Page 9 of Centurion

“Not all about it,” Ronnie said as she put her beer on the coffee table.

Con leaned back. She wasn’t going to be an easy conquest, but he’d get her to agree to go on at least one date with him.Somehow. “And that is very intriguing. How did you know I was looking for you?”

She chuckled. “I will never reveal my sources.”

“Jewell?” He shook his head. “No, she’d have no reason to ghost my keystrokes. Besides, I didn’t use my Guardian computer.”

Ronnie leaned back into the cushion of the couch. “It was no one at CCS.”

Con’s eyes shifted to his computer. “This is becoming interesting.”

Ronnie shook her head. “Don’t do it. You’ll get slapped and slapped hard. The Joseph incident will be nothing compared to what will happen if you keep going forward with that search.”

“Then save me from this abuse and go on a date with me.” He spread his arms out. “See, simple.”

Ronnie leaned forward, away from the couch cushions, and smiled. “Con, I’ve made you a meal, we’ve had a drink together, and we’ve gotten to know things about each other. In case you didn’t know it,thiswas a date. Mission accomplished.”

CHAPTER 3

Ronnie laughed at the shocked expression on Con’s face. She stood up and gathered her plate and his. “What’s next on the agenda for this information?” She nodded at the computer, which was still doing some kind of work or at least looked like it was.

“Wait, this was a date?” Con stood up as she moved away from the table. “I didn’t know that. I get a do-over.” His foot got tangled in the cord plugged into the wall and his computer. “Damn it. Wait, hold on.”

She laughed at him and headed into the kitchen.

“No, hold on, I have questions. How did I not know this was a date? Besides, I want to take you out for dinner, maybe dancing, wine, candy … all that romantic stuff. Then I want to walk you to your doorstep and have another one of those amazing kisses.” He followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the doorjamb. “And damn it, you look better in my T-shirt than you did in that gown. How is that possible?”

Ronnie put the dishes in the tiny sink and turned around. “First, you didn’t know it was a date because three-quarters of your mind is still processing the information you’re pulling from tonight’s situation. Second, all that romantic stuff sounds nice,but in reality, I’m not sure we’ll ever meet outside of when we work together. My world is very complicated, and third, you like me in your T-shirt better because men get growly and possessive when women wear their clothes.”

Con blinked and then shook his head. “I agree with point number one and three, but I’m not giving up on knowing you outside of work. I’ll find you. Somehow.” He walked up to her and dropped his hand on her hip.

She smiled up at him. She wasn’t averse to having another one of those mind-blowing kisses either. He lowered slowly, giving her time to retreat. Instead, she lifted to her toes.

“Con, Archangel wants a group conference ASAP.” Fury’s voice doused the moment in ice water, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Con groaned and cupped her face. “Hold that thought. For the love of everything, hold that thought.” She smiled up at him. God, he was gorgeous; more than that, she loved his personality. He made her laugh one moment, and then the next, he was sensual and growly, which hit just about every button she had.

“Con, did you copy?” Ethan came across the earpiece next.

He tapped his earpiece and snapped, “Yes, just hold on.” He looked down at her and she stepped away from him.

“You better go,” she whispered. With a pained expression plastered across his face, he spun and jogged into the living area to his computer. She tapped her earpiece and followed him.

“Con and Centurion are online. Bringing in Fury, Ethan, and Archangel.” His fingers flew across the keyboard. Yet another thing about him she really liked. He knew his job, and from everything she’d witnessed, he was one of the best. He was the whole package.

“And the connection is secure,” he announced and looked at her, crossing his eyes. Her hand flew to her mouth, stopping the laughter that bubbled up.

He smiled, then diverted his attention to his laptop, turning it slightly, so she could see the participants without being in the camera shot herself.

Archangel started the meeting. “The woman Molchalin shot tonight was the Undersecretary of Defense, Anne Trueman. She was supposedly on personal time, not in the country on any type of detail. The man who was killed was Fredrick Eisenberger.”

Con nodded. “That was confirmed by the first responders to the incident. I forwarded that to you.”

“Do you know who Eisenberger is?” Archangel asked.

Con’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “I pulled that and put it into a folder for you, but I didn’t read it.”

Ethan chimed in. “I do. I was reading a report from the CIA a couple of months ago, and he’s the man who has a theory of how the next world war will start. There are other magazines who’ve done articles and such on him.”

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