Free Fool Me Once by Mona Ingram

know for sure.
If she wanted to avoid a broken heart all she had to do was pack her suitcase
and go home. But that wouldn’t be fair to Josh. He’d made his position clear
from the outset, and she had agreed to The Rules as she now thought of them.
She gave a soft snort of derision. Everybody knew that even the strictest rules
were made to be broken.
    * * *
    Josh
gathered up his winnings and nodded to the remaining players. He stood up
slowly, aching from the long hours of concentration. On his ranch, he thrived
on long work days and little sleep. During roundup he could ride for hours
searching for strays and not feel this exhausted. He made his way into the
public area, deserted now in the early morning hours. Vacuums hummed as the
cleaning crew got ready for another day.
    Outside,
the sky was suffused with a pale glow, heralding the imminent sunrise. Removing
his tie, he slipped it into the pocket of his jacket. He looked up and spotted
Dirk coming toward him. “How did it go?” the Englishman asked casually. “You
look beat.”
    The
two men strolled along the broad esplanade. “I am, but I made an interesting
contact. Did you see the short heavyset man who left before me?”
    The
SAS agent nodded. “He looked familiar. I snapped his picture.”
    “Good.
I’m fairly sure I saw his face in the briefing file on the Czech syndicate. He
mentioned a couple of times that he’s meeting someone tomorrow. Seemed rather
anxious about it.” He scrubbed his face with the palm of his hand. “I need a
shave.”
    “What
you need is a few hours of sleep.” Dirk clapped Josh on the shoulder. “Good
work. Oh, by the way, I met Olivia at the casino.” His eyes darted sideways.
“She’s quite a woman.”
    Josh
nodded. “I’m just beginning to realize that, although I dread the day she finds
out why she’s really here.”
    “I
know what you mean. In the meantime, let’s just concentrate on making contact
with Blazek.” He waved down a taxi. “Here’s a good sign. A taxi at this time of
the morning.”
    Josh
sank thankfully into the back seat. Dirk leaned into the window. “Don’t be
surprised if you see me tonight.” He slapped the roof of the car and watched it
speed off just as the sun rose over the horizon, turning the sea into a sheet
of sparkling gold.
    “Bonjour,
monsieur,” Martine called cheerfully as he entered the villa. “Can I bring you un
café this morning?”
    Josh
slipped off his shoes and socks, rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and undid
the top two buttons of his shirt. “That sounds wonderful, Martine.” Stretching
out on a lounge chair under the trellis, he fought the sudden lethargy that
threatened to pull him under, but by the time the Frenchwoman returned with his
coffee he was sound asleep, his hand trailing on the deck. With an
understanding shake of her head, she placed the coffee beside him and withdrew
silently.
    * * *
    Olivia
stretched luxuriously, awakened by the brilliant light. She was rested, hungry,
and surprisingly enough, she wasn’t missing work at all. After a quick shower,
she pulled on a bathing suit and tied a pareu around her slim hips. She ran
lightly down the stairs and came to a halt beside the pool.
    Slumped
onto a chaise lounge, Josh lay with his head to one side, sound asleep. A cup
of coffee sat on the table at his side and she touched it, surprised to find
that it was still hot.
    Very
quietly, she placed a chair beside the lounge and picked up his coffee as she
sat down. Sipping it slowly, she studied him. His beard had darkened overnight,
lending him a rakish, dangerous look. Fighting the sudden urge to reach out and
touch the stubble on his cheek, she clutched the coffee cup with both hands.
    Even
sound asleep, his body appeared firm and hard. Dark chest hairs showed through
the open neck of his shirt, and a powerful awareness rippled through her body.
Her eyes roamed hungrily over his body, lingering on the muscled forearms. She
had a sudden picture of him