Dying Commitment (Lucky Thirteen) (11 page)

I wasn't sure how long we walked along the path without talking, without speaking. It wasn't uncomfortable silence. It was more contentment, and a willingness to just be. By taking the op out of the equation, I’d left only the girl behind. And Cadence, as much as she didn’t want to be, was very much a girl, one I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Around us, the scene didn’t change. At night, there were far less people around, but there wasn’t that vibe that someone was going to jump out and murder us. The park we were walking through was protected by palace police for the most part. The Boudin manor wasn’t too far off, its large lawn protected by an iron gate. The park surrounded the manor, and was open to the public. There was even a small water garden, man built, of course.

I was determined to show her that she could have fun, even if we were in the middle of an op. She needed to lighten up a bit. She’d been so go-go-go since Jack shot her, so ready to jump into op after op, that she hadn’t ever really given herself the time to just relax. Even when we had sex at home, she was always quick to leave. I wanted her to know that there was more to life than work.

“So what’s the plan tonight?” Cadence asked. “Where are we going? What are we doing?” From anyone else, the questions would have sounded excited and puppy-like, but from her, they were anxiety-driven. She needed to know what was happening at all times.

I silenced her with a kiss, a full on lip lock that even though I initiated it, it left me breathless. When we finally separated, I grinned at her. “No more thinking tonight. You’re not on any timetable. You’re not hunting anything or anyone. It’s just you and me and one of the most beautiful countries in the world.”

She stared up at me, full of wonder and curiosity. “You don’t ask a lot, do you?”

“Not at all,” I replied.

“So, what are we doing?”

“First,” I grinned, “we’re going to dinner. We’re going to sit and talk, like real life grownups on an actual date.”

“How strange.” Her eyebrow rose, and a smirk crossed her face. She was toying with me. That was a good sign.

“I know, right? We’re even going to indulge in dessert.”

She stepped in front, and pressed her chest against mine. “And what kind of dessert did you have in mind?” Her gaze strayed to my mouth, and when that little pink tongue slid along her lips I almost lost control over myself and tackled her to the ground right then. Fuck everyone else. They could watch.

But I didn’t. Instead, I cleared my throat and straightened my back. “I think you’ll find that I am not so easy, sweetheart. I never put out on the first date.”

“Liar,” she giggled. “You propositioned me the first time we met.”

“Yes, but I didn’t sleep with you that night.”

“I was in meetings all night.”

“Still, there was no sex.”

“But the next night…”

“I rocked your world.”

“You have a high opinion of your sexual prowess.”

“It’s well earned.”

She rolled her eyes. “You are ten kinds of ridiculous.”

“Maybe, but that’s why you like me.” She shook her head, but no denial crossed her lips. I took that as a good sign. Then I spied a nice little spot near the water gardens, secluded, almost out of sight from the rest of the world. “Trust me?” I asked her.

She frowned. “Why?”

“Just come on,” I said, grabbing her hand and running for the water gardens. She squeaked out a protest but let me drag her along until we almost reached the water gardens, and then I pressed her up against a nearby tree. “I like to eat my dessert before dinner.”

I kissed her again, my hands roaming from her hips to just under her breasts. I loved how much soft flesh she had, such a contrast from hanging out with the guys all the time, and yet, she could keep up with any one of us. Her arms slid around my neck, a soft almost inaudible moan escaping her.

I dug my fingers into her hips, pressing my body against hers, her back against the tree. One of her shapely legs slid up mine and hooked behind it, like she was trying to get me even closer than I was.

She broke the kiss a moment later. “What happened to not putting out on the first date?”

“This is not putting out. This is just a little warm up. You know, to make sure the muscles are loose before the work out.”

“Mmm…” was her response, but that was because I’d started kissing along that spot on her neck she liked. Her hand slipped between us, and cupped my crotch. I shuddered. The feel of her hand over my dick created instant hardness. I never did have any kind of self-control when it came to her. I needed her. I craved tasting her.

But we did have reservations for dinner in like, fifteen minutes. Slowly, I pulled out of the embrace and stepped away to catch my breath. She looked wrecked, with her kiss-swollen lips jutted out in a disappointed pout, leaning against the tree like she didn’t have the strength to stand on her own.

“Dinner?” I asked, hoping my voice didn’t crack. She nodded, and I held out my hand to her. She stared at it for a moment and then slowly took it.

“So, that’s a warm-up, huh?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“I need to work out more,” she replied.

“I’m sorry… Did you just make a joke?” I blinked at her, filling my expression with mock surprise.

She punched my arm. “Shut up and feed me.”

“Yes, ma’am!” I let her straighten herself out, and then we started walking toward the restaurant.

~*~*~

Cadence

I was still breathless from that kiss by the time we reached the restaurant. We were seated quickly, and in the corner of the place so we had a full view and a wall at our backs. I imagined that Dylan had arranged that, knowing my personal paranoia about having my back to the door. Hell, I thought maybe he had that same paranoia.

Dylan started talking about something, but I couldn’t concentrate on his words. All I could see was the short spikes of his dark hair, the gorgeous deep set of his eyes, surrounded by laugh lines he had no business having yet. High cheekbones accentuated beautiful, full lips that I just wanted to kiss forever.

“You know what I mean?”

I blinked, Dylan’s voice permeating the thoughts I’d lost myself in. “What?”

“You weren’t even listening, were you?” He grinned and leaned across the table to whisper, “Were you picturing me naked?”

“What? No!” I protested.

He laughed. “I think you were.” He stretched out, puffing out his chest. He was wearing a dark grey button down shirt that looked like silk. Had he already had that shirt or was it one he bought this afternoon?

“You’re impossible.”

“No, I’m very possible,” he replied. Most women I knew would have been put off by Dylan’s ego. But the thing with him was that you had to figure out when he was serious and when he was just blowing hot air. Because most of the time, it was hot air, a simple defense mechanism to keep people from knowing the real Dylan Urban.

“What are you hiding under there?” I asked him, surprising myself.

“What do you mean?”

The waiter arrived with our food and set it all out for us. I waited until he left again to ask my question again. “I mean, you always joke around and act like this big tough guy. But you’re not always that guy. Sometimes, you’re nothing like him. I told you my secrets. Tell me yours.”

He looked uncomfortable for a moment, but in true Dylan fashion, it vanished quickly. He shrugged. “I’m an open book.”

“Yes, but sometimes, I think some of your pages are stuck together.”

“Do you really want to know?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.” He took that in, growing silent. His smile faded, and a haunted look came over him. I didn’t like that look on him. It was so un-Dylan-like. I squirmed a little in discomfort. “You don’t have to…”

“Jokes are easy.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “It’s a way to make sure that no one takes you seriously, that they never expect anything from you.” He sighed. “When I was a kid, my parents used to fight a lot. Hell, they still do. All the damn time, every time I’m home. It’s obnoxious.”

“And they’re still together?”

“Yeah. They’ve been married twenty-five years. My mom has always been the trophy wife. Role model mom. To everyone else.”

“But not around you.”

Dylan shook his head, the pain in his eyes making me want to take him in my arms that second. But I didn’t. I let him keep talking, because this was by far the most serious I’d ever seen him. I was seeing the real deal for the first time. “Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t get beaten or nothing. But I learned that jokes diffused tension really quickly, kept people from asking the uncomfortable questions. I’ve never looked back from that.”

“Can I tell you something secret, that if you leak to the guys, I will rip out your spleen and shove it back down your throat?”

“You’re so violent,” he said. “It’s kinda hot.”

“Promise me.”

“I won’t tell the guys.” He leaned forward, like a small boy waiting for a cookie. “Come on. Spill.”

“I used to want to be a princess.”

“You?” He blinked. “Like a tiara and princess want and everything?”

“Yeah. I had a collection of princess dresses and tiaras and had fantasies of marrying Prince William.”

He snorted, trying to hold in laughter.

“Don’t laugh!”

“I can’t help it. This is priceless.” He guffawed, which caught the attention of several other patrons. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. He lowered his voice. “You, the woman who breaks into military grade, multi-million dollar computers and hits every target center mass with her eyes closed… wanted to be a princess?”

“I knew I shouldn’t have said anything,” I scowled and crossed my arms over my chest.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll stop.” He took a cleansing breath, broke out in giggles, and took another breath to stop it. “It’s just… when did you have time for princess fantasies?”

“You know, I wasn’t always about studying and work. I was a pretty normal kid… mostly.”

He smiled at me. “There’s nothing normal about you. So what changed? When did you go from princess to spy?”

“I’m not a spy.”

“The question stands.”

“I was really smart, like super smart with computer science and math and engineering principles. I got the attention of a politician, who offered me a full ride in this really prestigious academy for gifted students. It was high school and college in one. It was a fantastic opportunity for me to do things I loved. I jumped on it.” I stopped, because after school was when I met Jack. He was my field trainer. And I had been naive.

Dylan must have sensed the change in me because he cleared his throat. “You know what we need?” He picked up the dessert menu and pointed to a picture. “This double Swiss chocolate cheesecake.”

I grinned at him, because that was indeed, exactly what I needed.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Cadence

Dylan was waiting for me outside with my jacket, but I had to pee so bad. I didn’t think I could walk home like that. So while he went outside, I went to the bathroom. But when I got out of the stall, strong hands grabbed me and pulled me back against a hard body.

“Miss me, sweet pea?”

I froze, only for a second, as I processed the sound of the male voice and the words he spoke. I thrashed, trying to get free of him, but his grip was like iron. Tears pricked at my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not with him. His hand covered my mouth, but I tried to bite it without success.

Then the glint of silver caught my eye and the cool length of a steel blade at my throat made me stop. “Calm down, Cady. You know you’d be dead if I wanted you to be.”

My chest heaved with exertion from fighting him. I breathed from my nose, angrily trying to catch my breath.

“Now, no screaming, but that’s not really your style, isn’t it, Cady baby?” His voice purred over me, deceptively soothing. “Let’s talk like civilized folks. I assume you know why I’m here?”

He slowly released my mouth but the knife stayed at my throat.

“You couldn’t break my encryption.” A sense of pride brought a smile to my face, even though Jack was holding me. He wouldn’t have come unless he needed me, and showing up himself was incredibly risky.

“You’ve gotten better. At least with the programming, you have. Your taste in men has gone downhill. Isn’t he a little young for you, Cady?” He laughed. “Your type was always older, wasn’t it?”

“You’re imagining things.” I pushed at his arm, but he didn’t budge. Damn it. Being smaller than most guys, I always had a rule that I couldn’t let them touch me, and yet, I’d ruined that by letting Jack sneak up on me. “He’s a good guy. Brave. Trustworthy. Unlike you.”

Jack chuckled again. “You’re still not learning. I had to do what I had to do. He will too. He’s one of those duty-bound types. You’ll always come second to him.”

I couldn’t reach my gun. It was tucked against my back. Still, I tried to talk to him so I could split his attention off from what I was doing. “Yeah, you never had that problem, did you? And yet, I still came in second. Or was it third? Do computer files count as your mistress?”