Page 35 of Deceptive Lies

“But you're here for information on something about your mom.” Her nose did the most adorable, confused scrunch and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, I am. But that doesn’t mean I'm going to walk away and leave you to handle this alone.” Cooper meant every word of that, too. Just because he’d come to Egypt with one purpose only, didn't mean he wasn't one hundred percent committed to helping Willow. And not just because he hoped he could use what she knew to his own advantage. Even if there was no way to use Willow’s intel to force Tarek Mahmoud to give up more information on what he knew about his mother’s final CIA mission, he wanted to help Willow.

The woman got to him.

In a way he’d never experienced before.

Whenever he’d dated before it had been for fun and companionship. He loved planning dates, taking his girl out, and enjoyed having someone to come home to after a mission, but he’d never once felt like it was going to grow into the kind of love his parents had shared.

Now, knowing Willow for less than thirty hours, he already feltmore of a connection to her than all the other women he’d dated combined.

What did that mean?

Right now was not the time or place to do anything about it. She’d just survived a horrific ordeal, she wasn't safe, and she had a lot to process once she got home. And he had a single purpose for his life right now, finally discovering the truth of what happened to his parents.

The timing was all wrong, but later?

After he had his answers and Willow had some time to deal with what had happened to her, would he do something about it then?

Staring into turquoise depths, the kind you could get lost in if you weren't careful, Cooper found that this woman made him want to throw caution to the wind and jump into things he would usually carefully consider first.

The question was, how did she see him?

Was he just the guy who saved her? Did she feel this current of strange electricity that seemed to buzz between them?

Or was he crazy for feeling anything for her at all?

July 12th

1:10 P.M

“It’s so different from home, isn’t it?” Willow said as she stared out the window at the passing scenery. She’d been in Egypt for three days before she’d been caught by Professor Mahmoud. In that time, she’d visited the Pyramids of Giza, but that was it. She hadn't been there for fun, it was a work trip and she’d been dedicated to finding proof.

“It is,” Cooper agreed from the driver’s seat. “Do you ever travel for fun?”

“Fun?” For a moment Willow was kind of surprised by the word. No, she didn't travel for fun, hadn't really done anything for fun in the twenty-one years since her father’s murder. Back then, she’d withdrawn into herself, not just pulled away from the people in her life but fromher interests and hobbies as well. Then she’d been working hard at school and college, and then jumped right into focusing on her career.

In all those years, fun had just sort of fallen by the wayside until she didn't even recognize what it meant anymore.

“No. No traveling for fun,” she told him. “What about you?” Over breakfast, they’d shared a little bit about themselves, so she knew Cooper was a former Delta Force operator who now worked for Prey Security, neither of which surprised her because she’d picked him as military the moment he walked into the professor’s kitchen.

“Same. Traveled to a lot of places in my career, but never once for fun.”

“That seems a shame. For both of us. Maybe we need to make some time for fun in our lives.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Willow realized how they sounded. Like she was saying the two of them should have some fun together. That wasn't what she’d meant and yet …

The idea didn't have any negatives that she could come up with.

She was attracted to Cooper, she respected him, and she certainly owed him her life, but more than that she actually liked him. He was a kind of serious guy, but every time he tossed a wink and one of those charming smiles at her, it made her heart melt, and her insides go all gooey. It definitely made heat spark between her legs, too. It had been so long since she’d been with a man that she barely even remembered what sex felt like anymore.

Intending to make herself clear, when she shifted her gaze from the sandy desert outside the window to the man in the driver’s seat, those words died in her throat.

The way he looked at her …

It didn't just make heat spark inside her, it basically doused her in a fiery touch that made her entire body long to combust.

Could he really be attracted to her, too?

Earlier, when he’d told her she was beautiful, although she’d melted at his words, she’d also coached herself to remember he was likely just being nice. He was a gentleman for sure, keeping his eyes on her face when he’d helped her undress then kept his back to her when he waited in the bathroom while she showered in case she needed help.

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