Deadly Testimony (Safeguard #2)(60)

“Controlling perception is fairly challenging. I’ve found the game to be an interesting mental exercise over the years.” His voice projected well even from the bathroom and she made a mental note not to let him talk her into having sex in there.

If they had sex again.

And damn it, the man had her thinking about bedding him when he wasn’t even trying.

“In my line of work, I’m mostly trying to stay out of sight.” As a sniper, she’d been in many situations where both her mission and her own life depended on remaining undetected.

“Perception is still applicable to the situation, arguably.” He came out of the bathroom combing his fingers through the sides of his hair. The gray streaks were heavy, beginning to look more natural as he blended them into his hair. “I guessed you wanted me to apply generously in this case.”

She noted and crossed the distance between them to help him blend just a bit more. The chalk changed the texture of his hair a little too. The strands were a touch more coarse. “Good news is, now you have an idea of how you’ll look in a few decades when you actually go gray.”

He left off finger-combing his hair, surrendering to her ministrations, and placed his hands on her hips instead. “I’m rather curious as to whether you’ll still find me desirable around then.”

She laughed. No answer for him though. She’d never thought ahead more than a few weeks, much less decades. Plus, he was fishing. She wasn’t entirely certain what he was hoping to hear in response but she didn’t want to make an ass out of herself if she was misunderstanding.

Instead she straightened his collar and didn’t quite meet his gaze. “Let’s get through tonight, then survive tomorrow. One day at a time.”

“Lizzy.” His voice had dropped from his playful conversational tone to a deeper, rougher sound. “Too many uncertainties are between now and tomorrow. I want you to know these last few days have had an impact on me.”

Her too. But just saying so would sound flippant, at least to her. Of course, her mind was going into overdrive so she was imagining all sorts of directions this conversation was going.

Give her a target and a rifle. Make life simple. Then she only ever had to have the right timing to hit her mark.

“Whatever happens, I would like to be able to find you again,” Kyle continued. “I would like to continue to explore this thing between us.”

She bit her lip and finally met his gaze. “I’d like that too.”

Kyle’s dark brown eyes were serious. Sincere. “Will I be able to find you?”

She owed him absolute honesty. And she didn’t have a good enough answer for him, not right now. “I don’t know.”

There were decisions outstanding. And to make those, she needed to think ahead more than a few weeks.

After a long moment, Kyle put his hands on her hips and turned her so she was looking into the full-length mirror again. “After tonight, it will be different. You change your hair, your accessories, your appearance at a moment’s notice and it is easier than a children’s game for you. I will not catch up to you if you don’t want me to.”

She studied the two of them in the reflection. They looked good together, she thought.

He used one hand to brush her hair off her shoulder, exposing the nape of her neck. Leaning in, he breathed deeply against her skin, his hot breath sending delicious shivers through her as he exhaled. “We have now.”

“We have like fifteen minutes before we need to get going.”

He chuckled, the sound coming from deep in his chest. “We can be quick and still make a lot of things happen. We’ll make the most of now.”

And he kissed her neck as he set his hands on her hips to hold her steady. He pressed his own hips into her ass, making her very aware of his hard erection. She let her lips part, and didn’t argue.

His gaze lifted and met hers in the reflection. “Watch us.”





Chapter Twenty

Kyle ran his hands up her sides then, lifting her arms and encouraging her to place her hands on the wall to either side of the mirror. As she complied, he kissed the smooth skin of her shoulder and the soft curve of her neck. Something about the spot where her neck met her shoulders was his favorite. He wanted to breathe in the scent of her there and kiss, even bite ever so gently.

Then he ran his hands back down her arms and over her back, around her torso and up her belly to cup her breasts. The tempting weight of her breasts filled his palms and he squeezed briefly. She rewarded him with a soft gasp, letting her eyes shutter closed.

Oh yeah, this mirror was going to be very useful.

He pressed his hips into her ass, rolling them to be sure she felt the hard ridge of his cock. “Eyes open, Isabelle. You don’t want to miss this.”

Long lashes lifted to reveal those liquid dark eyes, and the desire he saw there made him want to be inside her right away. He pressed himself against her again and struggled for patience.

He had a few other things he wanted to do first.

Releasing her, he stepped back just enough to reach under her skirt and hook the sides of her panties with his thumbs. He knelt then, drawing her panties downward and caressed her legs all the way to her ankles. When he reached the floor, she stepped out of the delicate underwear without prompting. Balling up the tiny bit of silk, he tucked it into his pocket so they didn’t lose track of it.