Tall, Dark and Daring. Suzanne Brockmann

grown man.

      Jake moved toward her as surely as she made her way toward him. It was as if they both were magnetized, as if they couldn’t have stayed apart from one another even if they’d tried.

      Zoe set her tray on top of an empty table.

      He slipped his hands into the back pockets of his jeans, afraid if he didn’t he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from reaching for her.

      “I didn’t buy another round yet,” he told her. “When I came out, someone else had just—”

      “It’s okay.” She looked away, as if suddenly shy. “You know, if you don’t want to dance, we could try sitting at a table toward the back. But Gus and Hal might—”

      He took his hands out of his back pockets, and just like that, he had her by her hand and was pulling her toward the dimly lit dance floor next to the jukebox. Just like that she was in his arms and swaying gently in time to the music.

      “You should talk fast,” she told him. “I don’t know how long I’ll have before Gus needs me.”

      He pulled her closer. “This is not distasteful,” he murmured into her ear. “Let’s start with that, all right?”

      Zoe shook her head. “Jake, you don’t have to—”

      “It’s just …” He searched to find the words that would explain. “It’s very … weird for me. I was with only one woman for nearly thirty years—nearly your entire lifetime. Can you even imagine that?”

      Silently, she shook her head.

      “I’m going to make everyone in this bar believe that I’ve got a major thing for you,” he told her. “And doing that will not be distasteful. I’d be lying if I told you I haven’t spent the past weeks looking forward to this. Looking forward to it, and dreading it, all at the same time. You’re a great kid, Zoe, and a beautiful woman and … And I’m sorry if I can’t be as blasé about any of this as you, and I’m sorry in advance if I somehow make you feel bad. Holding you, even dancing like this, hurts a little bit. But it feels good, too. Really good. Which in turns hurts a little bit more. Does that make any sense at all?”

      She nodded. “I’m sorry if I—”

      “Let’s not apologize to each other anymore. We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do, right?”

      She lifted her chin. “I think one of the things I’ve got to do is to get into the CRO compound.”

      “Now, that idea is distasteful.”

      “Jake, no, I’ve been thinking about it.” She rested her head against his shoulder, and when she spoke, he could feel her breath against his throat. “The best way for me to help you find the Trip X is for me to be in there.” She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “Remember our deal? Remember what you promised?”

      “I didn’t know what it would be like in there for a woman. Zoe, whatever you’ve heard about the CRO—”

      “I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I agreed to be a part of your team. I can handle it.”

      “But I’m the team leader, and I need you to try it my way first.” And if his way didn’t work … Jake wasn’t sure how they’d handle the cameras in the bedroom. Maybe they could cover some, disable the others. Maybe they could pretend to make love, under the covers ….

      He changed the subject, trying to banish the image of Zoe in his bed, her body soft beneath his.

      No. He refused to give up on the idea that they could find the Triple X and keep Zoe safely out of harm’s way. And out of his bed.

      “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here,” he said. “Christopher tends toward delusions of grandeur, and he imagined this terrible altercation the moment I stepped outside of the CRO gate. I think he was a little disappointed when I made it all the way into town without being chased by federal agents.”

      The song ended and they stopped for a moment, waiting for the next song to start. It had almost exactly the same slow, pulsating beat. He’d picked the songs well.

      As they began dancing again, she shifted her body even closer and rested her head against his shoulder. How could she fit so perfectly in his arms?

      “So how did you convince him to let you come to town?” she murmured.

      “Well, I, um, I thanked him for his hospitality and sanctuary, but I told him that I wouldn’t be able to stay with him any longer unless I at least had the opportunity to, um …” He laughed, embarrassed. “Well, to, you know ….”

      “Ah.”

      “And since there are no single women in the CRO over age thirteen …”

      She lifted her head. “He didn’t offer you one of his many wives?”

      “Are you kidding? The man’s almost obsessively possessive.”

      “Hmm. The sharing doesn’t go both ways, huh?”

      “Sharing?”

      “Just more CRO unpleasantness. Women as chattel. You know, it’s a good thing you made it into town today,” Zoe interrupted herself. “The team was starting to make plans to liberate you. You had us all worried.”

      Jake swore softly. “Why can’t they just sit tight and trust me?”

      “They care about you.”

      “They think I’m too old.”

      “You think you’re too old.”

      Jake pulled back slightly. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

      Zoe shook her head. “Nothing. Look, Jake, I’ve been—”

      “Nothing, my ass! You wouldn’t’ve said it if it meant nothing.”

      “Okay, it meant something, but it’s a personal something, and if we’ve got limited time to talk here, the personal stuff should be the last thing we get to.”

      He couldn’t argue with that. Unfortunately it didn’t make him wonder exactly what she’d meant any less. He thought he was too old. Jeez.

      “I’ve been thinking about alternatives to this whole setup,” she said. She pulled him close, breathing into his ear as if her words were seductive promises rather than a plan for an alternative operation.

      God, he’d forgotten for a moment—he’d been standing there arguing with her. They were supposed to be just short of making out on the dance floor. He held her closer, and she moved toward him willingly, her breasts soft against him. He buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair. Oh, God.

      “What’s your take on the hierarchy of power inside the CRO?” she murmured, her breath hot against his ear. “I’ve always gotten the impression that Christopher Vincent’s it. That without him, the organization would fall apart. And if that’s the case, why don’t we just grab Vincent on one of his trips outside of his compound? Hold him hostage in exchange for the Trip X?”

      “I’ve thought about that, too,” Jake admitted. He kissed her neck, ran his hands down her back to cup her rear end. Oh, God. Bad mistake. But once his hands were there, it would’ve looked odd for him to move them right away, wouldn’t it? What were they talking about? Hostage. Vincent. Right.

      “It’s not an option,” he told her, hoping she wouldn’t notice the huskiness of his voice. He cleared his throat. “Vincent’s got contingency plans for all kinds of disaster scenarios. Everyone in the CRO compound has a battle station to go to if the Feds suddenly launch an attack. He’s stockpiled enough food to withstand a two-year siege. He’s got an escape route charted out of this bar, in case he suddenly finds himself a target while he’s here.”

      She slipped