Page 61 of Wrecked
“Hmm, you think?” Despite her nonchalant answer, she was so busted.
The man in the paintings was tall, broad shouldered, with blue-green eyes, and a mop of dark brown hair parted on the side. In truth, Nicholas Hawk was her type, or he became that when she met him. Hard not to like a man who looked like that.
In one of the pictures titled, “The Aftermath,” the man was propped against a pillow in bed, a naked woman lying across his lap. He was smoking.
Now, Hawk knew herrealsecret. Not that she’d been painting, but that she’d been paintingthem.
“You’re so talented,” he said.
“You think?”
He cupped her chin, tipped her face to his. “Yeah, baby, I do. These are beautiful.”
She melted from his encouraging words.
The air cracked with electricity while they stared into each other’s eyes.
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “You wanna get outta here?”
Hawk seduced like the devil, and she wanted to let go and get lost in him… all of him, all night long.
Sex with you would check a lot of boxes.
She hated what she was about to do. But, she had to put the brakes on them before they took this too far and ruined everything.
“Okay, so things have gotten a little crazy with us,” she murmured. “The kiss, the BJ, more kissing. We gotta get ourselves together. I’m struggling enough with whether or not I should join BLACK OPS, but I won’t if we’re looking for alcoves for a quick make-out session before we snuff some bad guy.”
He laughed. “I’d be fired up, for sure.” He paused while his gaze searched her face. “Grab some clothes and we’ll go to my place.”
“It’s been a long day,” she said. “I’m gonna pass on hanging with you tonight.”
A shadow darkened his eyes. “Dammit, Addison.”
“We gotta take a step back.” Her heart tightened as she made her way toward her front door.
Seconds later, he was by her side. “I’ve got a few surveillance cams in the SUV. I’ll install them before I take off.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
Despite the tension rolling off him, he still put her first.
Women throw themselves at him, and I’m pushing him away. I gotta be the biggest idiot on the planet.
She went outside while he mounted the new cameras. Minutes later, he was finished.
“If those kids come back, call me.” He hesitated for a second, then he was gone, taking her heart with him.
I just let the best man I’ve ever known walk away. It’s okay… I did the right thing.
If she had, then why did she feel so empty?
9
SHOCKING NEWS
After a restless night, Addison got ready, downed a quick breakfast, and headed out to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
At seven that morning, her former boss’s assistant had called. She was being summoned to an on-site meeting. Twice, after she’d left the Agency, they needed her assistance with specific terror cells, which she’d been happy to provide.
