“What does he do?”
“He works for the government.”
“That’s vague.”
She bit her bottom lip, looking uncertain. “Well, if I’m being honest, I’m not a hundred percent clear on what he actually does. He’s a consultant. I know that much. He works with the CIA and NSA and some other defense agencies, but I’m not really sure what he does for them. I think it has something to do with defense strategies. My dad was in the military, and he’s a genius, so of course all those agencies would want his help.”
Her naïveté made him stifle a sigh, but at the same time, he wasn’t surprised that Douglas Phillips hadn’t told his daughter what he actually did for a living. Phillips was a CIA spy. Legendary in the espionage community, possessing one of the highest levels of security clearance an agent could reach. With all the secrets he knew, he could destroy every politician and intelligence agent in the country, topple foreign governments, blow apart a hundred conspiracies, and start World War Three if he chose to.
And that made him a threat. A very dangerous threat, and one that Morgan needed to neutralize.
“When was the last time you saw him?” he said lightly.
Noelle had to think about it. “About six months ago. He came to Paris to visit me.”
Six months...Phillips had still been a patriotic member of the intelligence community back then; he hadn’t gone AWOL until three months ago.
The powers that be had been certain the man would want to see his daughter before he permanently went off the grid. Maybe they were wrong, though. He’d had three months to contact Noelle, yet he hadn’t tried to arrange a single meeting, so chances were he’d already skipped town and—
“But he called me last month.” Noelle’s admission interrupted his thoughts.
Morgan instantly masked his eagerness. “What did he say?”
“Not much. He told me he’s finishing up a job and that he’s going to try and visit before he starts his next assignment.”
Jackpot.
So Morgan’s superiors were right, after all. Douglas Phillips would attempt to say good-bye to his kid before he disappeared.
“Well, that tells me he misses you as much as you miss him,” Morgan said, forcing a smile.
“I guess.” Noelle put down her coffee cup and glanced around the deserted park. “I like this place. It’s so pretty.”
Her blue eyes had focused on the huge circular fountain, which remained illuminated even though it was nearly midnight. Morgan knew the fountain would be drained for winter soon, but at the moment, the two feet of water in its base bubbled away, and the graceful arches shooting from all around the circle shimmered in the darkness.
He was startled to realize how late it was—time flew by when he was with Noelle. They’d already spent the whole day strolling along the Champs-Élysées, and the evening having dinner in Montmartre. Afterward, he hadn’t been ready to say good-bye to her, and somehow they’d wound up in this beautiful park two blocks from his hotel.
He liked this place too. It was quiet. Peaceful. And the air was surprisingly warm for autumn. Neither one of them was even wearing a coat tonight.
“What do you want to do after you leave the army?” Noelle’s gaze left the fountain and focused on his face.
“I haven’t given it much thought,” he admitted.
“Okay. Well, what do you like to do in your spare time?”
“I don’t know.”
She laughed. “You don’t know what you like to do?” Now she rolled her eyes. “What are you good at?”
“Following orders. Shooting things. Saving lives. Protecting my country.” He paused. “I’ll probably just end up being career army.”
“And if that wasn’t an option?”
“I don’t know. Maybe start a security company?”
Noelle heaved out an exaggerated sigh. “How boring. You lack vision.”
“What would you have me do?” He arched a brow in challenge.
“Anything. Everything.” She shrugged. “You inherited a fortune from your parents. That opens up a world of possibilities.”
He flashed her a crooked grin. “I’m a simple man, baby. I don’t need a world of possibilities. I’d be perfectly happy living in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Hunting, fishing, living off the land. Sitting on the porch and smoking cigarettes and listening to the blues.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Her tone was playful. “Don’t you ever do anything crazy? Step out of your comfort zone?”
“In my line of work, crazy gets you killed,” he said ruefully.
“Fine. I’ll give you that. But you’re not in the army right this second, are you? Nope, you’re on leave. Which means you’re allowed to have fun and be crazy.” Her blue eyes shone in the yellow glow of the lamppost next to their bench. “So do something crazy already.”
“Like what?”
Her expression grew even more impish. “I don’t know...Hmmm...All right, I’ve got it.” As a mischievous smile tugged on her lips, she pointed to the fountain. “Take off your clothes and run around in the fountain.”
He snorted. “Sorry, babe. I’m not much of an exhibitionist.”
That got him a haughty look. “See? You’re no fun.”
“I’m cool with that. You can be the fun one in the relationship.”
Relationship?
Jesus Christ, what was he saying?
He quickly tried to backpedal, but Noelle spoke before he could.
“You know what, Jim? I think it’s time you stopped being such a control freak. I dare you to strip to your underwear and run in the fountain.”
“You dare me? What is this, middle school?”
“It’s an exercise in letting go.” She hopped to her feet with the agility of a gymnast. “Come on, babe, I dare you to let go.”
He stayed seated.
“I’ll tell you what—if you do it, so will I.”
The smile she shot him was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Brighter than the lights sparkling in the water, more luminous than the full moon shining above them.
“Come on, it’ll be great,” she coaxed. “Unless...You’re not scared, are you, Jim?”
She blinked innocently, triggering that macho-man switch inside him that made it impossible to ever back down from a challenge.
He promptly stood up. “Oh, trust me, I’m not too scared to do it. I just don’t think you will.”
A delighted laugh flew out of her mouth. “Oh, Jim. Clearly you don’t know me at all.”
The next thing he knew, she was unbuttoning her cardigan sweater.
Morgan’s breath jammed in his throat as she began removing items of clothing. Sweet Jesus. Why had he opened this can of worms? Why had he—oh fuck. She’d stripped down to her bra. A pink, lacy bra that was so thin he couldn’t not notice the puckered nipples beneath the dainty cups.
His mouth went bone dry, all common sense and propriety draining away as his cock hardened beneath his pants. His gaze was only capable of registering the endless expanse of creamy skin. The way her long blond hair gleamed in the moonlight. The full breasts practically pouring out of that skimpy bra.
He was on sensory overload. Frozen in place as Noelle unzipped her dark blue jeans and wiggled out of them, leaving her in a pair of panties that matched her bra.
She was incredible. Smooth skin and supple curves, a golden goddess standing before him.
“And look who’s still dressed. Wimp.”
Her teasing snapped him out of his lust-filled stupor.
“Who you calling a wimp?” He whipped his shirt over his head, then shot her a cocky look.
He didn’t miss the way her eyes widened at the sight of his bare chest, or the rosy flush that bloomed in her cheeks. His erection throbbed painfully, and it dawned on
him that there was no way of hiding his arousal once he took off his pants.
He tried to come up with an excuse to leave the pants on, but Noelle squashed the notion by pointing to his lower body.
“Down to your underwear,” she ordered.
Shit. This woman was going to be the death of him.
Reluctantly, he kicked off his combat boots and peeled off his socks, trying to prolong the inevitable.
The second his cargo pants hit the ground, Noelle’s breath hitched, but she didn’t comment on the erection trying to tunnel its way out of his boxers.
Instead, she gave him a wide smile, then darted off in a mad sprint toward the fountain.
Laughing despite himself, Morgan chased after her. He caught up just in time to hear her high-pitched shriek as the cold water doused her bare flesh.
Definitely wasn’t swimming weather—that was for sure. Goose bumps popped out on his skin when he got in the path of one of the spouting arches. Water dripped down his chest and soaked his boxers, which only made him curse, because damn it, now there was the distinct outline of his cock in the wet cotton.
He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this. Noelle’s observation hadn’t been too far off the mark—he was always in control. Fun didn’t play much of a role in his life.
And yet Noelle managed to bring out a side in him that he hadn’t known existed. A side that was light and tender and...insane.
For fuck’s sake, this was total insanity, he decided as the cold water had him breaking out in shivers.
Noelle’s squeal made him grin.
“God, Jim, it’s so cold!” But the temperature didn’t stop her from running through the spraying arches.
Her feet kicked up water, arms raised high above her head, and her hair grew darker the wetter it got. But her eyes remained as pale as ever, sparkling ice blue, full of joy and laughter and life.
Morgan halted in his tracks. He could hardly breathe, barely move. He simply stood there, gazing at her with wonder.
She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, but there was so much more to her than just looks. She was smart, exciting, so quick to laugh despite the hardships she’d faced. The fact that she could even smile after what she’d suffered at the hands of Laurent was utterly astonishing.
As her carefree smile and laughing eyes ensnared his gaze, Morgan suddenly realized that Noelle Phillips was a helluva lot stronger than he could ever hope to be.
“Come here!” she called out, holding her hands out to him.
Like a lovesick fool, he went to her. He felt dazed, confused, and more contented than he’d ever been in his life. The sensation of soothing satisfaction only heightened as Noelle twined her arms around his neck, and then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, and a moan of longing slipped from his throat.
“Told you this would be fun,” she murmured. “Now dance with me.”
“I don’t like to dance,” he murmured back.
“Tough, because I love it.” Her tone brooked no argument, her grip forceful as she grabbed his hands and dragged them down to her hips.
“There’s no music.” He gulped uneasily, feeling completely out of his element.
“We don’t need music.”
And then she started to sway, and he had no choice but to follow suit.
He held her close as they danced beneath the arches of water, and when she peered up at him with so much trust in her eyes, his heart squeezed painfully in his chest.
Oh God.
He was a terrible man. He deserved to rot in hell for what he was doing.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
Despite his misgivings, despite the shards of self-loathing slicing his heart, he lowered his head and captured her lips, kissing her so passionately he caught not just her, but himself, off guard.
When they breathlessly broke apart, she looked stunned.
“Wow,” she gasped
He swallowed hard. “Noelle—”
“Hey, you two! Get out of there!”
Their heads swiveled in alarm just as a uniformed security guard appeared by the row of benches behind them.
They looked at each other for a beat.
And took off running.
They stopped only to swipe their clothing from the bench, and then they were streaking down the path that led to the street like a pair of convicts escaping from prison.
It was hard to run when you were overcome with laughter, but somehow Morgan managed to get one foot in front of the other. He was laughing so hard his side hurt. Noelle’s melodic laughter mingled with his, and he reached for her hand as they emerged onto the sidewalk, where they nearly plowed down a group of late-night pedestrians.
“Oh my God, do you think he’s chasing us?” Noelle asked as she frantically slipped into her shirt.
Morgan donned his own shirt. Inside out, but he didn’t care at that moment. “Do you really want to wait around and find out?”
“No, thanks.”
They kept moving, stopping every few feet in order to put on another item of clothing.
When they burst into the Lancaster five minutes later, soaking wet and with their clothing in total disarray, they drew startled looks from every single person in the lobby.
Swallowing a laugh, Morgan greeted the night clerk with a brisk nod, then strode toward the elevator bank, still clutching Noelle’s hand. He knew the hotel staff wouldn’t throw a hissy fit—he was paying an arm and a leg for his lavish suite, and there was no way the Lancaster would be willing to lose his business over a minor infraction like wet hair and inside-out clothes.
Two minutes later, he and Noelle entered the suite, and he turned to her with a grin. “Let me grab you a towel so you can dry your hair.”
He made a beeline for the private bath in the bedroom and popped inside to grab a couple of fluffy white towels from the rack. He tucked them under his arm and strode out, intending on going back to the living room.
Except Noelle wasn’t in the living room.
She was on the bed.
Naked.
The sight stopped him cold. Or maybe hot was the more accurate description. Flames engulfed his body, a red haze of lust clouding his vision as nothing but endless curves and golden skin assaulted his gaze. His breath came out in a fast swoosh as he focused on her bare breasts, round and perky and tipped by the palest pink nipples he’d ever seen.
Her sex was also bare.
Sweet Jesus.
Morgan’s brain quit working. All he could do was stare at the goddess lying on his bed.
“Don’t you dare tell me to get dressed,” she said in a warning tone. “We’ve waited long enough.”
Okay, now his heart wasn’t working either. It had stopped beating, lodged itself in his throat so he couldn’t get a single word out.
“Take off your clothes, Jim.” Her expression turned fierce.
He must have entered a hypnotic trance. There was no other explanation for why he was unbuttoning his pants.
One by one, pieces of clothing dropped to the carpet, until he was standing there totally nude and fully erect.
Noelle’s eyes roamed his naked flesh, approval and heat burning in those beautiful blue orbs.
“Come here,” she ordered.
As he approached the bed, he found that his hands were trembling. Desire continued to wreak havoc on his motor functions, and he felt like an awkward oaf as he stretched out on the mattress beside her, his muscles and limbs unable to remember their individual roles.
Noelle took pity on him by grasping his hand and placing it directly over one full breast.
His heart abruptly started beating again, a fast, pounding rhythm that drummed in his ears and surged through his blood. He squeezed that perfect breast, groaning when her rigid nipple brushed the center of his palm. G
od, he didn’t even know where to begin. Which gorgeous part of her to kiss first. To touch. Lick. Devour.
In the back of his mind, he knew he should stop this before it was too late.
But who was he kidding?
It was already too late.
He’d been a goner from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
Those big blue eyes peered up at him, shining with trust, anticipation, and need. “Make love to me, Jim.”
His pulse kicked up another notch.
His hands started shaking again.
And then he did exactly what she asked.
Chapter 10
Present day
They pored over Girard’s client list for more than an hour, flagging names and calling up their respective contacts to gather information. But by the time Noelle closed the laptop, they were no closer to narrowing in on the mystery man who’d hired her.
Being in such close quarters with Jim was unbearable. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d shared the same space for more than ten minutes, and she’d been so infuriatingly aware of him this past hour.
His crisp masculine aftershave, with a hint of sage and leather, had suffocated her lungs. The roped muscles of his arms, bare beneath his white T-shirt, had captured her gaze more than once. Equally captivating was the bristly stubble that shadowed his jaw, and the long callused fingers moving over the computer keyboard, and the faded white scar at the side of his neck...
He was one of those annoying men who only got better-looking with age, which made her want to slug him. But they’d called a cease-fire, so going violent on him was no longer an option.
Still, it was definitely time to wrap this up and take a much-needed break from the man.
“All right, I say we focus on the six names you didn’t recognize,” she said in an authoritative voice, rising from the bed. “I’ll get Paige to do a more thorough background search.”
“We might be able to vet at least one of them ourselves.” Jim spoke absently as he studied the tablet. “I’m looking at the appointment calendar your girl copied when she hacked into Girard’s office computer. It says there’s a shareholders function at Maurice Durand’s house tonight. Girard made a note to send his regrets about not being able to attend.”