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“He would almost be worth losing control,” Bree murmured.
Harley pulled her gaze away from him. “Almost. I wonder what the heck he’s doing here.”
“I’m attending the conference on behalf of the Russian Federation, of course,” he said, the amusement in his voice as unmistakable as his sexy accent. He placed his right hand on the left side of his chest and glanced down at Harley, transforming his edgy good looks into a more boyish appearance. “Control, eh? I’m touched.”
“Don’t get excited,” Harley said. “Sometimes you’re nothing more than a bad penny.”
“But you still pick it up…for luck.” He held her gaze for a few moments, and it was enough to send a shiver down her spine. He turned to Bree, ever the diplomat. “And who do I have the pleasure of meeting here?”
“Special Agent Bree West. She’s FBI.”
“Ah, an agent with your Federal Bureau of Investigation, is it?” He bent down slightly, took her hand, and kissed the back. Bree smiled.“Very lovely,” he murmured as he straightened, then let her go.
She blushed a bit, and Harley rolled her eyes. The man could charm a charging bear with nothing but a honeyed smile. It didn’t help that he was quite beautiful. What a rogue.
A rogue she’d acknowledged, after saving his ass at the Lincoln Memorial when Izzy and Gator had met him for a clandestine meeting regarding Leonid Olenska, and then making sure he got back to the embassy in one piece, made her his protector, but definitely not his friend, confidant, or lover. Harley was definitely not in this for anything except what he could offer for her country.
But a few months away from him did nothing to curb the tension between them. One grin—one flash of those white teeth—and the calculating Shadowguard professional who always put mission first, self second, vanished. And some part of her she didn’t even know took over. This wasn’t a walk in the park. It was a stroll through a minefield.
He wasn’t one explosion, not even two. He was a wealth of explosions from that sexy mouth to his ropey, lean body, to those expressive, cunning eyes. Alexsei was a survivor through and through, and although he came off as just another insipid diplomat, he was anything but. It suited his purposes for people to dismiss him—even his own father, and that was a wound that had cut deep in him.
Dammit. She didn’t want to have any feelings when it came to Aleksei, but she’d been at the Lincoln Memorial as backup for Izzy and Gator when Aleksei had described his love of Lincoln. What red-blooded American heart didn’t melt for a man who loved Abraham Lincoln?
She had just barely escaped getting involved with him, who had been wounded and beleaguered by his own people. She was so impressed with the way he took control, never once letting on that he was at a disadvantage.
She should have told the director no. She couldn’t do this, but so much was at stake, and he liked her. It would give her an advantage, and she needed one with him. Getting the charming bastard out of her thoughts was easier than getting him out of her dreams. But she’d signed up for this and here he was, still larger than life, still cocky as hell, and pulling her right back into the same sexual fog she’d barely escaped from the last time.
Another few hours spent near him and who knew what secrets she might have been tempted to spill?
She’d teased him about his integrity, but she was aware Aleksei’s loyalties might have been corrupted by Isabelle. Democracy,realdemocracy, wasn't for the faint-hearted, especially when his country seemed to have turned over a new leaf when communism had perished as a viable means to run a nation. But, in truth, the Russian Federation was a dictatorship at its base with their president ruling with the support of his cronies and oligarch friends. Still a bunch of thugs at heart. Nothing had really changed in that society. The people still feared their leaders.
Aleksei did not.
Which, considering he was also the epitome of a bad boy, was quite an intoxicating mix. And doubly dangerous. To her, and to her mission. Izzy, her former Shadowguard partner, was convinced Aleksei could be turned.
It was up to Harley to make that happen by hook or by crook. Seduction? That remained to be seen as to who was seduced by whom. If she entertained the thought, even for a second, that she could control him through sex, then she deserved whatever she got.
“Now that you’ve flattered us and kissed hands, why don’t you tell me why you’re really here.”
“Is it inconceivable that I wanted to be in your company, Ms. Quill? Find out more about Italy and olive oil?” The way he said it made it sound so extremely sexual. Her entire body shuddered at the mere thought that he wanted more of her, and that any kind of oil would be involved. Her head knew it was business. But tell that to the rest of her. She was in dire need of an edge. More of an edge than the knowledge of any kind of attempt from Aleksei to make her think in terms of what he could do with that body and mouth of his.
She was saved from more verbal sparring with him at the arrival of Isabelle and Gator. They made for a beautiful couple, her delicate, slim body wrapped up in a white, off-the-shoulder bandage dress that hugged her hips and him in a black short-sleeved shirt, those heavy biceps of his bulging beneath the hem of the sleeves, dark trousers, and black boots.
Saved by the bell, Harley thought, but one pointed look from Aleksei told her they weren’t done. Not by a long shot. His mysterious eyes and intent gaze told her that he was here for a reason, and wherever pirates tread, there was always, always the promise of treasure and trouble.
* * *
“Blitz?”Geneve said, probably more than once. He was distracted, marginally by the arrival of Aleksei Volkov, and primarily by Bree. When he’d first seen her at the embassy, he felt as if he’d been sucker punched, then hit in the head with a wrecking ball. He knew she was beautiful. He now knew she had quite the body beneath her FBI trappings. The dress she was wearing accentuated every curve. But with her hair loose like that, falling over her shoulders, cascading around her high cheekbones, and framing her oval face, it was like seeing her for the first time. In real time.
Not the dedicated agent, nor the steely-eyed operative, but a soft, vulnerable woman. Because there was still reaction there. She was still shaky, no matter the smile she gave Buck when he’d whistled at her, no matter that they were all dressed in civvies, her in that stunning dress. The op from last night was pressing heavily on her.
It was in her reaction to Dr. Charles Wharton and his asshat response to being bumped that told him she was very much on their side.
He turned his attention to the lovely woman standing next to him, her hand on his bare forearm, her eyes confused. He wasn’t sure what she was playing at, but he’d made himself clear the last time he’d seen her. It had been fun, but that was it. He had no intention of getting involved…with anyone.
His mind needed to be sharp and focused on what they were doing here. With AAL, the Olenskas’ and Z Militia on the move, they had to all be vigilant as fuck.
Geneve was beautiful, brilliant, driven, and dedicated. He admired all those things. She was even more polished and put together than Bree. She exuded confidence, another admirable trait, but she wasn’t the one on his radar.
