Chapter 41
Eddy stepped cautiously into the shower. It was a little U made of stucco built into the side of the house. The cement beneath her feet felt rough, and the view over top of the curved wall was stunning, rolling away in varying shades of green so bright it all but hurt her eyes. Overhead, a macaw the color of butterscotch winged its way into a nearby coffee tree. But Eddy barely noticed any of these things.
Embarrassment consumed. True, Durrand was probably showing the depths of his paranoia by suspecting Tevio was guilty of anything more egregious than lusting after his housekeeper’s quesadillas. But perhaps he was right. And…
She shook her head as she washed her hair. The point wasn’t whether Tevio was as pure as a saint or as guilty as sin, the point was, she had acted like a moron in there. Worse than a moron—like a tongue-tied teenager, awed by her first kiss. It was bad enough that she had jumped Durrand in a seedy restroom and tumbled off a waterfall like a wayward toddler. At least she could rise to the occasion when a little faux chemistry was called for. But she’d been blindsided. One moment he was all business, the next he was kissing her, fully clothed then entirely naked. None of those mind-warping scenarios was as discombobulating as his smile, however.
But she was ready for it now. It was, after all, just a smile. True, his little boy grin juxtaposed against his blatant masculinity had initially stunned her, but she would do better in the future.
Scrubbing vigorously, she finished her shower as she gave herself a pep talk: She wasn’t a child. She was a woman full grown, a trained CIA agent, an expert marksman. More to the point…two can play this damn game, she thought. Fluffing her ultra-fine hair, she wrapped herself in the towel and returned to their shared room.
Durrand had turned a light on in the little alcove, but the sleeping area was still dim, and for that she was grateful. He stood near the bed, face in shadow. He’d twisted a towel around his washboard waist. The cloth looked ridiculously small and maybe a little giddy.
“What’s this?” Nodding toward the fabric that hid his assets, she let her own fall to the floor in a show of newfound confidence. She paused for a moment, letting him take in the sights before sauntering toward him. “I thought you were in a hurry.”
His brows rose. If she weren’t mistaken, other things did, too. But she wasn’t absolutely positive. Still, she reached for his towel, untucking it in one quick move. “Or were you all talk?” she asked and lifting her face to his, kissed him.
For a moment, he didn’t respond. It was the longest second of her life. But suddenly, he was bending into her, kissing her back, pressing against her, cock straining against her stomach. She thrust her tongue into his mouth. He moaned, slipped his hands over her ass and hauled her up against him. She wrapped her legs around his rock-hard waist. He kissed her neck and she arched away, nipples thrust against the formidable strength of his chest. His buttocks bunched beneath her heels. His breathing was hard and fast. He turned, pressing her against the wall. Need, too long suppressed, screamed through her, but the desire to impress him was stronger still.
She dropped her head toward his, letting her hair fall around them and her lips slide along his ear. “Shouldn’t we be…” He was doing something delectable to her derriere. “…in bed?”
His breathing was heavy. “I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules.”
“I mean…” she whispered. Good Lord, he was throbbing like a heartbeat against her belly. “If there are cameras…” The rest of her sentence was lost as he blazed a trail of kisses toward her left breast. But his caresses slowed. He lifted his head. His breathing seemed shallow.
She forced herself to ease back a little, to find his eyes through the forest of his lashes.
“The room’s clean,” he said.
She stared at him from inches away. Heat pulsed between them. “What?”
“No cameras,” he said and clearing his throat, loosened his grip a little on her bottom. “No bugs.”
Oh God. She felt herself stiffen. Felt her breath clog in her chest. “Are you…” She shook her head a little, though she had no idea why. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded. Her legs remained wrapped around him as if he were a knight’s white steed, and she couldn’t quite figure out how to dismount.
“Well…” She unhooked her heels finally. Somewhere deep inside her, a shrill voice suggested that she refrain from being a moron, but she exhaled shakily and continued on her chosen course. “I guess…”
“Yeah,” he said and slid his hands over her waist and up to her ribs.
The shrill voice gasped with hope, but he was just helping her stand. She loosened her grip on his neck, dropped her feet to the floor and turned away, hip brushing his erection.
“Sorry,” she rasped and sprinted her gaze to his. His teeth were gritted, but he shook his head.
“No. No, it’s… Well…” Did his voice sound a little shaky? He ran splayed fingers through his hair. “I guess I’ll take a shower, too.”
“Yeah, good idea. Not that you…” She felt like dying. Honest to God, death didn’t look like a horrible option. “Not that you stink or anything. You just probably… Actually you smell pretty good. Like…”
She raised her gaze painfully back to his. Was she honestly trying to describe his scent?
“Like…um…woods, or earth or…something.”
He was staring at her as if she’d lost her mind. And honestly, it was a distinct possibility.