Page 52

Now, I’d practically begged Magnet to fuck me—out of doors, up against a tree, in broad daylight. Not only that, but all it had taken for me to have an orgasm was him grinding himself against me. I’d never felt so ashamed in my life.
I prayed he would show me the mercy I’d asked for and allow Rogue and me to deploy to St. Moritz on our own. Once there, I’d get my head back on straight. I’d focus on the mission and not allow myself to think about Magnet for even a minute.
Thankfully, when I returned to the cottage, Rogue was nowhere to be found. On the other hand, maybe he’d seen us, thus making my mortification so much worse.
I looked out the window but didn’t see him. Instead, I saw Magnet stalking toward the main residence. What would he do once inside? Would he tell Nemesis he’d changed his mindagainabout whether he should deploy to St. Moritz? She’d think he’d gone batty.
Or would he tell her he was rethinking my role not just on the Albanian task force but also as part of the UN coalition? If that was the case, I doubted Uncle Henri would lift a finger to help me get another job. I couldn’t blame him, though.
Maybe I could ask Mrs. Strousberg if she’d consider hiring me to work for her. It had been three years since I turned down her offer to do so. In that time, we hadn’t talked as often as we did prior to my graduation from university. I still felt bad about the way she and I had parted after I told her I wanted to pursue a career in intelligence instead. She’d done so much for me. Not only had she paid for me to attend boarding school, and university after that, but she’d mentored me, helped me learn how to navigate a world where I was regularly picked on. Honestly, I don’t know what would have become of me if she hadn’t been a part of my life.
I went into the lavatory when my eyes filled with tears. Leaving the coalition would devastate me. I’d just started developing relationships with the people I worked with. Women, not just men, and they admired me. I’d shared opinions in a group setting where agents with years more experience than me were present, and I’d been heard. But where had the confidence to do so come from?Magnet.He’d believed in me first. Now, I’d proven to him I didn’t come as far as he thought.
I washed my face and reapplied mascara. My lips, swollen from Magnet’s kisses, were a shade of red that no gloss could replicate. Putting any color on would only accentuate their puffiness, so I left them alone.
Just as I stepped out of the bathroom, the cottage door opened and he walked in.
“Hey.” The look on his face and the tone of his voice were both so sweet that I wanted to rush over, melt into his arms, and beg his forgiveness.
“Hi,” I said, wishing I could pull my gaze from his, but I couldn’t.
“There’s been a change of plans with the op.”
He wasn’t going. It was what I’d asked for. There’d be no getting upset about it now. It didn’t matter that I felt like my heart was about to break. On the other hand, maybe I was the one he’d suggest remain in Shere.
“Rogue will not be traveling with us.”
My mouth gaped. I hadn’t considered that scenario. “What?”
“You and I will be deploying on our own. Macht is aware of our plans, and I’ve been assured we will not see or hear from Ehren. Her separation from the coalition is official. Zeppelin took care of it.”
“But—”
“I told you once before that I see us as partners, Schön.”
“I’m not comfortable with this. I asked?—”
“Apologies, but you have two choices. You can go to St. Moritz with me, or you can remain in Shere.”
“I’m the one with contacts.”
“Not you alone. Macht also has a vast network of sources.”
“You’d remove me from an op that was my idea, because of what happened between us earlier?”
His head cocked. “I said nothing about removing you.”
He was right. He’d been clear in sayingIhad two choices. I could either set aside what had happened between us, put on my big-girl panties, as they say, and proceed as a professional, or I could quit. Which, if I remained in Shere, would be one and the same.
“Okay.”
He raised a brow. “Okay to which option?”
“I’ll go to St. Moritz.”
He smiled. “Good. We’ve a lot of work to do. I had a conversation with Zeppelin earlier that I’d like to run by you once we’re on the plane.”
“About?”