CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Sloane
He wanted me to be his girlfriend. I was stunned. We’d only known each other two days after all. I had every right to be stunned.
If I wasn’t on a case, I knew I would’ve already jumped in the man’s arms, kissed him, and told him yes, a thousand times yes.
But I was on a case, and I’d just told the man a shit-ton of lies. The lies were piling up so damn high, I was beginning to worry about them crashing down and obliviating me. But they were necessary for me to get my real job done.
So, I just stood there, my mouth gaping and my body shaking as he waited for my answer.
“Do you mean you want us to be exclusive while we’re here? Or do you mean for longer than that?”
“Longer than that. Hopefully, much longer. We can travel together. I don’t have anywhere I have to go, but I like to go. We can go wherever your photojournalism takes us.” His eyes danced as he waited to see what I was going to say to that.
He was too good to be true. And I was anything but true.
Suddenly, it hit me that he didn’t seem to have a job. “Zane, how do you travel all the time? Don’t you have to work?”
He shook his head. “No. I come from money.”
“How much money?”
“A lot of it. More than most people have. I’m an heir to a candy fortune.” He looked down at his feet as if the admission embarrassed him. “Does that bother you?”
“That you’re rich?”
It kind of did, but I didn’t want to appear bigoted toward wealthy men. It was just that I wasn’t used to having lots of money or expensive things. I was raised in Queens by middle-class parents. What did I know about being with a rich dude?
His expression grew worried. “Yeah.”
“I’m actually not sure. I’ll need a little time to process it all. So, do you live in a mansion, drive cool cars, and stuff like that?”
“My family has an estate. We have lots of cars, some cool, some luxurious. And there’s a private jet and a helicopter. We have a yacht too. A home in Greece, and one in London. There’s probably a few things I’m leaving out. The truth is, I don’t like to be around my parents. They expect me to act a certain way, and I don’t like to be told how to act. So, I travel more often than not.”
God, he sounded like a spoiled rich brat.
But he didn’t act like one. At least with me, he didn’t. Maybe I brought out things in him he liked. Things that were good for him. Maybe having a strong woman around, rather than a little ditzy tramp, was good for him.
If only I wasn’t on a case and having to lie like a rabid dog, but I was. And Zane was looking at me with a nervous gaze that made my heart ache. Could I really leave the island when it was all said and done and not miss the man who made me feel better than I ever had?
Would I kick myself for letting him go? Or would he dump me when he found out the truth?
Zane was an alpha male. Those guys hated being used and lied to. In my profession, I’d seen that happen a few times. It never turned out the way the female agents hoped it would.
Chances were high that I’d end up just like them, talking about the man who rocked their world and made their job so much easier. But then the time came for honesty, and that was when the other shoe would drop, leaving them single and sad.
I guessed I could tell Zane we’d never work out, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to commit to him too. I wanted to be his girl. I wanted that more than I wanted anything.
Screw his wealth, screw my job, screw it all. I cared about Zane more with each passing moment. And I wasn’t going to be a fool. He made things happen inside of me that no one ever had. So, I gave him a nod. One small nod, and he had me wrapped up in his strong arms. “I’d love to be your girlfriend, Zane.”
“You had me scared for a minute there, Sloane. Shit.”
A knock on the door had me looking up at him. “I’m not expecting anyone. Who do you think that is?”
Letting me out of his arms, he went to get the door. “It’s lunch. I ordered it before I left my place.”
I just shook my head as I watched him let the waitstaff in with our rolling cart of food. It was really nice letting someone take care of me for once.
Would it be so bad to pretend for a while? That we were a real couple with only real couple things to deal with?
Food.
Fun.
Sex.
My body sizzled with just the thought of it. Zane had already shown me how dominating he could be. I generally didn’t like that when dealing with a man on a personal level. But in the bedroom, oh yeah, I enjoyed it very much.
Tie me up, pin me down, blindfold me, and show me who’s boss.
I was looking forward to getting to that. But first, there was work to see to. And lunch to eat.
Zane picked up a watermelon that had been sliced in half and filled with all kinds of things. Cold shrimp and crab, melon balls, cubes of various cheeses. It looked yummy and refreshing. A couple of tropical drinks were stashed inside the hollowed out cavity as well.
“Wow.”
“I know, right. I’ve seen couples order this but never had a girl I wanted to share one with. Now, I do.” He chuckled. “I have a girl. Man, my parents are going to freak.”
My gut clenched. What the hell would his parents think about me? A poor girl. Well, I wasn’t poor. By their standards, I probably was. I bet they’d think I was a gold digger. To my credit, I knew I liked Zane a hell of a lot before he told me he was rich.
I pushed the thought out of my head. I didn’t need to worry about meeting his parents. He’d dump me when he found out the truth anyway. I was sure he would.
But for now, I was having fun with the handsome, thoughtful man. No reason to think about anything else.
We went onto the deck and set up the table, then he took the seat across from me and popped a piece of melon into his mouth. “Juicy.” He crooked a finger at me, and I leaned closer, expecting him to feed me a bite. When he kissed me instead, I tasted the delicious fruit on his lips.
Wanting more, I opened my mouth. He readily accepted the invitation, his tongue moving through my lips, wrapping around mine.
I groaned when he pulled away, his eyes searching my face as he pushed my hair behind my ear. He fed me a bite, then another. That one was followed by a kiss before he fed me again.
“I might forget how to feed myself if you keep this up.”
He popped a cube of cheese in his mouth, grinning like a fool. It made him look like the little boy he once was… adorable and mischievous. He made me feel young too. I wasn’t ancient by any means at twenty-four, but my career choice had left little room for play over the past couple years. I’d forgotten how much fun it was to just say nothing and enjoy someone’s company.
No. That wasn’t true. It wasn’t that I’d forgotten. It was that I’d never experienced this ease before with another person.
Each time he kissed me, I thought he’d push the intimacy farther. I hoped he’d push the intimacy farther. But he pulled away, leaving me breathless and wanting. “We have all day,” he murmured against my lips when I practically begged him to make love to me.
He was right. And the all-day foreplay buildup was delicious.
When we’d finished eating, we curled up on the lounge chair and napped for a couple hours. I awoke refreshed and ready to face the rest of the day.
Zane took out his cell and showed me the screen. “Look, we can use this app to record Charles when he talks. It records for fifteen minutes. If you put this app on your cell too, I can record the first fifteen minutes then you can take over. I’ll make some excuse to get away from you guys for a moment to reset mine. We can go back and forth like that, and hopefully, we won’t miss anything.”
I grinned. “I’ve got an even better idea.” I went to the bedroom to retrieve the much more sophisticated recording device I’d brought with me. “I have this. Beth sent it to me before I came here.” Another lie I’d have to eat when the job was over.
He looked at me curiously. “Okay, I’ll wear it.” He reached out for it, but I held it close to my chest. I’d have to watch the man. He was already trying to take charge.
“It fits snugly under one’s boob, so unless you plan to grow a pair in the next few minutes, I’ll be wearing it.”
Moving inside, he took my hand and led me to sit in the air-conditioned living room, pulling me down on his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “This is really dangerous. I want you to take every single thing we do with that man seriously. No messing around.”
This was getting annoying, but I bit back my irritation. “Remember who you’re talking to. I take everything I do seriously.”
He blew out a breath and leaned his head back against the cushion, staring at the ceiling as if it might give him wisdom. “I know that. I’m just so worried for you.”
“Don’t, Zane. You have to play the role of my boyfriend, not my protector. We have to convince them that we’re in love and are harmless. You showing such stress around them will raise their suspicions.”
He rolled his head to look at me. “Promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“If anything physical happens, promise that you’ll get behind me and let me handle it. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He pressed his lips to mine. “I need you to be safe.”
My insides went gooey, but I ignored the way he was making me feel. I needed to let him think he was the alpha of our little pack or this would never work. “I promise. Although, just to ease your concerns, I have undergone quite a bit of training. I told you about Afghanistan. I’ve taken self-defense classes and took a class on firing a gun.” I winked. “I was the best in the class.”
“Oh, how adorable. My girl was the best shooter in her class.” He laughed and kissed me again, and I thought I might have teased him into easing up. Not the case. He grew serious again an instant later. “I can shoot too. In fact, I have a concealed handgun license.”
I raised my head to look at him. “Do you carry?”
He snorted. “No. Not normally. I wanted to know how to handle a gun if needed. And I wasn’t bad. Good enough that I can take care of you.”
I gritted my teeth when he patted me on the head. I wasn’t some damn dog. I pushed away and sprang to my feet, irritated beyond measure. “Look, I can take care of myself, and I’m not giving you my gun. Get over it.”
I couldn’t, even if I wanted to, but I couldn’t tell him that.
As a matter of fact, I still needed to contact Agent Matthews with the new developments. Or maybe I’d wait until it was over, I wasn’t sure. I was of an “ask forgiveness later” mindset. After all, I was only supposed to be watching. Not only was I planning on going in deeper, I was dragging a civilian in with me.
“Get over it?” Zane was on his feet too, towering over me, which just pissed me off. I could do this. Why did the men in my life think I couldn’t? Sexist asshole penis owners. “Like it or not, I’m not about to let anything happen to you. I’m running this show. Get used to it.”
Oh, hell no.
“Zane, I don’t need you to do this job. Yes, it’ll be easier with your help, but I don’t need you.”
He turned and walked away from me. “Do it yourself then.” To my astonishment, he kept going until I heard the door open and close.
I stood there, stone-still, like an idiot. Fine. I would do it on my own. Screw him and everyone else.