Forbidden Fantasies Bundle(205)
“Which ones?”
“She didn’t say. Were there any that were, you know, more than just casual relationships?”
“A couple.”
“Really? Who?”
“Why,” she asked, a smile in her voice, “jealous?”
“No, no. Just trying to figure this thing out.”
Water sloshed, and he pictured her getting out of the tub. All that naked flesh dripping with warm, sweet water. He discreetly adjusted the boys, but it didn’t help a whole lot. Then he tried to think of something really unsexy, but every image turned into naked Christie.
The water sounds stopped, but then he heard other stuff. A soft footfall, the towel slipping from the rod. “You probably want to get dressed,” he said. “I’ll go to the kitchen and wait.”
“No, don’t.”
He turned to find her wrapped in her towel. Her hair was still tumbled atop her head, and her skin still looked damp and warm.
“There’s still some things to discuss. Aside from the plan, which I want to go over again. But this…I need to hear this from you. Alone.”
Boone nodded. Whatever she asked, he had to give her the truth, as long as the truth wouldn’t get her killed.
“I really appreciate what you told me about Nate, but I need more. I want to understand. What did he do that was so terrible someone had to blow him up with a bomb?”
“Christie…”
She sighed as she sat at the side of the tub. She reached down and pulled the plug, then dried her hand with the edge of the towel. “I don’t give a shit about the danger. Been there, doing that. Just talk to me.”
Boone walked over to the other side of the tub and sat down, angling himself so he wasn’t looking at Christie. “We were recruited by a special ops group, an offshoot of the CIA who worked with the Pentagon. All of us were picked for our particular specialties. It was just good luck that Nate and I were both selected for the team. I’d also worked with Seth.
“Our assignment was in Pristina, Kosovo. We were to get to a rogue scientist working there. Destroy the lab, and everything in it, then get out.”
“When you say ‘get to’ you mean kill, don’t you.”
“Yes.”
“What went wrong?”
“Everything. The scientist wasn’t who we were led to believe. The information we were told to destroy had nothing to do with terrorism. When we protested, this black ops group decided to clear up the misunderstanding by killing all of us, the scientist included.”
“But—”
“Yeah. It surprised the hell out of us, too. And that’s it. That’s all I can say.”
“So how is it going to end? With you dead? All of you?”
“No. We just have to get the truth to the right people. But the truth would have to include proof.”
Christie didn’t say anything for so long, Boone had to look. God, she seemed so sad. Not crying, but almost.
He went to her side and took her hand in his. “He was a hero. For real. He stood up for his principles, for what was right. You have to remember that.”
She sniffed, then met his gaze. “Sounds like you were all heroes.”
“Naw. Just grunts following orders. We were just smart enough to know who to take our orders from.”
“Boone, is this plan going to work?”
“It’s our best shot. If he thinks we’re leaving, for good, he’ll have to make a move. And he’ll have to do it before Seth and Kate come back with the new identities, which gives us our window of opportunity.”
“What if he decides to solve the problem like that special ops team did? By killing us both?”
“He wants you too badly for that,” he said. “He may be insane, but he’s not crazy.”
Her lips quirked up. “Was that a compliment?”
“It was trying to be.”
“I appreciate it. But I don’t think you’re right. I’ve read too many real-life stalker cases where the bad guy thought if he couldn’t have the girl, no one could.”
“We’ll be ready for him. Whatever he does.”
“We? As in you and me, or you, me, Kate and Seth?”
“The whole gang.”
“Good. I’d hate to have our futures depending on my shooting skills.”
“You could do it if you had to. But you won’t. Trust me, we’ll have it covered.”
She stood up and went to the center of the room. She didn’t move for a while, then she dropped her towel and reached for her panties.
He watched as she dressed herself. Panties—white and lacy, but not a thong, unfortunately—and then her bra. It was one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen. She wasn’t trying to turn him on. The opposite was true, he thought. She was simply dressing, as she would if she were alone. Or with a longtime lover.