Exposed. Samantha Keith

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ forehead crinkled. “What was I supposed to do? Screw him to keep him quiet?”

      Irritation flared through him. “Of course not, dammit.”

      “Then why are you insinuating I did something wrong by protecting myself?”

      His patience waned. He dragged his fingers through his hair. “That’s not what I said.”

      “What did you say?”

      He snorted. “I don’t need to explain myself. You’re itching for a fight.” He waved his hand in the air, sidled past her and headed toward the door.

      “You’re the one who can’t even look at me without running away.”

      His footsteps faltered. Had it not been for the shake in her voice, he would have kept walking. Christ, did she think he couldn’t stand the sight of her? Had he given her that impression? He turned on his heel, and opened and closed his hands at his sides. Her fists balanced on her hips, her hair scattered around her shoulders. She scowled, making her lips pucker. That damn, full bottom lip of hers made his pulse quicken. He closed the distance between them, and stopped in front of her. Desire surged through him with the force of an electrical current. His hand swooped into her wet strands and cupped the back of her head. Her eyes widened and her fingers curled into his shirt. He sealed his mouth over hers and licked his tongue between her teeth.

      Her body melted against him and her head fell back to allow him deeper access. Her warm wetness filled his mouth, and his pulse beat against his eardrums. The slick caress of her tongue over his brought a deep, guttural groan from his throat.

      Her waist inched closer to his dick, hard and straining against the confinement of denim. She squirmed in his arms and he pulled away from her. The fiery blue in her eyes searched his. Her lips were pink and swollen from his kiss and a deep stain darkened her cheeks.

      “You should go,” she said softly. Her breath came out in shallow gasps. Her hands fell away from his shirt and she backed away. “Goodnight, Nate.” Her hand rose to tangle in the hair at her temple as she scurried down the hall and shut the bedroom door.

      Pain exploded in his chest.

      Jesus Christ. He couldn’t trust himself around her. Not anymore.

      * * * *

      “Holy shit, that thing is massive.” Dylan leaned closer to the town car’s window, his neck craned back as they approached the soaring ship. Nate pulled his phone from his linen pants and checked the screen. Still no word from Maddie. She should have arrived an hour ago.

      “Aren’t you afraid of boats?” Ashley smiled and her brown eyes sparked mischievously. She wore her curly dark hair secured in a bun at the top of her head.

      He turned his attention to her and reined in his annoyance. “No, I’m not afraid of boats. It’s being hundreds of miles from shore in the middle of the damn ocean that I don’t like.”

      Dylan crossed his arms and chuckled. His green eyes crinkled with amusement.

      Nate narrowed his gaze at him. He wasn’t in the mood to be hassled by his team. But Ashley and Dylan were two of the best agents he had. With their help, he’d been able to secure one of the penthouse suites–which alone had been an enormous hurdle. But with the order from the FBI and a high priority investigation, they’d managed. He and Ashley would stay in the penthouse across from Maddie and Carlos. Dylan had a deluxe room on the floor directly below them.

      “Something funny?”

      Dylan’s lips dipped and he shook his head. “Not at all. Just don’t go swimming and you’ll be all right, boss.”

      “Ha ha, very funny. Keep it up and you’ll be the one swimming.”

      Ashley whistled and turned her head to look out the window.

      The driver pulled up to the arrival area and Nate stepped out of the car. He craned his neck back and took in the enormous vessel. Nausea bubbled in his stomach. Goddamn it to hell.

      To be stranded in the middle of the ocean with Maddie was the last thing he wanted. He needed distance from her. The only good thing was that they had to be cautious of Carlos. They couldn’t take any chances. Something as little as too much eye contact could put them in the crossfire.

      Nate’s mouth twisted at the long line to board the ship and he accepted their bags from the driver. This would take all fucking day. Ashley linked her arm in his.

      “We’re VIP, darling. Over to this line.” She tugged him through the crowd, and a small freestanding sign read: VIP boarding.

      Thank god.

      Dylan’s bag dropped to the ground and his mouth hung open. “Are you kidding me?”

      Nate chuckled and saluted him as they stepped in their much shorter line. They were on the ship and checked-in twenty minutes later. Nate took in the opulent crystal chandeliers and Persian rugs as Ashley led the way to the elevator banks.

      “This is gorgeous,” she breathed.

      Nate squeezed her arm in the crook of his. They had to act the part of a happy couple at all times. Which was pretty damn difficult of a task for two agents. “Shhh. You’re not supposed to be impressed. No one else here is.”

      Ashley grunted and they stepped into the elevator. His nerve endings hummed through his body. What was taking Maddie so long? She should have been here a long time ago. The ship would be leaving in an hour. There was no way in hell he could deport without hearing from her. When they got to the room, he’d contact their other agent on the ship that had been placed with the concierge. He’d be able to see if she had checked in.

      His phone buzzed against his thigh. Anticipation shot through him as he dug his hand in his pocket and pulled it out.

      I’m here.

      She was safe. Relief washed over him and the vise that had been squeezing his chest loosened. He turned the screen to show Ashley, and punched the eighth floor button.

      The elevator dinged and the doors started to close.

      “Hold the elevator,” a voice called, as a long, olive-skinned arm slipped between the crack. The doors bounced open, just as Nate pressed the button.

      “Sorry about that, I didn’t see you.”

      Two men brushed through the door. The smaller of the two pulled his sunglasses off and Nate curled his hands into fists.

      “No problem. There’s a wave of people coming behind me, so we’d better hurry up.” Carlos loosened the tie at his throat and cuffed up the sleeves on his suit jacket. Ashley’s fingers dug into Nate’s forearm in warning—as if he didn’t know who he was.

      Nate released the open button and the doors glided shut. He cleared his throat. “Floor?”

      “Eighth.” Carlos leaned back against the elevator wall and smiled at them. His gaze lingered on Ashley. Disgust roiled through Nate. The breadth of his bodyguard’s shoulders spanned the width of the elevator. The cart lifted off the ground and after a few floors, the elevator shaft turned СКАЧАТЬ