My eyes narrowed. What sort of game was she playing at now? What sort of test? I had a small clue only because I knew Cassian, but I hoped it wasn’t what I thought it was. “Looks more like a chemistry set than a gift.”
Tempest leaned back in her chair. “You agreed to infiltrate for me. Something wrong?” Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Don’t you trust me?”
I stared her down. It would be so much easier if she was anything but pleasant to look at. She was so stunning my eyes burned just looking at her. “No. Actually, I don’t. I barely know you, wife.”
“Shame,” she said with a mock pout. “Because you get all the perks of the Alfero name. Protection. Power. A shiny new identity, even. And all I ask in return is one small thing.”
I lifted the vial between my fingers weighing, its contents. It wasn’t heavy. “What’s in it?”
“Viagra,” she said without blinking.
The corners of my mouth twitched. “Nice try, but we both know the last thing I need help with is getting it up. I mean unless we’re talking about you. That might need some encouragement, considering you sleep with deadly weapons.”
"I could say the same for you.” She stared down at my dick then lifted her gaze to meet my eyes.
Damn if it didn't make me want to crawl across the table out of nothing but the need to prove something despite feeling broken inside and burying the pain of all the ways my life went wrong and all the ways I was on the cusp of righting it.
She rose slowly, heels clicking against the marble tile. She stopped just short of me, though, her hands clasped around mine closing my fingers on the vial. “This game has rules,” she whispered. “And one of them is: only say as much as needed.”
“Will I die?” I teased.
“Not today,” she answered with a wink. Just what had Cassian told her? What was she searching for? What did she know?
"And tomorrow?” I pushed. “What about tomorrow?”
Tempest shrugged, spun on her heel, and called over her shoulder, “I’m off to open wedding presents. Hurry up with the espresso and take your present, daddy hates it when we’re late.”
“Don’t call him Daddy.”
“No, you don’t call him Daddy,” she yelled, her laughter echoing off the walls in a way that was a bit unrestrained. I loved it. “Then again, try it, see what happens. I can almost promise you death will be next.”
“I’ll take my chances with the vial.” I shoved it into my pocket, tossed back the last of my coffee and braced myself for the next few hours.
Because I was about to walk into the seventh circle of hell.
Family. Job. Death. Betrayal.
I was my own walking crime show. I cracked my neck and went in search of my gun. “Married life is super fun! Having a blast!” I called down the hall. “Just in case you were wondering.”
“I wasn’t!”
“Good talk.” I yelled back. “Anything else you need, wife?”
The only answer I got was a knife being tossed from upstairs as it clattered to my feet. “I can’t fit that in my purse. Can you strap it to your leg?”
Cute. “Yours doesn’t work?”
“Fine.”
She stomped down the stairs and pulled down her white slacks. “I just did my nails and I didn’t have time to actually get them done, so they’re press on and super easy to flick off, can you just attach it here.” She tossed me the black band. “And cinch it around here.”
She turned.
I saw a nude thong.
And that was it.
Just nude.