Page 105 of The Art of You

Isabella

Shit,shit.I jumped up from my seat as hot coffee managed to burn right through my jeans.

“Damn, I’m sorry.” My new comms partner, Keith, could pass for a younger Luke Perry, but not quiteBeverly Hills 90210young. Probably my age. Give or take a year. “Not a klutz, I swear.” He offered me paper as a napkin to try and dab the wet spot.

That’s not going to work.Since removing my jeans wasn’t currently an option, I applied the paper to my lap, keeping my head bowed forward so I didn’t whack it on the ceiling of the van that’d been outfitted as our temporary command center. “You like your coffee scorched-earth hot, huh?”

“That I do.” Keith gave me an awkward smile before returning the lid of the Yeti thermos, positioning the coffee on the other side of our work station.

Good call.

Dropping back in my seat, I ignored the uncomfortable peed-in-my-pants feeling and focused on what I’d been doing before I was shocked to my feet. We finally hadeyes on the terrorists’ safe house via the drone footage, and I wanted to ensure we’d have multiple angles of the property covered before they rolled out.

I did a quick radio check with the guys standing outside the van as they prepared for the op. “You hear me okay?” My voice was meek from nerves, and it pissed me off.

“I hear you.Lima charlie,” Alessandro responded. “Loud and clear.”

He must’ve kept his finger on the button, because I heard Hudson ask someone, “What’s your call sign?”

My stomach squeezed at theEcho Fouras a response from who I was pretty sure was Roman.

“That, uh, was mine back on the Teams,” Hudson answered, obvious hesitation in his voice that even I could detect over the radio.

The connection ended a second later, and I sat back in my seat, worried about Hudson all over again. Would Roman’s call sign draw Hudson back to the past? Working alongside Alfie already had to be doing a number on him as it was.

Keith shifted on his seat. “What made a billionaire get into this line of work, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Keith was the new guy on Alfie’s team, tasked with staying back with me because he’d been shot on Friday.

I was too in my head for small talk, but I also didn’t want to be rude. Especially since he was shot with Hudson’s gun essentially while his team saved our lives. “I’m not a billionaire just because my parents are. Not really.” I shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t prod. “What about you, why are you in private security?”

“I come from a long line of people who serve and protect. Only natural for me to do the same. Right the wrongs in life. Seek justice for those who can’t do it themselves.” His tone wasalmost somber, and I had a feeling he’d lost someone, too. Maybe he would understand after all.

“Military background?” I asked him.

“Army, yeah,” he answered as the back doors opened.

We both twisted around to see Hudson standing there.

“We’re about to leave,” Hudson informed us, his eyes locked in on Keith. I could tell he didn’t feel comfortable leaving me in a van with a man he didn’t know, even if we had two of our operators standing guard outside as another layer of protection.

The last thing I wanted was Hudson to be worried about me and get distracted while being shot at. I’d need to ease his concerns before he left to guarantee he’d keep his word and come back to me safe and sound.

Keith stood. “I’ll go talk to Alfie and the others.”

Hudson stepped aside so he could exit, then he climbed in and shut the two doors behind him.

Dropping into Keith’s seat, Hudson turned to face me, shifting my chair around so my knees went between his open legs. The man didn’t miss a thing, noticing the stain on my jeans. “You wet your pants, darlin’?”

The light chuckle escaping my lips was a welcome change to the constant hard beats of concern occupying my chest, drumming up into my ears. “Coffee accident.”

“You get burned? You okay?” He arched his brow. “Maybe I should lower your jeans and kiss you. Make you feel better.” He raced his tongue along the line of his mouth, effectively kicking to the curb any last lingering worry.

So, so good at distracting me. People could take a masterclass from this man on how to get your target comfortable. Then again, I was pretty sure I had the same effect on him.

I smiled, sliding into my sexy, feminine-husky voice as I assured him, “As much as I’d enjoy your mouth between mylegs again, I think you have a world to save from bad guys. Rain check?”

Holding the arms of my chair, he scooted me even closer and bent forward. “Absolutely,” he said before kissing me with a soft open-mouthed caress that managed to make me dizzy.

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