INTO DANGER (Secret Assassins (S.A.S.S.) Book 1) (2 page)

He stopped at a traffic light and finally turned to face her. He wasn’t unnerved by her scrutiny at all. Instead he smiled, a slow easy curve of his lips that heated her insides.

“I’m new at this,” he said. “What do you expect of me?”

Marlena lifted a brow. “Obedience.”

“Do you get it?” He cocked his head, a curious glint in his eye.

Yes, she did. She deliberately cultivated fear so she could get it. Fewer questions that way, and fewer missteps. But for once she didn’t mind questions. Normally she would ignore these lackeys they sent her, giving them the silent treatment most of the time, but then all the others were shifty-eyed and boring. “The light is green,” she said, turning away from him.

He shifted. The powerful car sped forward. “A woman who doesn’t want to talk; there is a God,” he muttered.

Marlena glanced back at him. “Stash, you’re very annoying.” She leaned back in the seat. “Speed up. We’re being followed.”

Steve looked in the rearview mirror. “How do you know? There are four cars behind us?”

She slit a glance in his direction. The man got to learn to be quiet. At least he obeyed her and sped up. “That’s because I watch out for these things. I obviously can’t count on you for my own safety.”

He gave her a brief smile. “Wanna bet? I can lose them for you.”

She looked at the side mirror at the car steadily keeping up with them. Her arrival in town hadn’t exactly been a secret for those who wanted to find out, so she’d expected to be followed. But she didn’t need to make it easy for them. And frankly her companion amused her.

“Sure,” she said. “What’s the bet?”

Oh, she had thought him amusing a second ago. Strike that. The smile he gave her sent her insides churning. The man wasn’t amusing; he was one sexy devil.

“If I lose the car, I get a kiss,” he told her.

Marlena’s mind went blank for a second. A kiss? When was the last time she’d kissed anybody spontaneously? She narrowed her eyes, considering the wager. “How good are you?”

“The best,” Steve assured her gravely. He shifted to a higher gear. “I can kiss in more ways than you can...move.”

It was her turn to smile. She had yet to meet someone bold enough to challenge her, twice in a night, at that. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. “In that case you’re in charge here, Stash.” She opened her eyes again as a thought occurred. “What if you lose the bet?”

His eyes never left the road. “I won’t,” he said and shifted gears.

An arrogant man indeed. Marlena watched as he coolly adjusted and looked at the rearview and side mirrors, studying his options. He seemed to know what he was doing as he cut out into the speeding lane. The Porsche’s slow hum became a distinct rumble. She peeked at her side of the mirror again. Even though she’d told the man beside her he was in charge, well—there was no such thing.

She didn’t know what surprised her more—the wager or the fact that she had relinquished control. Kissing wasn’t something she did often. It was an offering, a sharing of intimate time, and she didn’t offer or share her time very generously. Agreeing with such an outrageous bet with a stranger was something new.

The pair of headlights behind them moved closer.. Traffic was uneven, with patches of cars interrupting open lanes. She glanced sideways He seemed in no hurry to lose them as he kept enough speed to just pass the cars in the right lane.

Marlena analyzed people who interested her. A man who took his time like this intimated more than a deliberate thinker. A man who took charge without hesitation suggested leadership, someone who didn’t intend to lose. She sat there quietly, intrigued at the thought, half studying him and half keeping an eye on his actions. The change from cocky sexiness to this self-assured determination was exciting to watch. For the first time she wished she could see his face closely, see exactly what he looked like.

The Porsche caught up with a long line of slow traffic on the right. His driving was very smooth, and there was a certain calmness in his execution that suggested he’d done this before. She frowned slightly, but her thoughts were interrupted when he swerved sharply back into the slow lane, in front of several cars. Any vehicle, if it was following them, would have to pull up to settle back into the same lane or stay where it was, with the slower cars in the way. All of them honked as the Porsche surfed sideways right down the exit ramp.

The ramp was dark as the long line of lights roared by. Steve slowed only enough to merge, and then he sped up again. Marlena led out a slow breath. That was beautiful to watch.

“You know,” he said conversationally, “fast cars are nice, but easily recognized. If it were daylight, it would be more difficult to lose them.”

“With moves like that, I don’t have to worry too much, do I?”

He looked at her for a second and smiled, almost wolfishly. “Guess not.” Then his expression became serious again. “But who’s following us, do you know?”

Marlena smiled wryly. Well, maybe her suspicions were unfounded. Someone used to her kind of life didn’t need to ask silly questions like that. No, the man was just some young minion given to her for a few days.

She shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Hell, yeah.”

“Stash, not to you it shouldn’t.”

He was silent as he drove on. Ten minutes later they were in a secured, well-lit underground parking garage. He cut the engine.

Now Marlena could see him. She already knew he had dark hair but now she saw that he had dark eyes too. High cheekbones. Vertical slashes on each side of shapely masculine lips. A dimple in his chin kept her eyes focused on his mouth. He was also older than she had first thought. Early thirties?

“I suppose you want your kiss,” she said, suddenly very aware of the small space in the car.

His dark eyes glinted back at her. “No suppose about it, lady. I’ve wanted that since you put your hand in my pants.”

“A move not intended to excite,” she explained in a soft, low voice.

“Want to try that move again?” he asked. Somehow he had moved closer.

“Our bet was a kiss,” she reminded him, but allowed her eyes to stray down.

“So it was,” he agreed. “I’ll have to think of another wager next time.”

Did he move closer? She was sure he did. Either that or the car had gotten smaller. She took her eyes off his pants and looked back up. His lips were beautiful. Reaching out, she traced their outline with a finger. They parted slightly.

“I suppose you want it now,” she said.

His lips caressed her finger as he said, “Now is good.”

Her heart was beating a little quicker. A kiss. She must be going out of her mind. Calmly she said, “Let’s see how good you are, then.”

His dark head dipped down even before she finished her sentence.

Lightning. That was the only way to describe his kiss. The first touch of his lips seared every nerve with a current of desire that made her gasp. A mistake. His tongue, like a thief, slipped inside her mouth. And stole away reality.

He kissed her as if he were trying some exotic fruit for the first time. A slow, silky dance of tongues as he took that first taste of her. Apparently liking what he found, the lazy exploration deepened into something more than mere tasting. He slanted his head, nudging her back so he could get more of her. She curled one arm around his neck and ran her fingers through thick, soft hair. He bit her lip softly, and the feverish longing to have him pooled hot and needy in her.

She’d expected casual desire—he was a desirable man, after all—but not this heady need to be taken. She wanted to say yes to everything he was silently asking her as he seduced her into his mouth to taste him. He was like dark chocolate—the kind that wasn’t too sweet, a smooth and bold flavor that was totally masculine. And she wanted more.

It was too much. Losing control over one kiss was not an option. Marlena placed her other hand on his chest and pushed. Not too hard, but just enough to remind herself she was still in charge. She forced her eyes to remain open.

***

S
teve felt her hand pushing him away. Her mouth was his, but she didn’t trust him enough to close her eyes. It maddened him. She’d spent the last hour successfully evading his questions; he wasn’t going to let her win this round, too. Not when he was going crazy trying to keep himself from pushing her down on the seat and just having her right then.

He took the offending hand in his and slid it down, all the way, and held it firmly where he wanted it, right between his legs. She made a sound, and he didn’t care whether it was surprise or outrage, he went in for the kill, tilting her head back even more, and gave in to baser needs. No time for exploration anymore. He just wanted her to give in to him.

She tried to squirm her hand away, and the friction had him groaning in her mouth; then she squeezed, and he almost lost it. To his satisfaction, her eyes finally closed. So did his, as her hand kept in rhythm with his tongue.

Steve had no idea how long they would have gone on kissing if some car hadn’t entered the parking garage. They broke apart, instantly alert, breathing heavily. Doors slammed. Footsteps and female chatter faded away.

Her eyes stared back at him, dark blue, like the deepest part of the ocean. Mermaid eyes. The vulnerability in them startled him enough to restore reality. This was Marlena Maxwell, Ste-vo, top-notch assassin. No vulnerable mermaid.

“Can I have my hand back now?” she asked, in that husky voice that had given him images of tangled bedsheets all the way from the bar to here.

He released her. He already had what he wanted for now. “I like it there,” he told her.

“I can tell.” Her voice was whisper-soft, and her hand hadn’t moved a damn inch.

“Are you going to do something about it?”

“Demanding, aren’t you? Not exactly how a lackey should act.”

“Told you I was new at this.”

“We have to practice on this obedience thing, Stash.”

“You want a pet.” He grinned at her. Could be interesting. Besides, he needed to spend as much time with her as possible. He glanced down where her hand still was. The sight of it had him wondering whether a man could die from zipper strain. “I’m...game.”

Much to his disappointment, she didn’t want to pet him anymore, letting go after one last suggestive slide of her hand. Her smile was wicked, knowing. Damn woman was a tease.

“Good boy,” she said, startling with a girlish chuckle when he growled. “Let’s get out of this car, shall we, and see whether we can go on up without any more interruptions.”

Steve thought of the luxury apartment on the twelfth floor. He hadn’t had time to check it out while his team was there setting it up, but that place had enough cameras and bugs to catch a fly buzzing by. He hadn’t thought about it till now. There wouldn’t be any privacy for them.

He mentally shook himself. What the hell was wrong with him? His job was to secure information from the target. This was a matter of life and death, and its import had flown out of his head with the rest of his brain cells when he kissed her. As they walked to the elevator, he told himself that he had to remember what kind of woman he was dealing with here.

He’d started the evening wondering about kissing an assassin and what it would take to get what he wanted. The elevator opened and they stepped in together. He glanced at the woman beside him, who was ignoring him again. Auburn lights glinted in her brown hair. Eyes that saw too much. Lips that had him begging for a bed. And the entire package encased in tempting, figure-hugging black leather. He wanted to unwrap the whole thing for himself.

To get what his agency wanted, he would have to lie to Marlena Maxwell and wait for her to miscalculate, but the last hour with her showed she wasn’t going to be an easy person to persuade. She had brains and plenty of moves. Plus she didn’t trust anyone. It was, he concluded, going to take a lot of man to persuade her.

The elevator came to a stop at their floor and the doors swished open. Steve picked up the small suitcase and gestured the way to the apartment. Her blue eyes were mocking, as if she found his “obedience” amusing. It didn’t take long to think up several interesting ways to persuade. He just had to keep his head while he was doing it.

***

M
arlena couldn’t remember the last time she had retreated from a challenge. She peered from under her lashes at the man walking beside her. Lord, but he wasn’t lying when he’d told her he was the best at kissing. Her lips still tingled. Everything was working overtime. Her whole body. Her blood pressure. She made a tiny moue with her lips. Her brain, too. When was the last time she’d kissed like that in public and not cared if it endangered her life? Never.

She leaned a shoulder against the wall as Steve searched for the keys. The dark hair, those almost-black eyes, and that mouth—he was too damn good-looking for a lonely woman. If she weren’t Marlena Maxwell...hell, if she weren’t Marlena Maxwell, the point was moot—she wouldn’t be there.

Steve opened the door to the apartment and stepped back for her to enter first, servile as a butler. Except for the glint in those midnight eyes. And the knowing lift of those lips. She chose to continue to ignore him, sweeping past nonchalantly.

The apartment was spacious and furnished in a modern but expensive airy style. Not too flowery, like her last assignment. That one had given her a headache every morning when she walked out of the bedroom. She crossed the tiled floor to the middle of the living room, turning around slowly. Steve closed the door behind her.

“The kitchen’s smaller than most but it’s stocked per your instructions,” he told her, setting down her things. “There’s the bar. The main bedroom is to the left, and over there are some sort of lounge and...a guest bedroom.”

At the slight pause, Marlena gave him a mocking glance, but his expression was properly innocent, except, of course, for those bedroom eyes. She casually unbuttoned the small leather jacket she was wearing as she looked around her again.

“Make me a drink, Stash, please? Whiskey on the rocks with a little lemon.”

Steve thanked the stars she’d asked for a simple drink. He had no idea how to mix complicated concoctions, but whiskey on the rocks—okay, he could handle that. He kept covert watch as he walked to the well-stocked bar and clanged glasses around. The mirror behind the bar helped. He watched her wander in and out of the lounge area, then into the guest bedroom.