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Her eyes darted between mine.
“We never gave each other a chance, Alena. For whatever reason, early on, we both decided the other was an adversary. You thought I hated you. I didn’t.”
“Everything you said just now…”
I dropped her hand and put my second arm around her. “I feel like I’ve just bared my soul. My self-confidence is hanging by a thread,” I admitted.
She rested her hands on my chest. “You’re very different than I thought.”
Rather than tell her it was the same for me, I kept my mouth shut. I’d already said too much. It was her turn to tell me how she felt.
“All of those things…I feel the same way.”
I grinned. “More kisses would make you happy?”
She nodded.
“More touching?”
“Yes.” She bit her bottom lip, and God, how I wanted to run my tongue over it. “More talking, working together, getting to know each other.”
“Like me, you think it’s too soon for us to make love?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Something tells me it will be worth waiting for.”
“I’m going to bathe.”
I dropped my arms, and she took a step back. “Probably not a smart thing for us to do together.” I winked.
“Not yet.”
I didn’t say it, but I knew that would be worth waiting for too.
Shortly after she’d shut the door, I received an alert. “Hello, Nemesis,” I said, answering her call.
“I tried Verity. She didn’t pick up. I wanted to give you both an update on Schön.”
The woman was literally the last person I wanted to talk about. “Go on.”
“She’s on her way here presently. What I need to know is if you think she’s responsible for compromising your cover.”
“It’s possible, but, Nem, I think the bigger problem is Marchand.”
“Bloody hell,” she muttered. “I agreed to give Z space, but I need his advice.”
“Surely, he’d understand.”
“No. I cannot. The man has literally asked for nothing in the years since I’ve known him. He deserves to be left alone.”
“Who is above Marchand?”
“Only the secretary-general, Elizabeth Russell.”
“She’s American.”
“Yes, but I doubt Ares would be able to get an audience with her.”