Ziv brought up a good point. “It doesn’t really matter. Either way, we need to get that crown off the boat before he motors out of the marina late tonight or tomorrow. This changes everything.”
I shook my head. This was excellent news for several reasons. “This is so, so much better. I can get in and out of that yacht much more easily than getting in and out of a guarded compound. There’s not nearly as much security in place.”
Falcon nodded. “All right. What do we need?”
“Scuba equipment for one,” I said. “And I’ll need Ziv to get eyes on the boat so he can tell me when it’s safe to board.”
Falcon looked at me, a crease of worry on his forehead. “Have you done this kind of thing before?”
“Many times. Did you ever hear about the string of yacht thefts when the World Cup went through Cape Town?”
“No…” he said, frowning.
“That’s how good I am,” I said with a wink.
Falcon sighed. “This isn’t the way I envisioned my life going.”
Linney, Mouse, and Ziv cracked up. I pushed my shoulder into Falcon’s. “Relax. My point is, you can count on me to make this happen. I know what I’m doing.”
“I don’t doubt your ability as an art thief, King,” Falcon clarified in a serious tone.
“Then what’s your worry here?”
“Missions can be very different when there are emotions involved.” His eyes flicked to Mouse, who was paying close attention.
“He’s right, King,” Mouse added. “I had to help on a mission that involved someone close to me, and it was hell.”
“I’m not close to Elek Kemény,” I said, trying not to let my annoyance show. I wasn’t used to having to deal with other people on an op, and I sure as hell wasn’t used to them warning me about my damned emotions.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Falcon said. “In the meantime, let’s go see if the scuba equipment arrived. After you mentioned it on the first day, I put in a request.” He stood up and stretched before taking his coffee mug to the sink.
I followed him outside to the shed. We were chatting normally about details of the retrieval mission when we entered the shed. The minute we were inside, he closed the door and grabbed me, shoving me up against it and crushing his mouth against mine. I didn’t even have a chance to take a breath before his hands were all over me and his tongue was in my mouth.
This aggressive, handsy motherfucker was such a contrast to the calm, cool, and collected senior agent he’d been in the kitchen, the change filled my dick up in a nanosecond.
“What the hell?” I gasped, pulling away enough to try and assess his mood.
“I woke up this morning so hard for you. I wanted to fuck you while you were sleeping.”
“God, why didn’t you?”
“I can’t even concentrate on my job right now, and some part of me worries that… that maybe that’s your intent.”
I didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve gotten in my head. I’ve never been so distracted on a mission before, and it’s fucked-up. Please tell me this isn’t part of your plan.”
I could see the true worry in his eyes, and part of me wanted to soothe and reassure him, but the rest of me was way too angry. He thought I was deliberately targeting him with… some kind of seduction campaign for my own nefarious gains? I shoved off him and backed up. “Fuck you.”
“King, I—”
“No. I get questioning it. Believe me, I do. But don’t you realize that you’re just as likely to be playing me as I am you?”
Falcon’s brows furrowed. “Why would I be playing you?”
“I don’t know. Revenge? Control? You have a long history of gunning for me, Agent Falcon. You’re the last person in the world I should trust right now.”
His nostrils flared. “Says the thief.”
My heart was hammering in fear. I hadn’t been expecting our personal connection to sever itself quite this soon, and the thought it was happening made me feel panicky.
“I’m not a thief anymore.”
Falcon’s eyes drifted to the tables full of the tools of my trade. I didn’t need to point out that those were his supplies, not mine.
I tried to calm down so I could pretend his words hadn’t hurt me as much as they had. “Well, good news, Agent Falcon. You’ll be rid of me tomorrow. No more having to question my motives.” I turned around to look for the scuba equipment.
He didn’t make a sound, but suddenly his arms were around me and one hand came up to hold the front of my throat. His lips brushed my ear, and my eyes slid closed. I swallowed a groan of relief at the familiar feel of him behind me.
“I can’t be there to keep you safe.”