The Spy Is Cast (10 page)

Heading for the
walkway, I peered into the dusk, trying to stay calm and formulate
a plan. Logic. Okay. Two possibilities. One, Kane was captured. Or
two, we’d simply gotten separated, and he was looking for me just
as I was looking for him.

I dealt with the most
horrifying possibility first. If he’d been captured, the best thing
I could do would be to notify his team immediately. I wasn’t about
to attempt a daring rescue by myself. I shuddered, my mind shying
away from all the dire possibilities. My own experiences earlier in
the year had left me with no illusions about what Kane would be
suffering. If he was still alive.

I yanked my mind away
to the better of the two possibilities. Maybe he was looking for
me. Think like Kane. What would he do if he saw me being ushered
away helplessly? He didn’t have any reason to believe we had been
compromised. I doubted he would make a scene if he thought our
cover was still intact.

I blew out a breath
through my teeth, still scanning the grounds. A movement caught my
eye from the vicinity of the guest house, the second-largest
building. A tall figure strode hurriedly up the path toward the
house, and my heart gave a painful contraction when I recognized
Kane’s broad shoulders and athletic gait. I trotted up the path and
called his name softly.

At the sound of my
voice, his head jerked around. In a few long strides, he closed the
distance between us and swept me into his arms. “Aydan,” he said
urgently. “Are you all right?”

I held him tightly,
trembling with relief. “I’m fine,” I assured him. “Are you
okay?”

“Fine,” he echoed. He
rested his forehead briefly against my hair, then released me and
took my hand, turning toward the house.

“I got the house
tour,” I told him quietly. “I did the best I could to watch for the
things you mentioned. And I think I know where the server room
is.”

He squeezed my hand.
“Good work. I got the rest of the buildings. Lucky we found each
other. I was just about to make a major scene. I didn’t know what
was happening to you, and I was afraid to wait any longer.”

“Same here,” I
replied. “I thought you’d been captured.” As we approached the
buildings, I glanced up at him. “Do you want me to check the guest
house for the network?”

Kane paused, surveying
me in the dusk. “Are you up to it?”

“Can we get into it
inconspicuously?”

He shrugged. “It’s a
guest house. We’re guests.” We walked arm in arm up to the entrance
of the building and stepped into the foyer as if we belonged there.
The opulent decor stunned me. Wood, glass, and stone made a warm
background for blocky, sophisticated soft seating in earth
tones.

Kane led me to one of
the chairs. “Sit this time.”

I sank into the chair
and he perched on the arm, holding me close against his chest. Just
a tired couple taking a break from the party. I summoned up Robert
again, stepping in and then out of the network one last time.
Red-hot pokers jabbed into my brain, and my body jerked as it
strained to curl up. I ground my teeth to hold back the profanity
that fought to escape, and tasted blood. I breathed deeply against
Kane’s shirt for a few moments, waiting for the pain to subside
enough that I could trust my voice.

“Ow,” I whimpered
softly. “Fuck.” I touched the painful spot in my mouth and surveyed
the smear of blood on my fingertip.

Kane tilted my face
up, scanning it anxiously. “Aydan? Are you all right?”

I grimaced. “Fine. I
just bit myself.”

He gazed down at me
for a few seconds more. “That’s the last time. You don’t need to do
this again. Can you stand up yet?”

I nodded, and he
helped me to my feet, tucking my arm into his once again. We left
the building, and he led me up the path toward the house. Music
poured out as the door opened, and the two guards hurried past us
in the direction of the guest house. I suppressed a twitch.

“Sounds like the dance
has started,” Kane commented in a tone that sounded exactly like
pleasant anticipation. Damn, he was good. My heart was pounding so
hard after the sudden appearance of the guards, I couldn’t have
trusted my voice.

He smiled down at me
and drew me toward the house. “Let’s go in and dance.”

“Dance? As in ballroom
dance? Houston, we have a problem,” I whispered.

He stopped.
“What?”

I shot a glance in the
direction of the guest house, gratefully noting the guards had
vanished. “The only ballroom dance I know is a waltz,” I hissed. “A
poor excuse for a waltz. I haven’t done it in years. And I always
try to lead.”

“Wasn’t that part of
your briefing?”

“No!”

Kane must have seen my
consternation, because his face softened. “Okay. Don’t worry. We’ll
do a quick rehearsal out here. Then we’ll go in, make an
appearance, and find some pretext to leave quickly.”

Right on cue, the
music’s rhythm changed, and he held out his arms. I stepped toward
him uncertainly, and he placed my hand on his shoulder and began a
smooth waltz. I could tell right away he was an expert dancer, and
it made me even more self-conscious. Trying not to move my lips, I
counted “one, two, three, one, two three,” under my breath and
stiffly followed as best I could.

Sure enough, I tried
to go one way while he went the other, and he chuckled and leaned
down to my ear. “Relax. You’re not facing a firing squad.”

“That would be easier.
I wouldn’t have to worry about being dressed up and making polite
conversation.”

“You don’t really hate
it that much, do you?”

I made a face. “No. I
hate it much, much more than that.”

“I find that hard to
believe.”

“Do you have any idea
how contrary to my nature parties like this are? I hate crowds, I
hate making small talk with strangers, and I hate dressing up. I
have to remember to keep my knees together, keep my mind out of the
gutter, and not swear. And I have to pretend to enjoy myself while
I do it. All I want to do is go home, put on my jeans, and swill
beer.”

He searched my face.
“But you make it look so easy. You laugh and chat and draw people
out. I heard you converse about everything under the sun tonight.
Everybody warmed up to you.”

“Just because you’re
good at something doesn’t mean you enjoy doing it.”

“True. But it usually
helps.”

“I’m good at fixing
toilets, too, but I wouldn’t be sorry if I never had to fix
another.”

He laughed. “I see
your point. What’s the latest toilet-related problem? Last time I
saw it, you had a gaping hole in your floor.”

“Oh, that’s all fixed
now. My latest escapade has been trying to fish a broken valve
chain out of the tank and reattach it without completely
demolishing the counter that goes over top of it.”

“You know how to have
a good time.”

“I’m just a party
animal.”

The music changed, and
he released me. “See, you were fine once you relaxed.”

I looked up at him
sheepishly. “You tricked me.”

“Yes.” He grinned.
“Let’s go inside and make our appearance.”

“Only if you let me
whine and bitch the whole time. Otherwise I’ll stiffen up
again.”

I cranked another
pleasant smile onto my face, and we went arm-in-arm into the house.
Back in the salon, ties were loosened and the general atmosphere
was relaxed thanks to copious amounts of free booze.

I leaned close to
Kane. “Keep me away from the bar. Otherwise I’m going to go over
there and chug-a-lug a pint.”

He laughed, expertly
snagging a glass of white wine from a passing tray. He handed it to
me with a small bow and a wicked look. “For the elegant lady.”

I successfully
resisted the urge to blow him a raspberry, and accepted the glass.
I sipped while we circulated, chatting with a few more people. When
the music changed to a waltz again, Kane gently removed the glass
from my hand and placed it on a nearby table, drawing me to the
dance floor. As we stepped onto it, he leaned down to my ear. “What
did you think of that sorbet at supper?”

I beamed up at him.
“It was fabulous. Everything was so delicious. That lobster bisque
was just like velvet. And that ravioli. The cream sauce was
amazing. And the dessert…” He swung me smoothly around, the sexy
laugh lines crinkling around his eyes. My mouth fell open. “You did
it again.”

He chuckled and pulled
me closer. “Keep dancing. And talk to me.”

By the time we’d
danced a couple more times, I was relaxed enough to enjoy it. Kane
was a superb dancer, his normally athletic movements translating to
smooth grace on the dance floor. I was slowly learning to sense
where and how he wanted me to move, paying attention to the subtle
pressure of his hands. I began to understand why people took up
ballroom dancing as a hobby. It was almost as much fun as
basketball. And I got to snuggle up to a hot guy. Hello.

Unfortunately, waltzes
were few and far between, and we spent the intervening time trying
to make conversation with the increasingly inebriated guests.
Finally, I widened my eyes at Kane, and he nodded subtly.

When the next waltz
started, he led me onto the floor again. We swung into motion, but
as the dance progressed, his body language changed. He held me
closer, his hands more demanding as he gazed into my eyes. By the
end of the dance, our bodies were so close that his thigh was
nearly between my legs. He held my hand clasped against his chest
as we left the dance floor and guided me toward the lobby, his arm
wrapped tightly around my waist.

When we reached the
doorway of the salon, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me
passionately. I stiffened in shock, and he moved his lips to my
ear. “Sorry. Just go with it. Please.”

Hell, he was preaching
to the choir. This evening was finally starting to improve. I slid
my hands under his suit coat, exploring the hot, solid muscles of
his back and shoulders, and pressed the length of my body against
him to kiss him back with enthusiasm.

A couple of steamy
kisses later, I was beginning to wonder if my knees would hold me
when he pulled away slightly and towed me out of the house and
toward the parking lot.

He stole kisses while
we stumbled down the pathway, holding each other close all the way.
Even though my brain knew this was just a cover, nobody had
informed my body. By the time we got to the valet’s station at the
cul-de-sac, I was ready to combust.

Kane shoved the key
tag and a fifty at the valet, clasping me tightly. “There’s another
fifty in it for you if you get that car up here in thirty seconds
or less,” he told the valet, his eyes never leaving my face.

The young man’s face
lit up. “Yes, sir!” he exclaimed, and rushed off into the
darkness.

Kane pulled me into
another long, hungry kiss, his hands hot against the bare skin of
my back. When Harchman had ground into me earlier, I’d felt as
though I’d throw up. Now I thought that if Kane did the same thing,
I’d probably have an orgasm on the spot. That seemed like an
excellent idea. I pressed my hips against him, making slow
circles.

Either he was packing
a long-barrelled pistol in his pocket, or he was enjoying this as
much as I was. Since I happened to know he carried a Sig Sauer
226R, I was reasonably convinced it was the latter. It pays to know
your weapons. And your firearms, too.

I gasped and clutched
at him when his teeth closed gently on my earlobe, and then groaned
in frustration when the Audi squealed to a halt beside us and the
valet hopped out.

Kane handed the kid
another fifty and turned to open the car door for me. I slid in,
making no attempt to control my skirt. It slipped up almost to my
crotch, and Kane froze at the sight of the lace tops of my
stockings and the bare thigh above them.

“What have you got on
under there?” he asked hoarsely.

I let my head loll
back on the headrest as I glided my fingers up past the stockings
and brushed the edge of the skirt back to reveal some more naked
leg.

“Why don’t you take me
home and find out?” I purred, mindful of the valet’s gawking. The
kid’s face changed to a knowing leer as Kane closed the door and
strode hastily around to the driver’s side.

He swung in, slammed
the car into gear, and peeled out of the cul-de-sac. When we
approached the gatehouse, his hand drifted over to my knee, gliding
up to my thigh as the guard approached the car.

Ha. Two could play
that game. I reached over and ran my fingernails slowly up the
inner seam of his pants. I stopped just short of ground zero as the
guard peered in, smirking. He nodded to his counterpart in the
gatehouse, and the gates swung open.

Kane hammered on the
gas and we laid rubber out the driveway, the car snarling with
unleashed power. As we slid onto the highway in a four-wheel drift,
I let out a whoop of sheer delight.

I laughed out loud as
the Audi accelerated hard on the dark highway, pressing me back in
the luxurious leather seat. Kane had both hands on the wheel now,
and I reluctantly removed my own from his thigh.

I sat silently for a
few moments, trying to calm down. Then euphoria bubbled up in me
again, and I gave an enthusiastic fist pump. “Yes!”

Kane’s smile gleamed
in the dashboard lights as he glanced over at me, slowing the car
to the speed limit. “What?”

“What do you mean,
what?” I crowed. “The night is over. I can take off these damn
clothes. We found the network. We scoped the buildings. We’re both
unscathed. I don’t think anybody recognized me. And I love this
car! I win! Yes!”

He laughed. “Sounds
like a win to me.”

I sat beaming for a
few more minutes, feeling the tension ebbing from my body. I didn’t
want to admit even to myself how frightened I’d been. I eased back
in the seat, letting out a heartfelt sigh and sobering when I
realized this had really only been the first step.