one-sided?
And what an effective way to keep her in her place, AJ thought with a small, self-deprecating smile.
One-sided or not, she had a mental flash of him on top of her. Bare sweaty skin to bare sweaty skin. She felt his weight, the slide of his hair-roughened leg along her smooth calf…
"Yo, Cooper. You paying attention?" he demanded, bending down to peer at her face.
She swallowed hard, then glared up at him, suddenly feeling antsy and cranky herself. Her insides felt like they were on speed. Damn it. It just didn't matter how hot he made her. She was not about to screw up her second chance at building a career by doing anything stupid. He already thought little enough of her as it was. She wasn't about to compound the feeling. "Yes. You're fascinating. But it's hot in here."
He'd been nit-picking her makeup application for the last fifteen minutes. Man, give a guy a little authority and it went straight to his head. She wanted to go. She'd slept for three hours, and awakened alert and ready for just about anything. They were already getting a late start—it was past two—so they'd be traveling in the worst heat of the day. "If you'd just let me do it myself, we could be out of here in a few minutes." She cocked her head and gave him a one-eyed glare. "Do I tell you how to shave?"
"A: If you could do it yourself, I wouldn't have to. And B: The day I need your help is the day—" He broke off.
"Can't finish that one, can you?" she challenged. It wasn't easy to maintain a one-eyed glare, but she gave it her best shot, as he had her other one closed. "Because you do need me. Even Command thinks so."
"Command doesn't know jack."
"That's loyal."
"That's honest." He took her chin and tilted up her face. "Open your eyes. Hold the pot and look up. And while
"I'm expected to walk up to him in front of witnesses and shoot him?"
"You're expected to do what you were sent here to do. Assassinate one of the world's most vicious terrorists. Shoot him. Poison him. Fuck him to death. Whatever it takes to do your job."
"Will I have poison?" AJ asked flatly.
"You will."
"Then two out of three can be considered options." She stood up and looked down at him. "Relax, superspy. I'm going to kill the little bastard, just like I said. Now, I'm off to take a nap. How long do I have? "
CHAPTER SIX
« ^ »
AJ sat on a silk-covered stool at the marble dressing table in the large, well-lit, and luxurious bathroom off her bedroom. Kane leaned against the sink counter, arms folded over his broad chest. Having a man—and such a large man, at that—in such an intimate space made it feel overcrowded and confining.
And damn it, she could smell him. It was a unique smell. Not soap, not cologne. Agents didn't use fragrance when they were on an op. It was the scent of his skin. How weird was that? She'd never been aware of a man's smell before. Pheromones. Being aware of what it was didn't make it less annoying. Distracting. Arousing.
"Smudge on a little more brown," Kane instructed. "Yeah. Like that. A little more undernea—no, more… Here, just give me that thing."
"Excuse me?"
"Lemme do it. You're not blending it right."
"Who're you, Max Factor?"
"Hand it over."
"I can do my own makeup."
He looked at her.
AJ sighed. "Here." She handed him the small eye shadow brush. "I've no doubt you can apply makeup better than I can. You certainly tend to wear more of it than I do."
She turned on the seat so he could apply the color himself. Kane stepped in front of her, his jean-clad groin at eye level, and about six inches away. A rush of sexual awareness washed over her. Jesus God. Her eyes shot to his face. It was impassive. Was it possible that he didn't feel anything? How could this attraction be so one-sided?
And what an effective way to keep her in her place, AJ thought with a small, self-deprecating smile.
One-sided or not, she had a mental flash of him on top of her. Bare sweaty skin to bare sweaty skin. She felt his weight, the slide of his hair-roughened leg along her smooth calf…
"Yo, Cooper. You paying attention?" he demanded, bending down to peer at her face.
She swallowed hard, then glared up at him, suddenly feeling antsy and cranky herself. Her insides felt like they were on speed. Damn it. It just didn't matter how hot he made her. She was not about to screw up her second chance at building a career by doing anything stupid. He already thought little enough of her as it was. She wasn't about to compound the feeling. "Yes. You're fascinating. But it's hot in here."
He'd been nit-picking her makeup application for the last fifteen minutes. Man, give a guy a little authority and it went straight to his head. She wanted to go. She'd slept for three hours, and awakened alert and ready for just about anything. They were already getting a late start—it was past two—so they'd be traveling in the worst heat of the day. "If you'd just let me do it myself, we could be out of here in a few minutes." She cocked her head and gave him a one-eyed glare. "Do I tell you how to shave?"
"A: If you could do it yourself, I wouldn't have to. And B: The day I need your help is the day—" He broke off.
"Can't finish that one, can you?" she challenged. It wasn't easy to maintain a one-eyed glare, but she gave it her best shot, as he had her other one closed. "Because you do need me. Even Command thinks so."
"Command doesn't know jack."
"That's loyal."
"That's honest." He took her chin and tilted up her face. "Open your eyes. Hold the pot and look up. And while
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