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“Then you need this even more than I do.” She pushed her glasses back into place as the driver turned off the highway and headed down a dirt road into the open desert. To the untrained eye, it looked like they were veering into nowhere, sand dunes stretching as far as she could see in both directions. But she knew what lurked just behind those wind-swept hills—her own private paradise. They rounded the base of a massive dune, and her breath caught, just like it had the first time she’d seen this place.
Spencer sat forward and removed his aviator shades, openly gawking. “Wow!”
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” She grinned at his obvious amazement. “The locals call itAlshati Hadi—Tranquil Shore.” They pulled up next to a brilliant blue pond surrounded by palm trees and blooming tropical plants, and she took a deep breath. “I call it heaven.”
The driver opened her door, and she got out, relishing the gentle breeze that was blowing down off the dunes. The afternoon, uncomfortably hot in town, was more temperate here. Spencer followed, his hand lingering on her lower back as he took in the scenery. “Yeah, heaven seems like a pretty apt name for this place.”
She told the driver to wait on the other side of the enormous dune and return for them in an hour, retrieved the tote of supplies she’d asked him to pack for them, then waited until the limo had disappeared back around the dune before unwinding the scarf from her head and taking Spencer’s hand. “Follow me.”
7
Lounging beside the brilliant turquoise pond, Spencer could almost forget he was on a mission in the middle of the desert, thousands of miles from home. Because of the oasis’s location behind the towering dune, it was protected from the worst of the blazing sunshine, and a light breeze rippled the lush green foliage around him, stirring the scent of lilies and jasmine through the air.
Toni had been right. It was a little private paradise.
Speaking of Toni, she was currently stretched out on her towel beside him, looking so gorgeous, it hurt. This girl had curves in all the right places.
At her urging, he’d stripped down to his tighty-whitey boxer briefs, the rest of his clothes folded neatly into a stack beside him.
“So,” she said, turning her head to look at him, “you’re like some kind of undercover badass, huh?”
“I’m a badass, period.”
She snorted. “Humble too,” she teased. “What were you like as a kid?”
Normally, he didn’t talk about himself. Sharing personal details with people outside his team seemed too risky. And anyway, who did he spend time with other than his team? Women came and went from his life, but he never got close enough to them to truly open up. Somehow, it felt different with Toni. He justified it by thinking that since she’d divulged a bit about herself, it made sense for him to return the favor. “I got in trouble for fighting once.”
“Just once?” She raised a brow and grinned. “Go on.”
“I was nine. Caught a couple of kids in my class stealing stuff from the room’s supply closet. Pencils, toys, junk like that. Anyway, I roughed them up a bit, then kept them there until the teacher came back. The principal, though, she didn’t even punish them. Only gave them a scolding. Nothing else. No detention. Not even a note on their records. Nothing.” To this day, it still pissed him off. Actions were supposed to have consequences. He shook his head and looked away, staring across the pond. “I was pretty bummed, so I went home and told my granddad what had happened. He told me something I’ll never forget. He said that sometimes, you have to find your own justice.” Spencer wrinkled his nose. “Of course, being a kid, I wanted my granddad to be proud of me, so the next day, after classes, I cornered those same guys out in back of the school building and handed out my own punishment. Beat the snot out of both of them. Justice served. They never stole anything again, as far as I know.”
Toni pushed up onto her elbows, frowning. “Wow. Did you get in trouble?”
“Oh, yeah.” He sniffed. “The principal caught me in the act. Got suspended for a month and had to deliver papers for a year to pay for their doctor bills, but it was worth it. I taught them a lesson and gained my granddad’s approval.”
“Huh. Men.” She sat up and brushed the sand off her hands. “You think getting physical is the only way to settle disputes. How about talking out your issues? It would have saved all of you a lot of time and trouble.” Grumbling, Toni pushed to her feet and removed her sunglasses, tossing them on top of her scarf. “I’m going for a swim.”
She dove neatly into the water, and he admired the shape of her body as it disappeared below the surface of the pond. She really was beautiful, with her dark hair streaming over her smooth, tanned back, the round cheeks of her ass just begging for his touch. Then, of course, was her intelligence, her way of finding the positive in every situation, her resourcefulness, her quick wit. Yep. Toni Williams was the whole package. Exactly the kind of woman he could see himself falling head over heels for, if the circumstances were different.
But the circumstancesweren’tdifferent. This was the worst possible time for him to try to start a relationship, and a romance with the woman he was trying to keep safe was a recipe for distraction and possible disaster. This definitely shouldn’t happen. He knew that, beyond a doubt.
Didn’t stop his libido from reacting, though. He shifted to hide the growing bulge in his drawers. The last thing he needed was her knowing just how much he wanted her physically. They had enough going on between them without sex complicating matters further.
“Have a swim,” she called from the middle of the pond, her hair wet and slicked back now. “Spencer, come on. There’s no one around for miles. Have some fun for a change.”
Was it his imagination, or was there something more than “Swim with me” in her eyes? Scowling, he looked away. He should get up and get dressed. Survey the area to make sure they were safe. Get the hell back to their rendezvous point with the limo and wait there until this temptation passed. Kyle would already have his nuts on a platter for sharing intel about their mission. If the man found out Spencer had fallen into bed—or, well, intopond—with the target too…
He raked a hand through his hair. Had the temperature in this little paradise gone up considerably in the past few minutes? Sweat trickled down his back, and he rubbed his eyes, doing his best not to notice how the material of Toni’s neon yellow swimsuit had gone a bit see-through in the water, outlining her taut, pert nipples and the darker areolas. His cock hardened even further, and his resistance faltered.
Kyle didn’t have to know, not about this. And it wasn’t like he could call the guy. Cell reception out here was nonexistent. Besides, his sex life wasn’t anyone’s business. He was a grown man, for Pete’s sake.
He could have some fun with Toni without losing himself in the process. Release some steam, work off some tension and stress. If he was reading her right, it would be quick and hot and dirty, and then once he’d gotten it out of his system, he could get back on track where this mission was concerned. Hells yeah. When he looked at it like that, it sounded like a good idea. A brilliant plan.
Toni waded closer to the shore, where the water was shallow. Moisture ran down her body in rivulets, like something out of a dream. She looked luscious and ripe and so ready for the taking. His gaze flicked to the juncture of her thighs, the thin material covering the treasure between her legs, and he damned near embarrassed himself on the spot.
Jesus.She made him feel like an awkward virgin, despite his years of experience with sex. With every one of his many past lovers, he’d been able to maintain a certain amount of distance—enough to keep his cool, no matter what. With Toni, his cool was completely MIA. She got to him like no one else.
“Spencer? Please?” she said, and now he was sure he heard a touch of yearning in her tone. Her eyes were soft with need, anddamn… Her plea was his undoing. He stood and walked out into the pond like a man in a daze, his entire attention focused on her alone. She’d become all he wanted, all he needed, the only thing that would keep him going.
