Chapal shook his head as he followed his cousin back out into the hallway. “Perhaps I will go and work for intelligence in the US. Then where will you be, cousin?”
“You have to have some intelligence to work for them. Besides, Auntie will barely allow you to leave the country. You should kiss my feet. Without me, you would spend your life playing silly games and having online relationships with women who turn out to be hairy American men.”
“There was only the one. Why do you always have to bring that up?”
Thankfully, the door closed behind them.
“We’ve got three hours. Phoebe and Jesse, take the private suite to the left. Ten is taking a room in the center closer to Kamdar. He’ll share with Hutch when he gets here. Theo and I will share the larger of the two rooms left, and Erin can have a private room,” Simon explained. “The luggage has already been delivered so you should have everything you need. Since Hutch is still in the air, I need to call my wife and get her started on a profile of the senator. I’ll have Adam look into him, too. I don’t care what Ten says. US senators don’t routinely travel to the Middle East.”
“Come on,” Jesse said with a slow smile. “We have time for a shower.”
“I don’t think Erin should be left alone,” Theo complained. “That dude was looking at her.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Erin’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying it’s so weird that a man as hot as Kamdar might find me attractive?”
“No, I’m saying he’s a king…” Theo began.
“And I can’t possibly be a queen? You know Grace Kelly wasn’t royal to begin with.”
Theo turned a nice shade of red. “I wasn’t saying that. I was just trying to watch out for you.”
“Watch this, asshole.” She turned and stalked off to her room.
Theo watched her, his eyes right on her ass. “I really would feel better if she wasn’t alone here. Phoebe?”
It would be the perfect excuse. If she was bunking with Erin, Jesse would have less of a chance to get her in bed.
“No,” Jesse said in that tone that let her know he wouldn’t be swayed. “You watch out for your chick and I’ll do the same for mine.”
“She’s not…damn it.” Theo disappeared, following Erin into the west wing of the massive suite.
And she was left alone with Jesse.
Days. She only had days left with him. It would be the right thing to break it off now. She wasn’t even sure she should hold his hand, but she couldn’t seem to stop.
“Come here.” He pulled her close and his head dipped down, covering her mouth with slow, drugging kisses. “Let me take care of you. Come on. I’ll show you how I treat my queen.”
So sweet. He was so perfect and she’d caused him nothing but pain. Still, when he pulled her along, she didn’t stop, but went willingly with him.
Just a few days of paradise. That was all she had left.
Jesse checked the temperature of the shower. Perfect. It was nice and steamy. Just what he wanted. He grabbed the items he’d prepped for this private scene and placed them on the handy shower ledge. It was time to start preparing his princess for what he wanted.
Which would run completely counter to what she thought she wanted. He stepped back out into the lavish suite they would share while they were here. He wasn’t a complete idiot. He knew what was going on in her head. She thought she would be free to walk away as soon as this operation was over, but he intended to make that impossible.
He stopped. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands in her lap, her eyes on the wall in front of her, obviously lost in thought. He took a second to study her. She really was an interesting mix of the woman he’d first met and the contemplative, distant woman she’d become. The real Phoebe was under all that guilt and he intended to bring her out. She was a sensual, affectionate, passionate thing who loved with her whole heart.
He was going to make her love him. He wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything, more than he’d even wanted out of the prison he’d been in. That had been about surviving. It was a primitive thing, an instinct any animal had. Loving Phoebe was about living, and he was sure at this point that he was the only man walking the face of the earth who could properly love her. Only Jesse.
He knew damn well there was only Phoebe for him.
“Come here, baby.”
She turned, looking over at him. “Jesse, maybe we should get some sleep.”
Coward. Luckily, he’d figured out how to work her. “Take your clothes off and come here, Phoebe. We’re going to get this over with and then we’ll take a nice nap. I promise to have you ready for work, but this is my time.”
She stood and her hands went to the buttons on her blouse. “This wouldn’t work all the time, you know.”