A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1)(60)

He should have known better. At this point, it would be impossible to be professional with her when all he could do was stare at her and think about how much he wanted her full breasts in his hands and nestle himself between her legs.

Garrett and Parker were seated at the table and a server was instantly by their side, informing them that they could order whatever they liked. Parker asked for a bowl of fresh fruit and yogurt, and Garrett went with a cheese omelet with toast and bacon. The food at the resort had been good, but it had been the Dominican’s version of American food. Nothing tasted exactly like it should have, and they were pleasantly surprised to find that the meals prepared at the palace were exactly like the ones they would have eaten at home.

They talked about photos Parker wanted to take during their stay, figuring it was a safe line of conversation. Parker remained in character as the dutiful wife and asked the server if someone could press one of her husband's shirts while she reached over and placed her hand on top of Garrett's.

Garrett had finally reached his fill of the saccharine wife act, so he wrapped his hand around the back of Parker’s neck and quickly pulled her to him, silencing her with his lips.

Parker didn’t protest, knowing there were servers currently watching them in two corners of the room, but Garrett’s action still surprised her. She was pissed at the way he’d so easily turned his emotions off this morning even though she knew it was necessary. She was pissed at herself for disregarding every single rule of being an agent and allowing her personal feelings to influence her actions.

Garrett instinctively knew she needed something to bring her back down to earth, and his kiss was the perfect remedy. He brushed his lips back and forth over hers before angling his head and fitting their lips together. Their tongues immediately met in the middle and Parker sighed into his mouth and returned his kisses, telling him with her lips that she was okay. The kiss ended before either of them wanted it to, but they knew a server was waiting to remove their plates from the table.

As their plates were cleared away, the man who walked them to their suite last night made an appearance. He informed them that President Fernandez had wanted to join them for breakfast but had been called away to a meeting. He left word that Parker and Garrett should enjoy the use of the pool today, and he would meet them for dinner. When Garrett noted that they hadn't brought any bathing suits, they were told that several pairs of new trunks could be found in the pool house and a large selection of bathing suits had been placed in their suite while they ate.

Having no reason to decline, they thanked the man and he left them to finish their coffee.

Parker and Garrett shared a look that clearly showed neither one of them liked the idea of someone being up in their room while they were out. Garrett knew they wouldn't find anything. The satellite phone and bug detector were safely secured in his pocket, and those were the only two questionable items they brought with them. He didn't like the idea that they might be adding something to the room, rather than looking for something though. He wondered if listening in last night hadn't been enough for them. Maybe they hoped to get a bird's eye view this time. Garrett realized that spending a day out by the pool might be the best option.

When they got up from the table, Garrett gave Parker a kiss on the cheek and warned her as quietly as possible not to change out in the open in the room. Parker gave him a smile and a barely noticeable nod of confirmation as she was led back to the suite by one man and Garrett was taken out to the pool by another.



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Garrett had chosen a pair of blue board-short style trunks with white trim and dove into the deep end of the pool as soon as he got changed. The Dominican air was full of cloying, wet humidity, and the eighty-seven degrees easily felt like one hundred and seven.

He leaned his back against the wall of the pool with his elbows resting on the edge and the cool water covering him up to his waist. His head was tipped back and his eyes were closed as he soaked up the Caribbean sun.

Parker thanked the guard that escorted her out to the pool and tried not to let her jaw drop as she looked around. This wasn't a pool. It was a resort dropped into the palace's backyard. There were palm trees and tiki huts and outdoor couches draped in bright colored linens and pillows. She couldn't tell how big the pool was due to the twists and turns it made and the handful of stone sculpted waterfalls and bridges that decorated the oasis.

None of that compared to the beautiful man in the pool lounging against the wall with his sculpted torso covered in beads of water, his wet hair slicked back, and the straining muscles of his arms holding the upper half of his body out of the water.

Parker sauntered over to one of the many yellow and white beach chairs located around the edge of the pool and tossed her towel down onto it.

Garrett sensed rather than heard her presence and tilted his head up to find Parker looking down at her hands as she untied the belt of her white bathing suit cover-up.

Once untied, she let it fall to the side and Garrett caught a glimpse of what she was wearing underneath. He was grateful for the cover of water as Parker stared directly at him while she slid her fingers up the collar of both sides of the material, lifted it off of her shoulders, and then let it fall down her back, pooling at her feet.

Parker watched Garrett's Adam’s apple bob as he watched her disrobe. She stopped second-guessing her bathing suit choice at that moment.

True to the server's word, upon entering the suite, Parker had found a rack next to the windows of the living room filled with at least thirty different styles and colors of bathing suits on hangers, all in her size and all with the tags still on them.