He’s an undercover MI6 agent looking for a lost teammate. She’s an American doctor who’s uncovered a potentiallydeadlysecret. Together, can theysave the world from an enemyout to destroyboth of their countries?
LYNX
Itwasonenight.Anightofpurepassionanddesire.AnightIwill neverforget.Butshewalkedout,andIneverstopped thinkingabouther Now, she’s back Withinmyreach And again, she’s off-limits She belongs to someone else One ofmy men. Teamingup withher to take downthose who threatenour freedoms seems like a perfect wayto get close to her. But there’smoreatstakethaneverbefore
EMERSON
Ineverforgothim.Hewas is unlikeanyothermanI’deverknown.Butthetimingwasoff;Ihadmorehappeninginmy life thanIcould handle. Now, withhimrighthere, Icanfeel how muchI’ve missed: His touch, his scent, his taste. Except, there’smoreonthelinethanaloveaffair.Wehavetokeepitprofessional.ButcanIdothatwhenIneedsomuchmorefrom thisundercoveragent?
“CanI help youfind something?” I asked whenI saw the manstop at the bankof mailboxes. Maybe lettinga stranger saunterintothebuildingjustbecauseofhisnothing-to-do-with-the-weatherhotnesshadn’tbeenthesmartestthingtodo.
“Ihaven’tseenhimfor several days” Hence the overflowingmail Itwasn’tunusual, though The manwho lived atthe oppositeendofthehallfrommewasoutoftownmorethanhewasin.ThepartthatmadesensewasthatTommy,asIcalled him,wasBritishtoo.“Washeexpectingyou?”Iaskedasifitwereanyofmybusiness.Anything,though,tohaveareasonto keepstaringatthemanwhoremindedmeofPierceBrosnan’sJamesBond the Golden Eye version.
Mypenchant for movies made the same year Iwas bornor earlier, meant that most ofthe menwho turned myhead on screenwerenowintheirsixtiesorseventies Thedark-hairedhottieinfrontofme,theoneIwasadmiringfromheadtofoot thesamemanwhowasspeakingtome wasclosertomyownage. The man who was speaking to me.
“I’msorry,canyoupleaserepeatthat?”Iaskedwhile,atthesametime,tryingtofigureoutwhyhelookedsofamiliar the sunglassesandbaseballcapheworedidn’tmakeiteasy.
“Oh!Ineedtogo!”Iexclaimed,dismayed to see thatifIdidn’tleave now, Iwouldn’thave a prayer ofarrivingatworkintime for mynine o’clockmeeting. “Sorry. MaybeI’llseeyouaround”
HoistingoneofthethreecanvasbagsIwascarryingontomyshoulder,Irushedoutofthebuildingjustintimetoseethe number one bus pull away frommy corner stop. “Dammit,” I muttered under my breath. What would’ve taken me twelve minuteswouldnowbeforty-two;thenextbuswouldn’tcomeforahalfhour.
Iturnedattheexact,rightmomenttoseethemanformerly albeitmomentarily knownasmyownBritishsuperspyleave thebuildingandwalkintheoppositedirection.Ileanedagainstthelamppost,inwardlyswooningatthewayhissteel-hardass lookedinhis trousers,as Tommywouldcall them His shoulders were ridiculouslybroad,andeventhoughhe wore a longsleevedressshirt,Icouldseehismusculararmsashemoved. But that ass. Icouldbarelybringmyselftolookaway.
Tommy WhenhadIlastseenhim?Ithadtohavebeenatleasttwoweeks IcrossedmyfingersthattheotherBrit’sarrival meanthewasbackintown.ThingsendedsoawkwardlybetweenusthelasttimeIsawhim,andbeforeIhadthechancetotalk tohimaboutit,hewasgoneagain.
Itouched mylips withmyfingers, rememberingthe kiss he and Ihad shared thatnight Ithad beenso unexpected We’d goneoutfor dinner several times,butuntil thatmoment,ithadn’toccurredtomethatTommywasinterestedinme.Maybeit wasjustthatIwassooutofpractice,Imissedthesigns
Isighed. Mydatingslump had lasted longer thanIcared to acknowledge evento myself. Iwas a self-proclaimed nerd, buryingmyselfinglobal-political grandstrategytothepointofexclusionofeverythingelseinmylife.Dating whohadthe time? Fashion whybother whenthe onlypeople who ever saw me were other analysts who also had their noses buried in foreign-policydocuments?
Ithad definitelyputme offEasternEuropeanmen, butBrits? Theywere myweakness. Ever since the one nightwhenI decided to act the role of someone far different than who I usually am someone adventurous, worldly, passionate, and wanton
“Everything okay?” said an English-accented voice frombehind me When I spun around and looked into my friend’s friend’sgreeneyes,hewaselevatedrightbacktosuperspystatus.
Oh my God those green eyes I’dneverforgetthem IthadbeenthreeyearssinceIlastsawthemandthemanstandingin frontofme.Iwantedtolookhimupanddown,butIwasn’twearingsunglassestohidemyonce-over. Keep your eyes up here, Itoldmyself,focusingonhisface.
Gone were the sophisticated clothes I’d purchased for myfirst-ever international policyconference inLondonand then never wore again. In their place, I had on a sensible, wrinkle-resistant black pantsuit, a short-sleeve white blouse, and comfortableblackpumpswithaone-inchheel InsteadofthecontactsI’dhadinwhenIlastsaw thisman,Iwaswearingmy round, tortoise-shell glasses thatcaused less eyestrainwhenIspenthours uponhours reading. And, like mostdays, myhair wasbonestraightinsteadoffallingdownmybackinsoftwavesasithadthatnight.
“It was nice to meet you, although you look very familiar to me Like maybe we’ve met before” I gave him time to acknowledgehavingthesamerecollectionIhad.Whenhedidn’t,Ipromptedhimfurther.“DoIlookatallfamiliartoyou?”
Still noresponse.Wait.Whatwas hedoing?WhenIturnedaround,Icaughthimlookingathimselfinthewindow ofmy building Howcouldhepossiblyremembermewhenhewassobusyadmiringhisownreflection?
Thelovelycreaturestandinginfrontofme,theonewithbigocean-blueeyesandhairthecolorofmyfavoritetawnyport, theoneI’drecognizedthemomentIsawher,theoneIcouldn’twalkawayfromthismorningeventhoughIshouldhave was thewomanSaintreferredtoasCharlie?
Basedonhisdescriptionofher,I’dexpected Charlie tobesomeoneolder,notclosertohisageandmine.
Sheslidhermobileintoherhandbagandrestedonehandonherhip.“AreyouawarethatDr.BenjaminandIweremeeting about ”sheleanedincloserandlookedleftandright “China?”
Irepeatedhermotions.“Yes.Iam.”
“HowdidyousayyouknowTom Mr.St.Thomas?”
Stillleaningclosetoher,Ibreathedinherscent Thememoryoftheonenightwespenttogetherroaredthroughmymind I wasn’ttypicallyafanofperfumeofanykind,butIrememberedhersbeingenticing.
“I didn’t,” I murmured, closing my eyes to sort the different fragrances in my head She smelled of bergamot orange, morningjasmine,andeveningrosepetals,withahintofvanillaandpatchoulimixedin.Itspotencymademyeyesrollbackin myheadandmymouthwaterasIrecalledrunningmytongueoverherbody,tastingherskin
“I don’t wear perfume,” she responded, grabbing my arm with the hand previously on her hip and leading me to the building’s entrance. She swiped a card inthe slotbythe door and thenrested her palmonthe dark-graysquare beneathit. “Sorry,protocol,”shesaid,slippinginsidethedoorandclosingitbehindher.
AsIwatchedherfacegofrompuzzledtopensive,IwonderedwhyIrishwasn’thandlingthisbetter “Ireceivedanemail.Iassumedyoudidtoo,”hesaid,butitseemedtoolittle,toolate. “Hmm,” she murmured, picking up her bags “I’ll just be a moment” She walked away, leaving me alone with the undercoveragenttheCIAhadputinplacewhenMI6broughtSaintin.
Afew minutes later, Emersonjoined me. “Iapologize aboutMr. Warrick…Paxon…myassistant. Apparently, he had another appointment”
“Ashementioned.”
“Oh. Huh. Well…shall we get started?” she asked without preamble of further small talk, which I found surprisingly disappointing.Iusuallyabhorredmindlesschatter,butinthiscase,Iwantedtohearmoreofthebeautifullilttohervoice. Her scentwafted inthe air, and the desirabilitythe womanexuded made myabilityto keep myhead onbusiness nearly impossible.IadjustedmytrousersandtookaseatwheresheindicatedIshould.
“Yes?” Whenshe looked up, it was obvious she realized where, exactly, her head was incorrelationto mycock. Her cheeksflushed,andshetriedtoscootaway,onlytobangintothechairbehindher Whenshegraspeditinanattempttostand anditslidaway,IwatchedasherheadsmackedintothetablebeforeIcouldpreventitfromhappening.
“I’ll be fine,” she snapped, swatting my hand away. “And you’re kind of bossy.” Refusing to look me in the eye, she grabbedtheoffendingtable’sedgeandpulledherselfup.
Iwasn’tcertainshewouldbeonceshesawtheamountofbloodthathadseepedintoherhairandmyhandkerchief Head woundstendedtobleedalot,butattherateherswas,shehadnochoicebuttoseeaphysiciantogetitclosedup.
“Of course” The boxlooked bigenoughto supplya mobile critical care unit and as thoughit weighed a metric ton I hoisteditontothedesk.“AreyoutheparamediconstaffforallofMIT?”
“I’m afraid she’s somewhat intransigent.” While my irritation with the undercover agent posing as her assistant was reachinganepicproportion,IfoundEmerson’sstubbornnessabsolutelyadorable “Letmehavealook.”Irishmovedherhandandliftedthesoppingpapertowels.“It’sbleedingalotandlookstobeabout fivecentimeters I’msorry,Emme,butyou’regoingtohavetogototheemergencyroom” “No!” sheshrieked,startlingusboth.“Nohospitals.”
He knelt in front of me like he had a few minutes earlier, and my heart rate increased tenfold as it had right after I humiliatedmyselfbyspillingwateronhim.Istudiedhimstudyingme.How wasitpossiblethathedidn’trecognizemeafter staringintomyeyeslikehewas?
Iwasalmostdisappointedthathedidn’tsaylacerationagain.ItflowedsosmoothlyoffhisEnglish-accentedtongueinthat swoon-worthyJames Bondyway This was the voice Iremembered, notthe one he’d used earlier thatmade me feel like a forgettablenuisance.
“Ineedtogetmypurse…andmyphone.”Irushedawayfromthetwomeninthelobby,whooddly,appearedasthoughthey were aboutto come to blows, and wentto myoffice to grab mythings WhenIlooked up frommydesk, Lynxstood inthe doorway,justashandsomeasIremembered.
Hehadtobewelloversixfeet,withhairsodarkitalmostlookedblack.Hisgreeneyeswerepiercingastheystaredinto mine Iletmygazedriftdownthelengthofhim Heworeapalebluedressshirtwithblacktrousersandbrownwingtips The wayhisclothesfithisbody,Idoubtedhewasanylessfitthanhehadbeenthreeyearsago.Evenwithoutclosingmyeyes whichIrefusedtoallowmyselftodo Icouldfeelhispowerfularmsaroundmeandthewayhissteelypecsandabsfeltwhen Iranmyhandsoverthem.
He caughtup and kepthis hand onthe small ofmybackas he led me over to the elevator His fingertips alone sentan electricalcurrentstraightthroughmybody.Whenitsettledbetweenmylegs,Ishuddered.
Thedoortotheelevatoropened,andIcouldn’tsaywhetherIwasrelievedortroubledthatitwasempty Standinglessthan afootfrommewastheonlymanI’deverletmyselfgetsocarriedawaywiththatitdidn’tmatterwe’djustmetinthebarofthe hotel where my conference was being held My attraction to himwas immediate, then and now Our bodies spoke to one anotherthatnightasthoughwewerealreadylovers.Thathehadnorecollectionofme,nearlybrokemyheart.
HewasasgorgeousandcaptivatingasLynx,butinanentirelydifferentway.WhereLynxwasahigh-handed,arrogant,nononsense know-it-all, his cousin doctor doctor-cousin had a glint in his eye that gave me the impression that under differentcircumstances,hemightbeamischievoustease.
AsopposedtoLynx’sscowl,Stephen’ssmilewasinfectious.Hetossedthegauzeintothegarbage,tookoffhisgloves,and turned around to face me “The lacerationonyour scalp is ghastly, butIassure you, youwon’tbleed to death Ido need to closeitup.”
“All set Those will stayinfor a few days, and thenthey’ll need to be removed bya doctor” Stephenlooked downat where Lynxstill hada firmholdonmyhandandthenbackupatme.Itriedtogethimtoletgo,whichonlyresultedinhim holdingontighter
Myheadsnappedinhisdirection “Thatwon’tbenecessary Ican ” “Whatneeds to be done?” he asked Stephenas thoughIhadn’tsaid a word. Iwrenched myhand fromhis, intendingto protest,butStephenhadalreadyhandedLynxmycareinstructionsandthetwowerereviewingthem
“Keep aneye for anysigns ofnausea, dizziness, fever, or ifshe loses consciousness, bringher here or to anemergency room Also,”hesaid,lookingatme,“you’lllikelysoonhaveadickensofaheadache Whileatfirstyoumaysupposeit’sfrom my cousin’s incessant chatter, as hard as it might be to believe, it’ll be caused more by your injury. Please forgive me in advanceforwhatI’mabouttosay,butyoushouldn’tbeleftaloneforthenexttwenty-fourhours.”
“She needs to rest and avoid caffeine and alcohol. No screentime, and that includes a computer, telly, smart phone, or tabletofanykind Nobrightlightsorloudnoises,andnodemandingphysicalactivities”Hesaidthelastpartdirectlytome, withawink.
“Thankyouagain,”Isaidoncewewereoutside “I’lljustgotomyofficeandcallmymom Oh,andI’llhaveMr Warrick contact you later about rescheduling. In fact, it might be best for us to wait for Dr. Benjamin to return before continuing. Goodbye.”Iheldoutmyhandtoshakehis.
The arrogant prick…Iwasgettingtiredofhimrailroadingme.Hedidn’tevenrememberfuckingme,forGod’ssake.“Who doyouthinkyouare?Nothingaboutmeisyourbusinessoryourresponsibility.”
Idroppedmyhandsandclenchedmyfists Thiswaswhyapersonshouldneveraccidentallyrunintotheirone-nightstand Justbecausetwopeoplehadspenttimetogether naked,didn’tmeantheyknew eachother.“The issue is thatyoucontinue to ignoreeverythingIsay”
“First, with your insistence that a self-applied liquid bandage would be a sufficient way to stop your laceration from bleeding.Then,yourrefusaltovisitanemergencyroom.Andnow,withyourunwillingnesstoacceptthatyoucannotbealone whenyouhaveaconcussion”
AsIstudiedthemenuthecutebartenderhandedme,Iheardamanaskiftheseatnexttomewastaken.Iturnedtorespond and found myself staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed speechless. The man was movie-star, leading-man handsome. The lightinginthebarwasdim,butIcouldseeenoughtoturnmybraintomush.
“Ihopeyouare,”Isaid,finallyfindingmyvoice,butblushingwheninsteadofansweringwithasimple“no,”mymouth decidedtoannouncetotheworldwhatmybrainwasthinking He smiled, pulled the chair outslightly, and sat. “I’mLynx,” he said, holdingouthis hand. He looked me up and down withoutmakinganyattempttohidehewasdoingso.
“It was crass,” my hot bar neighbor said before taking a long sip of the pint the bartender had given himwithout him needingtoorder Ishrugged.“Tellmeanyway.”
Iheardthedesperationinhervoiceassheleftamessageattheendofhercalls,andstoleaquickglance,afraidshemight be close to tears, butinstead, she remained steadfastlyannoyed bymypresence. Irested myhand nextto hers, almostclose enoughtotouch.
Justthe idea thatEmersonand Dr. Charles were one and the same, had blindsided me. Mydecisionto actas thoughwe hadn’tmetprior to this morningwas off-the-cuff. The longer Icontinued the charade, the less Isaw anoutcome inwhichI couldbehonestwithher.AllIknewforcertainwasI’dvowedthatifIeversawheragain,IwoulddoeverythingIcouldtoget Emersonbackinmybed Now,thatwas outofthe question Ineededher helptofindmymissingagentas well as a former Britishdiplomat,whohadalsodisappeared.
Dr EmmeCharlesappearedonmyradarshortlyaftershe’dgonetoworkforMIT,whereherresearchonChinesepolicy andstrategylandedheronthewatch-listofnearlyeveryinternationalintelligenceagency.WhysheusedEmmeprofessionally ratherthanEmerson,remainedamystery.
Rather thanfight over her, I, alongwithmycounterpart at the CIA, agreed there was no reasonshe couldn’t become a sharedasset However,neitherSaintnorIrishhadbeenparticularlykeenontheidea
WhatloomedgreatinboththeirmindswastheideathatChinahadbecomea“systemicrival”totheworld’ssuperpowers, one whose economic power and political influence had grownwithunprecedented scale and speed. However, Emersonand Dr.Benjaminhadtheirownagendas evenbeyondthatoftheirrespectivecountries.Benjamin’s,Ifeared,hadresultedinhis disappearance and Saint’s, since inadditionto beingresponsible for Emerson’s recruitment, he was also onDr Benjamin’s detail.
AllthebetterasfarasIwasconcerned Inowhadeveryreasontoignoreherpleastobeleftonherown Saint had had a keypad installed in order to get into his apartment standard for any MI6 agent whether they were undercoverornot andIhadthecode GiventhepositionEmersonheldatMIT,Iwassurprisedshehadn’tdonethesame,or thatSainthadn’tsuggestedit.Imadeamentalnotetoarrangeforoneofmyteamtotakecareofit.
Whenshe didn’t respond, I walked over to the sofa where she’d stretched out It appeared she was asleep, but hadn’t Stephenalsosaidthatifshelostconsciousness,Ishouldtakehertothehospital?
“Youfellasleep,”Isaid,brushingherhairfromherforeheadandpretendingIdidn’tnoticeheruseofanamethat,thusfar, she had no reason to know “Very quickly, I might add I’m sorry I woke you I was concerned that you might have lost consciousness.”
“Okay,” she whispered and turned away fromme. I stood, knowing that if I didn’t get out of here, I was going to lift Emersonintomyarmsandholdherassheslept.NeverbeforehadIfeltsuchanoverpoweringneedtotakecareofsomeone, andIfounditratherdisconcerting
Once downstairs, I sent a text to Stephen, askingif it was normal for her to be so sleepy, and thendashed over to the market
Afew minutes later, he walked up witha lidded ceramic cup and looked at everythingI had onthe counter. “Youtake Emmeherchai I’llringyouup,andyoupaywhenRashiddelivers” “AreyouRashid?”
Onthecontrary,shelookedverymuchlikeshehadthelasttimeIsawher,andthatwasbeautiful I’d woken her with my mouth, watching her face as she came awake. I closed my eyes, only momentarily, pushing the memoryawaybeforemybodyreactedinanembarrassingway “Youlooklovely,”Imurmured
Seconds later, there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, I had an inkling of why she was concerned about her appearance.
Not that I usually took notice of other men, but it was impossible to ignore his attractiveness He was like a walking sculpture his facial features andbodylookedas thoughthey’dbeenchiseledfromstone.His hair was longontopandfell forward,andwhenhebrusheditawayandlookedatme,Icouldseegoldflecksinhishazel eyes IfeltEmerson’spresence behindme.
Whenhereleasedherandwalkedtowardme,Iwantedtorusharoundhimandreclaimherasmyown Instead,Ipulledmy billfold frommytrouser pocket and handed himtwentydollars more thanthe tab came to. “I’ll bringthemin,” I said as I followed himto the door, standingonthe threshold so he couldn’tstep backinside “Thankyou,” Imanaged to gruntathim beforeclosingthedoorinhisface.
EMERSON
“The groceries,” IremindedLynxwhenhe steppedawayfromthe door he’djustslammedinmyfriend’s face.Whathad thatbeenaboutanyway?
“Right,” he mumbled,pullingthe door open.Whenhe steppedinside withhis arms full,Iwalkedover toclose the door behindhim.
TommyandIhadgoneoutfordinnerseveraltimes,includingmorethanoncewithRashidandhislong-termboyfriend It wasoneofthethingsIlikedbestaboutmyneighbor.Tommyseemedtobeprejudice-free.NeitherRashid’sethnicbackground norhissexualorientationbotheredhim.
Iwalked over to the sofa and picked up mycell phone, silentlyprayingthere would be some kind ofresponse frommy parents.WhenIsawtherewasatextmessage,Ididn’tfeelashappyasIthoughtIwould.Iftheywereresponding,thatmeant mytimewithLynxwouldbecomingtoanend Itappedthescreenandcouldn’tcontainmygrinwhenIreadthemessagefrom mymother.
No, but thanks. I’ll figure something else out. Enjoy your time at the beach. Let me know if you change your mind
Iadoredmyparents.Thethreeofushadalwaysbeenclose,especiallyafterwelostmybrother. “Everythingokay?” Lynxaskedrightbefore he tooka bite outofanapple.I’dtoldhimIwasn’thungry,butitlookedso good.Icouldn’ttakemyeyesoffhisfulllipsasheslowlychewed.Maybeitwasn’ttheapplethatlookedgoodenoughtoeatas muchasitwashim.
He’d removed the long-sleeve dress shirthe wore to our meeting Underneath, he had ona white v-neckthathugged his body,butnotsotightthatitlookedlikehewastryingtoshowoffhismuscles.Althoughhehadeveryrightto.Whenhebrought theappletohismouth,flexinghisbiceps,Iwantedtostalkacrossthefloorandrunmyhandsoverthem Ievenlickedmylips
He smiledandreturnedtothe kitchen,givingme another opportunitytoogle his ass IdoubtedI’dever seena manwho lookedasgoodintrousersashedid.ExceptformaybeRashid,butI’dneverlookedathiminthesamewayIwaslookingat Lynx
“Here.” Whenhe handed me the apple, his fingers brushed mine. Was itjustme thatfelta rushoflongingwhenever he touchedme?WasthechemistryIfeltbetweenusreallyone-sided?Hadhenotnoticedhow flushedmyfacebecamewhenhe spoketome?OrhowIsqueezedmythighstogetherwhenhisskintouchedmine?WasIreallythatforgettable? Forgettable. “Oh! Iforgotto mentionthatIheard frommyparents” Was italso myimagination, or did the smile justleave his face? “They’reattheirhousedowntheCapethisweek.I’dforgottenthattoo.”
Heneverseemedtomindmycalling.ItmayhavebeenbecauseoftheenvelopeoftipmoneyIgavehimeveryholiday.And in every holiday, I included things like National Pizza Day. That’s how often Mr. Bridges had not only let me into my apartment,butofferedtogivemeyetanothersetofsparekeys.
Fortunately,MIT’s securityonlyrequiredmyhandprint,alongwithfacial recognition IfI’dbeenresponsible for keys to mybuilding,orevenmyoffice,Iprobablywould’velostmysecurityclearanceinthefirstmonth.
Thelayoutofourapartmentswasidentical,buttheycouldn’thavelookedmoredifferent.Hiswasmodernandsleek.He’d leftthe concrete floors mostlybare while I’d covered everyinchIcould withthick, plushthrow rugs. His furniture was all graysandtanswithmetalandglasstablesandchairs Minewascoveredinprintsandbrightcolors,andmytablesandchairs wereantique-lookingwood.
IlikedhavingthethingsIlovedoutwhereIcouldseethem.AndsinceI sometimes ranlate,itwasn’timportanttomethat everysinglecoffeecupendupinthedishwasher.Mostmornings,IjustrinsedouttheoneI’dusedthedaybefore something thatwouldmakemymotherabsolutelyinsane Butmymotherdidn’tlivehere Idid
Myguess was, like withmostthings, Itookafter mydad whenitcame to myabilityto live happilyamongstclutter. He probablydidn’thaveanychoicebuttobeneatandtidy,sinceunlikeme,hedidlivewithher “Whathappened?”Mr.Bridgesasked,perhapsnoticingthebandagethatcoveredthestaplesinmyhead.
“A little mishap.” That was becoming my new favorite word. Mishap It said everything without needing further explanation.“Thankyouagain,”IsaidwhenIsawthepaperworkhewasfillingoutonmykitchencounter.
My mother was a fabulous cook, something that didn’t get passed down to me. The last five times I’d tried to make something,IforgotthatIhadapotonthestoveorsomethingintheoven PoorMr Bridgeshadbeenforcedtocomeupwhen mysmokedetectorsrefusedtostopblaring.
“Brilliant. Nora will be so pleased to see youagain. Youwill notbelieve how bigthe twins have gotten, and Brianis almostastallashismother.”
ThelastIsawmycousinandhisfamilywasatStephenandNora’swedding.They’dwaitedtomarryuntilaftertheirtwin girls were old enough to travel Admittedly, I’d never dreamed Stephen would marry, let alone become a father, but I rememberedmarvelingatthechangesIwitnessedinhim.OnlythosewhoknewhimwellhadanyideathatheandNora’sson, Brian,weren’tbiologicallyrelated ThetwowerecloserthananyfatherandsonI’deverknown “Soundswonderful.ShouldImakeareservationsomewhere?”
WhenIcameoutofthebedroom,Emersonwasnowheretobefound.Ilookeddownthehall;thelavatorydoorwasopen,so shewasn’tinthere Iwentinthatdirectionanywaytocheckthebackbedroom,whichIknewwasanofficeSaintkeptlocked I triedturningthehandle;itwaslockedastightasithadbeenearlier.
Ifshe wasn’tineither ofthe bedrooms or the bathroom, she would’ve had to be inthe mainpartofthe house, and she wasn’t Asickfeelingsettledinthepitofmystomach
Shoving my mobile into my pocket, I stalked out the door of the apartment in search of her. As I did, I saw an older gentlemancomingoutofherfrontdoor
“To answer your firstquestion, I’mthe super ofthe building,” he said withanindulgentsmile. “As such, Iamsure you understandthatIamnotatlibertytosaywhetherIletMissEmmeintoherapartmentornot.”
The lift dinged and he stepped inside, leaving me feeling as though Baxter Bridges knew a hell of a lot more about everythingthathappenedinthisbuildingthanhe’deverleton.
Istalkedthe restofthe waytoEmerson’s apartment,annoyedthatshe’dleftwithouttellingme Iknockedonthe door pounded,really preparedtobustitdownifshedidn’tanswerbeforemycounttofive.
Without invitation, I swept past her and into a living space that was set up identically to Saint’s, but looked entirely different Whereas the other apartment was sparsely furnished, sterile almost, Emerson’s was cluttered, which I usually abhorredasmuchassmall talk.Butinthiscase,thespacefelthomeyandwarm.Aplaceyoucouldsinkintoandgetlostin. Justlikeher
Hereyesscrunchedwithconfusion “Itwasonlyafewminutes ” Ishookmyheadandpressedmylipstoherear,lovingtheshudderthatshotthroughherbody.Shewasjustasresponsiveto metodayasshehadbeenthreeyearsago,andmycocklovedit “It’sbeenfarlongerthanthat,Emerson”Ibroughtmylipsto hers and parted themwithmytongue. I couldn’t wait patientlyuntil she opened to me; I had to possess her immediately. I broughtmyotherhandtoherfaceandheldherthere,remindingmyselfnottopushtoohardwhenwhatIreallywantedtodo wasdevourher.
She tooka step backand folded her arms “Idon’tknow whatyoudo Infact, until today, Ididn’tevenknow your last name.”
“Nor I, yours.” Itookthe same step forward thatshe’d takenbackand unfolded her arms, puttingone hand and thenher otheronmyshoulders “Iwokeupandyouweregone”Ileanedforwardandkissedthetipofhernose “Mydisappointment wasprofound.”
I’dkissedother womeninthelastthreeyears,butneveranyonelikeher.Irememberedmorethanherscent.Thelookon her face when our bodies first came together, the wonder of her, stretched out naked before me…I remembered it all, especiallyhow her lipsfeltwhentheytouchedmine For threeyears,I’dlookedfor another kissthatfeltlikehers,anduntil today,IthoughtI’dneverfindone.
Ilookedaway,ashamed,butatthesametime,Iwouldkissheragain more ifshe’dletme.“Idon’tregretkissingyou, Emerson.ButifyouandNivenareinarelationship.I’llrespectthat.” “Relationship?”
Whenhe’dofferedtoleavemeonmyowntoshowerandchange,Ihadaflashbacktoouronenighttogether,andhow at midnight,we’dsharedacandlelitbathinhisroom’sclaw-foottub.
Thedoor opened,andtheharshlightofdayshookmeoutofmylustful stupor.Lynxmotionedfor metogoaheadofhim, and every so often, I could feel his fingers brush against the curve of my spine He’d done the same thing that night I shuddered.
AcarsimilartotheonethathadtakenustoMITthismorningandthendrivenusbacklater,satatthecurbinfrontofthe building Thankfully,though,SpeedRacerwasnowheretobefound
He held my door open, leaning in close enough that he could’ve kissed the side of my neck, but he didn’t. My disappointmentwaspalpable
“AwomanthatI’verecentlyreconnectedwith OneI’mveryanxioustogettoknowbetter” “Lynx?”Isaid,lookingdownatourhands.“WhendoyouthinkTommy Saint willbeback?” ThelookonhisfacemademewishIhadn’tasked “Idon’tknow.” :
Dinner withStephenand his wife was delightful. While initiallyI felt like animposition, Nora put me to workalmost immediately,perhapssensingI’dbemorecomfortableifIwasdoingratherthanwatching “Ihavetowarnyou,I’mabitofaklutz.”Ipointedtomyhead.
IchokedonmywinewhenIlaughed,whichwasbetterthanspittingitout,whichwaswhatIalmostdid.“You’rekidding.” “Theysurprised us, Stephenreally I don’t thinktheyexpected he’d invite themto dinner here Let me tell you, it was disastrous.Ontopofeverythingelse,Stephenhadplannedtoproposetomethatnight,andIwaspregnantwiththetwins.”
“Wow”Ihadnothingelse Icouldn’tevenimaginewhatthatnightmust’vebeenlike “It all worked out in the end,” she said, looking into the other roomwhere her husband sat on the floor, chatting and laughingwithLynxwhileheandBrianplayedwiththetwogirls
“Yourchildrenarelovely.”
Hercheekspinkened,andshesmiled.“Thankyou.EleanorissomuchlikeStephen.Elizabethismorelikeme,andBrian hasabsolutelytakentobeingabigbrother Ipityanyboywhotriestodateeitherofthegirlsoncethey’reoldenough Between theirfatherandtheirbrother,theirdateswillnotstandachance.”Shesmiledagainandshookherhead.“I’dbeststoptalking. Thischickenisn’tgoingtocookitself”
IthoughtaboutTommyagain.HewasmyfriendandImissedhim.Hewasoutoftownsooften,thatwhenhewashome,I didn’tfeelguiltyaboutleavingtheofficeearlierthanInormallywouldwhenheinvitedmetojoinhimfordinner Ihadn’tevenbeguntoprocessthatheworkedforMI6.Whyhadn’theleton?HeknewwhatIdidforaliving atleastin theory But had he reallykept it a secret? Hadn’t he givenme enoughclues that if I had beenpayingattention, I should’ve pickeduponit?
Iclosed myeyes remembering Maybe he’d beenrightnotto tryto find me One perfectnight That’s whatwe’d had Insteadofwonderingwhatmighthavebeen,Ishouldsimplybethankfulithadhappenedatall.
Thesleevelessdresshuggedherslightframe,andwhileitdidn’tdipfarenoughtoshow muchcleavage,theswell ofher breasts made me wantto leanover and lickthem. Thatitfell midwaydownher legs, had me imaginingwhatshe mightbe wearingunderit Laceknickers?Athongperhaps?Ormaybenothingatall
Hereyeswerehooded Hadshebeenabletoreadmythoughts?DidshewantmyhandsonherasmuchasIwantedtorun themover everyinchofher bare skin? Thrustmyfingers into her pussywhile Idemanded she pinchher nipples for me? I groanedandadjustedmytrousersasshewatched
