Page 44 of The Angel and the Agent

She could feel her cheeks heating with the memory of last night’s confession. He must think she was some kind of stupid kid who couldn’t keep a cap on her feelings. Sheknewhe couldn’t give her more than he already was, and yet she had pushed him by making her grand confession.

He eased in closer. “Tell me, and be honest. Do I smell better?” His lips wereright there, so close all she had to do was tilt her head and claim them. What was he doing to her? Was he toying with her? Had last night’s confession made him cocky?

“You’ll do,” she all but gasped. His lips brushed hers, but before she could claim them, he moved on, easing them out of range.

“Amelia,” he whispered. His teeth scraped her jaw.

“Mm,” she said, closing her eyes. She was holding on to her self-control with a feather grip.

“I need to tell you something.” His left hand slid to her hip, pulling her closer.

“Go on,” she urged.Please, please go on.Was she allowed to touch him in this scenario? It had been so long ago that she kissed him in Maggie’s pantry, and yet she remembered the feel of those kisses as if it was only yesterday. Ethan kissed as well as he did everything else, and he had opened a chasm within her that night, a deep well that could only be filled by him and his touch. Piedmont had had no effect on the yawning space within her, the one reserved for Ethan. And now it was about to happenagain. Finally, she would be released from months of agonized misery and longing.

“I had a date, the night you got taken, and....”

She scrambled away from him and propped herself at the head of the bed. A date? He’d had a date with another woman, and he was telling her about it in the middle of making a move on her. He must be feeling guilty for cheating on his new love interest, the same way Amelia was feeling guilty over Piedmont. “Oh. All right. Well, you’re a free agent. I mean, technically I have a boyfriend. I should probably call him. Can I call him from here?”

He moved back, scowling. “No, you cannot call him from here. This isn’t a 7-11. There’s no payphone.”

“Don’t we need to go?” she said. “The border crossing and all that?”

With a sigh, he stood upright and took a step away from her. “Yes, let’s go.”

Their host had provided breakfast for them, more okra with some kind of beans. Ethan paid the man, and they were on their way.

“I must be the most expensive date ever,” she said. She was blathering, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. “I mean, not that this is a date, but you’ve spent so much. I can pay you back. Not me, exactly because, after moving and laying out a deposit in DC, my last bank statement said, ‘Have you considered playing the lottery?’ But I’m sure my parents would be willing…”

“It’s not my money,” he snapped, cutting her off. “It belongs to your boyfriend.”

“Oh. Awkward.”

“I’m sure you’ll be earning it back after the wedding, when you combine assets. Your crummy apartment and nonexistent savings account plus his townhome, art collection, and ridiculously fluffy robes. When I grabbed him and threw himagainst the wall, it was like I was manhandling Bugs Bunny. You know I asked him for twenty thousand dollars to come get you, and he didn’t even bat a lash. He didn’t have to go to the bank, either. I think maybe he pulled it out from loose bills that had fallen between the seats. I could be a criminal, for all he knows. I could have been lying or extorting him, but he didn’t seem to mind. He handed over a wad of cash and that was that. He must really love you.” He darted a glance at her. She remained staring stoically ahead.

“Or maybe he felt guilty. I mean, it is kind of his fault you’re here. He got a threatening letter and everything.”

“Stop it,” she said.

“What? I’m stating facts here. Fact: your guy is loaded. Fact: he seems to love you a lot. Fact: he received a letter threatening to kidnap you and kept it a secret so as not to violate your delicate sensibilities. Fact: he seemed A-Okay with letting another man do the dirty work of coming to get you.”

“Fact: you told me you’re seeing someone while your lips were very much on my jaw.”

“Fact: those were my teeth.”

“Fact: shut up.”

“Fact: your cheeks turn pink when you’re jealous,” he said. She opened her mouth to reply, but he preempted her. “Final fact, we’re here.” They stopped beside a swollen, dirty river. A man was there with a tiny, dinged up boat.

“Are there crocodiles in this river?” she asked the man in French.

“Oui.”

She shuddered.

“What did you ask him?” Ethan asked.

“If he thought you were too arrogant and I could do better,” she said. He snickered, causing the scout to tilt his head at him in confusion. Amelia swallowed down her anxiety and herirritation and allowed Ethan to take a hand and help her into the boat. It rocked unsteadily back and forth and she gripped the sides.

Ethan leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I would never let you drown. You know that, right?”

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