Page 86 of Defenders of Jawhara

She gave the grounds a quick once over for fast exits. Over the roof was possible, but the tile would be slick underfoot, and it’d be easy to fall. She’d have to look for other options. The palace sat on a hilltop, judging by the view down to the high-rises in the city.

The place smelled of flowers—jasmine maybe, she thought. Roses. Lush green things. A soft breeze brushed her skin like a caress.

She had no trouble with an easy grin. Okay, so I could get used to living someplace like this.

She gave the driver a flirty smile, tossed her hair back, and then a man stepped out of the shadowed colonnade. Tensing, she eyed him, but she’d know that guy anywhere.

Brock Wells stood well over six feet tall, with muscles hidden under a loose suit and an open-neck shirt that left him able to move smoothly and quietly, like a man who used his body a lot.

Startling green eyes glittered. Her heartbeat kicked up. She wasn’t supposed to know him in this job, but boy, he looked fine. It also looked like Brock was finally letting his hair grow out of that military buzz cut he’d been sporting when she first met him. Who would have known he had shots of gold mixed in with that red.

Swallowing hard, she kept to her act. She slipped on her sunglasses to hide any expression and kept her face neutral.

Brock would let her know how to play this. What she didn’t expect was for him to come up, grab her, dip her back in his arms, and kiss her like he loved her.

3

In the time it took Brock to walk from the palace security offices to the front entrance, he’d gotten two texts from Slade with the change in plans. Unfortunately, he was already well-known to most of the palace staff, but given that the sheikh, his younger brother, and their cousin had all met and fallen in love with American women, he was hoping that no one would bat an eye if his girlfriend was friends with the newest sheikha.

Getting over his initial shock at seeing Keira, Brock decided that he was going to enjoy this—well, as much as he could, given Slade’s most recent warnings. His first instinct was to grab Keira and get her out of here. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that she’d been on his mind a lot over the years. In fact, he’d gone so far as to watch videos of her training as well as read the reports from her missions; all while keeping a respectable distance. From everything he knew about her, she deserved the opportunity to grow and flourish and find her place. She’d definitely done just that—finally—but it had taken a lot of work.

She’d been off-limits the moment Slade agreed they should take her on, and he’d kept his distance all this time, even going so far as to take jobs on different continents. If things had been any different, she might well have been the one who got away; except she was never his to begin with, which he had to continually remind himself.

Watching her exit the limousine, Brock kept to the shadows. It was hot enough that he didn’t mind a little shade. Sweat stuck to the back of his shirt and his skin. He stared at the pair of very tan, very bare, and very long legs that had emerged from the car. Keira was definitely perfect for her role; he had to give her that.

She glanced around like she was thinking of buying the place. Then it was time for him to dive in and let her know plans had changed. This supposed walk-in-the-park job had shifted from something easy for her to tackle for the first operation she was running to a heads-up deal.

It looked like it could go south all too easily, and Brock was weirdly in protective mode, which was something he’d contemplate later. Now he checked the time; they needed to get a move on.

Since he didn’t have much time to brief her on the changes, he used the best way he knew how to get close to her fast.

Stepping out of the shadows, he wrapped her in a hug, then bent her backward in his arms. Her eyes went wide. He sealed his mouth to hers before she could say anything and blow their all-too-new cover.

For a second, she stiffened. But she went with it, opening her mouth to his, fitting her body to his demands like she’d done this a thousand times.

She kissed like a dream—one he’d been having ever since he’d met her. That lush mouth of hers lived up to its promise of sin. Her scent wrapped around him, something with spice in it, ginger maybe. He had one hand on her ass, the other wrapped around her trim waist, and her bare legs tangled with his. His heart seemed to stop and restart, and he barely held on to the idea that this was for show. They were only playacting, but his body hadn’t gotten the message.

He went hard fast, and his heart rate kicked up higher than usual.

Straightening, he put her back on her feet and grinned. “Ella, sweetie. Sorry I wasn’t there to meet you at the airport. Forgive me?” He hoped she’d take the hint he’d just offered on how she was to play this. Slade had put her in charge—this was supposed to be an easy job pretending to be a family friend while keeping an eye on Erin. But with the wedding moved up and the most recent information that surfaced, Brock had been tasked as Keira’s back up, but without breaking her cover. Would she blow it for them both now?

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth pulled down. He held his breath. She smiled and brushed his shoulder as if dusting him off. “You’re always neglecting me! And this was supposed to be a girls’ vacation. You promised you wouldn’t get in the way.”

She put enough spite into the words that he had no worries about her acting like a brat—a spoiled one. That would work. He kept an arm around her and reached into his pocket. “Now, sweetie, don’t you even think about sending me away. I promise not to get in your way, but I was missing you too much, and I also got you this.” He pulled out the watch. Diamonds glittered around the face, but the most important part was the GPS tracker hidden inside.

Keira gave a small squeal. “Oh, honey! It’s so pretty. But couldn’t you have gotten some bigger diamonds? And you know I like the yellow ones best.”

Brock let go of her so he could fasten the watch on her wrist. She leaned up. In heels, she was tall enough that she didn’t have to stretch very far to kiss his cheek. She also whispered, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Later, sweetheart.” He patted her ass.

She leaned into him, brushing her breasts over his chest. He swallowed a groan. She was getting him back for being a little too touchy-feely.

He silently cursed Slade, who he suspected knew that he was attracted to her—but this was work, and their new cover of being a couple was work, too. He was supposed to act like a guy besotted with her. She was supposed to be a socialite only interested in money and having a good time. Only, this was going to be more than hard. He was more than hard.

Keeping his arm around her, he led her inside, asking about her flight, telling her about all the places in Jawhara he thought she would like. He wasn’t going to be able to talk to her until he was sure they were alone and in a place where there was no chance anyone or anything could be listening. Drones had made the world a much less private place.

He kept talking, dropping hints so she’d realize Slade had sent him. He didn’t have a chance to tell her they’d discovered there was a hole in the palace security—intelligence that raised the threat level exponentially and required both of them working this operation, him from the inside and her from the outside.

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