Free Broken Promises by J.K. Coi Page A

The look in his eyes maybe. I just…it was only—”
    Jasper put his arm around her and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “Welcome to spy work, my darling. Where you see the enemy at every turn and second-guess yourself constantly.”
    “But I could swear…”
    He was watching her with an indulgent smile that proved he wasn’t taking her seriously at all. Maybe he was right, but the impotent frustration still burned. “I think we should at least search the train once we’re on board,” she said.
    He patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
    “I can help.”
    A brief hesitation, and he nodded. “All right, we’ll do it together. But let’s get settled in first.”
    He pressed his warm lips to her temple as the cabin attendant appeared and the line of waiting passengers in front of them started to move forward. Callie glanced behind her once more, but neither saw nor felt the presence of anyone paying special attention to them. She smiled up at Jasper, hoping he didn’t see how hard she was working to keep all her worries from leaking out.
    As unreasonable as her suspicions seemed, she found herself staring through the small squares of glass inset into each door as they boarded the train and made their way to the compartment Jasper had reserved. She kept wondering where the young man she’d seen on the platform had disappeared to and couldn’t knock the feeling she’d been looking into the face of the very person they’d been ordered to apprehend. The same man who’d stared out at her from a photograph in a file. The same man who’d been not three feet from her this morning on that doomed airship…and she still hadn’t recognized him.
    * * *
    Jasper was glad he’d had the presence of mind to reserve a second compartment for Patrick. “I told him to rest,” he said to Callie with a grin. “The lad’s had a rough day.”
    She removed her veil almost immediately and rubbed her temples.
    “Are you all right?”
    She smiled up at him but her lip quivered. “Yes, of course. Just a headache from wearing the veil. You know how the mechanical eye tends to overcompensate when I cover it up.”
    Her hands were kept busy adjusting the pleats of the long, heavy skirt and he realized just how much inconvenience she suffered in order to appear in public without drawing unwanted attention.
    He lifted his hand to her cheek until she looked up at him.
    She slipped her hands around his neck. Her breasts pressed against his chest. “Perhaps we should rest as well,” she murmured, lifting her face for a kiss.
    There was no resisting her. He didn’t even try.
    The desire to be gentle lost out to his need for reaffirmation after everything they’d been through. Another damn fire! He crushed his lips to hers, plunging his hands into her hair.
    When she moaned and opened her mouth, he recognized the invitation and responded. His cock hardened and his blood quickened. His tongue slipped inside and slid against hers in a slick exchange of breath and heat and passion until he found himself fumbling at her clothes.
    She pressed her open mouth to the crazy pulse pounding near his throat. “Oh, yes,” she whispered, reaching to pull open his jacket and vest, yanking the linen shirt from his waist until she could flatten her hands over his abdomen. “Jasper, hurry.”
    Backing up to the long bench seats, she rucked her skirts a little higher with each step until he was seeing more than just the strength and steel of her powerful lower legs, but the smooth creamy skin of her perfect thighs.
    He jerked his hat and jacket off and hung them on the hook to cover the small spyhole window in the door, then double-checked to make sure the bolt had been jammed home.
    Removing his waistcoat and shirt, he watched Callie. Her breath caught as she watched him, too, and she began to work at the fastenings of her prim white blouse.
    His gaze caught on the swell of her breasts as she spread the garment open,