“I’d love to, but only if it’s dinner. You fascinate me, that’s true, but commitment is important to me, and even if you’d be willing to offer me that, I can’t.”
“My loss, then, but this is business. I trust you, Shelby, and I trust you to do the right thing with the information I’m going to give you.” Cain turned her hand in Shelby’s lap palm up so she would take it. It was sad in a way that they could never be more than friends. She liked the agent, and while Cain would never allow another woman into her heart, she would always welcome women like Shelby into her bed. “Are you ready? I don’t need the feds organizing a raid because they think I’m in here having my way with you.”
Shelby had played out the kiss they’d shared on the plane in her dreams more than once in the past week, and having the real thing so close proved to be too tempting. She moved so that she was almost in Cain’s lap and pulled the dark head down so she could reach the full lips that had felt so good before.
Cain opened her mouth and invited Shelby in as she put her hands on the agent’s hips and willed them not to wander. The door opening behind them broke them apart.
“Yes, Merrick?” She rubbed the side of Shelby’s mouth with the pad of her thumb. She didn’t need to turn around and confirm who it was. Merrick was the only one with the authority to open the door without knocking.
“The young woman’s companions were wondering how long she’d be.”
“Have Charlie pour them a drink on the house and tell them we’ll be out in a minute, thank you.”
The soft click left them in their quiet cocoon once again. Shelby figured the walls were extremely padded because of how quickly the music died away when Merrick closed the door.
“The last time I understood your actions, but tonight I’m at a bit of a loss,” said Cain.
“Last time it was because I was grateful. Tonight it’s just about wanting to. My life’s so ordered that it’s fun to put that aside for just one kiss and be happy in the moment.”
Cain slowly kissed her again, coaxing Shelby’s tongue to meet hers.
Shelby moaned at the contact, finding Cain’s erotic pull impossible to resist. Perhaps the dangerous way she lived her life, or the way her hands felt as they ran along the fabric of her dress until one came to rest at the underside of her breast? Whatever the reason, Cain wove a spell that was hard to just walk away from, but that was what she had to force herself to do.
“There’s a private bath behind the second door if you want to freshen up before we rejoin the party,” Cain offered.
Shelby pressed her lips to Cain’s cheek before she got up with a long sigh.
The man posted at the door handed her purse back with a wicked smile when she stepped out on Cain’s arm. Per his boss’s request, he had spent his time waiting for them to finish their meeting by singing along with whatever song the DJ was playing. Shelby would owe Kyle some aspirin when the night was done.
“How about a dance since you won’t sleep with me?”
Shelby’s face felt hot as she imagined the teasing she’d get later over the question. But she was also grateful to Cain for asking. A reputation for sleeping with the enemy was not something she wanted to add to her resume.
“Just one, then I’ll have to call it a night.” She waved to Special Agent Joe Simmons on her way to the dance floor with Cain, then stopped to hand her purse to Special Agent Anthony Curtis. Vinny was standing at the bar near them talking to Merrick, so it was the best place for it at the moment.
One dance turned into three before Cain signaled the DJ to slow things down, if just for one song. With Shelby this close, she took the opportunity to talk to her one more time. “You do realize why Kyle assigned you lead agent tonight, don’t you?”
“The guys wouldn’t have gotten this close?”
“There’s that, and they aren’t blond.”
Shelby laughed and thought about what the outcome might have been had Cain not had such excellent information on who her watchers were. Would the untouchable Casey’s Achilles’s heel be a pair of pretty eyes and soft breasts? She hoped not, since it would be rather petty.
“Time for us to retreat back to our corners, Agent.” Cain kissed the top of her head and walked her to the bar.
Merrick was waiting with Cain’s coat and had already called for the car. In only two days all hell would break loose, and Cain wanted to go home and spend time with Hayden. If she went to bed soon, getting up for an early run wouldn’t be such a burden.
Kyle watched the car pull away, with a tail not too far behind. All he needed now was a definite time for what was going down. They had already worked out the logistics of mounting a raid. Until he had that information, he wasn’t letting Casey out of their sight. He could almost taste the big payoff he’d get by bringing her down.
The two agents in the van didn’t mind stepping out while their boss made a call. Being stuck in the cramped space with him for such a long period of time almost qualified them for hazard pay. Next time they would try a different approach on Joe and Anthony to get them to take the post with the boss.
“This is Kyle, put him on.” He could hear a television blaring in the background before someone muted it and the person he’d called for came on the line.
“When?”
“I imagine sometime this week. Casey’s been to every pay phone in the city, thinking it would make a difference. Then she had a meeting with Carlotti’s kid tonight. With any luck I can catch two big fish with one cast.”
“You do that, and I’ll make it worth your while.” With that, the line went dead.
Chapter Twenty-Two
