Page 7 of Dangerous Obsession

Her suspicion was coming off her in waves, but he pretended not to notice.

She was a thorn in his side, but he actually really liked her.

He liked both of them. She was smart and skilled and, of course, stunning.

Maxim was smart and charming and…stunning.

He had no idea why the two of them weren’t together. There seemed to be something there…

Whatever. It was none of his business. The fact that he liked them wouldn’t stop him from doing this job. He headed outside, back into the afternoon sun.

The villa itself was made of whitewashed lime with native stone accents.

But instead of having walls that enclosed it and created rooms, the floor plan was utterly open except for the private suites.

The roof seemed to stretch over a maze of terraces that moved from one to the other until they seemed to flow directly toward the Mediterranean blue of the sea. The architect had some talent.

He began to walk the patios and terraces, strolling casually.

Pretending to be a man on a walk. Every so often, he would throw a glance back at the house, checking to see if he could identify where Maxim’s office was located.

That would be the most likely place to find the computer or drive he was searching for.

He knew Jade was watching him from inside the house. He could feel her eyes on him, distrusting him. He needed to find some way to ease her suspicions. Unfortunately, he doubted it would be easy.

His walk led him to a set of marble stairs. Looking down, he spotted Maxim sitting in the lotus position on the lowest terrace and apparently staring out to sea.

Maxim was still wearing those form-fitting shorts and nothing else. Cole guessed that was his yoga or meditation gear.

Cole certainly didn’t mind. He had a perfect view of Maxim’s bare back.

Every inch of Maxim was corded with muscle.

He looked like an artist’s rendering of the perfect male form.

His elbows rested on his knees, his forearms curled upward, and his fingers forming what Cole would’ve sworn was the universal sign for A-OK.

On top of that, the guy was sitting perfectly still as if he’d been there for days already and would probably be there for a few more.

Maxim Hawthorne was totally unprotected.

Cole could’ve murdered him right then without even disturbing his Zen state.

That was the problem with trusting people.

Cole never should’ve been able to get this close to Maxim.

He should’ve been taken down by ten security guards and dogs and booted back to the other side of the island. Or locked up.

Instead, Maxim had made him a guest.

He put his hand on the railing and took a step down.

He was going to take a chance and see if he could join Maxim in his meditation.

It would probably be the most boring thing in the world, but he knew it would score him points and earn trust. Besides, he’d be closer to Maxim’s hot body in those form-fitting shorts. He grinned. The view would be great.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you,” Jade warned from right behind him.

He froze, tensing, his heart lurching in his chest. Hell, she’d scared him half to death sneaking up on him.

He turned to face her, trying to get himself back under control. She leaned against the stone railing, arms crossed, watching him with a tight smile on her lips.

This wasn’t good. He was off his game, and he wasn’t sure how it had happened. Maybe all of this pretending he had cancer had backfired. Karma would probably kick his ass for that one. And it should because he deserved it.

He only hoped that karma waited until after he pulled off this job.

“He only looks as if he’s vulnerable,” Jade explained.

She was still wearing tight boy shorts, but her workout top covered most of her torso now.

Her hair was still in a ponytail. She looked incredibly sexy.

The top didn’t hide the fullness of her breasts, which were spectacular.

The kind of glorious attribute a man wanted to cup in his hands in order to bury his face in their warm softness.

Then again, the top didn’t hide the shoulder holster with the Glock in it either. He didn’t really feel like getting shot right now, no matter how sexy Jade might look.

“I was just curious what he was doing,” Cole managed to say. “He stays so still.”

She arched an eyebrow. “They don’t have you meditate at the spa?”

He shrugged and grinned. “I don’t go. It seems boring. I like to move. Be active.”

“Like climbing rocky cliffs?”

Ouch. She was on him like a dog on a bone. That was fine. Some part of him was enjoying the hell out of this. “Exactly. I’m a bit of a thrill seeker and adrenaline junkie.”

That was no lie. He’d always been that way. It was one of the many reasons he’d joined the military.

“If you’re curious,” she said with a strange kind of mocking smile, “go talk to him about it. Just don’t touch him.”

He raised his eyebrows. Aha. So she was jealous. She didn’t want him seducing her boss. He wondered if he could use that to his advantage.

“Thanks for the tip.” He wandered down the steps and across the marble terrace. He walked over to Maxim and glanced back at Jade. She still leaned against the railing, watching him with a hawk-like gaze but still smiling.

Cole decided to push things. Rattle her cage. He walked up behind Maxim and reached out to touch his shoulder—

It was impossible to say exactly what happened. Everything went down too fast. All he knew was that one second he was touching Maxim’s bare shoulder, and the next he was flat on his back with the air knocked out of him.

It was as if Maxim had launched from the ground, grabbed hold of Cole’s knees, and then levered his entire body around in a spectacular move full of grace and agility.

Cole had absolutely no time to react before he crashed to the ground.

His head smacked the tiles, and he found himself blinking and staring up into Maxim Hawthorne’s face.

Cole saw the instant Maxim became aware of who his “attacker” was.

Maxim’s eyes filled with concern, and he backed off on the punishing hold he had on Cole’s forearms. Still, for the span of one second, maybe two, he was lying full-length beneath Max.

Max straddled Cole, pinning him to the ground and holding him captive.

A willing captive. For a few seconds, at least.

Staring up into Maxim’s face and feeling the heat of his body brought a rush of powerful urges to the front of his mind.

The other man’s dark gaze seemed to see right through to his heart, leaving Cole exposed to him.

There was concern in Maxim’s eyes…and something else.

Something that had Cole’s head spinning more than the thump against the ground.

“Did I hurt you?” Maxim asked quietly. He didn’t get off of Cole and help him up. Instead, Maxim gently touched his face.

Cole stared back into those intense eyes.

He could feel his cock starting to stir.

But he also had to keep a smile off his face.

Here was phase two, right in his lap. Or on top of him.

If Maxim liked men too, then Cole would use that to his advantage.

Hell, it would even be fun. He loved men, giving or taking, it didn’t matter to him.

He should’ve unseated Max. He could’ve planted his feet on the ground and bridged up and sent Max flying over his head. It could’ve turned into a full-on grapple. But it would’ve immediately given Cole away.

“Just knocked the wind out of me,” he managed to tell Maxim with a wry smile. “You surprised me. I’m starting to learn it’s dangerous to walk up to someone from behind around here.”

Maxim chuckled. “You’re right. We’ve been poor hosts. I apologize.”

Cole waved the apology away as if it wasn’t necessary. “Why do you have a bodyguard? I don’t think you need one.”

Maxim carefully climbed off him and stood.

That was a bit of a relief. Not that Maxim was overwhelmingly heavy or anything, but Cole was far too aware of Maxim for his own comfort.

Aware of the way it felt to have the man’s thick, powerful thighs on either side of his waist. Aware of the blood surging toward his groin, and his cock beginning to stand at attention.

Thank God the man had climbed off him before feeling that.

Although maybe he should’ve kept Maxim on top of him and let the man feel his hard-on after all. Send a message about what he wanted. Rush into phase two, guns blazing. Not literally, of course.

Maxim glanced up at Jade. She was still watching from the top of the stairs, her arms still crossed. She appeared amused. Well, she had warned him not to touch Maxim. He’d believed it jealousy, but she’d meant exactly what she’d said.

“Unfortunately, I do need a bodyguard,” Maxim explained. “Jade is one of the best. She has a tough job, and I don’t make it easy.” He shrugged. “I don’t want a full security detail hanging around, disturbing the peace and solitude.”

“So instead, you make my life difficult,” Jade called.

Maxim laughed but didn’t deny it.

Hmm. Maybe phase two wouldn’t work after all. There was definitely something between Maxim and Jade. Were the two of them sleeping together? What a lucky bastard. He was actually jealous of Maxim.

“Now I insist you stay for dinner,” Max told him. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Thanks, but I think I’ve imposed enough,” Cole said, playing hard to get.

“Nonsense. I want to make amends for being such a poor host. I’ll arrange for a driver to take you back to the health spa after that if you wish. Or you may feel free to stay overnight in the guest room. The view is spectacular.”

“Sounds awesome. I’d love to stay if it’s no trouble.” He didn’t look at Jade. She would probably be glaring daggers at him.

It was almost funny.

Now he had to set phase two in motion. Maybe he had to expand it too.

Maybe he had to include the beautiful and deadly Jade in his plans for seduction. It would be dangerous, but the payoff would be unforgettable.