Free Aegis 01 - First Exposure by Elisabeth Naughton Page B

about laying her out on that giant bed in their room and sampling every inch of her delectable skin.
    Silence stretched between them. Above, palm fronds rustled gently. Then her eyes narrowed, and even though she didn’t pull her hand from his, he didn’t have to wonder anymore. He saw the invisible walls come up as clearly as if she’d slammed a door in his face. “That’s why I’m here. To see what you can find. Keep your promise, Black. That’s all I care about now.”

    A very knew she was being harsher to Cade than he deserved, but she didn’t trust herself anymore. That kiss in the restaurant—while he’d done it mostly for show—had added a few serious cracks to her foundation. How could he still melt her insides after all these years? She should be tougher than this. It was because of him that she was still single. Because of him she couldn’t seem to commit to anyone. Because of him she still felt like a part of her was missing. And now here he was, bringing back all those feelings she foolishly thought she’d put behind her.

    She took a sip of her cosmo and glanced around the dance club. Music blared from speakers hidden around the room, and a sparkly ball cast circles of light over the floor and tables. A handful of couples were out on the floor grooving to the music, but more were scattered around the room in the U-shaped booths hidden in the shadows, drinking, chatting, and mingling with other couples. And every now and then a couple would get up and go through that arched doorway in the back of the club, leaving Avery to wonder what was back there and where they were going.
    Curiosity killed the cat.
    She turned quickly away from the dance floor, finished her drink, and set the glass on the bar. Remember that, Avery. She’d opted to sit at the bar instead of an intimate booth, since being close to Cade already set her off. Just after they’d gotten their drinks, his phone had buzzed, and he’d stepped outside to take a call. Though she knew it was from Aegis—he’d told her at dinner that he’d asked them to run some info for him—a tiny part of her couldn’t help but wonder if the call was about her or Melody.
    “Stop thinking about him,” she muttered under her breath. “Stop worrying about what he thinks about you. Nothing good ever came from being curious.”
    “I don’t know,” a heavily accented, deep male voice said. “In a place like dis, curiosity can be all kinds of intoxicating.”
    Avery glanced up at the Jamaican bartender drying a glass in front of her, and realized he must have heard her talking to herself. Her cheeks heated, but she slipped back into her role and pushed her empty glass toward him. “I would think in a place like this it could cause all kinds of trouble. Don’t you get a lot of first-time visitors?”
    “Some.” His skin was shades darker than hers, his smile wide and bright. He was tall and muscular, and Avery remembered the numerous soccer games they’d passed on the drive from the airport. “But most are repeats. Mr. Claud over there comes at least once per year. His wife Lynn thinks we have da most attentive staff on da island.”
    Avery glanced over her shoulder at the big-chested, fifty-something man in large print Hawaiian, rubbing up against a skinny, bottle-dyed redhead in a short flitty skirt and mile-high stilettos. “She looks quite a bit younger than him.”
    “Oh, dat’s not Mrs. Claud. She in the booth to your right.”
    Avery’s gaze shifted that direction. The late-forties brunette had her leg hooked over some man’s thigh and was playing with the open collar of his shirt. When the man pushed to his feet, she unhooked her leg, shot a wink toward her husband on the dance floor, then followed him toward that door at the back of the club Avery had noticed before.
    “It looks like she’s heading off to have some fun,” the bartender said behind Avery.
    “Wow.” Wide-eyed, Avery looked away again, but as she did, her gaze