Page 90 of The Wrecked One

He lifted a brow, returning my greeting with the same awkward response.

“You look like you,” was the best I could come up with.

His handsome smile almost made me forget his warning that he’d leave me again after the mission was over. “Damn, I was trying to pull off a different look.”

I smirked. “Smart-ass.”

“Just the way you like me.” He angled his head and cleared his throat before sighing out, “Anyway.”

“Nice redirect there.”

“Nice sarcasm,” he volleyed right back, not missing a beat. Even if he’d wanted to rein himself in, he couldn’t. Because this was “us.” This was how we behaved BT, and it was natural and perfect, and I missed it.

“We’re on schedule to head out. The guys are doing one last perimeter check to make sure we don’t have eyes on us when we take Malcolm’s boat.”

“Ah, right.” I crossed the room but allowed the coffee table to serve as a natural barrier between us. “We have to make sure we’re not being followed.”

“Yeah, we have to play a bit of chess to get to the airport and hope these assholes are only playing checkers. Of course, if yesterday is any indication of what we may deal with today, they can barely play dodgeball.”

I smirked. This wasn’t a smiling situation. Yet, there it was. I even flashed him some teeth with that one.

Heaven help me, the man gave it back to me.

What happened between last night and this morning that had him lowering that limo window again, showing me glimpses of his BT-self? He’d slept like shit, so a good night’s rest wasn’t the reason.

Was it the haircut? I knew changing my hair did wonders for me.

I should just take it and be grateful. I had to turn off my brain, which was always battering me with the need to have an answer for everything.

“You don’t seem worried. Smiling even.” Why’d I have to open my mouth? He rewarded my question by quite literally wiping away his adorable grin.

“I’m not as concerned about what happens before we get to that hotel.” He focused back on the map and began folding it. “We changed our final destination, though. The Sorens may have too many eyes on Zurich, expecting us to fly in there. So, Carter arranged for our arrival in Liechtenstein instead. We’ll head to the hotel from there.” He shoved the map in his back pocket, rounding the couch.

“And the after-we-get-to-the-hotel part?” I wasn’t about to let go of him emphasizing the “before” part of his explanation.

He frowned. “You facing the Sorens is what worries me the most.”

“Ditto.” Mr. Bloodsport. A deathmatch. Fists at midnight John Wick-style. None of that boded well. Like at all. “Your eye roll is duly noted.”

“Ditto,” he remarked in a low, gravelly voice of two-can-play-at-this-game.

“Tell me something,” I whispered when he was only a foot away from me.

“Sure. Giraffes are thirty times more likely to get struck by lightning than people.”

I opened my mouth, unsure if I was going to laugh at his tease or yell at him for his misdirection. “Not what I meant,” I managed out instead.

“Then be more specific.” The side of his lip inched up as if fighting the same reaction I’d just had, but in his case, to either smile or scowl.

“I was going to ask you to tell me how you plan to get Hugo to fight you, but I’d be wasting my breath, right?”

He leaned in, eyes dipping to my mouth for a moment before meeting mine. “You’re right. You shouldn’t deprive yourself of valuable oxygen.” His jaw locked tight, and that clench was more noticeable since his date with the beard trimmer.

“You seem both pissed off and happy. I’m struggling to read you.”

“I’m relieved this will soon be over, and that I can kill those men who did this to us. But yes, I’m angry you’ll be in danger. Also, I’m . . .” There went his eyes again, flying to my mouth like he was ready to smear my lipstick, instead of my mascara.

“You’re frustrated with the fact you can’t seem to hide the glint in your eyes as much as you’re unable to suppress your smiles and jabs at me?” He was trying and failing, worried I’d keep that window barrier down for good, and he didn’t believe he deserved for that to happen.

---