She withdrew with a slow lick and slanted a look at him. “Thought that was the whole point.”

“Not like this.” He reached for his trunks, fished in one pocket, and yanked out a foil packet. In short order, he tore it open and covered himself. His jaw clenched as he fisted himself, eyes blazing with fire. “I want you to ride me.”

His words sounded like an order, albeit a quiet one, and cleared up a question in her mind. Although sweet- natured, Liam was no pushover when it came to sex. He’d give as good as he got, and he’d allow her only so much power over him before he reined her in. An attractive quality in a lover, and a huge turn-on for her.

She stood and shimmied out of her bikini bottoms while Liam took her place in the lounger. He sprawled on his back, feet flat on the concrete on either side of the chair, lips curved into a fetching smile.

“Come up here before my balls turn blue.”

“Poor man.”

She crawled on top of him, straddling his hips, and positioned the blunt head against her opening. He hadn’t even played with her pussy, yet she was wet with arousal, burning to have him inside. Slowly, she sank onto his cock, moaning as he stretched and filled her. Lower, until his balls were nestled against her ass and they were connected as intimately as two people could be.

“Oh, yes,” he muttered, thrusting upward. His fingers dug into her thighs. “God, fuck me, baby.”

Hands splayed on his taut stomach, she began to move, up to the tip, then down again. Drawing every sensation out like pulling a wire tight, heightening the pleasure. Over and over she impaled herself on him, drinking in the ecstasy on his beautiful face, her own desire building. Spiraling from her womb outward, making her shake.

“Faster. Fuck me harder.” He began to pump forcefully to her downstrokes, leading them in perfect rhythm.

“Yes! Give me your cock… Give it to me hard!”

She bounced on his lap in wild abandon, Liam slamming into her, driving them closer, higher…

Her orgasm exploded into a million shards of brilliant light. “Oh, God! Yes!”

As she rode the waves, he thrust once, twice, and stiffened with a shout. He jerked inside her for several moments, whispering things like “baby” and “fuck, yeah,” until he lay still, the only movement his chest, his breath sawing in and out of his lungs.

“Holy shit, you drained me. I don’t think I’ll be able to come again until sometime next week.” His eyes fluttered open and he peered at her from under those killer lashes. “Was I too rough?”

Sprawling on his chest, she brushed his lips with a brief kiss. “You were awesome.”

“Good enough to warrant a repeat performance?” Suddenly he seemed unsure, and she found his hesitance touching. “I’d say the chances are better than good.”

The furrow between his brows disappeared and he smiled. “I really like you, Lily. I don’t play with a person if I don’t feel a connection. I thought you should know that.”

A lump formed in her throat. “I really like you, too.” That made having to deceive this man even more difficult.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not at all. I was just wondering if you’d take a swim with me.”

“It’s a plan. Let’s go!”

She climbed off him and he discarded the condom, hiding it on his chair under the edge of his towel to toss out later. Grabbing her hand, he tugged her toward the pool.

“No suits?” she asked.

“Who needs them? We have total privacy and even if someone dropped by… well, our crowd isn’t exactly on the prude side.”

“Good point.”

He took off at a dead run for the deep end, not letting go of her hand. She squealed as they jumped together, hitting the water in a noisy cannonball, and thought, I could get used to this.

Not good, Lily.

Not good at all.

Jude froze half in and half out of the patio door, the sounds of fucking, the cries of pleasure, ringing in his ears long after they faded. His heart clenched, a wave of loneliness sweeping over him despite his efforts to stave it off.

But not because his closest friend and his sexy new PA were doing what came naturally. No, his views on sex were liberal and would never change. What got to him, for some strange reason, was the joyful noise of the couple splashing and shouting in the pool.

Ridiculous to let that, of all things, bother him. Especially when he knew without a single doubt they’d welcome him with the same enthusiasm should he join them.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

He had no clue. He should strip off his clothing and head out there, have some fun.

But the longer he remained in place, unnoticed, the more like an outsider he felt. Confused by the turmoil inside him, he retreated and carefully made his way back in the direction from which he’d come.

At least he had tonight to look forward to.

Even if the prospect of his liaison with Tamara no longer seemed quite as exciting as before.

Five

Lily stepped out of the shower and toweled off her hair, humming. The afternoon delight with a certain hot chef had done wonders for her mood. It had been liberating to ditch her cold, calculating alter ego, if only for a while.

Maybe she didn’t have to be “on” every single second. What would it hurt to loosen up some, see things from a different perspective? What if Jude wasn’t-

The soft tune vibrating her cell phone dispersed the thought before it could form, and she crossed to the dresser and flipped it open. She didn’t need three guesses as to who would be on the other end.

“You don’t waste much time,” she said by way of greeting SHADO’s interim boss.

“We don’t have any to piss away, Agent Vale,” Dietz answered with deceptive calm. “Stay focused and locate those remaining two missing files before they wind up in the wrong hands. The last thing we need is the press getting a whiff of one of our best men going bad, stealing a weapon of mass destruction, and selling it to our enemy. SHADO will be roasted in the news and the government will go up our asses and around the corner.”

She frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. “I still don’t understand why St. Laurent would send out six worms containing damaging evidence of his own guilt. I mean, he had to know we’d eventually be able to trace the route back to him as the source.”

“He did know,” Dietz reminded her. “He’d already completed his dirty deal and the weapon is gone. Terrorists love to grand-stand, Vale, and publicity is as great a weapon as the weapon itself. The majority of them don’t care about capture, death, or anything but their cause. They don’t do it for the money. Tell me I’m wrong.”

She couldn’t. St. Laurent certainly didn’t need the extra millions in the bank. But something kept nagging her. “Then what is the root of his motivation? What would turn a man so completely against his country?”

“Lily,” he sighed, dropping the formalities. His voice became sad, as though the world rested on his shoulders. “When your upbringing is as pathetic and hardscrabble as St. Laurent ’s, it can damage a man. Sometimes to the point of no return. I can only imagine that his resentment simmered and grew year by year as he clawed his way to the top, obsessed with someday being in the position to do exactly what he did.”

“Stick it to everyone who failed him, in the most spectacular way,” she said, drawing the conclusion. “I know he refused to cooperate, even under torture, so why did you bother with the mind sweep instead of just putting him down?”

This was the longest conversation they’d ever had, and she took the opportunity to continue asking him the questions that had been bothering her. Usually, he simply relayed the information and barked the next orders. Today, he seemed uncharacteristically patient, as though making a concentrated effort to be more like Michael.