LITMIR.BIZ

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weren’t central to their arrangement, but Finn thought of them as more than lovers. They were friends, too.

      Hyde shrugged out of his touch. He didn’t care for that, but let her go. He’d learned to hold his desire for her in check.

      “Feel like a swim?” he asked again. The dark throb of need pulsed in his blood. Exercise would take the edge off.

      Hyde pulled an elastic band from her wrist and wrapped it in her hair. “Sure.”

      She moved toward the water, not looking at him, saying nothing more, and Finn caught her around the waist. He brought his mouth close to her ear. “Don’t be in such a hurry to get away from me. Someone could be watching.”

      Hyde met his gaze. Holding her this close and looking into her eyes, anyone watching would think they were lovers. She was holding her back rigid and arching away from him, her hands braced on his chest.

      “You can’t use that as an excuse every time you want to touch me,” Hyde said.

      “Why are you against me touching you?” Finn asked. He released her, but she didn’t move away. Her chest was inches from his.

      “If I were against it, it wouldn’t be happening at all,” Hyde said. She ran her hand down the side of his face and cupped his chin.

      He loved her strength and her confidence. She had never played the damsel in distress. “You’re right about that.”

      “Did you see someone?” Hyde asked. “Surveillance inside our villa?”

      “The jungle behind the villa provides places to hide and watch. I didn’t see any cameras or microphones in the villa, but I need to check more thoroughly.” He had been unpacking and when he’d seen Hyde out on the beach, he’d wanted to be with her. That had felt more important.

      She slid her hand down his chest and let it rest on his abs. He was already turned on and the gesture excited him more. “I wish this swimsuit gave me a place to tuck a weapon. Can I assume you have a weapon somewhere on you?” she asked.

      “I have a covered blade in my pocket,” he said.

      She reached to his hip and smiled. Though it was a warm smile, the heat didn’t race into her eyes. She was playing the part now, not flirting with him. “I could be the only woman in the world who finds it hot that you’re armed.”

      “Then you’ll love the holster I brought for you. Fits your inner thigh, so it can’t be seen under a dress.”

      She smirked. “I already have one of those.”

      He drew her closer. Her breasts were pressed to his chest and her flat stomach against his. Every tiny movement brought sensation to his core and amplified his lust. “This one has a quick release on the snap and room for an extra round.”

      She made a sound of delight. “How did you get one of those?”

      They weren’t available on the open market. “The West Company’s R and D department.”

      She smiled, and this time, the smile reached her eyes. “If I could get Connor or his wife to owe me a favor, I would request a tour of their weapons closet.”

      Finn had seen the R and D department at the West Company headquarters. He had participated in a field test for them and had been given a tour. “At this point, it’s not a closet. It’s an entire floor of one of their secret facilities.”

      Hyde’s eyes grew wide. “You’re toying with me.”

      He shook his head. “I am not. I’ve seen it.” He loved her passion for her job. Walking away from it didn’t fit. He was missing something key.

      Hyde pressed her hands together in front of her. “I know you can’t tell me what you saw, but wow.”

      “Connor West had you in mind for a few upcoming ops. You could have asked for something new to accompany you on those ops.”

      Hyde pushed against his chest and walked closer to the water line. The waves were gentle and low. “I know. He called me. But awesome toys aside, I had to say no.”

      That fast, she was distant again. He had pressed her too hard.

      They waded into the water. It was warm and felt great on his feet. “You might change your mind,” Finn said.

      “I doubt that. When my clearance comes up for renewal in a couple of months, I’m letting it lapse.”

      Not renewing her security clearance was a quick way to scratch her name off the United States’ black ops-for-hire list. Finn had never seen the list and he didn’t know who had access to it except likely the president of the United States, the vice president, a couple of senators and Connor West. Some of the best and the brightest were rumored to be on the list. Experts in absolutely everything at the government’s beck and call.

      If Hyde’s clearance expired, acquiring another at the same level would take months, if it was granted at all. She wouldn’t be eligible for special projects.

      “After working for years to get where you are, you’re letting it go.” He couldn’t get his head around it and he believed she would regret this decision.

      “There are more important things than work.”

      Suspicion crept over him. Though he would never accuse her of being a turncoat, getting off the list and quitting the spy game made her a free agent. “Are you planning to go mercenary?”

      She made a face of disgust. He was off the mark.

      “I would never do that. What I have in mind entails Saturdays and Sundays off work, nights and holidays to myself and a steady paycheck. Reading the news about attacks and bombings and knowing someone else is handling it. No more calls at midnight to go wheels up.”

      “A small paycheck for boring work,” he said.

      “The paycheck doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ll embrace the mundane.”

      When they were ribs deep in the water, Hyde dove under. She surfaced ten feet out. Finn chased her. He slid his hand around her hips and lifted her against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He tread water for them. “Do you remember when we rented a room at the resort in Palm Springs and pretended to be spring-breakers?” They had stayed in the penthouse of a popular hotel. He and Hyde had loved being in the middle of that chaos. They had been close enough to hear the music, the lingo and the craziness, and far enough away to escape when they’d wanted privacy.

      “We are too old for that now. I can’t chug a beer from a funnel without getting reflux.”

      “It was two years ago.”

      “A lifetime,” she said. She pushed off his chest and swam backward away from him.

      If he could remind her of the closeness they’d shared, she may confide in him. They were friends first. He had told her things he hadn’t told another human being. “What did you do with the bracelet I gave you?”

      “I have it. In my pack. It fits my cover.”

      Was that all it was? Or did it still mean something to her? He had surprised her with the bracelet in Bora Bora, a diamond tennis bracelet in a platinum setting. “It was my grandmother’s.” He had been given it after his grandmother had passed away. She was the one person in his family who had understood what he did for a living and approved. The rest of his family wanted him to quit and go into politics, like his father and brother. The bracelet had a high sentimental value to him.

      Hyde pushed her wet hair off her face. “The bracelet is a family heirloom?”

      He nodded.

      Hyde’s brows were furrowed in confusion. “I thought it was a piece you picked up at the local market.”

      He had let her believe that. She wouldn’t have accepted it otherwise. “I wanted you to have it. You’re strong and brave like my grandmother

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