Page 74 of Operation Heartbeat

She loved him. How? That was a question that had never been answered. In all the ages, nobody knew exactly how to define love.

But she felt it with each powerful thrust of Ryan’s cock inside her.

Pleasure had her hovering right on the edge of sanity. Her insides gripped him, and he issued a low growl that made her break out in goose bumps.

“I’m going to come!” she rasped.

“I’m there. Right fucking there!” He punctuated his words with hard plunges that took her straight to the summit.

Ecstasy blasted through her body. She curved into him, pleasure stealing her every sense until she felt that first jet of his cum filling her.

He let go. And so did she. No pheromone perfume required.

SEVENTEEN

Returning to the hotel might be the worst idea yet. Being alone with Sophie after all that she’d said about his lack of feeling when it came to relationships made both of them tense as hell.

He tried to focus on anything but the beautiful woman who was driving him crazy.

Fat chance of that happening.

The muted hum of city life below the hotel terrace mingled with the sound of Sophie tapping away at the laptop. Returning here was definitely the right call, he had no doubt. Con’s gaze was drawn away from the beautiful view of the pool and terrace to Sophie.

She had her hair pulled back into a sleek bun, the warm brown strands smooth and glossy. Watching her work was far too distracting—and enjoyable for him too.

She worked in spurts of genius. One minute attacking the cryptogram and making substantial progress. The next, she sat back in her seat, lip trapped between her teeth, just staring at the code.

Through the open glass door came the faint knock, announcing the arrival of room service. Sophie glanced at him, a question in her dark brown eyes.

“That will be the food.”

“When did you order food?”

He pushed off his lounge chair and crossed the terrace to the door. When he passed by Sophie, he couldn’t resist touching her shoulder. The way she moved into his caress made his chest tighten.

Approaching the door, he twitched a hand toward the weapon seated along his spine. He checked the peephole before opening the door. The staff member gave him a slight bow in greeting.

Con accepted the small, wheeled cart with a tray of several covered dishes on it and closed the door again. After he locked it, he pushed the cart to the terrace doors. Filmy curtains danced in the breeze. A few steps away, Sophie was back to her mad tapping.

He abandoned the cart and carried the tray outside, setting it on the table. He knew better than to interrupt her when she was deep in the decoding process, so he simply took the other seat and removed one of the silver covers over a dish.

A chopped salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and peppers was drizzled with fresh dressing and sprinkled with herbs. He lifted another lid to see what looked to be meatballs and bread with a rich sauce.

Sophie stopped typing. “That smells delicious.”

“Can you break to eat?”

“Now’s as good a time as any. I’m stuck.”

She pushed the laptop away and eyed the tray. He picked up a plate and began dishing out food. When he passed it to her, she smiled—a genuine smile that lit up her face in ways that made his chest tighter still.

She stared down at the meal in front of her. “Wow. I can’t believe I’m getting paid to eat by this beautiful pool with this beautiful view.” She looked out at the horizon, but Con stared at her.

When he informed his men that he and Sophie would be returning to the hotel where she could focus on the cryptograms, he received more than one knowing grin. At least theythoughtthey knew what was going on between them.

He glanced at the pool shimmering in the sun. “We only enjoyed the pool one time together.”

Her gaze flicked from her meal to his face. “You had to bring that up, didn’t you?”

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