“Along with some precipitation,” Tess added, just because she thought it might get on Hugh’s nerves, her conversing so easily with Gavin.
He didn’t even flinch. “I noticed. I think it’s moving pretty quickly, though. We’ll wait it out.”
“Must be important business.” Gavin put his elbows on his knees. “Anything I can help you with?” He waggled his eyebrows and Tess almost laughed.
She smiled instead. The kind of smile that leads to an answer the guy doesn’t want to hear. “Thanks, Gavin. But Hugh’s all the help I can handle.”
“I get it,” Gavin said with a wink.
“What the hell does that mean?” Hugh crossed the reception area and stood in front of the coffee table, finally looking a little hot and bothered.
Don’t let his hot and bothered make you hot and bothered.
“It means—”
“Never mind,” he said, interrupting Gavin. “I don’t give a shit what it means. Isn’t it time for you to go home?”
“I could do that. Or I could—”
“Go home, Gavin. I know you’ve been putting in extra time.”
Gavin glanced at his watch and stood. “Am I to assume it’ll be that way for a couple more days?”
Hugh shifted his weight looking a wee bit uncomfortable at Gavin’s remark. She knew Hugh hated needing help, so leaving Gavin with extra responsibilities probably killed him. The fact made her that much more smitten with him. He could have easily walked away from her tonight. Instead, he’d kept his word, put her before Langston Aviation.
“Yeah.”
“Tess, it was great meeting you.” Gavin gave her a farewell nod. “I hope we see each other again. And Hugh…” He paused for a moment until he had Hugh’s attention. “Don’t worry about anything. I’ve got it covered. And this doesn’t mean you’re excused from your vacation, so don’t even think about forgetting it. As soon as you finish with Tess, I’m kicking your ass to the Rockies whether you like it or not.”
Hugh gave some sort of gurgled response that appeased Gavin enough. The preppy partner waved a hand and headed out into the hangar.
Finish with Tess. Gavin’s words rolled around in her head like the tiny metal ball in the plastic mazes she’d loved to play as a kid. Once Hugh fulfilled his obligation, would they be finished? Would she be able to fulfill her obligation to P.I.E.? If there was one thing she’d learned tonight, it was not all humans are created equal. The Wolf Seekers were not operating by a code of ethics. And if that were the case, didn’t it reinforce that not all Veilers were created equal either?
The man standing in front of her certainly blew her notion of Veilers out of the water.
Their eyes locked for the hundredth time. A comfortable yet static silence passed, as if speaking would snap the electricity in the air between them. Whenever she was alone with him, she was torn between uncertainty and desire. Want and apprehension. He watched her like a caged animal willing to do anything to escape.
When he inched closer, his gaze never wavering, a nervous sigh almost slipped from her lips. She backed up as far as she could into the corner of the couch. He moved without making a sound, convincing her he could hear every wild damn beat of her heart.
She had to prove his innocence. Because with every second that ticked by, she lost the urge to fight. He sat down, the gravity in the room changing, her willpower weakening. Just looking at him made her tremble and no matter the exorbitant fee P.I.E. received for eliminations, the man in front of her was worth more.
A ring and vibration interrupted her thoughts. She jumped and broke eye contact to rummage in her purse for her phone. “Hello?”
“Tess, it’s Francesca.”
“Francesca. Hi. Hold on a second.” She covered the receiver with her hand and whispered to Hugh, “Could you give me a minute?”
His eyes darkened, narrowed. She looked away and inhaled slowly. Lord, his gaze made her nervous. He let a second pass before standing and heading into the hangar.
“I’m back. What’s going on?”
When Francesca called, it always meant business. She made the no-nonsense side of the P.I.E. roommate triangle and paid little attention to anything that wasn’t work-related unless Kensie dragged her into it.
“Christian wants to see you.”
“Did you tell him I’m working on my assignment?” And hell if I know what I’ll say to him if I see him now.
“Of course. He’s in a god-awful mood. Says you need to come in as soon as you safely can.”
Tess choked. “Yeah, right. Safely to him means before he takes his next target practice. Which is what, every six hours?”
“Like clockwork. You’ve never had trouble coming in before when you’re on assignment. Is something wrong? Do you need some—”
“No, Francesca. You know I don’t need help. Nothing’s wrong.” She watched through the glass wall as Hugh closed up the hangar, locking them inside. Just the two of them. Alone. “I’ll be in tomorrow. I’m in the middle of something now that could prove valuable to my investigation.”
Or her libido. The two were intertwined, weren’t they?
“Don’t screw up again, Tess. I’m afraid of what will happen if you do.”
“Thanks for that. Your vote of confidence is awesome. Do I sound like I’m going to do something foolish? I’m handling my mark just fine. Tell Christian to chill and I’ll be there when I can.”
“Tess—”
“Tomorrow. I promise tomorrow morning.” So much for flying the friendly skies with Hugh.
“Fine. Stay safe.”
“I always do.” She stowed the phone back in her bag just as Hugh’s broad shoulders filled the doorway to the reception area.
“Finished?” he asked, a rascally look on his face.
Dammit. She’d forgotten about that hearing of his. Had he listened in? She decided to play it like he hadn’t. “Yep. Why’d you close up the hangar? I thought we were flying out as soon as the weather improved.”
He looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself. Sit on the couch? The coffee table? Keep standing? Move behind the desk? “We are. It’s easy to open up when we’re ready to leave. I closed it for security reasons.”
“You afraid someone might steal me?” A week ago the idea of Hugh—of anyone— keeping her safe would have riled her. Now the thought didn’t bother her so much.
“Something like that.”
“What are we going to do until it’s time to go?” The memory of what they’d started earlier ambushed her. Being alone with him, she ached for his touch all over again. For those few minutes in his bedroom, he’d made her forget her job, their agenda, everything. And she so wanted to stop thinking. She got up from the couch, letting her purse fall to the floor, and moved around the coffee table to check out the reception area. “How about a tour of your office and a lesson in aviation?”
Translation: do me in every room and take me higher than I’ve ever felt before.
Her cheeks flushed. The dirty things going on in her mind were new to her. Hugh was new to her. Feeling a tug so strong, a desire so fervent, was new to her. The steady feet she’d had when she stood started to fail. Probably because all the blood in her body was rushing to certain parts of her anatomy that she didn’t want to think about, but couldn’t stop thinking about.
She held herself up by putting her hands atop the reception desk with her back to Hugh.
“We could do that,” he said coming up behind her. He braced his arms on either side of her sensitive body and rested his palms on the desk.
And once again, she found herself in the delightful position of being tucked into him.
“Or we could do this.” He kissed the side of her neck and sparks, yes sparks—the kind at the end of the sparkler sticks she used to light on the Fourth of July—went off in her body.