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A sister who watched her with curious eyes.And a quick smile.And with a whole lot more warmth than Jake had displayed.Then Marley sidled close and whispered, “He just arrived.He’s on the elevator and coming up to see you.”
Her heart pounded far too quickly.Every sense suddenly seemed to be working at a fever pitch.“If you’ll excuse me…” She didn’t wait for a reply from the group.She turned on her heel.Marched past the crowd.Marched away from the party and the drinks and the laughter and the music in the night.
Henry darted forward to walk at her side.
They reached the elevator banks.
She looked down at him.“Give me a little time with him, would you?”
Henry—with his bowtie—sat down.
The elevator dinged.The doors opened just as her head turned back, and as those doors fully cleared, she saw him.An exact copy of the man she’d spoken with just moments before on that rooftop.
Tall.Broad shoulders.Strong jaw.Dangerous and menacing.Killer handsome.And with topaz eyes…
That seemed to eat her alive.
“There you are,” she murmured.
He stepped toward her.
No.Naomi shook her head.She rushed onto that elevator.Pushed him back.Grabbed him and dragged his head down to her.Their lips met in a mad, frantic crush.She kissed him desperately.Wildly.Passionately.With every bit of need and desire that burned within her.And Eb met her.Need for need.Lust for lust.Craving.Taking.
His hands curled around her waist.He pulled her against him.
The doors dinged.She was pretty sure the elevator started moving.
Quickly, clumsily, Naomi broke from him.She pulled out her security card.Swiped it over the control panel.Typed in a code.The elevator stilled.
“Uh, Naomi?”Deep.Rumbling.“Did you just stop the elevator?”
Her heart raced so quickly.And the fingers that held the key card trembled.She dropped it back into her purse.Tossed her small bag to the floor.Then confronted him.“You didn’t call.”
“I had to take over at the CIA.”His eyes still drank her in.Stark hunger—need—hardened his features.
“You didn’t text.”
“You don’t know the clusterfuck that Madeline left behind.Iwantedto call, but they had me in level-nine clearance meetings because the people in charge were pretty afraid the world might just implode—the spy world, at least.Every move I made was monitored.”Hard, rumbling words.
“You didn’t tell me that you loved me.”
His eyes narrowed.“Yes, I did.”Adamant.
“Fine.You said it twice.”A woman liked to hear certain things again and again.Especially when her heart—and her life—had been on the line.
But he shook his head.“Said it more than that.”
She took another step toward him.“You did not.”
“Baby, I did.”A rough pause.“I believe you.”
“Yes, you should believe me because you—” Naomi stopped.A shiver slid over her.Hadn’t she thought before…when he said those words…
“I believe you,” he repeated.“I love you.I’ll love you until I die.There.Does that work for you?”He seemed to be holding his breath.
“You set me up here in Vegas.Gave me the perfect place to live.The perfect job.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed.His eyesburned.“I want you to have the perfect life.”