Page 12 of Silk Shadow

Izzy unwrapped her sarong and dived into the water. With a laugh, Emily joined her. They swum a few laps, then floated on their backs and chatted. They seemed closer than employer-employee. More like friends.

For all her glamorous ways, Izzy hadn't thought twice about her hair or makeup as she'd dived into the water. It now splayed out around her as she floated, like a dark halo. He tried not to look at the way her skin shimmered beneath the water, at her endless legs, and cinched in waist. The two friends stood in the middle of the pool talking and laughing, and Viper knew he wasn’t the only man gawking at her creamy shoulders and bobbing breasts. At least, she couldn't see his eyes.

He was just admiring the way her long dark hair clung slickly to her back, when somebody shouted, grabbing his attention. He took a step forward, his hand flying to the gun tucked in the back of his jeans, but it was only a boisterous college kid pushing his buddy into the pool.

Shit, his concentration had lapsed for a moment because his focus had been solely on her. Like every other red-blooded man in the place.

"I needed that," Izzy said, emerging dripping from the pool. Christ, did she have any idea what she was doing to him? Idly, she stretched out on the lounge chair. A cat basking in the sun.

"I'm so glad you didn't cancel this trip because of those threats," her assistant said. "It would have been a real shame."

"I'm not going to let some whack-job scare me out of running my business. Besides, I've got Viper now. He'll protect me."

"I'm sure he will," Emily replied, casting a glance over her shoulder at him. Viper didn't mind the assistant's flirtations. He could tell she wasn't serious. It was just a bit of fun. Besides, it helped lighten the mood, which had become very intense on the airplane.

He'd sensed Izzy's stiffness but couldn't work out if it was his presence that bothered her, or the fact that he was invading her space. Either way, he'd been relieved when they'd landed in San Diego.

Izzy was hard to read. She switched between being annoyed with him and sending him intense glances that penetrated like a laser. Having a bodyguard was an inconvenience to her, he got that, but at the same time, he could tell she was anxious about the threats. Whenever someone mentioned them, like now, she coiled up, stiffened her shoulders and jutted out her chin. Classic defense stance.

Oh, yeah. She felt the pressure, even if she tried not to show it.

"Robert’s going to fly out too," Izzy said.

"Why don't you sound overjoyed at the prospect?" Emily began applying sunscreen to her fair legs. She didn’t have that same olive complexion that Izzy had.

"I was hoping to have a few days to myself."

"Robert's a catch, Izzy," said Emily. "And he adores you. You could do far worse than him."

"What if I don’t feel the same way," she murmured, lowering her voice. Viper stared unflinchingly ahead, pretending he couldn’t hear. "Robert's a sweetheart, don’t get me wrong, but he doesn't stir my blood, you know?"

"You want someone to stir your blood?" Emily stopped what she was doing and looked over at Izzy, who laughed.

"You know what I mean. There's no passion. I don't want to rip his clothes off."

Viper held back a smile.

"You know I'm a great advocate of clothes-ripping passion," Emily told her, grinning. "But, if we're talking life partners, there's a lot more to it than sex. You want someone who'll look after you and treat you right. A friend to take life's journey with."

"I've got enough friends," she remarked.

Emily chortled. "Maybe you'll feel differently when it's just the two of you. This is a very romantic hotel."

"The three of us, you mean." She gave a backward nod.

Emily half-turned. "Oh, yeah. I forgot."

They began talking about the photo shoot after that, so Viper zoned out. An hour later, Izzy went for another swim, while Emily chatted up a group of Spanish-speaking guys who, judging by their bags stuffed with clubs, were on a golfing vacation.

He watched while Izzy frolicked in the water. After a while, she swam to the side and rested her arms on the edge, kicking breaststroke underwater with her legs. The swimsuit had ridden up and her smooth butt cheeks wavered in the water.

He had a fleeting visual of her lying on top of him, his hands clutching those butt cheeks, squeezing them as she slid up and down his… Jesus Christ. Where was his head? He swallowed and forced himself to relax. This was worse than hours of waiting for a target to appear, keeping his breathing even, his arms relaxed, ready to react when the time was right.

"You want to come in?" she called.

"Not while I'm on duty," he replied. What he would give to be able to get in there with her.

Easy, soldier. Breathe. Clear your mind. Relax.

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