Dark Cover (The DARK Files #2) by Susan Vaughan Page B

sweatpants but barefoot. He found the hallway dark and empty. No light beneath Vanessa’s door.
    Damn.
    He’d gone too far and chased her away. Already in bed and done with him.
    She was too professional to be snared by his impulsive seduction. Once he’d felt her beneath him and sensed the same elemental need in her, his blood surged with such need he was barely able to stop. He was thankful her breathy moans threw him back to reality or he’d have taken her there on the hall floor.
    She was right that anything between them might endanger their operation.How ironic that Vanessa believed he’d beggared his honor to cheat on his real fiancée with his pretend one. That was something he’d never do if he were still engaged.He could tell her the truth. Let the chemistry sizzle between them. See where it led… But she was a capable, experienced government officer. Why would she want a former soldier with a shameful disaster in his past?
    Besides, any hint that he lied might arouse suspicions and endanger Danielle. Might endanger the entire operation. Better to ice down his libido. His relationship with Vanessa would be professional only.
    But damn, somehow, holding her had eased his grief and anger. Her sweetness both soothed and aroused him.Hell. He stomped down the stairs.
    He stopped in the doorway of the formal living room. A single brass lamp burned on an end table. Vanessa sat curled up on a red brocade-upholstered wing chair. She still wore the black jumpsuit, and now he could see the thin fabric hugging her body. Her hair was tied back in a braid, with small curls at her temples.
    His heart kicked from exasperation to pleasure that she hadn’t run to her room after all.“Ah, good, you’re here. A man shouldn’t drink alone at this time of night.” He rubbed his hands together and strode to the Chinese puzzle chest that served as a liquor cabinet.
    “I decided brandy would help me sleep after my little adventure.”
    He turned to her with raised brows and a sly grin he couldn’t prevent.
    “Outside.” Cheeks turning pink, she hurried on. “My little foray with Snow. To check the perimeter.”
    All right. He’d flustered her.Grinning, he pushed the correct sequence of inlaid ivory leaves on the cabinet front, and the doors opened, revealing decanters and bottles on a shelf. “I had to talk Alexei into giving me the code to this thing.”
    She chuckled. “I’m surprised he told you.”
    “So am I. A secretive and possessive son of a bitch.” He selected a bottle of Benedictine and two glasses. “My half brother had his faults, but he knew good liquor. I think you’ll like this better than brandy.”
    “Thank you.” She accepted the snifter with its serving of dark amber liquid.
    He sprawled on the curve-backed sofa, the only comfortable piece in the room as far as he was concerned, and tossed the decorative pillows. He sighed as the liqueur slid smoky warmth down his throat. He watched her as she took tentative sips.
    A careful woman. Both restraint and pleasure at the alcohol’s effect. She’d like to be spontaneous, but her professional training — and something else — prevented her from letting go. Intriguing, but he should let it pass.
    Professional only, remember?
    “I have to tell you about the perimeter check.” She started to set her glass on the end table, but instead clutched it in her lap. Her features stayed calm, but excitement glittered in her eyes.
    Taken aback, he sat more erectly. Hell. She’d returned from facing danger, and he jumped her bones. “Something happened. Are you all right?”
    The flutter of one hand waved away his concern. “We found a breach in the fence.”
    “Where?”
    “Southwest corner — back corner — behind the overgrown shrubbery. The fence backs onto a park with more shrubbery. Someone sawed partway through the boards. That’s it so far.”
    “A point of insertion not likely to be discovered under normal circumstances. What will you