CHAPTER SEVEN
Zane
Talk about bad timing.
The girls’ giggles were like fingernails down the chalkboard of my brain as they came closer. Sloane tried to wiggle off my lap, but I held her to me. No way in hell was I letting her slip away.
The redhead, Satin, if I remembered correctly, had a huge smile plastered on her face. “Do we have a new girl joining the party?”
Sloane elbowed me in the gut, causing me to let go just enough for her to push away. She waved a hand in my direction. “No. He’s all yours, girls.”
Still gasping for breath, I leapt from the swing and caught Sloane by the shoulders. “No, I’m not all theirs.” I turned my attention to the girls. “This is my new friend, Sloane. She and I are going to dinner. Alone.”
With a jerk, Sloane shook my hands off and turned to face me with a scowl on her pretty face. Even that was cute. “Don’t let me ruin your fun. Please, feel free to go with your friends. I can find my own way home.”
Right on cue, I found the three women flocking around me. Bethany rubbed her tits against my arm as she wound her body around mine. “Come on, Zane. She doesn’t want to play with you, but we do.”
With a huff, Sloane turned and walked away. I hurried to peel the girls off me. “Ladies, I have other plans for tonight, and you three are kind of getting in the way. Sorry to ruin your plans, but I have to go.”
Dismay filled their expressions as I hurried after Sloane. Catching up to her, I draped my arm over her shoulders. “Way to leave me to the wolves.”
She snorted and shrugged away from my arm. Her pace quickened, and I found it utterly adorable.
Keeping up with her, I wasn’t about to let her get away. “You seem jealous.”
Sand flew through the air with her sudden stop, and my words earned me a glare. Even with eyes blazing, she was still sexy as hell. “Jealous? I don’t even know you. How could I be jealous?”
“I don’t know, but that’s what it looks like to me.” Her hair was blowing in her face, so I reached out to push it back, tucking it behind her ear. “You’re cute when you’re jealous, by the way.”
“Ughh!” She stomped her little foot. “I’m not jealous!”
“Just because you shout it, doesn’t make it true.” I slid my arm around her waist and pulled her to me so fast she didn’t have time to react. Her body, flush with mine, melted in my arms. Her lips parted as she looked up at me. “I think we should get this first kiss out of the way.”
Though her body language was telling me to go for it, her words were quite different. “If you dare kiss me right now, I’ll bite your tongue off. Now, let me go before I knee you in the nads.”
I let her go because if her knee was worse than her elbow, I’d be down for the count. “Can we clean slate again and go have dinner?”
She took in a deep breath but didn’t respond.
“Come on. We were ambushed back there. How was I to blame for that happening?”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she turned back to the sea. Her eyes widened for a moment as she looked up and down the beach. Then she stiffened further and stepped into my arms so suddenly it caught me by surprise. “You’re right. I overreacted.”
What was up with her?
She pressed her head to my chest as Colonel Sanders and his date passed by us. “Let’s get dinner brought to the bungalow,” the old dude said, patting the woman’s ass.
When they were gone, Sloane stepped away and pushed her hair back from her face. “I have to go. I’m feeling tired. I’m going to my room.”
What the fuck was going on?
I grabbed her arm. “Are you okay?”
Her smile was bright. Too bright. “Yes, of course. Thank you for a lovely evening.” She looked over my shoulder. “Good night.”
“What about dinner?”
She swallowed, her eyes meeting mine again. “I’ll just have something delivered.”
Sloane wasn’t getting rid of me that quickly. “Dinner for two?”
A smile played on her lips. “You don’t give up, do you?”
I cupped her cheek with my hand. “Not when it matters.”
“Okay. Just dinner.”
I held out my pinky. She fake glared at me and wrapped her pinky around mine before heading off in the same direction as the colonel.
Catching up quickly, I took her hand, and she let me, only giving me an you’re incorrigible sidelong look.
She had my wheels spinning, trying to figure her out. There was something she wasn’t telling me. It was pretty damn obvious she was keeping an eye on the couple we were walking behind.
Was she a photojournalist or a private detective?
I was beginning to think she was the latter.
But I knew better than to try to get anything out of her. If she was spying on them, she couldn’t tell me anyway. So, I’d keep quiet and keep an eye on them too.
Sloane reached out and took my hand just as the woman in front of her looked over her shoulder at us. She acted as if she hadn’t noticed as she turned her head and smiled at me. “What kind of food should we order, baby?”
Baby?
I’d play along. The more I thought about it, the more I was certain that she was a PI. Sloane Anderson, if that was indeed her real name, was on a case. My entire body was tingling with excitement.
I’d never had anything interest me so much in my entire life. I’d watch her watch them. I just wished she felt like she could let me in on her secret and let me help her with it.
I was itching to help her with it.
“Sushi, baby. You’ll love it. And some white wine, I think. Something light. It’s on the warm side tonight, you won’t want to get too full.” I let go of her hand to run my arm around her waist, nuzzling her neck. “We don’t want to let food get in our way, now do we?”
Her face went tense for the briefest of moments, then she softened. “No, we don’t want that.”
My suspicions were further confirmed as the couple headed into the bungalow right on the other side of hers. Sloane just so happened to get a room close enough to see them when they weren’t out and about.
Was she trying to get some pictures of them together? Was one of them a cheater and she needed evidence to take back to a suspicious spouse?
Before the two got completely away from our view, I eyed their ring fingers. No rings or white lines where they’d been taken off. Maybe it wasn’t that.
Maybe it was something even more sinister. One of them was an embezzler Sloane was sent to catch in the act of spending loads of money they shouldn’t have.
But wait.
She wasn’t taking any pictures of them at all. At least not yet.
Maybe she’d wait to do that. Maybe she used the photographer lie so she could take pictures of her marks. I thought that was what they called the people they were investigating.
Wait. No, a mark was what someone was called when they were targeted to be killed.
I’d have to read up on spy lingo. I didn’t want to come out like a fool after all. And I would, after I was sure of course, confront my little spy about what I knew to be true. And I’d tell Sloane I wanted to help her.
There had never been as much excitement running through me over anything, other than sex. I had to admit I was pretty excited about getting to that part too.
The woman was taking me by storm. I knew it from the moment I laid eyes on her that she was the woman of all women. I had been right.
For the first time ever, I wanted to get to know a woman for more than just how great she was in the sack.
I wanted to know that about her too, but I wanted to know it all. Every last detail.
Had she ever gone to Afghanistan? Or was that just a cover? Did she really like me? Or was I just a cover?
Not that it mattered. If she gave me a chance just because she thought I might help her out inadvertently, so be it. I was completely cool with that.
Use me, baby.
I could take it. It was her I was worried about. She seemed so strong but also fragile. And she was outnumbered. What if they found her out? Would she be in danger?
She was probably pretty tough. Her body was tone, tight, muscular in a feminine way. But what if they had a gun?
Maybe in addition to being her cover, I could also protect her.
We got to her door, and she unlocked it and in we went. She turned and gave me a sexy smile. “Hey, why don’t you run over to your place for a few minutes to give me a chance to freshen up. Just like ten to fifteen, okay?” She ran her hand over my cheek. “I’m sorry for overreacting, Zane. Maybe I was a little jealous of those girls.”
“Maybe?” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. Pure heat moved through me, and that was just from her cheek.
Damn.
I was in for a rush with Sloane. If an innocent kiss could cause my balls to tighten, I could only imagine what would happen when my lips were everywhere.
“See you in fifteen then?” She gave me an expectant look.
“Fifteen it is.” I turned and left her to her business. Business that I’d be watching like a hawk.
As soon as I got out of that door, I hauled ass to my bungalow. Going through it without turning any lights on, I made my way to the deck and got the sliding door open before Sloane went out on her deck. A thing I was certain she was going to do.
Hiding behind one of the tall plants, I waited. And I waited. I almost gave up and thought I had been wrong.
But then her door slid open, and she stepped outside. Immediately, her attention was turned to the bungalow next door. When she raised her cell up and snapped a few pictures, I pumped my fist into the air a few times. I’d been right.
My little Sloane was a spy of some kind, and the couple in the bungalow next to hers also had secrets.
How’d I get so lucky to get mixed up in a caper like this?
I didn’t know what kind of angel was smiling down on me, but I lifted my head and said a silent thank you to them. Being into something so intense, so secretive, so dangerous. There had to be an element of danger, didn’t there?
I nodded as Sloane reentered her bungalow and I took the opportunity to freshen up myself. In the bathroom, I pushed back my hair, checking out my reflection. I thought I looked pretty damn good. I’d charm my little spy.
Maybe not tonight, or even tomorrow, but one day in the near future, Sloane would confide in me about her endeavors. I was sure she would.
The fishing game was over. This was a whole new sport. I was about to start dating a spy. A real-life private investigator who also made me want to investigate every part of her.
Life had never been so good.