Page 2 of Spies Like Us

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. I’m very good at my job. I’m positive I wiped us from those cameras. I know working as a team is different for you, but it will all work out. Bishop was a loose cannon, so things will run much more smoothly now that he isn’t causing problems. You’ll see.” The other two are farther ahead of us now, their heads bent together as they talk quietly.

“What’s their deal?” I ask, unable to hide my curiosity anymore.

He looks at them, and a smile spreads across his face.

“I’m sure you’ve realized by now that Ry and Miller are a couple. They have been together since halfway through their first year of MITHOS training.”

“Is this case going to be a problem for them? Miller may have to do things that will make Ryland jealous.”

Lathan smirks. “See, that’s the thing, nothing makes Ry jealous. He is so confident and secure in his relationship with Miller that whatever happens at work is just that—work. In fact, Ry is a bit of a perv, so I bet you he gets off on hearing what Miller has to do for the job, but the two of them are solid. Ry keeps Miller grounded. Without him, Miller would probably be as much of a loose cannon as Bishop was. He definitely has trauma in his childhood, so this job is probably a little too close to home, and it’s bringing that all back. I would say that’s one of the reasons he’s lashing out at you. He doesn’t like change. Bishop was the last major change we’ve had, and you saw how well that went—not to mention there’s your mom.”

I stop and put my hands on my hips. “Yeah, what the fuck is that? The two of them seem to have a fairly close relationship, and I thought I knew everything there was to know about my mom.”

“You know what your mom is like. She’s a sucker for a wounded soul, and that’s exactly what Miller is. He didn’t realize that you and her are close. You paint a really good public persona. We thought you were nothing but a rich airhead socialite, flitting around the world on your parents’ money. He hated you because you have such a wonderful mom and were wasting it… or that’s the impression we got. I guess she was protecting your ghost status as well, and she has a natural mothering instinct. She looks after all of us as much as she can, but they have a special bond. You know we had a mission in Jordan last year. She came over, and we visited the royal family and were introduced to your grandfather. He also took a liking to Miller. We sat in the royal box at one of the world cup qualifiers. Miller and Ry are as mad about soccer as they are about each other.”

I gasp and hold my hand up to my chest. “You better not have let my grandfather hear you calling it soccer. It’s football. The only proper football in the world. Actually, you don’t want my dad to hear you call it soccer either. The damn Englishman would fire you on the spot.”

Lathan chuckles. “Yup, we hear about it every time we slip up from Miller too.”

I shake my head, and my laughter stops. “Wow, I had no idea. My grandfather has never said anything to me either. Gosh, I’m a horrible person. I’m so self-involved, I have no idea what my parents are doing outside of my little bubble. Some secret agent I am.”

“I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself, Kenzie. Being a ghost operative is a whole different ball game. I don’t doubt it’s easy to get lost in your persona without having a team to pull you out, and on your downtime, you probably spend all your time trying to recover yourself.”

“Maybe.” I’m not entirely sure he’s wrong. I do feel like I’m three people sometimes. There’s the airheaded socialite, the ghost agent, and the real me—the me who just wants to sit at home, eat her mom’s cooking, and laugh at her dad’s jokes. I also possibly wouldn’t mind having a boyfriend or some regular girlfriends to do girl shit with, but my girlfriends live the same kind of life I do. Maybe Dad was right. Maybe it is time to come in out of the cold, so to speak.

We make it back to the secret entrance. Ry and Miller have already gone through, so I follow Lathan, get back on the bed, and twist the antlers back the other way, closing the door.

“Now what?” I ask, bouncing to my knees on the bed. I know what I’d like to do, but I’m trying to be a team player.

“I’m sure Billy has made it no secret that the four of us are in here. People will be watching closely to see us exit. It will be gossip for the next week. We need to be convincing, and right now, no one’s lips are swollen enough. Although your lipstick is on Lathan’s mouth from when you were making out before, it’s not on either of us,” Ry says seriously, though I can see the twinkle in his eye, and I don’t doubt that he’s excited about this.

Lathan lifts a hand to his lips, like he’s going to wipe it off, but Ryland jumps forward and slaps his hand. “No, dude, leave it, and we need to mess everyone’s hair up and wrinkle our clothes. We’re supposed to look like we’ve all been fucking.”

I arch an eyebrow at him, and he smirks. I pull my lipstick out of my pocket and give my lips another quick coat before returning it, and then I move toward the shit stirrer. He grins, but just as I approach him, I turn and grab Miller, yanking him toward me. The girlie shriek of surprise that leaves his mouth would make me laugh if I wasn’t plastering my lips to his and threading my fingers through his hair.

I think he’s going to reject me for a moment, and I can’t even begin to examine how much that hurts, as I run my tongue across his lip for entrance. His body shudders, his arms wrap around me, and then he grabs my ass, grinding into me as he opens his mouth and kisses me back. Our tongues tangle as we fight for dominance. My hand tightens in his hair, and I tug. He groans into my mouth and grinds his hard cock into me, and this time, a little sigh leaves my mouth, and his lips kick up into a smirk. Fuck, it’s always such a fucking tug-of-war with this man.

I pull away, both of us breathing heavily. My lipstick is smeared across his mouth, and his eyes are hooded, but his pupils are blown. I’m sure I look much the same. I can’t say his kiss didn’t affect me—it was freaking awesome—but there’s no way I’m telling him that.

“That was hot,” Ryland says, and we both turn to look at him. He’s so close, he probably could have joined the kiss if he leaned in.

“Don’t touch me again without my permission,” Miller snarls at me before stumbling backward.

Oh fuck, did I just violate him? Horror shoots through me. Holy crap, I’m no better than the people we’re trying to stop.

I’m about to apologize when Ryland scoffs, “Fuck, man, don’t even pretend that you’re upset. You’ve had a lot worse done to you on missions and never said a word. Stop trying to be an ass.” Ry sounds pissed, and he’s glaring at Miller now. “That’s not fair to Mac. She’s trying to maintain our cover, and you’re being difficult to spite her. Should I start calling you Bishop Two?”

My temper rises. “Seriously? That’s fucked up. Screw you, Miller.” My need to get even takes over. One thing Miller is going to learn about me is that I won’t hesitate to fight back. I turn to Ryland. If Miller wants to play stupid games, then I can give as good as I get. I wonder how he’s going to feel about me kissing his boyfriend.

I step up to Ryland and wrap my arms around his waist, and he looks down at me. He knows what I’m doing, and he is very much a willing participant in getting even with Miller. He doesn’t wait for me to kiss him, instead swooping down and sliding his hands into my hair. He pulls my head to the side, angling it for maximum access to my mouth. Slowly, he leans in, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Miller’s fists clench and feel a lurch of pleasure. Take that, asshole.

Ryland nips my lip, feathering tiny kisses from one corner of my mouth to the other. My knees weaken a little, and I lean into him. His arms tighten around me, and my body presses against his, my breasts pillowing against his hard chest. He nips and sucks my lips before pulling away, and I chase him with my mouth, whimpering with need. He doesn’t make me wait any longer, and this time, he doesn’t tease me. He takes my mouth with a breath-stealing passion, his tongue stroking mine, and I can’t help but wonder what that tongue would feel like against my pussy. I shudder and melt into him, trusting him with my pleasure. His fingers brush my hair out of the way, and one hand closes around my neck, collaring it and squeezing ever so gently. A bolt of pleasure shoots straight to my pussy, and this time, I groan into his mouth. His lips curve, and when he pulls away, his eyes are filled with desire, and he has a pleased smirk on his face. My lipstick is also smudged across his lips.

I can’t stop myself from pressing a finger against my own lips, as if I can prolong the feeling.

Banging on the door brings me back to my senses. “Hurry up in there, other people have needs too,” some asshole yells, and I blink away the lusty fog and turn to look at Lathan.

“Well, does it look like we’ve been getting down and dirty in here?” I ask him. He’d been watching from the bed, and he has a dazed look on his face as well. I can’t say that doesn’t make me happy. Obviously we’re doing something right. He adjusts himself and nods quickly.

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