Page 33 of Fox in Plain Sight

“If he’s looking for me, most likely.”

Curiosity got the better of her, even though she’d told herself and Nick only moments earlier that she didn’t want to know what he was involved in. “What did you do?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

But she couldn’t let it go. “Smith is government, I know that much, though I’m not sure what agency. Probably CIA. That means you did something the government didn’t like. Espionage? Treason?”

Nick chuckled unexpectedly. “Those are mighty words for an anarchist like yourself.”

“I’m not an anarchist. I believe in democracy. All I ever did was expose corruption and wrongdoing in the government.”

“By hacking into classified information together with your friends at Anonymous, I suppose?”

“Look who’s calling the kettle black. Besides, Anonymous is doing good things, too. They’ve pledged to shut down Al-Qaeda’s online presence.”

A smile formed on Nick’s lips. “I’m not defending the government, Michelle, so you can stop your tirade. We’re on the same side, or at least I hope I’m able to convince you to come to my side. You need me.”

She contemplated his words, falling silent for a good long moment. Could he really deliver what he was promising? A new start, somewhere nobody could find her? Where she was safe from Smith and whatever government agency he worked for?

“You know you want to say yes. Let me make the decision easier for you.”

She raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was planning, when his hand came up to caress her cheek.

“I won’t hurt you, Michelle. I’ll protect you. Trust me.”

“Trust isn’t a thing you can force.”

“But it’s something that can grow. You trusted me with your body, now trust me with your heart and your mind.”

Slowly his lips approached her mouth. His breath whispered over her skin, tempting her to surrender, to give herself over to this man, this stranger who’d taken her body to unknown heights. At the same time, he’d lied to her. How could she trust him now?

“Nick, please…” She didn’t know what she wanted to tell or ask him, didn’t know why her fingers suddenly clawed into his shirt, holding him close.

“Baby, just let me help you. Let me keep you safe.”

His lips brushed against hers so gently that she wasn’t even sure he was touching her. Only when the pressure against her mouth intensified and a hot tongue swept over her trembling lips, did her resistance crumble.

“I’m not your enemy,” he murmured against her lips and dipped his tongue between them.

The clicking of a gun paralyzed her and made Nick spin around in her arms.

“Wow, you sure are a smooth operator,” a male voice drawled. “Guess even I can learn something from you.”