Page 23 of Tempting Tessa

Tessa locked the door behind her, her pulse racing from the risk she was taking. The room was small yet luxurious, featuring a bench, plush carpet, and peacock wallpaper. It included a sink beneath a large gilded mirror and a discreet water closet.

She dumped the contents of the Kaitlyn Brown bag on the counter and handed Tommy a smaller one filled with his silicone prosthetics and adhesive. “You’re up,” she said.

He groaned, opening the bag like it contained live snakes. “I have to do it myself?”

"Out of everything you’ve dealt with in the past year, you’re going to complain about this?”

She slipped out of her jacket and flipped through her materials. Working efficiently, she shampooed the dye into her hair, making it more auburn. Next came contacts that matched that tone. She fattened her nose and thinned her lips.

Tommy seemed more fascinated with watching her in the mirror than transforming his features. All she had left to do was switch out her clothes, and he hadn’t even done his cheekbones. He held a brow piece in one hand and the adhesive in the other, squinting at them like they were puzzle pieces.

Tessa grabbed the forms, motioning for him to sit on the counter. “Just… Sit still.”

He hesitated but obeyed, grunting as he hoisted himself up. She stepped between his knees, her focus narrowing as she pressed the brow piece to his skin and smoothed the edges with practiced precision.

He was warm, and that heat seemed to radiate between them, making her acutely aware of how close they were. His hands shifted to her waist, casual-like.

Was this a test? After her quick thank you kiss this morning, was he pushing the boundaries to see how far he could go?

“Stop that,” she snapped.

He dropped his hands to his thighs. “Sorry.”

He didn’t sound sorry in the least.

As she worked, her eyes kept straying to his lips.Focus, Tessa. She dabbed the adhesive with the brush, refusing to let her thoughts wander. He was staring at her but she refused to meet his gaze.

Where else could he look? she chided herself.Of course, he’s staring at you. You just became someone else.

But it was more than that, and she knew it.

A part of her wanted him to put his hands back on her waist. Another inch, and she could brush her breast against his chest. Their breath mingled with their faces so close together, and all she had to do was lean closer to kiss him again.

“You’ve done this before,” he said quietly. “I thought you weren’t a spy.”

“I’ve been trained in many things; this is one of them.”

That focused gaze studying her made her stomach flutter. Her pulse ratcheted up again. “You’re good at it.”

She didn’t trust herself to respond. His hand slid back to her hips, this time lingering, and she didn’t demand he remove it. Her breath seemed stuck in her chest, and when she finally met his eyes, his expression was unreadable.

“Don’t,” she said, but the damage was done. Her resolve was crumbling faster than she could repair it.

“Tessa,” he said just above a whisper.

A shiver ran through her, hearing her name spoken with such reverence. She stared at his lips, remembering their conversation at the kitchen table. How he’d looked at her like she mattered.

On impulse, so rare for her, she leaned in. Their lips met, and Tommy stilled.

Everything that had happened slid away. She wasn’t thinking about anything now except how he felt against her.

He deepened the kiss, sliding off the counter, his arms wrapping around her. She let herself fall flush against him. The next thing she knew, she’d dropped the brush and adhesive, her back hitting the wall as he pinned her there.

She gasped, but it didn’t stop him.

It didn’t stop her, either.

She grabbed the locks of hair on top of his head with one hand and the back of his neck with the other. This is how she could forget. Forget all of it—Jessie’s death, her mother’s, all the others who had betrayed and left her.

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