Codename: Romeo by Kat Attalla Read Free Book Online

vultures.”
    “Vultures?” Although she said the word without bitterness, the comment stung all the same. What did she know about the Bureau?
    She crinkled her nose. “Maybe that was extreme. They’re more like hawks. Predators, ruthless in their pursuit.”
    “You familiar with them, Tori?”
    “Once.” She dropped her hand and took a step back. “In another life.”
    Her mood changed immediately. Many scientists working on sensitive projects often dealt with NSB agents, but only in a protective capacity. What caused her to resent the agency, and did it have anything to do with the current case? He would have to convince someone in authority to unseal her file. The situation had become a need to know.
     
     

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    Victoria stood at the kitchen counter and sliced tomatoes for the salad. So much for leaving the past in the past. She slowly exhaled a deep breath, letting the tension ebb from her body. She probably came off as a nutcase, or worse, one of those moody, simpering women who couldn’t deal with life’s bumpy roads. That’s what half her colleagues thought when she resigned from the research center.
    She’d tried to play by their rules, but principles and ethics didn’t always coexist with the goals in the defense industry. The best defense is a strong offense. Idealism often got lost in the pursuit. She’d made the right decision for herself and she could live with her choice. After the two years of forced protection from the government that followed her departure, she’d gotten her life back and carried no regrets. But apparently, she still harbored residual anger.
    She arranged a handful of tomatoes on top of the lettuce leaves. Cooking usually allowed her to relax and take her mind off her problems. Did she plan to ruin her evening with an interesting and exciting man?
    The sound of approaching footsteps and the spicy scent of aftershave surrounded her. During the long silence, she sensed Erik staring at her. Nerve endings stood at attention, giving rise to sensations she’d never felt before. At least he stayed, although she would have understood if he’d left. She owed him an explanation for her irrational outburst.
    “I’m sorry,” he said before she could.
    She turned towards him. “Why? I brought up the subject.”
    “I didn’t want you to think I was mocking your work.”
    “Not at all.”
    He smiled uncertainly. “Then would you mind putting down the knife? It’s aimed towards a part of me I’d like to keep.”
    “What?” She gazed down at the direction of the blade and groaned.
    He reached out and carefully closed his fingers over hers on the handle. As she released her grip, he placed the knife in the sink behind her. The action brought him flush against her while pinning her to the counter.
    “That’s better. I make you nervous enough.”
    “No, you don’t,” she said with a slight quaver in her voice. Oh, he stimulated her nervous system, all right, but in a delightfully warming way. Any anxiety she felt sprung from desire, not fear.
    She gazed up at him, noticing his height for the first time. Even with her heels, she barely reached his chin. He rested one hand on her hip. His eyes sparked with a raw hunger that left her breathless. A rush of adrenaline surged through her. She inched closer, placing her fingertips on his chest to feel his heartbeat.
    And then he kissed her. A chaste brush of his lips across her forehead that both surprised and disappointed her.
    He took a step back. “Need help with anything?”
    Unable to speak, she shook her head. She smoothed an imaginary wrinkle on her silk blouse. Talk about mixed signals. She had her wires so crossed she might short circuit.
    “Would you like me to set the table?”
    “Sure,” she muttered, suddenly needing distance. “The plates are in the china cabinet along with the silverware.”
    Once he left the kitchen, she exhaled the breath she’d been holding. Why had he backed away?