5

SHE WAS A FOOL, ANDKira admitted it as she allowed the waiter to lead her to the small table of

the restaurant where she had arranged to meet her uncle that afternoon. The same restaurant where she

knew Ian would be having lunch. Money in the right hands, and before the morning was over she had

known where to find him.

She was pushing him, pushing herself, and she knew it. Ian was playing with fire, and she didn't just

mean the operation he was working against Fuentes and Sorrell.

She was terribly afraid he meant to kill Diego Fuentes, a monster, a brutal, merciless bastard who

preyed on the weak. But he was still Ian's biological father. A son should never have to kill his sire. The

repercussions would be horrifying.

She had no proof of it, no verification. All she had was her own intuition, which she admitted was

colored by her desire for him. And something much more.

There was a part of her that refused to let go of Ian. A part she had never known existed until last year.

As though beneath the darkness that had been her life for the past ten years, a shadow of light had begun

moving, weakening her, reminding her that she was a woman.

"Kira, is that you?"

Her head lifted, a smile of pleasure pulling at her lips at the sight of the small redhead who was coming to

her table. Tehya Talamosi, with her shadowed eyes and somber face, and Kira's suspicions that she was

as much an agent as the Chameleon was.

"Tehya, what are you doing here?" Over the years Kira had met the other woman in several different

countries, where she was usually involved with relief efforts of some sort.

"Vacation." Tehya shrugged, her gaze flickering around the room. "I just wanted to stop and say hi." She

ducked her head almost shyly, allowing her long hair to shield her face.

"It's good to see you again." Kira watched her closely. She couldn't be old enough to be an agent, yet

Kira had the same feeling, the same internal defenses jumping to life, with the girl as she did with any

other agent. Or enemy.

Tehya smiled back at her, her gaze flickering toward Ian and a few other scattered tables before she

nodded and turned to walk through the restaurant.

In a glance Kira once again took in the way her denim-clad legs moved. There was a stiffness that hadn't

been there the last time she saw her, a few years before. Her shoulders were straighter beneath the light

cotton T-shirt she wore. And as always, Kira felt the need to protect the other girl.

She shook the feeling off. If Tehya needed her protection she had ample opportunity to ask for it. Kira

made a mental note to have Daniel run her name through DHS tonight, see what he could dig up on her.

This mission was too important and the realization that an unknown could be on the perimeters of it

worried her.

Hiding behind her menu, she lowered her head and closed her eyes at the sound of Ian's voice as she

pushed Tehya to the back of her mind. So dark and rough. He was angry, she could tell. His voice

roughened to a gravelly sound when he was angry. When he was aroused it was guttural. And once she

had heard him chuckle, the sound like a coming storm at midnight. Rich and laced with sensuality.

Last night, his voice had been gravelly fury as he held her beneath him. Fury and arousal. The sensuality

had been there, in his voice, in his dark eyes, in the brooding expression on his face. And the sound of it

had struck her womb like an explosion of heat and light.

She let a little smile touch her lips at the thought of Ian's reaction to her arrival. In hindsight, she could

look at it with amusement, though the night before, her sexual frustration had been less than amusing.

"That smile makes grown men's knees tremble in fear."

Kira's gaze jerked from the menu to Ian as he stood looking down at her. She tried to pretend surprise.

She had felt him, had known he would end up speaking to her.

"Ian, what a surprise," she said softly, laying the menu on the table as she crossed her legs, braced her

elbow on the table, rested her chin in her bent wrist and gave him a mischievous, flirty look.

"A surprise, huh?" He tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks, causing the finely woven white

cotton shirt he wore to ripple over his abs.

The shirt was a little loose, subtly shaping his broad shoulders and tight, leanly muscled body. His overly

long dark blond hair was pulled to the nape of his neck, casting the harsh angles of his face into aching

relief.

"Of course it's a surprise." She rounded her eyes and stared back at him as though his tone shocked her.

"Do you think I'd stalk you?"

"Only if I gave you the chance." He didn't smile but he stared at her with hunger. A somber, dark hunger

that had her stomach clenching in answering need.

"Would you like to join me?" She waved her hand to the three empty chairs. "My uncle should be here

momentarily. I've chosen the most gorgeous little villa outside of town. A lovely white and red stucco with

an outdoor pool and wraparound balcony. One side of the property is even bordered with a ten-foot

handplaced stone fence."

His eyes narrowed on her. Of course she had picked the villa next to Diego Fuentes's, and Ian's. Did he

believe she was going to make this easy for him?

His lips thinned as she smiled back with subtle satisfaction.

"No. But you can join me." He gripped her arm with the pretense of helping her from her chair before

pulling her along with him into the reception room of the restaurant. From there, he led her to a hallway at

the far end of the room and then to an unmarked door that he unlocked, opened. He pushed her into the

darkened room.

Kira found herself flat against the wall, the door slamming closed behind them, even as Ian's lips

captured hers in a kiss that curled her toenails.

This was what she needed.

Her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders as he lifted her to him. Her breasts pressed against his

chest, became swollen and sensitive, desperate for his touch.

When had she become so addicted to him? When had his touch become the focal point of all her

fantasies and hungers?

Surely it had happened before Atlanta? One stolen night of sexual frustration couldn't have developed

over nearly a year to this burning hunger? Or had it? Perhaps it was a product of years of meeting him in

the heart of danger, their eyes connecting, knowing he knew who she was each time, seeing the

recognition in his gaze, in the slight tilt of his head in acknowledgment. So many years of it. Meetings in

the dead of night, bullets blazing, nothing mattering but the success of the mission and the lives at risk.

And each time, her fascination for him had grown. Grown until she had researched him, tracked him,

accepted assignments that were almost guaranteed to be supported by the team he fought with. Because

he fascinated her. Because he had known her in all her disguises when no one else had.

What else did he know about her?

He knew how to stroke his tongue against hers and fracture her thoughts. How to grip her hips and pin

them against the hard ridge of his cock, and how to make her long to ride it.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" he groaned as his lips slid from hers to nip at her jaw, then her

collarbone. "I told you to get out of Aruba."

"Go with me," she panted, arching closer, holding him to her. "We could find a beach. Lots of sun and

sand. Make love all day."

He stilled and she felt her breath hitch in agony. He was going to let her go again. She knew he was.

"Kira, you're killing me." He sighed against her shoulder a second before he tasted her skin with his

tongue. "You're playing with fire, baby, and you know it. This is no place for you."

"I can help you." She didn't have a choice. If she hadn't taken the assignment, then it would have been

given to someone else. Someone who couldn't have understood the rage he was going to feel when he

learned Diego would walk free. She understood. She ached because of it, hated it, and something inside

her refused to let him face that alone. She knew, knew what he was doing. And she knew why. She

understood why. And she couldn't let him face the realizations and the betrayals alone. His head rolled

against her shoulder. His lips pressed tightly to her neck. "You'll distract me. You'll get us both killed. I

can't concentrate like this. Sorrell will pick me off like a duck in water. Is that what you want? God!"

He jerked away from her, the lights flipping on, blinding her for precious seconds as he moved away

from her. To check the room.

She leaned against the wall and watched as he moved around the office, checked the closet, then

dragged his fingers through his hair and faced off with her from the distance of the room.

His brows were lowered, his expression tormented.

"You're not leaving, are you?"

She lifted her shoulders, suddenly uncertain, wondering if the attraction between them wasn't as strong

for him as it was for her. She had counted on that. Counted on the fact that he ached for her just as much

as she ached for him.

She was as fully trained as he was. If he could get under her skin so easily, surely she was under his as

well.

"I won't leave."

"Why?" he bit out. "Why stay where you aren't wanted, Kira?"

Oh, that hurt. A lot. She crossed her arms over her breasts and narrowed her gaze at him, allowing it to

flicker to his obvious erection. Her lips curved in a smug smile before her eyes lifted to his.

"I'm not wanted in any way, Ian?"

She hated pushing him. Hated being forced to hide the truth from him. But God help her, Diego Fuentes,

and Ian if Diego learned the truth of why Ian was there now.

"How you're wanted doesn't matter," he informed her, his expression turning stony. "What you think

you're doing does. You're poking your nose into something you have no business being involved with.

Get out while you can."

It was too late to consider walking away. It had been too late the day she realized what Ian's mission

was.

"I'm staying."

He breathed out almost wearily, frustration flickering across his expression as he stared back at her.

"Don't get in my way. Hurting you isn't something I want to do or to see happen. But mess with what I'm

doing here, and you'll regret it."

He moved toward her, but not to touch her, only to jerk the door open and escort her from the room.

His bodyguards were waiting outside, and behind them stood her bodyguard, Daniel. The sight of them

had a grin tugging at her lips. Five men, each wearing expressions of varying degrees of disapproval.

"Goodbye, Kira." Ian nodded to her as he closed the door behind them and moved toward his

bodyguards. "I hope your visit in Aruba goes smoothly."

"I'm sure it will," she murmured, a smile touching her lips as she watched him walk away, his men

surrounding him, protecting him.

"He's a hard man," Daniel reminded her as he drew close to her and they moved back to the dining area.

"Yes. He is," she agreed, smiling gracefully at a few of the diners she recognized and the waiter who

hovered close in case he was needed.

She stopped momentarily to talk to Joseph Fitzhugh and his son Kenneth. The English-born industrialist

and his son dabbled in politics occasionally and contributed heavily to several of the charities Kira was

involved in.

Thankfully, she had never had to fend off Kenneth's advances, though he was always charming, almost

sociable.

She returned to her chair, aware of Daniel taking his place once again at a table behind her and watching

her as her uncle, Jason McClane, entered the dining room.

"Kira, sweetheart, the plane finally landed."

Jason stopped in front of the table, accepting the chair the waiter pulled out for him and lowering his

massive body into it.

Six and a half feet of pure, powerful muscle and Kira imagined she heard the chair groaning under the

burden.

Jason McClane wasn't a small man. He wasn't a subtle man. The Texas native and multinational business

owner did everything on a very large scale. Except his work for the Department of Homeland Security.

He was her handler and, in turn, he had his own handler. The Chameleon was actually two people,

herself and her uncle. Neither was officially listed with any law enforcement agency, but the information

they brought in was invaluable.

"I hear you've chosen a place to play," he teased her, his gray-blue eyes sharp and knowing.

"The Villa de Angelic." She leaned forward as though overly excited over the purchase and the property.

She was still trying to regain her equilibrium after being in Ian's arms. "And you're going to love it, Uncle

Jason. It's so me." And so very close to Ian.

He chuckled at that. "I've learned to trust your taste, sweetheart," he announced. "So have you ordered

yet?"

"I was waiting for you." Her affection for him wasn't feigned.

"And now I'm here. We'll enjoy our lunch and then check out your Angelic Villa."

That evening, well after the sun had made its stunning exit from the sky in a multihued splendor of

brilliance, she and her uncle smuggled her weapons into the newly leased villa and stored them in the false

bottom of the locking cedar chest at the foot of the filmy-curtained king-sized bed. But first they had

made a complete sweep of the house for electronic bugs.

Kira sighed wearily as she straightened, glanced at the clock on the bedside table, and calculated her

chances of catching up with Ian that night at one of the clubs. Considering the amount of time it would

take to get ready, they weren't good.

"Daniel will be staying down the hall," Jason told her as he stored the little electronic black wand used to

detect the listening devices into a secure section of the overnight bag she kept by her bed.

"Will you be staying in Aruba?" Kira kept her voice soft as she moved to the curtained balcony doors

and looked out toward the stone fence that surrounded the Fuentes estate. She could see the upper floor

of the villa, and if her source was right, she was staring directly at the window to Ian's bedroom. It was

the single most important reason for the acquisition of this particular property.

"I have to fly out day after tomorrow," he told her softly. "I'll take one of the guest rooms and set up the

security while you go let yourself be seen tomorrow. I'd be interested to know which players we have

gathering here."

"Too many if those I saw in the clubs last night were any indication." She sighed, watching as the

bedroom light in the other villa flipped on then seconds later was dark again. "Ian has a bull's-eye on his

back, Jase, and if I'm not mistaken several of the players based here believe America would give them a

quiet nod of approval if they took him out."

"Ian made the decision himself," Jason pointed out, apparently satisfied that there was nothing

compromising in the room, then moved to where she stood by the balcony doors.

"You're fascinated with him," he stated, stopping behind her to grip her shoulders and pull her back

against him. She felt his lips at the top of her head and his steady affection surrounding her.

They were each other's rocks, and had been for twenty years now. Their shared past had shaped their

shared present and all the choices that had brought him there.

"What would Daddy have thought of him?" she suddenly asked. She hadn't wondered in years what her

parents would have thought of anything.

"He would have respected his strength," Jason answered simply. "But he would have worried about it as

well. Your man isn't known for his tender ways where women are concerned, sweetie."

No, Ian was known for tying them down, torturing them with demanding caresses and warm spankings.

He was known for his sexual demands and his determined lusts. He wasn't known for roses and

champagne or poet's verses.

"I'm not exactly known for my tender ways where men are concerned either," she pointed out teasingly.

"No. You're not." There was an edge of sorrow in his voice. "Your father would have gutted me for

drawing you into this life and your mother would have never forgiven me."

Kira leaned her head back against his chest and clasped his hands at her shoulders.

"Momma told me once that you were destined to do great things," she told him, remembering how much

her tiny mother had adored her overgrown brother. "She loved you as fiercely as she loved me."

And her momma had been taken away from them both. Her momma, her daddy, and the woman her

uncle had been engaged to. A terrorist's bomb had killed them while they were on vacation in Greece,

though it had been speculated that the bomb had been meant for them. Her father had been as immersed

in the covert life as she and Jason were.

"She would have been proud of us," she finally whispered, surprising herself with her introspection.

She had been doing that a lot these past months. Reflecting, thinking, considering the choices she had

made, and her life in general.

She was thirty years old. She had a failed marriage behind her and no children. Her marriage to Kane

Austin had been the first casualty of her secret life and covert activities.

She had no family but Jason, and so few true friends that at times the loneliness bore down on her.

And lovers? They didn't last long even when she did find time to get involved with a man. She was too

intent on partying and playing. They didn't really know her, so they had no idea why the parties, the trips,

and the shopping were so damned important.

No one really knew her. Except Jason. And Ian. That part of her that she hadn't even known herself,

had only begun learning in the past year, ached with loneliness. Ached for the man who held himself just

out of reach.

Ian knew her. Ian had done what no one else had, he had made it a point to learn about her. He knew

about her parents, about Jason, but more importantly, he knew who and what she was. He had informed

her, his voice filled with amusement the night he slipped into her condo, that he knew her as no one else

ever would. And he was right. He knew how to touch her, how to make her heart and her body come

alive. And he knew the woman she hid from the world.

Which could be a liability if she thought there were so much as a chance of his turning against the friend

who lay so helpless in that damned clinic.

"Where do you go from here?" Jason kissed the top of her head before moving slowly away.

"For now, I wait a bit." She shrugged, turning back to him. "He'll show up."

"You seem certain." His gaze was piercing in the dark.

Kira hid her smile. "I am certain." He was growing as desperate for her as she was for him. She

dreamed of nothing else, and sometimes, she thought of nothing else.

"I have a few contacts here," he told her. "Let me know if you need invitations."

"Dozens have already poured into the hotel," she reported. "The flies are converging like a plague."

Jason grimaced. "I was hoping to eat dinner tonight."

Kira widened her eyes innocently. "What did I say?"

"Trouble," he muttered. "That's all you are."

Kira rolled her eyes. She was growing tired of that accusation.