The unimpressed looks I get from both Lynxes grate on my nerves. I still don’t like this and I still don’t think it’s a good idea, but it’s too late to back out now. What’s done is done—Hex is going to that dinner. The best thing I can do is to make it count.
“I can see that, dear. But I am sure he is a nice person at heart, or he wouldn’t be your friend.” She drapes her arm over her companion’s shoulder. “We’ll be on our way now, as the golf session we are going to is about to begin. Thank you so much for the directions and we are looking forward to tonight.”
Flashing Hex another smile, she herds her partner into the crowd that has formed by the stage. Only when the two of them disappear among the sea of faces, do I unclench my hands to let out some of the tension I was holding onto. I don’t like her. And I don’t like that we got dragged into her little game.
Hex is the brains; I am the muscle. That was the condition under which I agreed to let him be part of this mission. I need to know he’s not in any direct danger in order to do my job. It’s all gone out the window now. The moment he agreed to this dinner—as useful as that might end up being—he changed the rules. He’s too reckless, and he didn’t consider the consequences of his actions. I don’t know these people, but if they are here, it’s logical to assume they aren’t as harmless as they might currently appear.
I can’t deny that this is a golden opportunity, though. They are somehow part of this drug conspiracy and we just got our potential way in, if we play it right. The only problem is that I’m not sure I can go with Hex. We have just a couple of hours until the end of our shifts and that’s not enough time to get me the clearances needed for the off-limits decks.
“Chill. I got this,” Hex says, leaning his shoulder into my arm. “I’ll just go with them, have a nice chat over dinner, and collect all the intel I can right under their noses. Easy. You have nothing to worry about.”
I massage my forehead, an ache already forming. I really wish that was the case, but where this troublemaker is concerned, something always goes wrong.
6
Hex
Iputonmybest hoodie I can find, the one with the moth and the lasagna print. It goes really well with my cosmic-inspired boot-cut pants and the white sneakers. If I am going to a secret luxury restaurant, I might as well dress to impress, right?
Mr. and Mrs. Lynx seemed nice, overall. They were older than Aran, so they could be my grandparents. Seeing as mine died before I was old enough to remember them, I’ve always wondered what it’s like to have someone like that to spoil you.
Not that Aran didn’t spoil me once he took over the role of my guardian. I’ve never lacked anything. But he’s also the man I’ve wanted to marry since I was a kid, so he never felt like family that way. He’s got it in his mind that we can’t be together—that the universe will collapse if he gives into the attraction I am one hundred percent convinced he feels toward me—so getting him to realize we are two pieces of the same puzzle has been extremely difficult.
But I’m not the type to give up. Nuh-uh. This is not just some crush I have on him like he seems to think. We are a done deal.
Happy with the way I look, I style my bangs to one side in front of the mirror attached to the bathroom door and head out… only to almost have the front door crash into my face as Aran enters our cabin. His face scrunches the moment he sees me, eyes narrowing and lips pressing into a line.
I wanted to avoid this. It’s why I left twenty minutes before our shift officially ended. I got this under control and I know what I am doing—he has nothing to worry about. Yet he seems just about ready to scold me.
Tough luck. I’m not really in the mood for a lecture, especially with all the excitement coursing in my veins at the prospect of directly contributing to the success of our mission. If there is one thing that can get Aran’s blood going, it’s performance. Meeting goals. Achieving whatever the objective is in an efficient and uncomplicated way.Which is exactly what I intend to do, if he just stopped blocking the way and let me go do my magic.
This is my first mission in the field ever, yes, but I’ve always wanted to taste the kind of real action you can’t get from behind a screen.
“What is this?” he demands, examining me like I’m a specimen in a museum. His left brow twitches as his eyes pause on my hoodie’s print.
I take a step back, puff out my lips, and cross my arms. “My best clothes, duh. I was just about to head to the entertainment deck… I remember where it is, so you don’t have to come with me,” I explain, looking down at my amazing outfit because meeting his probably exasperated gaze is only going to aggravate me. Aran aside, I’ve really outdone myself this time because I look like a supermodel about to go on the catwalk.
Aran’s nostrils flare. “Absolutely not. I am coming. And youare notwearingthis.” He grabs me by the wrist and drags me into the bedroom. “I can’t believe you sneaked out during the end-of-day meeting and were planning to do this on your own.” He sighs dramatically as he begins digging through the suitcase of clothes he brought. “It’s a good thing the Chief didn’t notice.”
“Relax. I don’t need you to walk me to the meeting spot. I remember the way.”
He clenches the brown shirt he’s holding, making folds appear all over it. “I don’t like this. I think you should cancel.”
“No way! This is an opportunity we can’t miss. I’m not backing out.”
“Maybe they will agree to reschedule. This will give us more time to figure out a way for me to accompany you. If you manage to locate the second security roster, we can get the names of those who have access to the off-limits decks. That shou—”
“No.” I plant my hands firmly on my hips. “We are doing this today, like it or not. Have some trust in me.”
Straightening up, he trains his stormy gaze on my face. It’s so intense, I can’t help but wince internally.
“I can’t help it. I worry about you,” he says, the annoyance draining off his face in exchange for genuine concern.
He truly means that, and I suddenly can’t breathe. He cares about me more than he lets show. I can feel it in the air between us, in the way the tension in the room rises. My chest is too tight and too bubbly as it struggles to keep my madly beating heart in check.Fuuuck, I didn’t expect such a low blow. He doesn’t usually voice these kinds of things and so my mind has no idea how to take it.
As if my brain wasn’t jumbled enough, Aran inches in closer, tugging on the hem of my hoodie. I raise my arms and let him take it off, not sure what is happening. Did he get tired of the push-and-pull finally? Is he ready to confess? Does he want to take me to bed? My head spins with the possibilities.
Of course, none of my imaginary scenarios play out. My rose-tinted fantasies remain that—just fantasies. Aran Suwannarat is simply helping me change into the brown shirt he’s deemed appropriate for my dinner date with the two guests.
