Page 21 of Hidden Attraction

She held up a menu, scanning the Arabic writing that he couldn’t read, though he had a decent handle on the language.

They fell into an easy silence, interrupted only by the server bringing them glasses of water and a basket of flatbread. Alyssa ripped off a chunk of bread and dipped it into a small bowl of oil and spices.

In an effort to look casual and not all business, he focused on her. Places like this were hotbeds for undercovers. The last thing they needed was to be noticed for unusual activity, which meant they had to play it cool. Act like friends…if not more.

He tore off some bread and dipped it in the oil too. When he popped it into his mouth, the flavors ignited his hunger, which he’d ignored too long. He devoured one flatbread and reached for another while Alyssa picked apart her first.

“This is good. Not as good as the naan I got in India, but passable,” he said.

“Oh, you were in India?” She brought her glass to her lips, bringing his attention to her slender fingers wrapped around the surface and the plump pout she pressed to the rim.

He dipped his head in confirmation. “I’m sure you’ve been too.”

“Yes. Twice.” She looked down, then up at him. “But I never saw the Taj Mahal.”

“Oh? I saw it.”

She leaned in, eyes wide. “Show-off.”

He grinned. “Best shawarma chicken I had was in Bangladesh.”

She groaned around her bite of the bread they’d almost devoured between them. “Now you’rereallyshowing off. I love a good shawarma chicken, especially in Bangladesh.”

“You ate it in Bangladesh?”

“That little place by the river?” she asked.

His gaze flickered across her pretty features. “You know it?”

“I spent three weeks there negotiating a trade agreement. Locals insisted on feeding me every day. I didn’t argue.”

“Are you a fan of Asian food? Pho?”

She bobbed her head in a nod and swiped the bread through the oil again. “I consider myself a foodie. For a while, I was traveling so much that I got good at rating a city on its food. Now that I spend most of my time in Mexico, I’ve tried almost every hole-in-the-wall and expensive tourist restaurant in the area. I even rated the tamales the street vendors sell.”

His lips stretched upward in a smile. They hadn’t gotten off on the best foot, but the strain between them faded as they chatted about food, which was always a passion for a hungry guy like him, and Alyssa seemed to enjoy the topic, chatting with enthusiasm.

Though they shared what they’d eaten and where they’d eaten it, they each danced around why they were in those countries.

But he already knew a few of her reasons. A handful of times while he was on Echo team, her name had come up on the big screen. The team was often briefed of such matters in the event things went sideways and they were sent in.

Turned out, his and Alyssa’s paths never crossed again. He lost track of her, probably after she was promoted to ambassador.

The conversation sparked with the game of truths and omissions. He couldn’t tell her anything about his ops, and she obviously didn’t wish to share any more about hostage negotiations, so they worked through the basket of flatbread in companionable silence.

When they both reached for the last piece, their gazes locked in silent battle. Then she whipped out a hand and snagged it, swiping it around the empty bowl of oil to gather the final drops with a triumph look that brought a low chuckle to his lips.

The server returned for their order. Alyssa spoke perfect Arabic as she ordered spiced chicken and chickpeas served with rice. As the server looked to him, Chase confidently ordered in Arabic as well, aware of Alyssa watching him closely.

After the server moved away from their table, he settled back in his seat, meeting his companion’s interested gaze with a steady one of his own.

“You’ve been holding out on me, Chase.”

He prickled at her use of his last name. It seemed too formal, too impersonal. Despite that, he didn’t correct her, only cocked a brow in question.

“You know I’m referring to your linguistic skills. How many languages do you know?”

He shifted his shoulders in an awkward shrug and drank some water to avoid answering her. “You’ve had a lot of experiences,” he steered the conversation into safer territory. “You started with conflict resolution?”

---