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Was I reading more into his tone of voice than I should? Was Magnet about to give me a dressing down? What a horrible idea this was—rooming with my commander.
When he joined me, he had two glasses, both with amber liquid over ice. He handed one to me, and I took a whiff. It smelled smoky, with hints of vanilla and caramel.
“I figured you could use something stronger than wine. Plus, all we have at the cottage is bourbon.”
I raised the glass to drink, but he put his hand on my arm.
“Wait. There’s something I want to say.” He raised his glass in my direction. “Here’s to you, Schön, for a great job on the op and an even better job tonight. I know I’ve no right to say this because what you’ve accomplished, you’ve done on your own, but I’m proud of you. Really proud.” He touched his glass to mine, then raised it to his mouth and took a sip.
“Thank you,” I murmured before taking a drink. “Wow. This isreallygood.”
“Zep has good taste in the stuff.” He took my glass and set it on the table before doing the same with his. “You have nothing to be ashamed of in what went on with Ehren. More, you owe no one an explanation. I took care of it on the task force level, and Nemesis did what she needed to do on the coalition level. It’s done and over with.”
“But, Verity?—”
Magnet put his fingers on my lips. “Zeppelin will explain.”
“I should’ve been able to handle it on my own. I shouldn’t have needed you or anyone else to intervene on my behalf. I should’ve?—”
I’d had my eyes down, so when Magnet’s lips met mine, I wasn’t expecting it and pulled away.
“I’m sorry.” We both gasped at the same time.
“No, don’t be.” Again, we said the same thing over each other.
“Can I speak?” I asked.
“Of course.”
“You just surprised me.” I put my hand on his leg. “But I liked it. I mean, I would’ve liked it.”
“Should I try again?”
I nodded. “Definitely.”
This time, Magnet put his hand on the back of my neck. I closed my eyes, wanting to focus only on how his mouth felt on mine—and it was heavenly. His lips were soft and so gentle. When I felt the wet tip of his tongue, I opened to him. And then, God, it went beyond heavenly. Was there a beyond? His mouth tasted of the bourbon, heady and masculine. I wanted to snuggle into his arms and never leave.
“Wait,” I said, pulling back but touching his lips with my fingertips. “I have to get ready for tomorrow morning, but…”
He smiled. “But?”
“Can we circle back to this, um, another time?”
Magnet pulled me into his arms and hugged me. “How about this? If I help, maybe you’ll be done sooner, and then we can do all the circling you’d like.”
“Help? How?”
He chuckled. “I don’t know what you already have prepared, so I’m not sure.”
I took a deep breath, knowing I could trust Magnet, but worrying what he’d think if I shared some of my notes with him. “There are, um, I mean I’ve included personal opinions.”
He rubbed his hands together. “I’m intrigued. What did you have to say about me?”
13
MAGNET
When Schön’s cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink and her eyelids drooped, it made me want to know what she’d said about me even more. Just imagining what it might be had my blood thrumming.