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R ow was hungry—for more sex.

Her heart was still pounding as if she’d been running, and she felt deliciously used and sated, and yet she didn’t want it to end. She hadn’t expected it to be quite so…volcanic.

So that was what all the fuss was about. It was nice to figure it out, to finally be a member of the other club.

She went to shake her head in answer to his question about food when her stomach gurgled like a cement mixer. Kurt reared back with a grin.

“Okay, time to eat. Make sure you chew this time.”

“Funny. Ha, ha.”

She sat up in bed, leaned on her knees. “I’ve never choked before.

I was so scared. I honestly thought I was going to die.

Thank goodness you knew what to do.” She admired him as he stood in front of her, “stark bollock naked” as her Uncle Peter would have said.

The muscles of Kurt’s body were thick and well-defined and made her mouth water.

“Glad I was here to help. It’s not a lot of fun—choking. Closest I’ve come is being waterboarded in the Army.”

“Wait. What ?”

He leaned forward with a grin and tapped her lower jaw shut .

“Believe it or not, we did it on purpose to one another. A lesson in why torture doesn’t work.”

Was he serious ?

“And it fucking sucked.”

Oddly, she wouldn’t have needed proof to know torture didn’t work. She was a wuss. First hint of pain, and she’d tell anyone everything they wanted to know, whether it was true or not, with bells on.

“I’ve done a lot of combat medic and first-aid training over the years, but that’s the first time I ever helped a civilian that way.”

Helped ? She’d be dead if he hadn’t known what to do.

“Saved,” she corrected.

He looked uncomfortable with the comment.

“It was your fault anyway.”

“How was it my fault?” He cocked a brow as he took his glass of champagne and downed a large swallow.

“I choked after imagining the two of us having shower sex.”

He spluttered and coughed, and she froze for a moment, but he held up his hand. “I’m okay. A little surprised, but okay.”

His cheeks had gone deep red.

She grinned, grabbed her pajama bottoms and noticed the look he sent them. Disgruntled.

Excellent. She could work with disgruntled. She snatched up her top and headed into the bathroom to clean up.

When she came out, he’d pulled on some trousers, but at least he wasn’t wearing a shirt because she liked looking at him.

She picked up her fizz and took a small tentative sip.

Then she took her plate off the trolley and sat in the chair opposite him.

The food was a little cool but not cold, and she was suddenly ravenous.

She was careful to take small bites because she had no desire to repeat her earlier experience even if it had led to something good.

Losing her virginity felt like shedding a heavy weight. She should have probably told him it was her first time, but she’d worried he’d have stopped on a technicality .

The only thing that mattered was they were both consenting adults. And her first time had been magnificent.

She caught him looking at her, but he immediately looked away. “What?”

He shook his head. Then he grinned as he took another bite of pie. A dimple appeared to the right of his mouth, and she wanted to explore it with her tongue. She curled her toes and took another careful mouthful. Chewing and swallowing like a little old lady.

“This was not how I was expecting my day to go,” he admitted.

She nodded in acknowledgment. “Same. I thought I’d be heading to South Africa to go shopping with my cousins.” She pressed her lips together. “They’re going to be worried.”

Kurt sobered. “Yeah.”

He was obviously thinking about all the people who mattered to him believing he’d died on that plane today.

“Maybe we could risk giving your daughter a call on the burner?” she suggested.

He shook his head. “From what I overheard in the lobby, the cell towers aren’t working.

Plus, we’ve been lucky so far. I don’t want to blow it.

” He paused. Sipped more champagne. “The power cut worked in our favor but also theirs.” He looked up and those inky eyes met hers.

“We haven’t been able to call out. I haven’t been able to contact my office. ”

She frowned. “You don’t think the power cut is deliberate, do you?”

He shrugged. “My paranoia is busy growing conspiracy theories.”

He finished off his pie and most of the chips. She ate about half of the linguini but then felt full. He gathered the dishes and the empty bottle and ice bucket. Put it all on the trolley. He pulled on a T-shirt and fleece before pushing the cart out the door.

He came back inside. “I’m going to take a quick look around before turning in for the night.

Make sure there’s no sign of trouble. If I see anything, I’ll tap on the French doors.

” He beat out a pattern on the sideboard.

“Hear anything else, you run in the opposite direction as fast as possible. And if anyone knocks on the door?—”

“Don’t answer it. Leave through the French door?”

He grinned. “You’re a quick learner.”

She smiled. “You have no idea.”

He laughed because he didn’t know what she was thinking about as he headed out.

She blew out most of the candles and turned off the dim overhead light. Then she headed to the bathroom but paused near the shopping bags.

What if…

She pulled at the corner of the crimson negligee until it came out of the bag and dangled it from her fingertips. She stared at it contemplatively. Kurt seemed content for them to be done and to sleep, which would probably be the most sensible plan.

She’d spent her entire life being sensible.

As soon as they crossed the border and got to an airport or whatever represented safety, they’d go their separate ways.

As soon as anyone official joined their party, he’d go back to being a responsible FBI agent, and the lover would disappear.

She understood. She really did. He had a reputation to uphold.

What they’d done probably went against FBI rules given she was involved, after the fact, with Bjorn Anders’ death.

She dug deeper and found the bra and panties that matched and went to get changed.

If she only got one night with this man, then she was going to make it count.

Row had dozed off by the time he came silently back into the room. She lifted her head and blinked.

“Sorry,” he whispered. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

He headed straight into the bathroom before she could reveal herself in this siren’s garb, and she wondered if this was a terrible plan.

Just because they’d had sex once didn’t mean he’d want to do it again.

Was it even possible this soon after? Perhaps that’s what he was worried about in terms of being eighteen years older than she was.

Five minutes later, he walked back into the room, and she watched him head straight over to the remaining candles and blow them out, so that the room was pitch black.

So much for the sexy-if-seriously-itchy lingerie. If he couldn’t see her then all her efforts would be wasted. Part of her wanted to sneak to the bathroom and change back into the other PJs. The other part was determined to carry this through.

What was the worst that could happen?

Rejection? Humiliation? Embarrassment?

All very possible outcomes and probably the one real advantage of living on different continents.

“Would you, er, mind leaving one light on?”

“Are you scared of the dark? Sorry, I should have asked.”

“It’s not that…” She smelled the Sulphur of a match being struck then saw him lighting one of the candles on the credenza.

He sat on the end of the bed and began taking his boots off. Then his socks and the fleece and T-shirt. Whoa. Those muscles made her mouth water.

“Kurt?”

“Yeah?”

She sat up and moved toward him. “The thing is…earlier, I was going through the things you bought.”

She saw him freeze.

“I found these.” She pressed herself against his back, felt his muscles become granite.

She watched his expression, dimly visible in a mirror behind the credenza. His face heavily shadowed as he closed his eyes almost with resignation.

He swallowed audibly. “The woman in the store kind of insisted I buy them. I didn’t want to create a fuss by refusing. I didn’t expect you to wear them. I wasn’t expecting anything from you.”

“Oh…” That made so much sense. “I thought… God, I’m so stupid.”

His gaze found hers in the darkness of the mirror. “What did you think?”

She sucked in her lips and edged back a little, feeling foolish and uncertain. “I thought perhaps this was what you liked.”

He gave a strangled groan and wrapped his hand around her wrist dragging her back against his body.

He sounded almost in pain. “If you’d asked me an hour ago, I’d have told you lace wasn’t my thing.

” He turned around, swapping his grip to his other hand so she couldn’t escape.

His gaze ran over the gauzy covering, the pushed-up boobs, and the excuse of panties that didn’t even cover her crotch due to a whole void of missing material.

“I’ve since reconsidered and realize you in pretty much anything is absolutely my thing. ”

She gave him an exaggerated frown. “You don’t sound happy about the discovery.”

“I’m not.”

“Why not?” She tried to pull away, but he didn’t let go.

“I still think you’re way too young for me, and the fact you’ve gone through several traumatic events today makes me feel as if I’ve taken advantage of you.”

His expression turned pissed.

She stared down at her lace-clad body. “Does this look like I’m feeling taken advantage of?”

“Maybe?” He shook his head. “I don’t know. But I don’t want sex to be some sort of payment for keeping you safe.”

“Payment? What the hell?” She tried to pull away, but he grabbed her other wrist and didn’t let go.