Tamed by Love (Agent Lovers Series Book 2) (5 page)

Startled, Liz looked at her. “I don’t love him!”

“Yes you do! Maybe you don’t know it yet, but you do. Whenever he gets close to you, your eyes sparkle. And when you talk about him, you smile in a certain way … at least when you’re not mad at him. And that can only mean that you love him.”

“No, I don’t!”

“Whatever you say.” Jennifer didn’t push her point because she knew how obstinate Liz could be. With a sigh, she continued, “Chris, by the way, said he loves me. Quite a while ago actually.” A small, dreamy smile crossed her face while she stirred her coffee. Then Jennifer looked at Liz. “I love him.”

“Did you tell him that?”

“No. Not yet. I think I’m like you. If I were to tell him, it would be conceivable he would urge me to give up my job. I’d probably give in. But I don’t want to quit, at least not yet. That’s why I haven’t told him. I know he’s waiting for it.” She began to chuckle and leaned across the table as if she were going to tell Liz a huge secret. “How hard do you think it is for me not to say it after we’ve just made love or when we’re doing it?” Liz’s eyes grew wide, and she laughed. The couple sitting at the next table stared at them and shook their heads, smiling at their outburst. Jennifer grinned, happy that Liz was doing better.

“Neither of us has it easy, do we?”

“You could say that. I think the only ones who’re really happy about our marriages are our parents and husbands.”

“Is your mother still bugging you to have a baby as soon as possible?”

“Yes! Since Chris and I got married, it’s worse than ever. And my dad just adds insult to injury. He’s even started putting together a list of possible names for our son and heir!” Liz was shaken by a fit of laughter and could barely stop. Jennifer’s indignant expression didn’t help Liz pull herself together any faster.

“Sorry!” Liz gasped and wiped the tears from her eyes. “That wasn’t nice.” Liz took several deep breaths and tried to calm herself. “You’ve got it worse than I do.”

“You can say that again. We should really start heading back before they send out a search party for us.”

“You should check on her. Maybe she can’t get the dress zipped,” Jeff said as he stood in front of the hallway mirror tying his bowtie.

Terence butted in. “I have to agree with Jeff! If she needed hours to buy a dress, she’ll need even longer to take it out of the plastic and put it on. Should I call Townsend and tell him we’re going to be late?”

“Enough with the jokes. I hope I don’t have to tie her up and gag her to get her into the car.” Gray considered maybe Liz really did need help and he went upstairs.

***

Liz looked into the mirror and then at the magazine she held in her hand. She had looked over the pictures and followed the instructions exactly, but she couldn’t shake the feeling she had put on too much make-up. Instead of the lash-lengthening mascara, she decided on a normal one. Nevertheless, her lashes looked significantly longer. And since when did she have such pouty lips? Could the lipstick really have caused such a drastic change?

Liz glanced again at the picture. The model looked more subtly made up. With a sigh, Liz threw the magazine onto the vanity and pinned up another strand of hair that had come loose and fallen in front of her face. It had taken Liz almost an hour to turn her straight hair into a head of curls and put it into an updo. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror and still couldn’t believe what an affect just a little make-up could have.

Liz put on her mother’s small diamond studs and looked at her watch: a beautiful jeweled piece from
Cartier
that Gray had given her exactly one month after their wedding. “Damn it!” she said. Then she darted into the bedroom.

She threw off her bathrobe as she ran to the closet, then struggled with the zipper on the protective covering over the dress. When she finally pulled out the gown, she hastily slipped into it. It was from a collection whose name couldn’t have been more appropriate:
Sensual Temptation.
And what a temptation it was! Liz zipped the small zipper on her hips and plucked at the silky material, lost in thought. She didn’t even notice the bedroom door opening.

Gray peeked into the room and held his breath. His eyes widened in amazement. If he had already thought Liz was a beauty, no words existed that could do justice to the figure in front of him. Without taking his eyes off her, he walked up to Liz and stood behind her. “You look enchanting,” he whispered and turned her toward him. “No… ‘enchanting’ doesn’t even come close, darling.” Gray looked Liz over from the top of her head to the tips of her toes peeking out under the ruby-red material. She had undergone a wondrous transformation. He had seen her in a dress before, namely the one he had picked out for her for their wedding, but what she was wearing now, beat the wedding dress by far.

The long silky dress almost touched the floor. And its elaborate style emphasized every curve. The low neckline drew Gray’s gaze to her perfectly shaped breasts. The dress was backless. Softly flowing ruby-red material just barely covered Liz’s bottom and showed it off well. Only a simple loop at her neck kept the dress from falling from her body.

When Gray discovered the slit on her right side, which would expose her leg when she walked, he was almost speechless. The Liz who was standing in front of him radiated pure sensuality. Bait for any male. He would have his hands full keeping the men at a distance.

“You’re gorgeous.” He clasped her face and kissed her. He couldn’t get his fill of looking at her. And Liz’s bright blue eyes cast a spell over him, as always. It almost felt like he was sinking into their depths. “Gorgeous. Sensual. And indescribably sexy.”

“Thanks.” Smiling, Liz wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Then she kissed him passionately, and there was no other place Gray wanted to be … but they had to get to the gala. Gray pulled away, smiled, and stroked her full, red lips with his thumb. “Kiss-proof.” He laughed softly. “Excellent! Then we can keep going for a little while.”

Liz playfully slapped his chest and laughed. “You must be kidding! We’re already going to be late, thanks to you.”

“If we get there late, it’s obviously your fault. You’re sin incarnate.” Mischief danced in his expressive gray eyes. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a slender, elongated box. “This should complement your gown perfectly.” He opened the box and took out a necklace set with a single diamond. The piece was gorgeous in its simplicity and fit Liz’s tastes exactly.

Gray put the necklace on Liz, planted a kiss on her neck and took a step back. This glamorous woman in front of him thoroughly tested his willpower. Liz turned toward him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He moaned and ran his hands over her seductive body.

“God … Liz, you don’t even know how much I want you right now!” he whispered, pressing her body against his and letting her feel his arousal.

She drew her head back, brushed his erection with a soft laugh and coaxed a low moan out of him. “I’d have to be blind and made of stone to overlook
that
.”

When Liz pulled him toward the bed, however, Gray held her firmly and shook his head. “That’ll have to wait until later, sweetheart. Jeff and Terence are waiting for us.”

“They could go without us,” Liz said with an innocent look.

“I know what you’re trying to do! As tempting as this is, we
will
make an appearance.” Gray let go of Liz and looked around. He found her shoebox and stared at the shoes inside. “Do you have to show a weapons permit for these things?” he asked and smiled. Then Gray took one of the silver high heels out of its wrapper and pointed with his chin to the upholstered bench at the end of the bed. After Liz sat down, he dropped to his knees in front of her and slipped one high heel over her right foot and closed the tiny clasp.

Gray questioned his decision not to sleep with Liz when he slid the ruby-red silk aside, exposing her leg. He also caught a glimpse of her deep-red lace panties. Quickly he closed the clasp on the second shoe, stood up and avoided looking at the bed. He took her matching evening bag from the dresser and held out a hand to her.

Liz sighed. Gray’s loyalty to his sense of duty really got on her nerves. What good was the
Sensual Temptation
to her if she couldn’t even lead her husband into bed with it? In the end, she had no choice but to go to the formal gathering.

They left the bedroom and as soon as they appeared on the landing, Jeff let out an appreciative, “Wow!” No wonder it had taken so long!

Terence was no less surprised by the woman coming down the stairs on Gray’s arm. Gray was a man to be envied. Liz was ravishingly beautiful; that had already been apparent to him on their first meeting, despite her camouflaged face and the mud on it. But ‘ravishingly beautiful’ was much too weak a description for the woman who came down the stairs.

“Tell me, Liz, do you have a sister?” Jeff asked.

“No.”

“Half-sister?”

“No.”

“I’d settle for a cousin,” he said, which made his sister-in-law laugh.

“I don’t have any cousins either. You can have my brother. But you’ll have your work cut out for you.”

“Too bad!” Then Jeff turned to Gray. “Man, you still have all the luck. I might even be a little jealous.”

“Same here,” said Terence, still in awe of her.

They had barely set foot in the spacious hall at the
Marriot
, when Liz immediately drew the gaze of the guests standing around her. Exactly what Gray had expected. There wasn’t a man there who didn’t want to be in his place. He put a hand to Liz’s back and stroked her smooth skin with his thumb. He would have preferred to go home with her right then and pick up where they had left off, but he had to exercise patience.

He saw Chris and Jennifer trying to make their way through the crowd and took in Jennifer’s appearance appreciatively.

“Turns out it was entirely worth the hours we had to wait for you on Thursday. You really look gorgeous, Jennifer.”

“Thanks, Gray! Chris said the same thing earlier.”

“Enough with the compliments!” Jeff said. “Anyone with a pair of eyes can see that Liz and Jennifer are the belles of the ball.” He held out his arm to Liz. With a brazen grin, he asked her, “How about you, your Highness? Care to wiggle your hips with me for a few minutes?”

Liz grimaced, but pushed her hand through the crook of his arm. “I’ll play along. After all, I have to keep my subjects happy. A dance with the court jester ought to be the perfect way to accomplish that,” she joked.

“Certainly you won’t object if I steal a dance with my sister-in-law,” Jeff called over his shoulder. He didn’t wait for Gray’s response and disappeared with Liz into the crowd. Gray let her go reluctantly and watched as Terence led Jennifer onto the dance floor.

“My God! I thought I was dreaming. Liz’s dress… Does that even pass for an evening gown?” Chris asked. “Jennifer’s is pretty bold and almost more than I can take. How do
you
stand it?”

“Simple. I think about the time when this is over and I’m alone with her again.”

“Until then, you’ll have to defend your territory. Judging by all the looks going her way, at least half the men here would like to get their hands on Liz.”

“You should worry about your own wife! After all, the other half is after her,” Gray said, pointing out the obvious. Chris looked around, confirming their assertions. He was only marginally aware of the appreciative glances sent his wife’s way. As he was too busy admiring her himself. Chris stood next to Gray and helped himself to a glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. He drained the glass in one go and watched Jennifer’s graceful, almost weightless floating over the dance floor.

“You don’t have to worry about Terence. He’d never mess with another man’s woman, regardless of how tempting she is,” Gray reassured Chris. It annoyed him that he didn’t have the first dance with Liz.

“Blackwood. Robbins. Nice to see you! Where are your wives hiding?” Townsend asked, smiling.

“On the dance floor. Those two don’t know how to hide,” said Gray with a chuckle. He glanced in the direction of the girls and Townsend looked over, surprised.

“I was just wondering why there was such a commotion among the men. Now I understand why. Apparently Elizabeth and Jennifer have really blossomed in married life. Really interesting! How long can I expect to keep them in the unit?” He no longer seemed displeased about their marriages.

“In all honesty, I would prefer to remove her from the unit tomorrow, Sir.” Gray said and Chris nodded. “But this isn’t my decision, it’s Liz’s. As long as she wants to be a member of your team, I’ll support her to the best of my ability.”

“I didn’t expect anything less from you, Blackwood. As soon as anything changes, I’d like to be informed immediately so I can look for replacements.” Then Townsend left with a nod and mingled with the other guests.

Jeff and Terence walked over, alone.

“Where’s Jennifer?” Chris asked, looking around.

“You really don’t think that you’re going to see her again before the end of the ball, do you? Unless you somehow manage to grab a dance with her,” said Jeff, laughing, and then he turned to Gray. “Same goes for you, by the way.”

Chris and Gray looked out at the dance floor where two strangers were swinging their wives around.

Jeff looked at Terence who was also chuckling.

“By the way, I saw Josh earlier. I’m sure he’ll come over.” No sooner had he said that, when Josh appeared behind Terence.

“Hello everyone! May I introduce Maria, my wife. You already know Terence. This is Chris, Gray and his brother, Jeff.” With a smile, the young wife nodded to the group. She was petite compared to her husband. Despite her gleaming red hair she wore swept up in an elaborate hairstyle, and her daring high heels, she was still a head shorter than Josh.

“Where did you leave your wives?” he asked with a wink. “Or are they under some kind of house arrest?”

“They’re on the dance floor,” said Chris sullenly. He guzzled another glass of champagne. Josh looked at the dance floor and then back again, impressed.