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She didn’t want to talk about what happened because she saw the truth about him. He wasn’t hero material. He wasn’t the suave spy of her fantasies. He wasn’t even a gentleman. That side of him no one—not even his parents—could love.
He had tried, but he couldn’t hide his primitive nature. He didn’t belong in Julie’s world. She would never invite him into her bed or her home. He was meant to guard her ivory tower, not climb the wall and bed the princess.
Lloyd, with his porcupine hair and social awkwardness, was more of a prince than he’d ever be. Eric set his water glass down carefully. The guy didn’t grab or tackle. He knew how to treat Julie right. Lloyd treated her as if she was a fantasy, a dream that could disappear if he moved too quickly.
Eric almost missed the tilt of Julie’s head. His chest tightened. She was asking him if he wanted to go to her place. They had already come up with possible scenarios to extract her from actually having to go anywhere with a man. He knew this was important for their assignment, but his gut still twisted as he watched Julie invite another man to her home.
He watched Julie’s face. He knew he should study the target’s expression. Did her face soften like it had for him? Did her eyes sparkle? Would her expression be any different with another man?
His muscles locked and he was ready to pounce. The nightclub faded around him. The music drifted into a low buzz as he saw something like pain flicker in Julie’s eyes.
Eric clenched his water glass. He didn’t know what Lloyd said to Julie, but he would rip the giant geek apart. Eric saw Julie’s smile tighten as she dipped her head in disappointment.
Lloyd glanced at his watch before he jumped off his bar stool. He gave an awkward wave before he walked over to his friends. Eric’s gaze narrowed with confusion as he watched Lloyd slap his hand on his friend’s back and say something before he headed for the exit.
Eric jerked his attention back to Julie. Her spine was straight and she looked away from where Lloyd’s friends stood. She looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Like all she wanted to do was finish her beer and soak up the atmosphere.
Eric knew it was all an act. Julie’s confidence was shaken. Her first decoy assignment and the guy didn’t take the bait.
He should feel relieved, but he felt her disappointment and knew it was tearing her up inside.
* * *
JULIE FELT ERIC’S APPROACH. She drew in a weak breath and blinked away the tears stinging her eyes. Why did she feel like crying? She wasn’t interested in Lloyd. But she had given it her best, used every trick, and she failed.
She really thought she could have been a good decoy. She was willing to do whatever it took to catch her prey, but it didn’t make a difference. Eric had been right; she didn’t have the sex appeal or the street smarts.
She cast a quick glance at the exit and saw Lloyd dashing out the door. Lloyd was an honorable guy. She downed the last of her beer. He wasn’t a cheater and nothing she would have said or done would have changed that. She accepted the fact, but she wished her first decoy assignment would have proven her sex appeal.
Julie discreetly removed the earpiece and clenched it in her hands. She didn’t want to hear Asia make excuses for her, and she didn’t want her coworkers to hear any more. They didn’t need to listen to the laundry list Eric was sure to provide on how she messed up.
When Eric stood at the bar next to her, she decided to go for a preemptive strike. “I should have gone with Glamorous Julie,” she said as she stared at her empty beer bottle.
“No, you made the right call,” Eric said. “Lloyd wouldn’t have made a move if you’d come across as unattainable.”
“I went at it the wrong direction.” She replayed the conversation in her head and cringed. “I started out with something about his phone and he spent most of the time bragging about some project he did at Z-Ray.”
“He was trying to impress you,” he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “That’s a good sign.”
His touch felt good. She was tempted to curl against his chest, but she didn’t want to show how vulnerable she felt. “Most of it was technical jargon. The only things I understood were ‘revolutionary’ and ‘game-changer.’ I still have no idea what he does.”
“It doesn’t matter. We came here to see if he would take the bait and he didn’t. That’s all we need to know.”
Julie propped her chin on her fist. “I used everything in my playbook,” she admitted. “I didn’t even get a nibble.”
