The two-mile drive home seemed to stretch into eternity. Logan held tight to Vivian’s fingers, placing their entwined hands on his thigh. Casting a nervous glance to her, he breathed a sigh of relief to see her staring back, a smile etched on her face.

“You okay, Viv?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah,” she replied. “Never better.”

Stepping on the accelerator, the old truck kicked up gravel as they turned onto their road. As they approached the cul-de-sac, he noticed no cars were parked outside the Zaman’s house. Like a cold bucket of water dumped on his head, he remembered he had boxes in the back of his truck that held equipment that needed to be installed under cover of darkness—now was the best time.

He parked and turned off the ignition, the sudden quiet of the evening filling the cab. Hesitating before looking at her, he felt the squeeze of her hand in his.

Her soft voice filled the silence as she said, “The timing’s wrong, isn’t it? You’ve got to work with whatever’s in the back of the truck.”

He turned toward her, her face illuminated by the light shining over the kitchen door. Understanding, mixed with regret, in her eyes caused his breath to stumble. “Viv, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you on. That’s not me—”

“Shh,” she said, her smile less wide and a little sad. “We’re here on business and have got things we need to take care of.”

She started to pull away but he held fast to her hand. She looked back over her shoulder in surprise, her brow furrowed in question.

“Viv…what happened back there…that was not business. You need to know that.”

Nodding, she said, “I know. But it’s best we focus on our mission right now.” With that, she slid her hand from his and hopped out of the truck, walking to the kitchen door.

Leaning his head back, he breathed, “Shit.” Sighing heavily, he climbed out and moved to the back to unload the boxes.

* * *

An hour later, laying flat against the roof, hidden from view, Logan saw headlights coming down the driveway. He watched as Akram and Farrah alighted from their car and went into their house. Lights shone through the cracks in their curtains as they moved through the house, first in the front and then toward the back.

Rolling over onto his back, he stared at the clear, black sky dotted with stars. With no pollution or any atmospheric interference, they twinkled brightly, appearing close enough to touch. Bundled up against the cold, he remembered the warmth of Viv in his arms. What started as a continuation of their cover quickly became a need, on both their parts. Just lust based on proximity? Or something more? Something based on real emotions?

A gust of cold wind hit him, bringing him back to the present. Frustrated that the situation took his mind off the mission, he rolled over. Continuing to work, he set up the transmitter and hid it behind the TV’s satellite dish. Finally, completing his tasks, he moved toward the back where a ladder was hidden. Entering through the kitchen, he stopped at the counter, looking into the living room where Vivian sat on the sofa, flipping channels on the TV. Her eyes lifted to his, a sad resignation on her face. Shutting the TV off, she stood and walked over to the other side of the counter.

“Hey, did you get it all set up?”

“Yeah. Let me work on my laptop for a few minutes and then I can show you what we need to focus on next.”

Plastering a smile on her face, that did not reach her eyes, she nodded. “Sure, that’ll be great.”

Not knowing what else to say, he headed to the kitchen table and opened his laptop. Half an hour later, he called her over. Clearly anxious to see what he had completed, she hurried to the table. Sitting in the chair next to him, she leaned close as she stared at the laptop screen. His nostrils filled with the floral scent of her shampoo and he leaned ever so slightly closer.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked, her eyes wide as she stared at the inside of the Zaman’s house. Akram was standing in the kitchen pouring a drink as Farrah moved down the hallway out of sight.

Chuckling, he relaxed as he nodded. “I’ve got audio and visuals inside, as well as outside.”

Vivian turned toward him, trying to ignore the closeness of his face, and asked, “But…but how?”

“That’s what some of the equipment was that I picked up today. I got in and set up a few cameras in rooms that they are working in. The bedroom the Zamans are using appears clear, but the other bedroom, as you can see, has lab equipment set up in it. I also put visual and audio transmitters in the front room and kitchen, as those are the rooms where most conversations take place.”

“How will they not detect the wires and stuff?”

Logan heard the worry lacing her voice and clasped her hand. “Viv, the equipment I used is not the usual crap most security agencies use. It’s not even available to civilians…although I’m sure some have it. When I got tasked for this, I was told I had no limitations on equipment or costs.” He watched her face as she digested the information, slowly nodding.

“So, they won’t know we’re doing this?”

“It’s all transmitted to this laptop, both visuals and audio.”

“And you need me to…?”

“We need to know what they’re working on. If they’re creating something deadly, I can’t just go in and steal some random Petri dishes, or test tubes, or whatever the shit they’re using. I’ll need you to let me know what to get. What to take so that you’ll be able to safely transport and test it. So, as boring as this is, I need you to watch them, monitor them. It doesn’t have to be all the time, just enough to know what we’re up against.”

“And no more cookouts, right?” she asked, attempting to joke.

Dropping his chin, he agreed, “Yeah.” Lifting his head, he said, “Look, I know this is fucked. You didn’t sign on for any of this. Your asshole supervisor just sent you to do testing. Granted, he at least told you what you’d possibly be facing, but none of this other shit—”

“It’s okay,” she interrupted, her chocolate eyes piercing his. Offering a small shrug, she added, “I haven’t had this much excitement in a long time.”

Unknowingly, they had both leaned so that their lips were so close together that it only took the barest movement in each other’s direction for their mouths to seal together.

Vivian brought her hand up to cup his strong jaw, the rough stubble of his beard abrading her fingers. The kiss was slow, sensual, the barest touch of flesh on flesh.

A soft moan escaped from her lips as he pulled back, resting his forehead on hers. Sucking in a ragged breath, she whispered, “What are we doing? I’ve never been a fling kind of girl…but with you, I’m willing to throw caution to the wind and give in to whatever this is between us.”

“I know, Viv. Me too.”

His large hands cupped her face, calloused thumbs gently smoothing over her skin. Peaceful silence moved between them, their eyes never wavering.

“I don’t want to do anything to hurt you. What started as just pretending, now feels like it’s something more. But…”

“I know. I feel it too. But, we come from different places…different states. When this is over…I just don’t know.”

Pulling her forward, Logan kissed her again, first on her lips, then on her forehead, resting there for a moment. Swallowing, he dug deeply upon all his training, and pulled back. “Let’s take it slow. Keep working the mission. And this…between us…let’s give it time to see what it is.”

She nodded as she let out a long, ragged breath. “You’re right. If this is really something, we can take it slow.”

“Slow is good,” he said, his stormy eyes capturing hers as his chest heaved, as though out of breath from a long run.

“Yeah, slow is the right thing to do.”

Time stood still. Nothing existed but the two of them in the room, gazes never wavering, hands still cupping each other’s faces. The only sound was the old clock on the wall, ticking off the seconds.

“Oh, fuck slow,” Vivian cried, as she crashed into him, erasing the space between them. Not just lips, but she shifted her body, crawling onto his lap, her arms moving from his face to around his neck.

Logan’s arms encircled her waist as he pulled her tighter to his body, heedless of the chairs they knocked over as he stood with her in his arms. Noses bumped as they twisted, each angling for the closest position. His tongue thrust inside her warmth, tangling with hers as he searched every crevice, determined to memorize the taste and feel of her. With one hand under her ass, he stalked toward the back of the house, his lips still pressed against hers, mumbling, “Thank fuck. No more slow.”