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
