Undercover (4 page)

It didn’t take many minutes before she was laughing at herself. Making the balls move was way more difficult than she imagined. It looked so easy when people did it on TV.

“Try it this way. Use your finger there for aiming, it will be easier. And do not shove the ball. Hit it.”

He came so close when showing how to do it, and then he rose up and leaned against the table, watching her. Jenny looked into his eyes and couldn’t look away. Alex stared at her for a second, and bent forward a little to press his lips against hers, very softly.

The moment she both hoped for and feared all day lasted forever, and was still much too short. When the feeling of his lips against hers disappeared, she wanted it back.

“I am sorry, was I wrong?”

Shaking her head ever so little, Jenny mumbled, “No,” and reached up to kiss him again, more thoroughly this time. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he pulled her close, and the sensation of those strong arms around her made her legs weak. It was difficult to believe she was allowed to touch and hold him.

Alex broke free from the kiss, and ran a hand over her back. “Perhaps we should practice pool another day instead.”

The concept of having other days together was exhilarating, and she agreed wholeheartedly.

When they left the pub, big snowflakes wafted through the air, speckling their hair and clothes. The falling snow, lit up by streetlights and the moon made the night worthy of a fairytale.

*****

Except for the fairy figurine on a nightstand, the hotel room could have been unused. “Wow, you’re either extremely neat or used to hiding.”

Alex gave a light shrug, took her jacket and hung it up, and brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek. “Are you sure you want this?”

The question was tender, but strange. It seemed as if she’d always known him, always wanted him, and waited for him all her life. “Yes. Do you?”

He ran his hands over her shoulders. “I have never wanted anything this much.”

She enjoyed the sexual tension between them. It had been there all along, and his gentle touch sent sparks of electricity down her spine. She didn’t want to wait anymore; a lifetime was enough. Wrapping her arms around him, she stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his. When she slipped him her tongue, he pulled her close, moaning softly, and kissed her hungrily.

She ran her palms over his arms, pressed herself against him, and enjoyed his hands caressing her back, gripping her waist. They found their way in under her blouse, and Jenny pulled back just enough to give herself room to fumble with the buttons in his shirt.

His warm lips trailed over her neck, and she leaned her head back, closing her eyes and enjoying every second. Meanwhile, she marveled at the feeling of hard muscles. She hadn’t realized just how fit he was until now, when the clothes were coming off. Wanting to see more, to feel more, she brushed the shirt off his shoulders, down over his arms, and he held them down obediently, letting it fall to the floor.

Alex tugged at her blouse, and when he pulled it off, he paused for a second, running his fingers over her lace bra, touching her nipples ever so lightly, making her shiver with expectation.

She didn’t want him to have all the advantage of being forward; she wanted to show that she could too, so she tugged at his belt, smiling as she kissed him. His next move took her completely by surprise. He mumbled something in Russian, swept her off her feet and carried her to bed. Jenny squealed and laughed. She had never been carried before, and it was both exhilarating and a little frightening. She trusted him to hold her, but the floor seemed so far down. Alex looked very happy with himself and put her down on the bed.

Taking a seat on the edge, he leaned forward to kiss her. When he inched her jeans off, he also kissed his way down her body, and she tingled with anticipation and quite a bit of nervousness. It was new and forbidden, and she wanted it so much.

Kissing her belly, he inched her panties down, and she swallowed hard as she lifted her head a little from the pillows to look at the top of his head. “This is unfair, you’re still wearing clothes.”

She knew he would let her go if she chose to, but wild horses couldn’t have dragged her away.

Chapter Four

Jenny usually had problems sleeping the first night in a new place. The bed wouldn’t feel right, there would be strange, unnerving noises, and usually, her head pointed in the wrong direction, no matter what direction it was. This night she didn’t have any such problems. She was more at home than she’d ever been anywhere and snoozed away in Alex’s arms until the door made a clicking noise, closing behind him.

It was an excellent opportunity to visit the bathroom and check that she didn’t have her hair standing to all sides, or mascara all over her face. The previous evening, putting a toothbrush, a comb, and some make-up in her purse seemed presumptuous, but now she was happy to have it all.

She hurried to brush her teeth, just to make sure she’d taste nice in case he’d want to kiss her, and jumped back in bed just a minute or so before Alex returned to the room. He must have raided the breakfast buffet; he carried an overloaded tray.

“Good morning, beautiful. Breakfast in bed?”

It sounded like a wonderful idea, and she was surprised at the initiative. He looked very sexy unshaven, with his hair falling into his eyes. It made her want more than food for breakfast.

Alex put the tray down and sat on the edge of the bed, watching her with a smile playing on his lips. His steady gaze made her feel a little embarrassed, and she took a cup of tea and a croissant to distract herself.

He was still staring when she glanced up several seconds later, and turned his eyes away with a look of “busted” on his face. He too reached for some food, took one bite of a croissant and frowned. “You know, food here is very different. I’ve never—”

He interrupted himself and shook his head, and Jenny’s phone picked that very moment to chime a merry tune. “Now what? It can’t be
that
late yet?”

“Where is it?”

She never lost her cell phone, it was the only object she kept track of at all times, and not remembering where she put it scared her. Her life truly changed over the span of a day. “In my right coat pocket, I think.”

Winking at her, he went to get it, and when she looked at the display and saw who it was, the interruption seemed smaller. “Hi, girl. Bad time.”

Nori’s voice carried so well she could have been in the same room, “I couldn’t wait. Did you go to dinner? What happened? Talk to me, girl.”

She was yelling loud enough for Alex to hear, and he looked amused. Jenny grinned, “Nori, I’m busy being a bad girl. I’ll see you in the office soon.”

“Really? I am so proud of you, I didn’t think you had it in you. It’s wonderful!”

Jenny shook her head a little when she hung up. It was nice to know people cared for her, but it was a little comical too.

Alex’s voice held suppressed laughter, “Are people in your office always like this?”

“Yeah, more or less. We’ve become family, I guess.”

*****

Alex took an apple from the tray and turned it over in his hands. It was very big and very red, and would make a great Christmas decoration. Wasn’t there something about an American stepmother giving the princess a red apple to get rid of her? No, he must have that legend wrong, it didn’t sound right even in his own head. Either way, the apple could be a good omen, or a bad…

Jenny’s pearly voice beckoned to him, “What’s wrong?”

Trying to dismiss the sudden dark mood, he shook his head and forced a smile. He didn’t believe in premonitions, but the feeling that this could never end well was insistent. Maybe he had been a fool to want her. “It’s very… red.”

Good going. “It’s red,” how eloquent. In his defense, she wasn’t wearing any clothes, and he could see her nipples through the sheet.

Even besides the evident complication of coming from opposite sides of the world, but there was so much more. Harboring warm feelings for a nice person like her would make his job difficult, make his
life
difficult. Still, he had passed the point of no return, and it was too late to turn back now.

She pressed her palm against his cheek and he pulled her into his arms. How would he ever be able to leave her behind and go back to his old life?

All worries disappeared as she whispered, “Make love with me.”

He murmured, “Yes,” and kissed her neck. Falling back into bed, all thoughts about everything were soon forgotten.

It took a while before they were ready to get dressed and go to work. They were going to be late, but it didn’t seem all that important. If needed, he would find a way to take the blame so she wouldn’t get in trouble.

Jenny shared the mirror when he shaved, and he pretended not to watch her put mascara on her long lashes. Women were fascinating creatures; how could they hold the brush so close to their eyes without smashing it in there?

She met his gaze in the mirror. “I like this, It’s nice.”

He nodded. It was something a real couple would do. Were they a real couple? Could they be?

Leaving the room seemed completely unappealing, but there was no getting out of it, and they soon stood looking at each other just inside the door. Jenny reached up to kiss him, but he pulled back a little. “You know, I am supposed to go back tomorrow. I will come back soon. I promise.”

He
wanted
to tell her she wasn’t just a one night stand, but it sounded too dumb.

“This will sound crazy, but it feels like you’ve always been here.”

Once he tried to smile, it wasn’t too bad. Deeming from the warmth in her eyes, he made it look natural. “I know what you mean. I have the same feeling.”

Tomorrow hung between them, but when they strolled slowly arm in arm towards the office, talking about everything and nothing, there and now became more important. Alex enjoyed both Jenny’s company and the beautiful winter morning, but a secret place deep in his mind still painted out images of departures and impending doom. “I don’t mean to be presumptuous, my sweet, but I would much rather have you wear my rings than the marks from someone else’s.”

Where did that come from? Had something in the all too delicious breakfast made him go crazy? This might be why American food tasted so good; it might be packed to the brim with narcotics. Either way, saying a thing like this could not be culturally acceptable.

Jenny chuckled, “You sure don’t waste any time, do you? What do you intend to do about it?”

He made a dismissive gesture and flashed his most charming smile, trying to joke himself out of the bout of insanity. “I’m not sure. I suppose it is too soon to ask you?”

She smacked him over the chest. “You’re so weird, but not really…”

She was just too cute and he stopped to give her a quick hug, not caring if anyone saw them. “In that case I will wait and do it properly later. I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you. It’s not just sex.”

He brushed his lips over her cheek and she whispered, “Men aren’t this sweet. Are you for real?”

At the moment, he wasn’t sure of anything, so he shrugged. Sweet wasn’t a word most people would associate with him, but coming from her, he liked it. Being sweet might not be too bad…

When they closed in on the office, he asked, more seriously this time, “Is this… I mean us… Should it be a secret?”

She didn’t answer at once. “Maybe that would be best. At least for today. You are my guest, and I don’t think I’m supposed to fall in love with you.”

She looked like she wanted to fall through the ground, and he pretended not to notice the slip. They were even with premature words, and things could definitely be worse. He laughed softly, “I agree. Or maybe, they would think the terrible Russian man seduced you, and I will be thrown out of the country without any chance of returning to you.”

He teased, “It will be hell to go through an entire day, seeing you and not being allowed to kiss you.”

Now she looked like a contented cat, purring, “Yes…”

*****

When Jenny stepped through the door to the office, she still wanted to kick herself for saying the l-word. Everyone knew saying it, especially this early on in a relationship, would make you seem crazy, and make the man magically disappear. On the other hand, he seemed a little crazy too, so maybe they were made for each other.

Inside, Mark waited with his beloved coffee. As soon as he saw them, he shouted, clearly trying to convey the uselessness of everyone that wasn’t him, “Weren’t you supposed to pick him up?”

Jenny struggled to appear normal, and answered in an almost natural voice, “I did,” adding in her mind, “Sort of.”

Mark stared. “So, why am I here before you? I’ve been waiting forever.”

Alex made a pacifying gesture, “It’s my fault. It’s such a beautiful morning, and Jenny was kind enough to walk with me.”

Mark glared and muttered, “Women…” but wasn’t able to keep it up. He smiled, and Jenny teased, “You’re so rude.” She shook her head with mock exasperation and disappeared into her office to get rid of her jacket.

Nori waited on the edge of her seat and whispered, “You are
so
late. He’s good, isn’t he?”

The question made her want to blush, or laugh, or both. “You’re so bad. You’re a bad, bad influence.”

Nori’s grin almost reached from ear to ear, and Jenny admitted, “Yes. He’s good. And sweet. And I’m going back out there for tea before someone waves a magic wand and he disappears.”

In the kitchen, Mark was still talking, “…the sales manager would like to meet you for a few minutes, and then I’ll leave you with the girls for a while. They’ll take good care of you. I’ll just run upstairs to get my coat, okay?”

He disappeared, and Alex and Jenny stood side by side by the high kitchen counter, waiting. He ran his fingers over her hand, making her skin tingle with a spark that could easily ignite a fire. She glanced up at him, suddenly shy. Was it only a day earlier she handed him a mug of coffee in this very spot?