Countermeasure by Cecilia Aubrey, Chris Almeida Page B

Cassandra followed Nathan to his room. Inside, she moved to the balcony window and looked out at the view.
    In the background, she heard Nathan pour two drinks and walk toward her. With a deep breath she turned and accepted the glass, holding it with both hands like an anchor. She slowly took a sip. The combination of coke and whiskey burned a warm trail down her throat. Over the rim of the glass she studied Nathan. His blond hair was slightly longer than she had seen before, touching the collar of his shirt, and his soft green eyes quietly observed her in return. Cassandra glanced around the room, eyeing the king-sized bed before sitting in the chair farthest from it.
    Cassandra broke the silence. “So, when do you head back?”
    Nathan tracked her movements from where he now leaned against the balcony window like a predator silently studying his prey. His breath caught slightly as her skirt crept up, giving him a quick glance of the silky skin of her thighs when she sat.
    “Depends.” He took a swig from his glass, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and swirled the drink in his hand.
    “On what?” Cassandra took another sip from her drink.
    Nathan continued to intently watch Cassandra through hooded eyes. Her soft auburn hair fell in waves around the curve of her face and down below her shoulders. The whiskey brown of her eyes and dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose had pulled at his heart since the first time she had collided with him in the maze of cubicles all those years ago.
    Nothing had changed for him. He had fallen for her then. His heart tightened in his chest. He could still remember when he had confessed his love for her and she had turned him down. He knew he might never win her heart, but, even after all these years, he was not willing to give up trying.
    The day he knew he had lost brownie points with her was a memory stamped on his brain. He had kicked himself in his lazy ass every day for slacking on keeping his gun clean. He could remember the pounding in his ears at the thought that she might have been shot because of his idiocy. He had always believed it was his duty to look out for her, protect her, keep her from danger.
    He was fairly certain she would have been his by now if it hadn’t been for that stupid incident. Instead, she had told him there would never be anything between them. He had backed off to give her space so that she could see they belonged together. But he had given her enough time and now he was ready to conquer her as he had planned. He knew she would soon see the light. He was confident it was just a matter of putting some time and effort into courting her, showing her he was the right man to make her happy.
    When the opportunity to come to California and the Bay Area, Cassandra’s home, presented itself, he made sure that he convinced his boss to send him. It had been easy to tack on some vacation days as a contingency plan, and now there he was, finally alone with her.
    Nathan set his glass on the side table and stepped toward her. Cassandra eyed him and sat back when he leaned down and placed his hands on the armrests, leaving just inches between their lips. “It depends on you.”
    “Nate, we…” Cassandra started to protest, but Nathan captured her lips in a kiss before she could finish.
    At first, Cassandra hesitated, keeping her mouth sealed, but he persisted, taking a teasing approach until finally she sighed and allowed his tongue to breach her lips. Nathan quickly accepted the surrender. He thrust his tongue deep and groaned at finally getting the chance to, once again, taste the mouth that had haunted him all these years. Slowly easing back, he reached for her hand and urged her to her feet as he took a step back.
    Following his lead, Cassandra stood. His hands moved to her waist, pulling her against him and capturing her again in a deep, wet kiss. As he continued his assault on her mouth, he moved them slowly toward the bed. In a slow dance,