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No, it wasn’t just simple thirst, and suddenly Indy couldn’t take it anymore and with a sudden lurch she raised her body off the sofa and took his thick finger all the way into her mouth and sucked the water off it like a deranged addict lusting after her drug.
Ice yanked his finger out of her mouth and quickly stepped back. Indy gasped and swallowed, suddenly aware of what she’d done without consciously meaning to do it, without really knowing she’d done it.
She stared up at Ice, then gasped again when her gaze moved from his saliva-coated finger down along his heavy frame to that bulge straining at the fork of his combat pants. For one wild moment Indy imagined Ice striding back over to her, that bulge front and center, right up against her face.
She wondered if this could be her weapon, her way under his skin.
After all, it wouldn’t be the first time a spy had used her sexuality to get what she wanted.
What she needed.
What she craved.
Ice turned from her now, walking stiffly back to his spot across the room against the sideboard. Indy’s heart hammered behind her boobs. She couldn’t understand what had come over her, but it appeared to have come over Ice as well.
There was no doubt the big hard man was big and hard right now.
Hard for her?
Or was it just the feeling of dominance and power that got this big brute going.
He stared at her brutally. “You do that again and I’ll—”
“Yeah, I know,” Indy snapped, her voice peaked with self-consciousness, high-pitched with embarrassment. “You’ll break my fingers. Pull out my tongue. Drag me across the room by my hair.”
Ice grunted. “Those are all excellent suggestions.” He glanced at the bottle of water on the sideboard, then back at her. “Here’s what we’ll do. For every question you answer truthfully, you get a drink.” He tapped the cleft on his chin with the same finger Indy had just sucked on like a thirsty little slut. “Directly from the bottle. I’m not going to risk losing a finger to those gaping maws.”
Indy’s maw gaped with indignant fury. “Did you just say I have a big mouth?”
Ice rubbed the back of his neck. “Remember who’s asking the questions. Hint—It’s not you.”
Indy rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’ve already told you the damn truth. I know you believe me. I saw it in your eyes before you covered up with those ridiculous shades. They don’t even match the shape of your face, by the way. You should be wearing Aviators, not Wayfarers.”
Ice cocked his head like someone had just slapped him across the face. Indy cursed under her breath, bit down hard on her tongue, closed her eyes tight and shook her head. She’d always had a smart mouth on her, had always been the kid in class who’d blurt out wise-ass remarks that made the teachers look like fools. It would get laughs from her classmates, but that sort of stuff didn’t go over well with the people whose authority she challenged.
One of Sun Tzu’s Laws of Power echoed in her head:
Never try to prove that you are smarter than your adversary. Nobody in a position of authority likes to be embarrassed. Sometimes the deadliest weapons in a game of power are a lowered gaze and a submissive smile.
Ice straightened his sunglasses, then sighed out a lazy breath. “I do believe you,” he said coolly. “I believe you’re scared. I believe you understand that you’re safer with me than out there on your own. I believe you know that whoever you’re working with or working for now wants you silenced for good.” He shrugged. “Which means you’ll do and say anything to convince me you’re being set up so I protect you from what we both know is coming.”
Indy shot an involuntary glance at his crotch, then swallowed and shook her head. “If you’re trained to break people, then you also know how to read people. You would have been studying me from the first moment you saw me, watching for the telltale signs that I’m a liar and a cheat, a trickster and a traitor. Which means you already know I’m clean, already know I’m telling the truth.” She shrugged. “Or else you’re just not very good at your damn job.”
Once more Indy closed her eyes tight and cursed herself. She just couldn’t turn it off. What the hell was wrong with her? She was usually able to control her sharp tongue, was self-aware enough to know when to zip it. She also understood games of dominance and power—at least in theory.
But damn, putting those theories into practice was harder than she’d imagined.
Because she sure as hell seemed to be losing this game.
She was tied up like a hog by a man who completely outmatched her physically. She had no idea who was out to kill her. No idea who had set her up. No idea if it was one person or a bunch of people. No idea if it was a mistake or malevolence, if someone had it out for her in the Agency or if she was just collateral damage in a bigger game, just a sideshow and not the main act.
“You really are a class act, O’Donnell.” Ice chuckled, shook his head, adjusted his Wayfarers like he was maybe thinking about swapping them out for Aviators. “I bet you were that smart-ass in school who got laughs from your friends at the expense of the teachers. How’d that work out for you?”
Indy reddened. “My parents got called into the Principal’s office once a month. Luckily I was getting straight A’s in everything. Probably helped that I was obviously adopted. Could always play thekid-with-abandonment-issuescard.”
Ice grunted. “Well, don’t bother playing that card with me. I simply don’t give a shit about your personal tragedies.” He glanced at the bottle of water, then flicked his gaze back in her direction. “Now, give me a name, O’Donnell. We already know you aren’t working alone. Give me a name and we might be able to cut a deal.”
Indy stared into his dark shades, trying desperately to see his eyes, wondering if maybe she’d read him wrong and he in factdidn’tbelieve she was innocent. “What’s it going to take to convince you I’m being set up, Ice? You want to beat it out of me? Torture me to make sure I’m not hiding anything from you?” She chuckled darkly, feeling a strange defiance rise up in her, like shewantedto push this asshole into a corner, force his hand, see if he could walk the talk. “Well, go ahead, big man. I’m a woman half your size and tied up. You want to establish dominance, set your frame, show me that you’re in control? Well, do your worst, tough guy. I don’t give a shit anymore. I’ve told you the truth, and I fuckingknowyou believe me in your heart. That’s all I have to say, Ice. Your move now.”
