Since their full-body contact wrestling match against the apartment wall the other night, Bella appeared to go through pains not to be alone with him. Matteo recognized the play. Hell, he’d mastered it during his youth, in order to resist her lure.

But, unlike the youthful Bella, Matteo gave her the space she sought. Knight and Brooke took over the surveillance at the apartment, which left the two of them free to go back to their houses, and regular routines. He continued to work at the pizza shop, making it a point to chat up more of the locals, and local store owners. Some were nice. Other’s leery, while two were downright rude.

According to Omar, the brother and sister duo were French-Canadian, and won no popularity contest amongst the other shop owners. And even though they wanted top dollar for their rugs, and silk scarves, jewelry, and pottery from around the world, they managed to stay in business for almost three years now.

That put them on the top of his list of possible importers of the human kind. In case the Simpson thing was a bust tonight.

Was it bad that he suddenly couldn’t wait to get to the study? Not because of the hard drives they needed to download, but because of the stunning woman who’d just walked into her living room and sucked all the air from his lungs.

Holy shit. She looked amazing.

But…where the hell was the rest of her dress?

Breaking out in a sweat, he tugged at his collar in an attempt to cool off. His tongue swelled two sizes too big for his mouth. He had no idea how to fix it. And his dick? He’d never experienced an instant hard-on…until now. Bella always stirred something in him. Made him hard, with a look or a smile. But this? It went beyond.

Felt like he had a damn anchor attached to his groin.

And yeah, he had a very good idea how to remedy the situation, but now was not the time.

“Hi, Matteo,” she said, in a voice as soft as the smooth skin she bared for all to see. At least, he imagined it felt soft. Silky soft. “You clean up nice.”

Nice? He didn’t feel nice. Heat, anger, arousal, all three coursed through his body, making him nuts. He wanted to cover her up, and strip her naked at the same time. Fierce need fluctuated between protecting her and burying himself balls-deep inside her gorgeous curves.

That was neither clean, nor nice. But he’d bet his last breath it would be life-altering.

How the hell was he supposed to carry out a mission when all he could think about was touching Bella?

As she swayed closer, flashing an exquisite mile-long leg, every throbbing inch of him was aware of every sweet inch of her. His fingers tightened around the rose in his grasp, as he fought the urge to run his hands up her arms to see if her skin really was as soft as it appeared.

“You take my breath, Bella.” The fact he’d spoken the words out loud proved it, because the lack of oxygen to the brain must be the reason behind his loose lips.

“I—uh—thank you,” she said, color rising into her cheeks.

He hadn’t seen her blush since she was in middle school. It looked amazing on her.

Remembering the flower in his hand, he gave her the single rose, no longer long-stemmed, since he’d gripped the sucker so hard it snapped in half. “For you. Or…at least, what’s left of it.”

She grinned, and when their fingers brushed her blush increased. “Thank you. But you didn’t have to.” Turning, she walked to the adjoining kitchen, filled a glass with water, and dropped the rose inside. “I mean, it’s not a real date or anything,” she added, before tossing the broken half in the trash.

He could relate. That wouldn’t do.

Moving toward Bella, Matteo ignored the fact Brooke was watching, and leaned against the counter. “Why not?”

Her back stiffened, and she turned to face him. “Why not…what?”

“Why can’t this be a real date?” Then a thought occurred, and it was his turn to stiffen. “Are you already seeing someone?”

“What?” she asked again, then frowned and shook her head. “No. Like you, I’m married to my job.”

A wry smile pulled his lips. “I just got separated, remember?” That should’ve hurt like hell, but at the moment, it barely caused a ripple.

Probably because he was in the middle of a mission.

“Doesn’t mean it’s okay to use me as a substitute.” She pushed past to walk back in the other room.

He reached out to grasp her arm, and waited until she met his gaze. “I’d never use you, Bella. Never have in the past, won’t do it now, or in the future.”

And…damn…he knew it. Her skin was soft. He loosened his hold to lightly brush his thumb up and down her arm before releasing her.

She rubbed her arm where he’d touched her. “You can’t predict the future, Matteo. No one can. Unless you’re Madame Salome, three shops down from yours.”

Although he wanted Bella to acknowledge that he’d never use her, he went along with her attempt to lighten the mood. “I hear she gives five percent off on Tuesdays.”

Some of the tightness eased from her shoulders. “I just want to go to the party and get the hard drives copied.”

“And we will,” he said, unable to let go of the idea now that it had formed. “But since it is a party, and we’re supposed to pretend to be on a date, why not treat it like one and have fun doing it?” He glanced at the silent Brooke. “Am I right?”

The woman held up her hands and shook her head. “Oh, no. Don’t draw me into this. I’m just here to pass out your earpieces, and to park three miles from Simpson’s so I can monitor security and walk you through any obstacles, while Knight holds down the fort, aka, apartment.”

“Right.” Bella nodded. “So, you see? There’s no room for fun, or fake dates, or real ones.”

“I didn’t say that, either.” Brooke shrugged, slight tug to her lips. “I just said to leave me out of it. What the two of you choose to do about your killer chemistry is your own business.”

She dug inside her go bag and stepped close to drop a miniscule silver disk into each of their hands, along with a bigger cylinder with a key ring attached.

“That’s it?” He blinked at the little bug. “Won’t it get stuck in the ear?”

Bella shook her head. “It feels weird at first, like it’s going to get stuck, but it never does. You put it in like this.” She dropped it in her ear and it disappeared.

He leaned close. “Is it stuck?”

She smiled. “No. It’s just small and nearly impossible for others to see. Which is the name of the game.”

“How do you get it out?” He didn’t relish going to the ER to have them fish a listening device from his ear.

“With this magnet.” Again, Bella demonstrated, sticking the bigger cylinder near her ear and the bug practically flew out, making a loud smacking noise as it stuck to the magnet. “You try.”

He dropped the bug in his ear, surprised at how light it felt. A few shakes of his head didn’t dislodge it. Impressed, he held the magnet close, and just as it had for Bella, the bug zipped out to stick to the magnet. “Is it just audio?”

Brooke spoke up, placing the go bag back on her shoulder. “No, it also picks up speech. Plus, it’s a transmitter, and tracking device.”

“Clever,” he said, dropping it back into his ear, then added the magnet to his key ring so it too, would go undetected, should he be searched. “Time to go.”

“Do you need to take an invitation or something?” Brooke asked as Bella put the device back in her ear, and magnet on a key ring she shoved in her small purse.

“Yes. I have it in here.” She tapped her purse on her way to the closet by the door where she removed a long coat.

Matteo took it from her and held it open. “Allow me.”

For a split second, her gaze flashed, and he thought she was going to give him shit, but instead, she thanked him and turned around to slip her arms in the sleeves. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he smoothed the coat over her shoulders and inhaled that unique, sweet and spicy perfume of hers.

A calm settled over Matteo. At ease, he opened the door, and waited for the women to leave before following them outside. It was a beautiful night, with little wind, which was rare so close to the water. Falling into step alongside Bella, he automatically cupped her elbow, in case she tripped in those sexy damn heels that made his dick twitch.

Brooke headed for her car in Bella’s driveway. “I’ll turn on the surveillance equipment to make sure your earpieces are working.”

He nodded, but kept his hand on Bella’s elbow on their way to his driveway next door. If he had known she was going to wear stilts on her feet, he would’ve parked in her driveway, even though there was only fifty feet of side yard between the houses.

With each step she took, he cringed inwardly, expecting her to break her ankle, especially on the sand and grass that separated their driveways.

But she moved with a confident grace that turned out to be sexier than those damn shoes.

Drawing in the cool night air, he listened to the sound of the ocean rolling in behind their houses, assaulting the beach with a relentless caress. An amazing force of nature.

Like the woman by his side.

Letting her go, he opened the door and thought about her unwillingness to call tonight a date. In truth, she was right. It was work. Possibly dangerous work, which was the reason his Glock was safely tucked inside his ankle holster.

Bella was with him.

And, although he was slowly coming around to accepting the fact she was an agent of some sort, a very capable one, he would never lose his desire to protect her.

Not happening. Ever.

“Thank you,” she said, slipping into her seat.

He waited until she was settled before shutting the door and heading to the driver’s side. Adrenaline started to kick up. He inhaled several deep breaths and got in.

“Testing,” Brooke said, her voice surprisingly loud through the tiny device in his ear. “Can you hear me, Bella?”

“Roger,” Bella answered next to him. “Loud and clear.”

“And you, Reaper?”

A smile tugged his lips. It was damn good to put that handle to use again. “Roger. Loud and clear,” he replied, too.

“Ditto,” Brooke said. “Let’s roll.”

The mansion was a twelve-minute drive from his house. Matteo knew, because he’d clocked it the day before when he’d done a little recon. Simpson’s place was more like a mini fortress, with high walls, and state of the art security. But Knight had insisted his hacker could get in, and link Brooke to the system. He trusted them both, but wished the op fell to just him. How or why Bella was involved, he couldn’t remember. It would be better if she wasn’t.

For several reasons. First and foremost, her safety. Second, he was slightly worried there might be blatant evidence about Rasheed on the computers that Bella could see straight away.

Instinct told him it was best to keep any knowledge of Rasheed from her. He knew he might have to lie to her, but he would if it meant saving lives.

Didn’t mean he’d like it, though.

“You’re awfully quiet,” she said, gaining his attention. “You okay?”

He pushed his misgivings aside and smiled. “Of course. You?”

“Peachy.”

His smile grew. “I’d guess more of a juicy Granny Smith apple.”

“Ah. Sweet with a bit of tang.” She nodded.

“Exactly.”

“And I would guess you were a prune.”

He reeled back. “What?” A fucking prune? Soft laughter sounded in his ear, reminding him their conversations were no longer private tonight. “Why a prune?”

“Because, you start out delicious, and even subjected to harshness, you persevere, reinvent yourself, get rid of the superfluous, until only the best remains.”

Put like that, it was a high compliment, and the unexpectedness of it shocked him the most. He cleared his throat, truly at a loss as to how to respond. 

Christ, if the guys could see him now. Tongue-tied because a beautiful woman compared him to a fruit that cleans out your system.

“Thanks,” he finally said. “I thought you were going to go the laxative route.”

She snickered. “Well, there are times when you’re full of shit.”

“There is that.” He laughed because it was true.

Brooke burst out laughing in his ear. “Oh, my God. You two are too funny.”

That’s when it dawned on him. Their whole damn prune conversation was recorded. He swallowed a curse and changed the subject. “So, is there anything I should know about this Simpson guy and his parties?”

Bella sobered and shook her head. “I’ve seen him walking through the casino, but never met him.”

“Were you at last year’s party?” he asked, as he drove over the bridge that connected Atlantic City to Brigantine.

“Yes, but I also studied the layout Knight sent yesterday.”

“So did I.” Before recon.

“Then tonight should be a piece of cake,” she said, but he didn’t feel as confident.

When he and his brothers were given a mission, they’d devised a plan, then practiced the hell out of it until every move became second nature. He and Bella hadn’t practiced a damn thing together.

Kind of hard when she kept her distance.

“All right. I’m going to hang back here and set up surveillance,” Brooke said. “But if you need backup, just say the code word taffy, and I’ll have your six.”

“Roger,” he replied.

Bella snickered. “Matteo has a soft spot for taffy.”

“Is that right?” Amusement lightened Brooke’s tone.

“Yeah. Vanilla.” Bella smirked.

“I’ll keep it in mind should I ever need to bribe the Reaper,” Brooke said, smile still evident in her tone.

He chuckled. “You do that. I prefer the shorter over the longer, but I’d never turn any down.”

“How many boxes have you been through since you returned?” Bella asked.

Damn woman knew him too well. “Three.” He slowed down as they neared the property. “Dig out the invitation. It’s showtime.”

As they waited two deep in line at the security gate, he used the time to note only two guards at the gate, one on the second-floor balcony, and another at the north side of the mansion. Not a lot of security. He hoped they weren’t all inside.

By the time they entered, checked Bella’s coat, and mingled with the others while pretending to enjoy the free-flowing flutes of champagne, Matteo pegged eight more security.

“Nine,” he corrected with a grin, holding his flute up to a young couple waving from across the room. He recognized them from the shop. In fact, he recognized quite a few customers.

“And my feed puts another four upstairs,” Brooke said. “Seventeen. Not an excessive total, considering the number of guests tonight exceeds one-fifty.”

True. If Simpson was involved in something, Matteo didn’t get any vibes it was happening tonight. The mood was as festive as the lights and decorations adorning the walls, staircase, and tall Christmas trees scattered throughout the first floor. The atmosphere was bright and flashy and as commercialized at the holidays.

January couldn’t get here soon enough.

“Do you have a visual on Simpson yet?” Brooke asked.

“No.” Bella sipped her drink and walked around with her arm through his. “But he’ll show. He likes to address the crowd and talk a good game. Which will be our best time to hit the office, because the crowd will gather near in the foyer as he talks from the balcony.”

Matteo wished Bella had accepted his invitation to come over last night for supper, so they could’ve discussed all this. He preferred to plan, not improvise. But, he did enjoy a challenge. “The guards will be busy with the crowd.”

She nodded. “We’ll be busy, too.”

“Starting now.” He took her flute and set it on a nearby credenza. “Let’s dance.”

Not giving her a chance to refuse, Matteo tugged Bella to the makeshift dance floor on the other side of the entrance, and pulled her into his arms. Surprisingly, Ms. Rebellious didn’t argue. In fact, she slid her arms around his neck and melted against him with a sweet sigh that shivered over his neck.

Damn. Already on high alert with adrenaline, his body welcomed the friction of her soft curves pressing close while they slowly swayed to the music. He’d never felt so alive. It was crazy. Every brush, every sway, increased the heat and awareness running rampant through him.

But of course, he could never seem to catch a break with Bella.

The music ended, and Alan Simpson chose that fucking moment to appear on the balcony above. Swallowing disappointment down with a silent oath, he reluctantly released Bella, who blinked away the daze from her gaze.

“As Reaper said before, it’s showtime,” Brooke announced in their ears. “I’ve just looped the feed in the hall and office, and unlocked the office door. You’re good to go.”

He grabbed Bella’s hand and pushed through the gathering guests in the pretense of wanting to get closer to hear their host. Stopping at the outskirts, he waited until security moved with the crowd, before slipping behind them down the hall and into the office.

Following Bella inside, he closed the door. “How does it look out there, Brooke? Anyone notice?”

“Nope. All clear. Carry on.”

Bella already had her purse on the desk and the thumb drives in the laptop and desktop. “You’re sure security isn’t going to be alerted when I turned these on?”

“Yes,” Brooke replied. “Don’t let the tiny size fool you. The device is more than a thumb drive. It’s some funky mojo magic thingy.”

Matteo smiled. Now he knew why Bella and Brooke got on so well. They were both more tactical than technical.

“Okay. Booting,” Bella announced. “How’s the hall?”

“Clear. Trust me, I’ll tell you if it’s not,” Brooke stated. “And the actual security feed in the office is looped to show an empty office.”

“And the speech?” He walked past a plush couch to the filing cabinet on the other side. Surprise washed through him when he tugged the top drawer opened with ease.

“Still going strong,” Brooke replied.

The next two drawers opened as well, but when Matteo tried the bottom one, it didn’t budge. “Bingo.”

“Here.” Bella stopped rifling through the desk to hand him two hair pins from her hair.

“Thanks.” He used them to pick the lock and open the drawer, before giving them back.

At quick glance, nothing looked different than the other three drawers, but it had been locked for a reason. He snapped photos of all the name tabs, then removed the first few files to photograph the contents, when he spotted a manila envelope at the bottom of the drawer.

His pulse quickened as he opened the flap and pulled out a passport and NJ driver’s license for one very bald, clean-cut middle-aged man name Robert Zimmerman. But Matteo recognized the bastard, even without his hair and full beard.

Rasheed Al-Zahawi.

With one eye on Bella, he quickly utilized the app Knight had loaded onto his phone to send the photos he took straight to a mainframe, instead of storing them on his phone. When he finished, he returned the IDs where he found them, then opened the files he’d removed earlier and photographed their contents.

Again, nothing looked amiss, but he was hopeful Knight and his people would scour every line of every photo and find a damn clue to the time and method of Rasheed’s arrival.

“Bella, how’s it going?” Brooke asked.

“Desktop is almost done. Laptop is at eighty-seven percent,” she answered.

“Matteo, you almost done with that drawer?”

He pulled out the last few files and nodded. “Yeah.”

If Brooke had noticed him with the IDs, the woman wisely remained silent. Matteo hated keeping secrets from Bella, but he didn’t want her messing with terrorists on her own. That’s exactly what she would do, too. Her little stunt the other night with Tariq and Kamal proved it.

“Good, because the speech just ended,” Brooke informed. “Finish up and get out of there.”

After snapping the last couple of photos, he shoved the files back, closed the drawer, then tugged to make sure it locked. “Done.”

Straightening, he pocketed his phone and turned to find Bella powering down the laptop and shoving the tiny flash drive inside some kind of special compartment camouflaged in the sequins on her dress.

She returned the laptop back to the corner of the desk and glanced at the other computer. “Desktop is at ninety-five percent,” she announced. “Ninety-six.”

“Pull it,” Brooke ordered. “Security is doing a sweep of the rooms in the hall.”

Bella shook her head. “No. I’ll get it. Just need another minute.”

He stepped close, adrenaline kicking into overdrive. “It takes nearly that long to power down.”

“Two doors away.”

Matteo glanced around, looking for another exit, but there were no windows. Just the one door.

“Ninety-nine.” Bella smiled. “One hundred.”

“They’re next door,” Brooke informed.

While he shut down the computer, Bella stashed the flash drive with the other in her dress, then pulled the pins from one side of her hair and ran her fingers through the brown waves. Keeping calm, he rounded the corner of the desk and met her in front.

“They’re back in the hall, heading your way,” Brooke updated them.

Shit. He went to push Bella behind him, but she stood firm.

“Unbutton your shirt,” she told him.

“What?” His heart rocked. Must’ve heard her wrong.

Pushing the strap down on her dress, she blew out an impatient breath. “Never mind.”

A second later, she grasped his shirt and ripped it open. Buttons were still flying in the air as she pulled him down on top of her on the couch.

Then kissed him.

“Incoming in five…four…”

Matteo knew it. As sure as the blood pumping through his veins, he never doubted Bella was the one who ruled his heartbeat. Owned his soul. Made him whole. She was it for him, and just the briefest brush of her lips on his solidified everything. Confirmed what he’d known for years. She was the one.

She was home.

Hungry and eager, her mouth moved under his, demanding, giving, driving all thought, all worry—everything from his mind, until only need remained.

Now that his mouth was on hers, nothing and no one was going to stop him from kissing the woman he’d desired for years. Moaning, she shifted under him, while her fingers…damn…her wicked fingers stroked his abs, sending a shaft of heat down his spine.

So good.

Cupping her head with one hand, he ran the other down the supple leg she wrapped around his hip, and deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue inside her hot mouth, tasting, exploring, acquainting himself with her very essence. Her forbidden essence. The one he’d denied himself for more than a decade.

Exquisite.

The sound of a door creaking barely registered in his fogged brain.

“Hey! You shouldn’t be in here.”

But the hard tone penetrated, along with several snickers. Bella stiffened underneath him, and Matteo was secretly pleased he wasn’t the only one who’d momentarily forgotten about their mission.

Hell, he’d forgotten everything once her lips brushed his…including to breathe.

Drawing back, he inhaled and blinked in an attempt to bring the room back into focus. Christ. He knew kissing Bella was going to rock his world, he just hadn’t expected their first kiss to be recorded, or witnessed by a roomful of smirking thugs.

“What are you two doing in here?” The only non-smirking thug glowered down at them.

Using his dazed state to help them out, Matteo let his body take its time to switch into SEAL mode as he rolled off her and pulled them both to their feet. He did, however, keep Bella behind him, using his body to shield her from their view.

Damn woman stepped next to him.

“I…ah…think that was probably obvious,” she said, pulling the strap onto her shoulder before smoothing down her dress.

With a blush flooding her face and grin tugging her lips, she managing to appear both wicked and innocent at the same time. Enthralled, the thugs licked their lips and gawked at her. Unfamiliar, primal urges rampaged through Matteo, and although he knew it helped their predicament to have the guards off-balance, no way would he stand there and let them fuck her with their eyes.

Grinding his teeth, he curled his hands into fists, the muscles in his arms bunching under the pressure as he stepped forward.