“I don’t want to talk about clothes or jewelry,” she insisted, though there was a huff in her breath that told him she kind of did want to, but she was going to be all business. “Obviously you know best how to help me fit in with your people. We need to talk about the fact that we slept together and now we’re going on an op.”
That was a perfect setup. “And sharing a room, so again, I think we’ve made things far less awkward. You will like our room. It’s the presidential suite.”
“Does it have separate bedrooms?” She asked the question like the right answer could solve all her problems.
“They can connect several rooms when the resort isn’t full, but Dad likes to keep everyone close, so we’re all in one wing of the resort.” She wasn’t getting away that easily. He stopped at the red light and turned her way. “Are you saying you don’t want to sleep with me? Did I snore?”
“No.” Her face fell.
Oh, this was exactly how to deal with the gorgeous operative. She might be good at killing the bad guys, but she didn’t want to break his heart. He’d noticed her compassion while they’d been in the meeting earlier. She hadn’t liked it when Mike had put him in a bad position. She was a woman who picked sides and was inherently loyal. He knew exactly how to work her. “Was it…was it bad for you?”
She groaned and her head fell back. “It was fabulous and you know it.”
He did. He gave her a grin. He knew he was being a manipulative bastard, but he fought for what he wanted, and he wanted her. “It was good for me, too. It was kind of the best.”
She’d gone a delicious shade of pink. “Really?”
“Really.” He turned onto the access road. It was good to be alone with her again. The conference had unnerved him. His brother constantly said he was naïve, and now he might have to agree with him since it appeared someone had been murdered on his watch. “It was one of the best nights of my life. Followed by one of the hardest afternoons.”
Her hand came out, covering his own. “I know it was rough. You need to remember that none of this is your fault.”
It was difficult to think that way. He was the boss. His dad might walk into the office and everyone bowed down, but he’d left the day-to-day operations to JT for the last few years. His father was getting ready to retire. “It doesn’t feel that way. I should have seen that something was going on with Bill. I need to figure out how to take care of his family without making his wife uncomfortable. Bill’s wife is very proud. Not in a snooty way, but she’s not one to take handouts, which is why I would be shocked if she knew what Bill was doing. He was desperate. I can’t imagine what that must feel like.”
Nina was staring at him, a sheen of tears in her eyes. “There aren’t many people in the world who could find out an employee committed an act of sabotage and still find a way to care about him.”
He put his eyes on the road. “I believe my twin would say I’m naïve and inexperienced.”
“Is he right? Have you been sheltered all your life?”
“Sheltered from certain things, yes. I’ve never had to worry about money, so I don’t think much of it. But I’ve been out in the world. In my brother’s eyes, because I’ve never been a part of a military unit, I’m soft. He’s never been on an oil rig when pirates decide to show up. They’re real, you know.”
“I do,” she replied quietly. “They’re troublesome and violent.”
“And I was in charge of that rig. I’m in charge wherever I go.” He could still remember how scared he’d been that he would lose his workers. He was responsible for their safety. “Did I want to shoot the fuckers? Hell, yeah, I did. But I had to sit there and negotiate because we were outgunned.”
“That was the smart thing to do,” Nina assured him. “You took care of your people.”
And then he’d worked with some locals to take the pirates down. “I’ve had to deal with mobsters, and I didn’t speak their language. I didn’t have a team of badasses behind me. I had engineers and geologists. I’ve also seen some of the worst poverty in the world and known that everything I have would be a drop in the well of trying to cure it. But I can help Bill’s family. I can make a difference to them.”
“You could always tell her the company took out an insurance policy on him because he was so important and replacing him would have been costly,” she suggested. “It was an outdated policy from years ago. But now you realize that money should go to them.”
She was good at this. He wasn’t the only one who could manipulate his way around a situation. “That could work. She shouldn’t have to worry about her future when she’s in mourning. I’ll put that into play. Thanks, baby.”
Her shoulders went straight. “You can’t call me baby.”
He had an answer to her denial. “I thought I was supposed to call you that. You’re really more of a baby than a sweetheart. My dad calls my mom honey, so that doesn’t work. Not that you aren’t sweet.”
She shook her head, obviously flustered again. “See, that’s what we can’t do.”
“I thought that was what I was supposed to do. We’re getting married.”
“We’re getting fake married.” She thought about that for a second. “No, we’re fake engaged. We’re not actually getting fake married.”
“You’re going to leave me at the fake altar?”
“There is no altar.
