Spy Games: Lethal Limits (42 page)

Aaron brushed away the compliment. “I thought spies were international.”

Jake glanced at Charlotte, and they exchanged a look. “Usually. But we don’t follow the normal rules in our office.”

Aaron frowned. “How did you know about today? Spy sense, intelligence…”

Jake shrugged. “I didn’t. You didn’t pick me up at the airport or answer your cell. That’s not you. I put two and two together.”

“And her?” He nodded to Charlotte, who was waving a wand of sorts over items in the room.

“Chase sent her as a little gift to you. She’s your new bodyguard.”

“What? Jesus, Jake. Who is going to believe she’s a bodyguard?” She was all long legs, gorgeous breasts. Nice hips. Unless she was going to leg-lock the bad guys, he didn’t see anyone believing it.

“Watch it, love,” she growled, looking up from waving a wand thing over his lamp.

“He’s right, Charlotte. You’re a dainty filly, all show and sparkle.” Jake grinned as she glared. “So now Aaron James will have a new girlfriend, and that will do double duty. She’ll keep your ass out of trouble, and she’ll send Vincent Perotti a very clear message that you are no longer sniffing where you should not.”

“I don’t want a bodyguard.” But Aaron liked the idea of Charlotte adorning his arm, especially since she definitely wasn’t doing his brother. “And you? Why the hell do you look like me?”

“Just in case. I can sound like you so unless we’re side by side, few people are going to realize that I’m a hell of a lot better looking.”

Aaron gaped at Jake, because he had switched from his drawl to Aaron’s non-accented voice that gave nothing away. Christ, Jake was almost more Aaron James than he was, and it scared the shit out of him. His brother was going to just step in and be…him. Would Charlotte then be on Jake’s arm instead of his?

Aaron jumped up from the chair and began to pace the room. “You can’t go around being me. I have a film releasing. You don’t know shit about it. I’ll take Charlotte with me if I gotta, but you can’t go and be me.”

“We lifted your film spiel from your agent’s computer. I can play uptight wannabe-priest-turned-actor in a heartbeat. Easiest job ever, and you won’t die for it.”

No, no, no.
Aaron stopped in front of Jake. “I don’t give a shit if I die. You’re not becoming me. This is my life. I fucked it up, so I’ll deal with it.”

Jake arched a brow over surprised eyes. “You sure about that? Dead is pretty final.”

“I’m sure.” Okay, maybe he wasn’t keen on the dead part, but he was an actor and it sounded like the right note of drama. He had every right to be pissed about his life. He’d had a life path chosen as a kid, made all the right moves for that path, only to discover he wasn’t meant to be a priest. He was a failure at everything but acting, and that meant he was a hell of a liar. He didn’t want to be a liar, either.

But he also loved his brother, and if he was in danger, no way in hell would he let Jake become him, even if Jake was armed to the teeth and could take down a herd of zombies before coffee in the morning.

Aaron glanced at Charlotte, now standing next to Jake. Man, he ached for her. He wanted nothing more than to die between Charlotte’s pale thighs after he’d come a few times. Damn the attraction he felt for her. “Her Frostiness can escort me to my movie premiers and other social functions.”

Jake looked at Charlotte, his hand rubbing his chin in contemplation. “Is this okay with you, Lady Frosty?”

“Whatever you think.” Her voice was soft, compliant, unlike Lady Frosty. She removed her hat and her deep red hair tumbled down, just past her shoulders. Aaron itched to run his hand through the glossy strands. “I owe you. I trust you.”

“I don’t know what Chase was thinking, sending you here.” Jake frowned, and the look he gave her was protective. “But this doesn’t have to set off the endgame.”

“Like I said, whatever you think, love. I trust you and Chase to do what’s best for me.” Her tone was almost…submissive and definitely in direct contrast to her frosty persona.

“I’ll discuss this with him in the morning, but for right now, we’ll run with the plan as ordered.” Jake turned to Aaron. “Aaron James, meet Amanda Galen. Your new girlfriend for the next week.”

“Amanda Galen?”

She shrugged, and a faint smile touched her lips. “Tis a tangled web of deception I weave.” Her voice turned all American with no hint of accent.

Aaron blinked, pissed. They were better actors than he was. But he smiled as he assessed Charlotte again, those long legs of hers and the sexy violet eyes. This would be a new role for him since he’d never had a girlfriend. He liked learning new roles. Maybe his life didn’t suck quite so much, now that he had a pretend girlfriend with tangled webs of deception waiting to be unraveled. If she’d let him.

But he wasn’t going to make this easy on any of them. He was an Anderson, after all. And Andersons didn’t do easy. “Fine. I’ll play your game.”

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