Page 21 of Smuggler's Beauty

to the note before half covering it with another sheet of paper. She turned back to the board.

Aiden was probably right that the mysterious Vinnie was politically motivated. It was an extraordinary risk to break a political prisoner out of a facility for mere ransom. Why take the risk if the reward was as ephemeral as money?

Evelyn sighed. She’d gotten herself all worked up for nothing. Aiden was probably off doing something important and captain-ey. Lining up shipments of turtles to take to Betelgeuse Seven or crates of stolen tequila he could then sell to other, more legitimate party cruisers. She turned to walk back to her room and ran straight into him.

“Hey there, dollface,” Aiden said. His arms wrapped around her in an unexpected hug. She returned the gesture, trying to ignore how nicely sculpted the chest her face was pressed against was. She thought she heard him give her hair a sniff and was glad she’d given herself a spritz. “Having a good day?”

“Better than I expected,” she said into his chest. She reluctantly backed away from him. “Your family is really nice. I didn’t know shopping could be so fun.”

“I still don’t know that, but they seem to like you more than they like me,” he smiled down at her, and her stomach did that aforementioned flip. The corners of his eyes did that charming, crinkly thing that made her insides turn mushy.

“They like you well enough to give me a heads up for a thank you,” Evelyn said. She groped behind her back for the present, unwilling to stop looking at Aiden if she could help it. Her hand made contact with the box, and she scooped it up. “Thanks for kidnapping me.”

His hand tugged at his beard. “That’s really not necessary. I would kidnap you for free.” He cringed. “I mean that in the least creepy way possible.”

Evelyn laughed. “I appreciate the sentiment, and want to thank you all the same. Here.” She shoved the box toward him. “Veronique said they were your favorite.”

Aiden took the box from her, and his fingers brushed against hers, sending a zing up her spine. He unwrapped the elegant bow with slow, deliberate movements that made her wonder just how deliberate they could be. His fingers paused and her gaze flicked up. By the way his lips twitched in a knowing smile, she knew immediately that he had noticed her fixation.

Maybe I should have listened to Veronique and bought a damn vibrator.

She felt the blush creep up her chest again for the second time that day. The bow dealt with, he looped the length of ribbonaround her neck, making the decoration into the slimmest, silkiest scarf.

He lifted the lid off the box to uncover rows of caramels enrobed in dark chocolate sprinkled with fat crystals of sea salt. He picked one up and held it to her lips.

“They are. Taste?”

Evelyn opened her mouth and Aiden placed the chocolate on her tongue. The contrasting flavors battled for supremacy in her mouth; sweet, salty, buttery, bitter, all combining into a symphony. She closed her eyes and moaned a little, the taste too good to be enjoyed in silence.

Aiden was grinning down at her when she opened her eyes. Evelyn swallowed her bite and cleared her throat sheepishly.

“I can see why they’re your favorite,” she said. “I’ve never had better caramel.” She shoved her hands in her pockets, trying to distract herself from the full body tingle she was coming to associate with being the center of Aiden’s focus. “You’ve been busy,” she said, gesturing to the board with her elbow.

The pleasure on his face dimmed slightly as she drew his attention to the board.

“I feel like I’ve been throwing myself against a brick wall for the last several hours. I just took a short break to take a loop around the ship and stretch my legs to see if anything felt a bit clearer.” He smiled and shrugged. “Didn’t help.”

“Eliminating possibilities has to be a bit of a help though, right?” Evelyn asked. “Sherlock Holmes it. Whatever’s left, however weird, has to be the truth. I’m paraphrasing.”

The smile returned to his face. “You’re not wrong. It just doesn’t feel like we’ve eliminated anything that gives us an edge.” He leaned a hip against the desk, examining his notes. “I don’t love that the best path forward we have puts you in danger.”

“Oh, please. Like Nannette would let her honor be impugned by allowing me to come to harm. She’s a one-woman SWAT team. Wait, do they still have those?”

He chuckled, but his face stayed serious. “They do. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Evelyn shrugged. “It’s pretty much another Tuesday for me. If I want to live my life at all, I have to be willing to take the risk that a lunatic will try and take advantage of the little blonde princess. I know how to stay safe in this sort of situation. The only reason I wound up where I did was because I tried to sacrifice myself for my people. I didn’t factor in my father’s weakness or Emil’s strategic skills. I won’t be making that mistake again.” She felt her spine straighten as she spoke, and her resolve strengthened. She wouldn’t let herself be a pawn ever again. They’d find this Vinnie character, and then Evelyn would figure out how to fix the mess she’d made.

“That’s what I like about you, dollface. You’re brave.”

Evelyn blinked. “I don’t know about brave. Pissed off, yes.”

“Nah, you’re brave. It’s hot.” Aiden brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and tipped her chin up. His eyes bored into her, and she felt her lips part involuntarily. “And I want to keep you safe long enough to get some answers and to finish this job, so I can kiss you the way I want to.”

She swallowed, her eyes widening. She wasn’t used to anyone being so direct, and she definitely liked it. “And how is that?”

Please don’t say the way you’d kiss your maiden aunt when you drop her off at bingo.

“Thoroughly.”