Page 57 of Laura's Truth

“What?”

“You heard me. That was smart. I’m sorry I blew your original plan.”

“I blame Carpenter.”

“Fair enough.” She couldn’t quite smother the grin. “Where do you want to go from here?”

“If I know Aziz, he’ll do as we planned and get himself declared dead.”

“I know someone in that theater saw Hackett pull the trigger.”

“Which means he’s probably off the radar by now.”

“You underestimate Ross’s team.”

“Teams have always let me down.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Isn’t Aziz a type of teammate?”

“He’s family.”

Laura snorted. “Family is a type of team.”

“Maybe.” The confusion clouding his face made her want to soothe him. “I’m not really a team player.”

“You clearly don’t want to be convinced,” she said. “I’ll just point out that you didn’t know Nicole caught that picture of you. I’m confident Hackett won’t know he’s been tailed by the Cypress team.” She stood up, holding her dress in place. “I’m going to change clothes. We should get some rest before Ross calls with a new plan.”

“I can end this tonight,” Drew said pointedly.

She shot him a glance over her shoulder, felt the heat in his eyes as he watched her. “You try a move like that, and this won’t end the way you hope.”

“Might be worth it.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels.

“As much as I understand the sentiment, I won’t let you make me an accessory to murder.”

“Not a team move?”

She shook her head.

“All right.” He took a step toward her. Then another. “Will you kick me off the team if I do this?”

She felt the heat of his body against her exposed skin, but the only contact was the brush of his lips against her nape. It caused a delicious skip in her pulse. “That might be construed as a stupid question.”

“Promise?”

She stood there, pleasantly immobile while he pushed the straps of her gown off her shoulders. As the fabric puddled at her feet, excitement and anticipation surged through her system like lightning.

“Turn around.” His rough voice rasped across her senses. She obeyed, gasping at the stark need in his vivid blue eyes.

She wanted to do this fast, before she could obsess or over-analyze the moment and ramifications. Instead, he seemed to move in slow motion. His gaze cruised over her body, setting off sparks from her head to her toes and back up again.

“You’re stunning.”

She shook her head in denial. Between the cool air and his hot gaze her body trembled, a manifestation of her own sudden uncertainty. She must look ridiculous wearing only ivory lace lingerie and the gun strapped to her thigh.

He took her hands and pulled her forward until her breasts rubbed the crisp fabric of his shirt. She tipped her face up, inviting his kiss, thrilling when he indulged her, claimed her.

When he abruptly pulled away, the fear of disapproval came roaring to the surface. She would not be denied this time.

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