Page 32 of Covert Temptation

They rolled apart in gasping pants and a light sheen of perspiration. She only lay there a moment before Dante slunghis heavy arm across her. He tugged her body up on top of his for a brief second, then over to the other side of the bed.

She collapsed into the mattress, still trying to gain her breath. “What was that for?”

“If you’re gonna stay, this is your side of the bed.”

Pleasure rolled through her. He wanted her to stay.

“Why is this my side of the bed?”

“Because I have to be closest to the door.”

She let out a contented sigh and nestled up against him, her palm resting on the ridges of his abs, the steady rise and fall of his chest lulling her in a way she hadn’t felt in years.

Even in the dark, with the wind blowing the snow outside and the silence pressing in, she felt safe here—because she was with him.

And as her body slowly stopped humming, all she could think about was how long he’d need to recover…because with Dante, she felt insatiable.

SIX

Since his first day at boot camp, Dante always woke at five a.m. sharp. He rarely broke routine. But this morning, it wasn’t so easy to jump out of bed.

A beautiful woman lay next to him, her legs tangled with his. Her just-had-sex hair was spread across the pillow, the locks transformed to icy blue from the early morning light streaming through the window.

He studied her face for a long beat, drinking in the peace on her stunning features. A peace he didn’t feel inside.

Everything about their night together was wrong—a mistake.

So why didn’t it feel like it was?

Emotions looped through Dante’s chest, and he didn’t do emotions, especially not where Kennedy Bloom was concerned.

He was her security detail and his watch. He was protecting her from any unseen threat while ensuring she didn’t run when they finally figured out what she was hiding.

He let a sigh trickle out and slowly shifted out from under her knee thrown across his thigh.

His bare foot didn’t even hit the floor before Kennedy’s groggy voice reached him. “Where are you going?”

“It’s time for my workout.”

She didn’t open her eyes. “I thought I gave you your workout.”

Lips quirking at one corner, he disentangled himself from her limbs and swung his legs over the side of the mattress.

After a quick shower in the main bathroom—he took a cold one, telling himself it was only to wake up—he dressed in loose shorts and a black T-shirt. Quietly, he moved through the house, checking everything. Doors, windows, and through the app on his phone, he studied the security footage from the cameras set on the perimeter.

Safe houses like this were planted all over the world, and there was a reason they were sent to a remote spot away from the public eye. Kennedy was a prominent figure, a personal assistant to an ambassador. Photos of her would be easy to find, if someone was looking.

A worm of unease slithered through him. He didn’t want to think about somebody finding her, even as another wave of guilt rolled through him.

He shouldn’t have gotten close to her.

Thinking back on their last few hours together, he couldn’t find a single moment where she seemed fake. The only thing she’d ever asked for was pleasure—pure, unguarded and real.

But that didn’t mean he could let his guard down again. Going forward, he’d have to stay sharp. No matter how tempting she was, he couldn’t afford to be swayed by someone the team didn’t quite trust.

Dante moved in silence, his body working through his routine on muscle memory. Push-ups, mountain climbers, holds and squats. The living room wasn’t exactly spacious, but there was just enough room between the beat-up couch and the narrow coffee table to accommodate his need to burn energy.

Kennedy’s words rolled through his mind.I thought I gave you your workout.

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