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She’d finally gifted me with her sweet (albeit sassy) voice, and the fact my first thought was to spank that ass of hers for the attitude was not good.
“Give us a second,” I told Easton and Griffin, the only two in the room with us.
Griffin checked his watch. “ETA is five minutes.”
Fortunately, shooting him my, I know, I know, look was enough, and he tapped Easton on the shoulder to get a move on and follow orders.
Teddy and the others were already in position waiting for Alyona’s people to drop in from the sky. Once the two of us were alone (aside from Dallas), she went over to the armchair by the unlit fireplace and sat. She looped the headphones around her neck and plugged the cord into the MP3 player.
Dallas curled up by her bare feet and gave me a little yelp, apparently angry at me for some reason.
Yeah, yeah, join the club.
Diana reached down and petted him, and her blouse was loose enough to reveal a hint of the chest plate beneath it.
“Do people still use these?” She tilted the MP3, continuing to stroke Dallas’s head.
“I guess so, or they wouldn’t sell them, right?” I winked. What the fuck was that about? Add it to the ever-growing list of strange shit I did around her.
The fact this woman was peering at me with a sultry expression, though, really did have me wanting to take her over my knee. I didn’t even need a reason why other than she shouldn’t have been turning me on at all, never mind minutes away from go-time.
But she was, damnit. The image of swatting her ass, then smoothing my hand in small, soothing circles over the red mark of my handprint there, before plunging my cock in her pussy had me . . . Fuck. I wouldn’t survive twelve more hours near her at this rate. I needed to get her to Bravo Team as soon as possible.
“To answer your smart-ass comment-slash-question about why I’m giving you that,” I finally cut back to it as she pulled her hand away from Dallas’s head, much to his displeasure, “I can’t have you looking like you’re sitting here waiting for war when they show up.”
She granted me one of her innocent smiles. Yes, keep reminding me you’re sweet so I stay away. Keep my darkness—my immorality and filth—from contaminating you.
“That makes sense, and um, sorry for the smart-assery.”
What could I tell her? That her sass aroused me? That was messed up for too many reasons to process right now.
I fixed my attention on her slender fingers holding the MP3 player as she began to scroll through the songs I’d downloaded on the flight from Hamburg to Riga. She rewarded me with another smile I didn’t deserve, but it was one that met her eyes, making the time I’d taken to download the songs worth every second.
“You and I have the same eclectic taste. I like everything except for the songs I don’t.”
Somehow that made perfect sense to me.
“You did this for me or . . .?” That hopeful, appreciative look in her eyes as she waited for me to answer sent me back a step.
I had to stop these moments that kept happening between us. Put the brakes on it again, the same way I’d done that Easter weekend inside the restaurant a decade ago.
Only, every time I tried to kill the connection between us, I wound up allowing myself one more moment. I told myself it was okay to let myself experience some of her hope, optimism, and sunshine. Let it soak into me so I felt alive.
Just. One. More. Time. I was out of time, though. No more “just one” to be had. This thing between us had to end tonight before she was hurt because of it. Because of me.
What’d you ask me again? Shit, the music, right. “Teddy uploaded the music. I have no idea what’s in there. You must have the same taste as him.” Thankfully, my poker face was far better than hers. Hell, it had to be to keep me alive over the years.
“Oh.” The disappointment that one syllable managed to pack sent me rocking back on the heels of my boots, and biting down on my back teeth to keep from confessing the truth.
I stalked you. Learned we love the same beats. We also hate the same ones, too.
Easton and Griffin returned, saving me from another “just one more time” moment with her. Easton quickly alerted, “Sixty seconds to arrival.”
I tapped my left ear, unmuting my comm so the others could hear me again.
I dug into my pocket and discreetly positioned a second comm in my right ear. An operator always had a backup plan, and then two more.
“Headphones on,” I directed Diana, not missing the sudden stiffness in her shoulders and hands, her nerves probably taking back over. At the feel of my phone vibrating in my pocket, I retrieved it. The name LIONESS was on the screen. “She’s calling.”
