Page 23 of Operation Heartbeat

In swift, economical movements, he unzipped the bag and located what he was looking for.

Sophie followed him and stood two feet away, watching him. When he held out a card to her, she accepted it. Their fingers brushed in the exchange, which had his body aware of her all over again despite his determination to keep their dealings professional.

She looked down at the card in her hand. “A fake ID.”

He nodded.

“Where’s yours?”

“In my wallet. In fact, give me your real ID. I assume you brought it?”

She nodded and unzipped her purse. She passed him the ID for safekeeping, and he took it outside.

“What are you doing with it?” She rushed after him.

He pulled out a lighter and held the flame under the card until her name and images melted off.

“Is that necessary? How am I going to drive?”

“I should have thought of you keeping it before now.” He continued to melt the plastic until it was warped and unreadable, then he tossed it in the outdoor fireplace near the pool. Later, he’d light a fire and finish it off.

“What about your real ID?” she asked.

“Don’t have one.” He swung to face her, debating how much to share. But if she was to trust him implicitly and without question, he needed to show her some trust too. “To the world, I’m dead, Sophie.”

She blinked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“My SEAL team is black ops. Deep black ops. As in six feet deep.”

Her stunned expression and the way her lips popped open propelled him closer.

Then the warm breeze washed over her, sending the notes of her perfume dancing into his head.

In one step, he brought his body up against hers. She gasped even as she went on tiptoe to meet him halfway.

He hadn’t kissed a woman in a long time, but the minute his mouth brushed over hers, he knew it was the biggest goddamn mistake of his life.

Because he was never going to get enough of her.

The drugged sensation in his veins spread through every corner of his body. When she hooked her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts against his chest, they shared a moan.

He took advantage of her parted lips by swiping his tongue across the full bottom one. Fuck. She even tasted like heaven.

He was, in military terms, FUBAR’d.

* * * * *

In Con’s strong arms, Sophie felt completely safe. In her new reality of jet-setting across the world, deciphering cryptograms that may or may not lead to a future bombing and melting IDs, she clung to him like a tree to the ground in a hurricane.

The feel of his mouth sent need skittering between her thighs. And his hands roving down her sides to latch on to hips, that she always thought to be a little too wide only set her on fire.

His tongue swept over hers, pulling groan after groan from her. He walked her back into the suite, and she just knew if she didn’t stop this, they’d wind up in bed together.

Her body was totally on board. Her logical brain told her it was a terrible idea. They had to work together, and look how things ended up with Benjamin. Not that she’d be winning any awards “out from under” Con, but she knew better than to get involved with a man that…

Well, he was hot. And smart. Masculine as hell. And the best kisser she’d ever had the pleasure of kissing back.

When he slid his hand up her spine and plunged his fingers into her hair, he tore from the kiss and buried his face against her throat. She angled her head, inviting him closer though she knew with every pulse in her veins that this couldn’t happen.

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