Page 6 of Shadows In Paris
‘Oh yes,’ Lizzie said. ‘I didn’t think of that. What an amateur I am.’
‘That’s why you work with an old, experienced spy like me,’ Jack said, winking.
‘You’re notthatold,’ Lizzie teased. ‘Well,quiteold, but just right for me.’
‘Is that so?’ Jack said, pulling her nearer and closing the gap between them. ‘Come on, I’ve had enough of playing dress-up.’
‘What did you have in mind?’ Lizzie asked, as his lips claimed hers and he kissed her until she quivered with desire.
‘How about playing dress-down? Let’s get this dress off you and then climb into bed before we freeze to death!’
Jack chased Lizzie and she tumbled onto the bed, laughing. Their lovemaking was at first playful but then grew more feverish as Jack touched her and made her scream with pleasure, and she, in turn, delighted him in the ways he had taught her.
Lizzie was a virgin when they met. Jack was a mature, skilled lover who knew exactly how to awaken her desires and introduce her to the joys of the flesh. She was a quick learner and knew intuitively how to bring him to the edge of abandon until he lost himself in her and she in him.
Seagrove and Raven were the perfect match in mind, body, and soul.
CHAPTER 3
Lizzie and Jack were holed up in one of the dusty backrooms assigned to F Section at Baker Street. They ran through the codebook system Jack used with Hannah for radio messaging, and Lizzie remembered more about how it worked than she had given herself credit for.
‘Perhaps I’m ready, after all,’ she said, swishing her hair over her shoulders and appraising Jack with a bold stare.
Jack touched her cheek tenderly with his thumb and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. ‘Seagrove. I don’t underestimate you for one minute. What you did on your missions was incredible, but the thing is you were a courier then. This operation with Hannah has even deadlier stakes. It’s going to be more dangerous altogether.’
‘More dangerous than being a honey trap for a Nazi general?’ Lizzie said, hereyes widening in disbelief.
‘I need more coffee,’ Jack said. ‘Want some?’
She nodded, and he left the room before returning shortly after with two steaming mugs of weak brown liquid that passed as coffee.
Jack continued their conversation as if they hadn’t stopped speaking. ‘The situation with the general was dangerous, of course, but it was an unexpected complication. Courier missions are more straightforward—there’s a clear start and end game. Typically, you deliver or collect information and then get out of enemy territory as fast as you can and head for home.’
‘Yes, but what’s so much more dangerous about the new mission?’
‘Well, you’ll be in permanent danger, for one thing. Hannah has been running the Liberty Network for months now. You wouldn’t be able to just parachute in and leave a few days later. We’re talking deep undercover work, which requires a whole other level of skills and nerve. Her operation at German High Command could last weeks or even months, and if you’re covering for her, you’d need to stay there whilst she’s otherwise engaged.’
Jack sipped his coffee and lit a cigarette.
Lizzie saw the despair in his expression before he could hide it, and it tugged at her emotions.
In normal times, they would be planning their future together, not talking about how to outfox the Nazis and sabotage their killing machine.
‘I don’t like it, Lizzie. I don’t like it one bit. Won’t you change your mind whilst you still can? Let us find someone else who has lived in France.’
‘We’ve been over this before. If it was you, we both know you would go in a heartbeat.’
‘It’s different,’ he said.
‘How, because you’re a man and I’m a woman?’ Lizzie’s eyes blazed as she challenged him.
‘No, it’s nothing to do with that. Don’t forget I recruited you because we want women on board.’
‘That’s true,’ Lizzie said. ‘So what, then?’
‘It’s just about your lack of experience, as I keep trying to explain to you.’ A hint of impatience entered his voice. He stood abruptly. ‘I’ve got a meeting to attend.’
‘Alright,’ Lizzie said stiffly. The air between them was frosty, which made Lizzie uncomfortable. But she was going on the mission even though he didn’t want her to, so she didn’t know what to say to make things right. ‘Shall I go back to Val’s office or wait for you here?’
