Deception of the Heart (18 page)

‘Pete will think I am cursed with bad luck
.’ Melanie grinned, unaware of the turn his thoughts had taken. ‘The day I came for an interview, I tripped over the doorstep and he had to catch me, the poor guy. Still, he should be glad the cut isn’t deep. I expect I should be able to type and write, no problem, once it’s dressed up.’

He didn’t have the heart to tell her
that her job with Pete had very little to do with her abilities. He had already figured out why Pete hired this brown-eyed, sweet girl with a trusting soul and straightforward personality. Melanie couldn’t lie for the life of her, that much was certain. Knowing Pete, that must have been exactly the quality that made him consider her seriously in the first place. The Brigade needed people like her, people who were honest, trustworthy, and just oblivious enough to overlook anything out of ordinary. Melanie could be a perfect accessory, or at least that was what Pete must have thought.

Any thoughts of Pete would have to wait for now
. The hotel came into view, its vanilla-colored walls sparkling in the heat. He could imagine what the receptionist would think, seeing them come in at such an unusual hour. It was siesta time, the magical hours between noon and early evening when those lucky enough to be able to afford it withdrew into the coolness of thick-walled rooms to wait for the evening breeze. He had a pretty good idea of how he wanted to spend those hours with Melanie. His blood heated at the image of her lovely body spread on top of the bed.

‘Here we are
.’ He pulled into the hotel parking lot, helped her out of the car, and banished his unruly ideas. She needed his help, nothing else.

They walked
through the lobby and stopped to pick up the key, the empty hallway pleasantly cool and fresh. He was glad to avoid staring eyes, especially since Melanie’s dress held smudges of blood as well. They might end up talking to the
polizie
if the owners or other guests decided he posed a threat to her.

‘Come in
.’ Melanie seemed oblivious to her slightly disheveled state, probably still running on adrenaline. He guessed that once she took a glance at the mirror and saw the damage, she’d freak out. Fighting with burly men with just a knife didn’t seem like something she was used to.

He carr
ied the first aid kit from his car that he had stored for exactly such an occasion. Not much, just a few basic items. He’d learned from previous experiences how important medical supplies could be.

‘Well, I think I will shower first
.’ She hesitated and looked at him, still standing at the door. ‘This room is rather small, but please do make yourself at home. There is a TV set here, or you can use my laptop. I shouldn’t take long at all.’ She moved around, gathering a handful of clothes before disappearing behind the white door that, he guessed, led to the bathroom.

He
waited until he heard running water. He had a small window of opportunity, and he needed to act fast. He walked over to the bathroom door, listening for a second. She was taking her shower. He heard the water cascading in rhythmic waves, and an image of her naked, soap-covered body rose in his mind. He managed to ignore it, his expertise making it almost easy. He knew the drill by now. Voiding his mind of anything but the task at hand worked best, so he put his attention one hundred percent on his mission.

Opening Pete’s door was child’s play. He’d had to break in places
that were much better guarded in much more difficult situations. He pressed down the door handle and was rewarded with no resistance.

He knew what to look for.
Bernard might have overlooked sharing other aspects of the operation with him, but he’d made sure Jon knew what to retrieve and, most importantly, where from. The small hidden camera was the easiest, picked up and hidden in his pocket in mere seconds. The more elaborate system connected to the Internet connection modem required more time. His fingers were nimble as he detached the small device, careful not to pull it a second too early. Thank goodness for the team’s geeks. He marveled at the tiny piece that recorded Pete’s browsing history and hacked into his email account.

Suddenly he looked up, his senses alert. Something was wrong
. He listened carefully for whatever made him uneasy. It was the silence, of course. He had left the door open to be able to hear Melanie, the short corridor connecting both rooms unable to muffle the noise of her shower. The water wasn’t running anymore, so each passing second made it more likely he’d be found in Pete’s room. He couldn’t imagine what excuse he’d give Melanie to justify his presence. He swiftly walked to the door, gently closed it, and locked the old-fashioned lock. He fingered both items in his pocket, the small pieces deceivingly innocent and small. He imagined what kind of data would be found on Pete’s private files, and he hoped it would put an end to his Machiavellian plans. He hated the idea of Melanie being with that man. Even though she was in no imminent danger, he still rejected the prospect of having her so close to a man who could kill others in cold blood and without regrets.

He walked over to her sofa, grabb
ed the remote, and turned on the TV just in time to greet her as she emerged from the washroom. He didn’t know what he was watching. It appeared to be some ad channel advertising local car dealerships. It didn’t matter anyway, because the moment he saw her, everything else disappeared into oblivion. She was absolutely beautiful. His throat tightened as he looked at her fragile frame in the thick white bathrobe, dark hair hanging in wet rattails down her slim shoulders.

‘
The hair dryer isn’t working.’ She smiled, gesturing to her head. ‘I am afraid we will have to wait a bit before we can leave. Still, I managed to wrap my hand.’ She wiggled her palm, the white, thick gauze wrapped around her slim hand.

She didn’t mean it as an invitation.
He knew that, of course. Still, he couldn’t resist the magnetic pull propelling him forward. His feet closed the space between them with three short steps.

‘
I am glad we got delayed,’ he whispered, his hand lifting to move a wet strand from her face and tuck it gently behind her small, neat earlobe. ‘This opens a whole new set of possibilities of how we could kill some time waiting, Melanie.’

He fe
lt her skin tremble under his fingertips, and he knew it wasn’t fear. He recognized the impatient drumming of her blood, heating in expectation of what was truly unavoidable from the moment he’d laid eyes on her in Spitieris’ house. Or maybe even earlier. The photograph he had been handed in that meeting was enough to start something that could only be compared to an avalanche: powerful and utterly unstoppable. It had led him there, to that very moment, to that miraculous second when nothing else mattered save for her and him, the world on a pause button. All of his worries, plans, and preparations faded into oblivion. He decided to allow himself one moment of weakness, of refusing to listen to his common sense. He’d regret it later, the little voice whispered, his brain trying desperately to bring him back from the edge of the precipice.

And yet, he didn’t want to think about it. He knew in
his heart of hearts that the disaster that would unfold after the operation would destroy everything. He’d lose whatever fragile connection he had established with Mel, his betrayal too deep and too complete to be forgiven. So maybe he was selfish. But he didn’t want it to be over, and he was fully aware of the futility of his wishes.

He could have
that moment, though. He could steal just a few mere hours of bliss and ignore the warning bells. It would not be enough; he accepted that. But it would give him something to hang on to when things turned bad. Melanie’s face and the scent of her body would stay etched in his memory after they went their separate ways…

‘What do you have in mind?’
Her eyes huge, she looked up at him, her voice barely a whisper.

‘Let’s see
…’ He leaned forward, pulling her closer, his hands tightening around her slim frame lost in the thick, fluffy robe. He yearned to pull it off, eager to find the treasures underneath. But he would take it slow and savor the sweet moments. It was all he would ever get, so he needed to do it right, however hard it was to wait.

‘We
could do this…’ He kissed her cheek, his lips dragging languorously across the velvety skin toward her lips. She smelled like roses, probably the scent of her soap. Sweet and alluring, the fragrance wove its way into his nostrils, enveloping him in a cloud of seductive oblivion. He found the corner of her mouth and traced it with the tip of his tongue, slowly tracing the perfect shape of her lips and lingering at the seam. She followed his lead, letting him in. The sweet recess of her mouth welcomed him in a kiss that made it very difficult to live up to his earlier plans to take it slow. He kissed her urgently, almost desperately, their tongues meeting in the ancient dance of desire and fire, as old as the human race.

He wasn’t in control anymore as he succumbed to her response. With one impatient move
, he lifted her, careful not to press her injured palm. Carrying her to the bed took less than a second, the white, crisp linen welcoming them. Laying her down, he came to her side, his eager eyes unwilling to even blink. He didn’t want to miss any of it. He reached for the knot of her white belt, his breath catching as the robe fell open. He let his eyes travel slowly from her slim shoulders to the surprisingly full breasts tipped with pink nipples. He made a conscious effort to take it slowly, forcing himself to linger before lowering his gaze to the flat planes of her stomach and lower still.

‘God, but you’re beautiful,’ he whispered, his voice trembling.
He reached out and traced the fine bluish lines of the veins visible under the creamy skin of her breasts. Slowly he caressed the firm, pale globe, reveling in the warm silkiness of her skin. Drawing ever-smaller circles, he moved toward the pebble hard tip, rolling it between his fingertips. He was rewarded by her gasp of delight, her slim body surging forward in mute invitation. Not that he needed any, really. His head bent to her breasts, his lips retracing the path his fingers had taken until he reached the erect nipple and suckled on it. His other hand reached for her second breast, his fingers mimicking his mouth, the double assault sending tremors through her twisting body.

‘Yes, oh my god, yes
.’ Her soft moan spurred him on. As he kissed her breasts, his fingers found their way lower to the shadowy junction of her restless thighs. They parted for him instantly, just enough to let him cup the warm mound and dip his finger into the wet heat inside. His fingers glided effortlessly over the honeyed tissues, finding the tiny nub that grew under his fingers.

Melanie tried to stop him, her heated face pleading. ‘
No, wait, I want to feel your skin against mine, Jon. Wait.’ He obeyed, too enthralled to deny her anything. She unbuttoned his shirt, her one-handed effort eager and surprisingly deft. He helped shrug it off his shoulders, his skin impatient to touch hers. The jeans came off with his briefs. He wasn’t sure who took them off him. And it didn’t matter really. They were naked and they were together, her lips against the skin of his collarbones.

He couldn’t remember anyone kissing him like that, the slow
, steady brush of her half-open mouth against his skin a brand new experience. As if she was trying to learn his body, her eyes closed and nostrils greedily inhaling the scent of his skin, she kissed his chest. Her long hair trailed against the supersensitive flesh. He wanted to go back to being the discoverer, but he couldn’t stop her. Even as she moved lower, her tongue tracing the lines of his abs and reaching the bones of his hips, he was immobilized, his body totally under her spell. She moved her head, her cheek bumping into his erection, and he hissed, the exquisite torture barely endurable.

He wanted to guide her to
his very center, his fingers itching to bury themselves in her hair and show what he really wanted. But he didn’t. Instead, he waited, his lungs aching as he held his breath, blood pulsing with the speed of quicksilver. It was worth the wait. He finally felt her lips linger on the side of his penis a second later, resting there while she licked the sensitive flesh with the tip of her tongue. Ever so slowly, she moved up the iron-hard shaft, her warm, open mouth kisses caressing the taut skin. He groaned, his plea heard and accepted. Suddenly she took him into her mouth, sucking hard on the tip of his penis, her fingers massaging the whole length of his erection. The mix of innocence and passion was his undoing.

He had to stop her before he exploded, his hips lifting to
respond to each motion of her hot, wet tongue. With inhuman effort, he managed to do just that, his body screaming in protest as he held her shoulders.

‘No, not yet.’ Before she
could resist, he pulled her gently up, his mouth greedily welcoming her lips. He felt her slim thighs straddling his hips. The temptation to bury himself in her body almost sent him over the peak. Not that she made it any easier, kissing him back with such abandonment. He turned them over, her body under his once again. Soft and pliant, her frame yielded to the pressure of his hard body, her curves molding against his taut muscles as if she was made just for that.

He kissed her throat, too impatient to take it slow
again. His mouth traveled down to her breasts and concave belly, searching and finding the very core of her womanhood, slick and swollen. He probed it with the tip of his tongue, flicking gently over the tiny bud, and felt it grow even harder. Her legs fell further apart, and he found himself a spot between them, determined to give her as much pleasure as she gave him. Pleasure she was giving him even then, her soft moans and hands buried in his hair adding to the already mind-blowing experience.