Page 49 of Being Bold
With his other arm, he pulled her flush against his arousal as he deepened the kiss. She tasted like the maple syrup she’d put on her eggs. The sweetness mixed with her floral shampoo until the heady bouquet drenched his senses. He felt no cold. Only Selene and her warmth. Warmth that made him forget about why he shouldn’t be kissing her.
With their tongues stroking each other, he felt like he’d been made to kiss her. The idea that he wouldn’t or couldn’t do that was as far away as the city. The world might be in chaos around them, but she was his calm in the storm. With her in his arms, the past didn’t matter.
A phone rang as if from a distance, the sound distorted. It was there but not fully in his reality. Until Selene pulled away, taking that ability she had to dampen everything but her. The noise grew louder.
With a soft curse, she pulled a burner phone from her pocket. Herc had brought new ones for all of them to use for this op. “Oh! It’s Yumi.”
She looked up at him, and he nodded. “Answer. Maybe she has news.”
He leaned on the woodpile and only half listened to the one-sided conversation. Everything he’d forgotten a moment ago came roaring back. If that kiss was any indication, they were both in trouble. Because despite the warning sensors they’d tripped in his brain, he knew they would finish what they started.
Sooner or later, the pin they had their fingers wrapped around would come out. And the grenade would go off.
Chapter 14
Selene
“Okay, I’ll tell him.” Selene hung up with Yumi and tried not to fidget with the phone.
Would Bo regret kissing her?
She glanced at his face, but, of course, he avoided looking at her. He’d crossed his arms over his chest, making the ridges of his muscles stand out in sharp relief under his flannel shirt. While she admired the view, she worried whether he’d crossed them because of the cold or because he was pulling away again.
Whenever hope sprouted in her chest, a storm cloud appeared, ready to drown any chance of it growing into more. With a sigh, she tucked the phone in her coat pocket and shoved her hands in its folds for warmth. She hadn’t felt the freezing temperature in Bo’s arms, but now? It sliced into her like razors of ice.
“So,” she waited for him to acknowledge her before continuing. When his gaze finally met hers, it was stoically blank. Swallowing her disappointment, she told him, “Yumi has news on Mr. Dao, but she didn’t want to give it over the phone. She said to send her our new location, and she’d meet us there as soon as she could.”
Bo didn’t say anything, but she could see the wheels turning in his head. He pushed off the woodpile, uncrossing his arms. “Do you have family?”
Doesn’t everyone?Confused, she frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“Close relatives? Parents, siblings?”
“Yes, I mean, my parents. Why?”
“Where are they located?”
She wasn’t sure where this was going, but she figured he’d explain eventually. “Santa Barbara.”
He nodded. “I’ll have someone check on them.”
She was still waiting for the lightbulb to go off. “Why would that be necessary?”
“If Dao can’t get to you, he might tr—
“Oh my God!” she shrieked as what he meant landed hard. Fear stole her breath, and she wheezed in gasps of air. “He can’t! We have to warn them!”
She was an only child. Her parents were her best friends. If Mr. Dao went after them, she’d, she’d . . . the fear slowly turned into something else.
She would hurt him. Badly.
The rage boiling her blood should’ve surprised her, but it simply drove her determination. “If he goes after them, he’s dead.”
The muscle in Bo’s neck strained and twitched. “Dao’s already a dead man walking.”
The promise in his deep voice didn’t scare her. Strange or not, it gave her comfort. To know he’d take care of her that way. “Good.”
When he lifted a hand toward her, she waited to see what he would do. His palm cupped her face, and his thumb smoothed the frown line by her mouth. “He’ll get what he deserves, ocean-eyes. Don’t you worry about that.”
