Free A Vengeful Affair by Carmen Falcone

and laden with the burden of regret.
    What have I done?
    Vivian touched her lips, still burning from his kiss, and knew exactly what she had done. She had lost herself in the arms of the enemy, and she had come far too close to betraying her mission. Not to mention her common sense, which had vanished into thin air the moment he touched her.
    She walked shakily to the beige chair in front of the vanity mirror and clung to the wooden dresser for balance. A quick glance at her reflection revealed flushed cheeks and swollen lips, reminding her that no man in her past had ever made her feel like this.
    It was ironic that the first time she experienced such a strong attraction, it was for a man who was not worth it. The man who had broken Molly’s heart and—
    “Molly.”
    Vivian covered her mouth with her hand. A hot tear rolled down her cheek.
    I have to be strong. I can’t fall into the same trap Molly did.
    Every waking second I spend with him, I have to remember what happened to Molly.
    …
     
    The strong sunlight straying inside the bedroom warned Vivian that it was well past seven o’clock. She yawned, rubbing her fingers across eyes that were gritty after a night of tossing and turning. With a deep sigh, she swung her legs over the side of the bed just as she heard a knock on the door.
    She slipped a thick, white robe over her nightgown before opening the door to the female room service attendant, who strolled inside with a heavily laden breakfast cart.
    “ Bonjour, Mademoiselle Foster.” Vivian noticed a different bodyguard standing in front of her room. This one was bald and stocky, and as he held the door open, she noticed his stern expression. “You will find all you need here, Mademoiselle.” The attendant’s friendly tone was at odds with the exaggerated lift of her eyebrows. “I hope the tea will be to your liking.”
    Vivian smiled and looked down the tray. The tip of an envelope peeked out from beneath the teapot. “I’ll try it, thank you.”
    She closed the door behind the attendant, anxious to see what was in the envelope. There was nothing written on the outside. Inside, she found a folded note containing a single phone number.
    A knock sounded on the door, making her jump. She quickly folded the slip of paper and hid it in a bedside drawer.
    She opened the door, her throat dry. “Javier.”
    He’d dressed casually, but he was just as attractive as he’d been in a formal suit. The short-sleeved white button-up shirt fitted snugly over his chest, exposing his strong arms and enhancing his golden coloring.
    “Good morning, Vivian,” he said casually. “Did you sleep well?” He seemed to have forgotten that they had parted on less than amicable terms.
    “Never better.” Folding her arms, Vivian raised her chin, looking into his black eyes.
    She had tried and failed to forget that kiss. Instead, it had replayed in her memory many times throughout the night. Now, with Javier close to her once more, his hair damp from the shower and the scent of a clean soap on his warm skin, she had to acknowledge that any attempt to forget about the kiss would be futile.
    “About the kiss,” he said, as though reading her thoughts.
    “You mean my lapse in judgment? It’s long forgotten.”
    “I’ve been playing it in my head, over and over.”
    “It doesn’t matter,” Vivian said, her heart thumping in her chest. “You lied, though. When we danced, you made me believe you wouldn’t try for any sort of…involvement with me.”
    “I told you it was no problem if you weren’t attracted to me.” He smiled. “I never said I wasn’t attracted to you.”
    “Oh, please. Your attraction to me had nothing to do with that kiss.”
    “The kiss again… I thought it was forgotten.” He closed the distance between them, but she stepped back, clutching both sides of her robe together.
    “It is. Forgotten, I mean.”
    He sighed and looked past her to her untouched breakfast cart. “I see you haven’t