Читать книгу Into Temptation - Jeanie London, Jeanie London - Страница 6

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“WELL HELLO, beautiful,” Joshua said coolly, no trace of surprise in his voice. “Lose your way?”

She shook her head, a sultry move that drew his gaze to her pouty mouth, the impudent tilt of her chin. Though the dim light cast her in shadow, he could see humor flash in her gaze. “I wanted to catch you coming out of the loo.”

British, Joshua thought, which could explain why he’d picked her out of an American crowd. But nationality didn’t explain why she was waiting behind the exit door when the restrooms were down the hall. His instincts went wild. He wasn’t used to being caught by surprise.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked.

Whatever else this encounter might prove to be, it was a pleasure. Just seeing this woman up close meant admiring the way she leaned back against the wall, that dress hugging her curves with delectable precision. A long slit left her leg exposed from the knee, and he glanced down the length of shapely calf and ankle to a sandal that showcased a delicate foot.

“It seemed a crime to admire a sculpture of Eros when I was starved for good company.” She exhaled a sigh that managed to shoot his already-rushing adrenaline into the red zone.

“Old Jeff wasn’t filling the bill?”

“So you noticed me? I’d hoped you did, but to answer your question…no. Mr. Corporate Yank didn’t impress me nearly as much as he seemed to impress himself with his assets and company’s ranking on the stock exchange.”

Joshua laughed, deciding right then and there he wanted to continue this conversation. Unfortunately, he wasn’t free just yet. He would have to extricate himself from this lovely lady to remove the digital imaging device.

Leaving the device behind wasn’t an option. Once the night generator shifted on, security would notice when this hallway’s lighting didn’t change. They’d investigate. While the device couldn’t be traced, museum security procedure would demand that every guest involved in tonight’s gala be questioned.

Joshua preferred not to appear on anyone’s suspect list. A man with his reputation could never be too careful. His most valuable skill was moving through social circles around the world. If red flags popped up whenever he crossed an international border, his autonomy would be affected. He’d worked too many years to get where he was today—connected with a man of Henri Renouf’s stature.

He did not want this particular alias tarnished now.

“Joshua Benedict.” Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips, found that she tasted as feminine as she looked. “And you are….”

“Lindy Gardner.”

“Lindy.” He let the name roll off his tongue, liking the sound, sensuous and feminine like the woman herself.

He also liked the way she trembled when his breath burst over her skin. It was only a slight reaction, but Joshua had made a career out of noticing details.

This lovely lady’s shoulders quivered oh-so-gently. Her chest rose and fell on a quick breath.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” He released her hand, but to his surprise, she held on.

Her gaze slid from his. “Gloves, Joshua?”

“I was handling a sculpture.”

She stared down at their clasped hands with a smile playing at the edges of her mouth, a mouth that looked even more perfect for kissing up close.

She ran her thumb along the back of his glove. Just the sight of her fair skin against the fabric was so much more intimate than a touch should allow.

“They have some very beautiful pieces on display tonight,” she said.

“They do. But you couldn’t have toured the entire exhibit yet. Let me show you around.”

“I’d like that.”

Her acceptance was all he needed to make his move. Looping their arms together, he turned to lead her down the hall. Once inside the gallery, he would ply her with champagne then excuse himself to take care of business so he could return to the pleasure of making this lady’s acquaintance.

But as they reached the restrooms, Lindy came to a sudden stop. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

With his adrenaline still pumping, he couldn’t pinpoint what it was about Lindy that had his instincts on edge.

“What?” he asked.

Raising a slim finger, she pointed above their heads, directly at his digital imaging device.

One small gesture and Joshua had his explanation. As usual, his instincts were on target—this woman was a lot more than a pretty lady in a white dress.

Following her gaze to the security camera, he said, “Well, that doesn’t look like it belongs there, does it?”

“Sure doesn’t.”

“What makes you think that device belongs to me?”

“Simple arithmetic.”

“As in two plus two equals four?”

She inclined her head so the exit light threw fiery highlights onto her hair. “The usher couldn’t confirm where you’d gone, so I guessed you’d given him the slip. And you weren’t wearing gloves when you left the gallery, so that would mean you were handling a sculpture where…? On the stairs? Another gallery on another floor? I don’t believe the loo factored at all, and I’m not generally wrong.”

No, there was nothing wrong with Lindy Gardner except that she was toying with him.

“Are you trying to pin something on me?”

“Do I hear an emphasis on trying?”

He laughed. “How do I know you didn’t plant that device to frame me?”

“You don’t.” She glanced at her watch then back up at him, the smile twitching around her mouth again. “I will say I’m very impressed, though. Given my calculations, which began when you left the gallery, you placed that device on the security camera at least nine minutes ago. I’ve just chewed up another two chatting, which puts you at eleven minutes give or take. You won’t want to leave that device behind because you know as well as I do when security discovers it, they’re going to run the guest list. You won’t want to be called in for questioning whether or not they can pin the goods on you.”

“So, what impresses you?”

“That you haven’t broken a sweat yet.”

Joshua didn’t get a chance to respond because as he registered that tonight wasn’t the first time Lindy Gardner had heard his name, feminine laughter rang out in the hall behind them—women headed to the restroom.

“Think they’ll wonder what we’re doing down here?” Lindy asked.

“They’ll know what we’re doing.”

Her mouth pursed. “Really?”

“Really.”

In one move, he pinned her against the wall and brought his mouth down on hers.

Now it was Joshua’s turn to be impressed. Lindy didn’t react with surprise. She only exhaled a laugh that burst against his lips in a champagne-laced breath before her mouth yielded to his—soft, warm, arousing.

Definitely a kissing mouth.

Lips parted. Breaths collided. Tongues tangled, leaving Joshua the one feeling impressed and surprised. By the way Lindy threw herself into the moment, sliding her arms around his neck and pressing all those lush curves against him.

And by the way his body reacted. His pulse rushed. His blood crashed south so fast the sensation made him deepen their kiss just to share her air.

If Lindy’s mouth had been made for kissing, the woman herself was all about making love.

Their bodies aligned perfectly. With her face tipped upward, her mouth fitted his just right for this soul-dragging kiss. She toyed with his neck, fingers sliding into his hair and caressing places he hadn’t realized could feel intimate.

Feel intimate they did.

She was an enticing armful. Long, lithe, much more toned than her slim curves appeared at a glance, she possessed a strength that suggested an active lifestyle. Her smooth stomach caught what wanted to become an erection—this woman aroused him faster than he’d ever been aroused.

And he wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of their closeness. Something about Lindy’s swaying hips felt real. He didn’t think this was a performance. Another question to add to his growing list about this woman.

Was she a bold thief sent to trap him?

British…MI6?

Joshua only had one answer—he was in trouble here.

He’d stepped out of a stairwell, and life had taken an unexpected turn. He might not know who Lindy Gardner was yet…he might not know why they were fire together… but he damn sure recognized trouble.

It was kissing him full on the mouth right now.

By the time they finally broke apart, the intruding women had long since entered the restroom. In fact, for all Joshua knew, they might have come and gone. The only thing he was sure of was that his blood was pumping so hard he wanted to brace himself against the wall for support.

He would never let on that one kiss had leveled him.

“Excellent cover,” Lindy said breathlessly, drawing his gaze to her lips and that just-kissed look. “I’m impressed again, Joshua. You think fast on your feet.”

He was lucky to be standing on them.

“Thank you.”

She pointed up at the ceiling. “So we’re back to leaving that device there.”

“Does sound like a problem. I’m not sure for whom, though.”

She chuckled, a silky sound that filtered through the quiet hallway and drove another bolt of need home so he had to control an urge to pull her back into his arms.

“Your problem, Joshua, whether or not you admit it.”

“Guess we’ll never know. So what are we going to do? Will you let me tour you through the exhibit, so you can keep your eyes on me?”

“Actually, I’m going to rescue your cute bum.”

“Really?”

That had promise. A rescue wouldn’t be unwelcome, whether he admitted it or not. Joshua found himself both curious and pleased she thought his bum cute enough to save.

Now to find out who she was and what she wanted….

LINDY STARED into Joshua’s face, into an expression that revealed nothing. He was even more attractive up close, impossibly attractive with that dashing smile and those broad shoulders. She wondered if his appearance accounted for the way she felt right now, all fluttery and so off-kilter she might have been crossing the deck of a boat in dodgy weather.

All from a kiss?

Apparently. Everything about her still felt keenly aware of this man. Adrenaline made her blood hum, threw her senses into overdrive, a feeling she knew well—a familiar sense of danger.

But Lindy stood inside a quiet hallway of a museum, a highly trained agent of the Crown, perfectly capable of defending herself should this man attempt anything funny. Not to mention that there was an usher and a gallery filled with philanthropists all within yelling distance.

So where exactly was the danger?

Another glance into Joshua’s gaze, and Lindy decided her attraction to this man was the only thing dangerous around here.

She wasn’t the only one feeling the attraction, either. Joshua’s oh-so-affable expression might not let her see what he was thinking, but she knew a real reaction when she felt one. There’d been no missing the bulge of his crotch while they’d kissed.

Chemistry—it changed everything.

Dragging her gaze from his, she helped herself to one of his hands and peeled away his glove.

“Quite handy.” Slipping her fingers inside, she gauged the roomy fit. The man’s hands were as large and attractive as the rest of him. “Will you lift me?”

He arched an inky-black eyebrow. “Lift you?”

Lindy knew he understood, but played along. Joshua obviously wanted to cover himself to give her nothing to implicate him since he didn’t know who she was.

She couldn’t blame him. Caution was a prized commodity even on her side of the law. Caution often meant the difference between anonymity and exposure, sometimes the difference between life and death.

Grabbing a fold of her gown, she aimed a foot his way, letting the fabric part to reveal a long stretch of hose-clad leg and a sandal.

“It’s these strappy shoes.” She displayed the shoe as his gaze followed appreciatively. “I won’t be able to brace myself, but if you give me a boost, I can reach.”

He didn’t reply, but suddenly his hands were around her waist, a move that told her so much about the man. Aggressively agile. Ruthlessly honed physical condition. Strong enough to haul her against him effortlessly.

For a breathtaking instant she could feel the hard outline of his body against hers again, and heat flooded her senses, a purely physical response that made every cell in her body yearn for another go at kissing him.

Almost before the thought registered, Lindy found herself spun around and hoisted off her feet. It took a conscious effort to remind herself she had a job to do—one that needed to be done with an ample level of skill.

Presumably, Joshua wouldn’t have needed to deceive the security camera if he’d had a connection inside the museum, someone who could have disabled this security zone.

This information prompted more questions about what he’d been up to tonight.

Operating alone?

Picking up a delivery or meeting with someone?

How was tonight’s event linked to his New York City visit?

Secret Intelligence hadn’t uncovered any evidence that Joshua Benedict was a thief and, as a result, Lindy believed he’d come to town exclusively to fix some trouble that had arisen with a recent auction-house theft.

She intended to find out, and to do that, she couldn’t let anything come between them. Especially not an imaging device that could place him in jeopardy with museum security and, subsequently, the local authorities.

This man was all hers.

So tracing the edge of the device, she tested the connection to the ceiling. Okay, she needed a fast and clean break to avoid creating a distortion on the live feed in the security monitoring station downstairs.

Gathering her focus, Lindy blocked out the feel of his hands on her waist, the way he easily lifted her off the floor.

She ignored the feel of her bottom brushing against all his hard tummy muscles and how her panty hose and dress didn’t protect her from his body heat.

This man was one big distraction.

With brutal precision, Lindy trapped the device between her fingers and pulled it away in a hard, clean stroke.

“Got it.”

“Impressive,” he said, but she couldn’t be sure whether he meant her work or herself as he lowered her to the floor, treating her to a tour of his every body part along the way.

Sliding against him in a prolonged and very tantalizing move, Lindy tried to sound casual when she said, “Thanks.”

“Pleased to be of service. So tell me, Lindy. What are you going to do with that device now you’ve got it?”

Good question. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a good answer—yet. So she leaned close to stay out of camera range and forced him back another step before turning to meet his gaze.

A very approving gaze.

An interested gaze.

A gaze that made her rethink her point of entry.

This man was Henri Renouf’s fixer, a man who used his talents to manipulate situations to the bad guys’ advantage. They had too much chemistry to ignore, chemistry she might use to gain his cooperation.

“I’ve got a plan.” A bold plan. One that involved smoothing her way to his cooperation with seduction.

“Do you, Lindy?”

“Always.” Dropping the device into her evening bag, Lindy peeled off the glove and returned it. “Thanks.”

He hid the gloves away in a jacket pocket. Then he extended his hand. “The gallery. Shall we?”

Securing her evening bag on her shoulder, she let him lead her down the hall. She had some quick decisions to make. First she must decide how best to dispose of her new electronic acquisition. She couldn’t be certain what Joshua had been up to and didn’t want to be caught with the goods.

She knew there would be nothing to incriminate him on the small device. He was far too skilled to be careless—far too cool when he had to be burning up with questions about who she was and why she was covering him.

Then she had to decide how to play this man. Physical awareness had changed things between them, given her a new weapon in her arsenal, and she had to decide whether or not to use it.

The man lived up to his profile as a charming host. They’d barely set foot inside the gallery before he plied her with champagne and grilled her about what exhibits she’d like to see. He was oh-so-cool, and she was determined to be as impressive.

She motioned across the gallery. “I overheard that woman wearing the ostrich feathers mention a vase with depictions of Eros and Gaea.”

“You mentioned Eros earlier. Are you interested in early mythology?”

“No. Just Eros.” She gazed up at him from under her lashes, a flirtatious glance she hoped would pique his curiosity and get them to the end of the buffet table.

Her gracious host led her toward the display asking, “What specifically about Eros interests you?”

“Lust and passion, of course. What do you think of them, Joshua?”

“I’m interested in attraction, too. It can happen when and where you least expect it.” He reached out and dragged his thumb along her cheek, a bold touch that she felt straight to her toes. “Did you know in early mythology, Eros was about the force attracting two people to each other? It wasn’t until later myths that he was Aphrodite’s son and represented lust and passion.”

“Did you research for tonight’s event or is Greek mythology a hobby of yours?”

“Let’s say I take a great deal of pleasure in learning and use every opportunity to do so.”

No doubt research was an important part of his work. “Very diplomatic.”

He raised his champagne flute in salute then brought the glass to his lips. Their gazes locked over the rim, and Lindy raked hers from the top of his expensive haircut over the terrain of his handsome face.

But she didn’t stop there. Oh, no. When she considered how he’d finagled an invitation to tonight’s gala from one of the Ladies Who Lunch—a woman well known for her philanthropy—Lindy decided subtle wasn’t in this man’s vocabulary.

So she perused the tailored collar of his Egyptian cotton shirt then the sleek lines of his tux. The jacket draped those broad shoulders to perfection before descending to the trim V of his waist. She’d felt all those hard muscles up close, so the fact he was yummy shouldn’t keep surprising her.

Somehow it did. Or maybe that was the strength of her attraction to him.

“Tell me, Lindy, whose guest are you tonight? I don’t recall seeing you with any of our hosts and you haven’t said.”

“No, I haven’t said.”

“Top-secret information?”

“Not really.”

“Would you like me to guess?” he asked.

“Are you fishing?”

“I like to fish. That’s no mystery.”

“No, it isn’t.”

He appeared to consider that. “I’m also not very patient.”

“Is that a warning?”

His dark gaze twinkled, but Lindy didn’t answer when the opportunity she’d been looking for appeared. She needed to seize chance before it got away.

Setting her flute on the buffet table, she helped herself to several wedges of foie gras. Bypassing the plates, she grabbed napkins and popped the wedges into her mouth whole.

Joshua watched her curiously. “Hungry?”

Since her mouth bulged with a delicacy she truly despised, she couldn’t do more than shake her head and try not to dwell on the creamy, meaty texture coating her teeth and tongue.

Joshua waited as if sensing something was coming then glanced absently at the server serendipitously making his way from behind the buffet table with a full trash bag.

Lindy made a gagging sound, loud enough to draw the server’s attention. Dragging the napkin over her mouth, she spat out her nasty mouthful.

“Foie gras. Looked like some sort of hummus.” She pulled a face then pointed to the trash bag. “May I, please?”

“Vegan, don’t you know?” Joshua added, and she could see he fought back a smile.

The server eyed them grimly and held out the bag. Stuffing the napkins deep in the debris, she hoped the regurgitated goose liver would deter anyone from inspecting the mess.

“Thanks ever so much.”

The server took off, and once he was out of earshot, Joshua laughed, a deep lustrous sound that sent prickles through her.

“I assume that device you took from the hall just made an exit.”

She only smiled, which he clearly took to mean yes.

“Nicely done, Lindy. Inventive, clever and clean. I believe the owner of that device is in your debt.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“Do you?”

She retrieved her flute and fought the urge to gargle away the nasty taste. “I do.”

“Why?”

Lindy considered her answer while considering the man. Cool, yet curious. Displaying the exact right mix of persistent and pushy. She appreciated how fine a line that was.

“I want something from you.”

“What?”

Deciding that nothing short of a toothbrush would clean away the aftertaste, Lindy relinquished her champagne flute. “Let’s find some place private.”

He didn’t hesitate but led her away from the buffet. They made their way through the crowds, forced to stop several times as he greeted acquaintances. He was as charming as his profile suggested, and as he introduced her to people he’d obviously socialized with before, she observed how this man had become so successful at running his game.

He was likable and knew exactly how to place people at ease. Some he let lead the conversation. With others he directed. He was a veritable social chameleon, and that was a skill Lindy knew came in handy.

They ultimately wound up inside the bisected glass walls of a timeline display of classical Grecian antiquities, and she glanced around as Joshua led her forward.

“Perfect.” They would be able to hear approaching guests before being happened upon.

“So you’re finally going to end my suspense?” Folding his arms across his chest, Joshua eyed her expectantly.

“From what I’ve heard, you like suspense.”

“Heard from whom?”

“My agency.”

“MI6?”

Lindy feigned a pout. “You guessed?”

“Simple arithmetic.”

A man with Joshua’s specialized skills would recognize hers. From there her accent would make an equation of two plus two equaling an answer that wouldn’t be difficult to guess.

“What does your agency want with me, Lindy?”

Rising up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, she pressed so close that her breasts brushed his arm.

“We don’t actually want you.”

He inhaled, a sound that was the second honest reaction she’d gotten from him tonight.

Their kiss had been very honest.

“What do you want then?”

“We want Renouf. We want you to give us everything you have on him.”

“If I had anything on him, why would I give it to you?”

“Because…” She let her words trail off for dramatic effect. “My agency can provide you with a new identity and a well-heeled life outside the organized crime world.”