Page 14 of Silk Shadow

"Whatever." Would it hurt him so much to relax a little? She didn’t bite. He hadn't even flinched when she'd barged in on him in his underwear. Not a flicker. She was beginning to wonder if he possessed any emotions at all.

"I’m going to my room. We’ll be heading out around seven, but order room service if you're hungry," she told him, aware he hadn’t had lunch. "Charge it to the room."

"Thank you," he replied, giving a stiff nod. She wondered where he'd gotten that cut on the side of his head. Must be recent. It looked like there were still a couple of stitches in it. Another assignment, maybe? Had he fended off an attack on another vulnerable victim?

She swallowed, suddenly weary. The constant tension was beginning to weight on her. Conversely, Viper appeared calm and collected, but then he always did. A sniper, patiently waiting for a chance to strike. Was that how he’d gotten his nickname? He saw her studying him. “Was there something else, Miss Beaumont?”

“No, but I’ll be quite safe in the suite, if you want to take some time to yourself.”

“I’m good, thank you.”

She gave a tight nod. “Suit yourself.”

It was a beautiful balmy evening. Not a breath of air and the heat from the day encased the city in a warm glow, as if it were still basking in the residual warmth of the sun.

"Wow, that's breathtaking," gasped Emily, staring out over the Pacific Ocean that mirrored the pink, peach, and yellow of the changing sky. Izzy had to admit, it was stunning. Viper was wearing those aviator sunglasses he'd worn by the pool, so she couldn't tell if he was looking at the sunset or not.

Emily had wanted to go out for a drink, so she’d agreed, even though she hadn’t really been in the mood. Snap out of it, she told herself sternly, glancing at Viper walking next to her. To the casual observer, he could be mistaken for her boyfriend. Taller than both of them, arms bulging out of that shirt, hotter than hell with his square jaw covered with stubble. Impossible to ignore. It was a stunning evening, they were on a working vacation, and she was lucky to be here. Why was she letting a few poison pen letters get the better of her?

So far, nothing had come of them. They’d been idle threats. It was Pat who had convinced her to take them seriously. Pat who’d insisted they assign her a close protection officer for the next few weeks, just until the cops could get to the bottom of who was sending them.

He might seem casual, but she knew him well enough to know he was on full alert. She felt the concentration radiating off him like a ball of wound-up electricity, waiting to be unleashed.

Just ignore him, Pat had said. He’ll stay in the background. You won’t even know he’s there.

Ha! Fat chance.

Sure, he really blended into the background.

The way he watched her was unsettling too. Watched without seeing, if that made any sense. No direct eye contact, but she was never out of his sight.

If she were brutally honest, it was also damn sexy. She found herself doing things for his benefit. Lounging in front of him, tilting her head at just the right angle, flaunting her body. She knew how to show herself off to her best advantage, and she was turning it on, just for him.

This evening she'd picked this particular outfit because she'd thought he'd like it. How crazy was that? He was nobody. So why was he demanding so much of her attention, without even trying?

"How do I look?" she'd asked him before they'd left the suite, doing a little pirouette in the hotel room.

"Very nice, ma'am."

Nice?

That’s the best he could do? Nice didn't get her thousands of likes and comments online. Nice didn't grow her following or get her contracts with top brands. To make matters worse, he hadn’t even looked at her when he'd said it.

"You're not yourself tonight," Emily remarked, as they browsed the lit-up designer stores, tourist shops, bars, and restaurants in the town. "You're very quiet. Is something wrong?"

"No, just thinking about the shoot tomorrow," she replied.

She definitely wasn't sulking.

Nice, indeed.

"Ooh, look at this fabulous jewelry." Emily grabbed her hand and dragged her into a glamorous store with shiny, well-lit cabinets filled with sparkling trinkets. She saw Viper frown, then follow them in. He stood patiently at the door, while she browsed with Emily, finally picking out a silver chain with a lovely turquoise pendant on it.

"I want to wear it," she announced, turning to Viper. "Won't you put it on for me?"

He hesitated, then nodded.

She gave it to him and turned around, lifting her hair. To her surprise, he deftly opened the clasp and hung it over her head, brushing her arm with his. She shivered, as his fingers secured it at the nape of her neck. He didn’t fumble once, not even with those big, callused hands of his.

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