“Well, Charity. If I’m going to work with you, I need to see how good you are. So, if you can find me, I’ll be happy to let you have me . . . and my skills.” His deep voice is layered with the challenge.

“Mark,” I say as sexily as I can. I hate using the female card, but I want him slightly confused. “What do I win if I find you?”

He groans softly, yet loud enough for me to hear. Almost as if he couldn’t help himself. “What?” he starts to say then stops. “Well . . .” Mark chuckles.

“Marco,” I tease.

“Polo,” he replies.

“I’m not new at this.”

“Neither am I.”

“Seems the question now is: who is better?”

Mark doesn’t answer. I start to peek my head out of the alley I ducked into so I could survey the area more discreetly. Arms wrap around my torso and pull me back. I raise my foot, prepared to stomp.

“Ahh, you wouldn’t want to do that, Charlie.” Mark’s voice is against my ear. “I’m just as well trained at self-defense, and I don’t have any issues with kicking your ass.”

I let my muscles relax. His strong arms hold my back effortlessly against his brick wall of a chest. Instead of fighting him, I try to pretend being in his arms doesn’t feel good. I tell myself that he’s part of the mission, he’s a liability, but the warmth of his body blankets me and makes me want to stay here.

I need to get out of his arms, but I can’t seem to get my body to cooperate.

This is going to be a problem. A big one.

Shut it down, Charlie.

“You should put me down before you get hurt.”

“You should never let your guard down if you want my protection and skills.”

I scoff. I don’t need him. Mark releases me but keeps his hands on my hips. I shove his arms off and step forward. “Let’s get one thing straight.” I turn and point my finger in his face. “You called me. You asked for my help. I’m not the one having my men shot and kidnapped, who has things going missing and people running into issues.” I raise my brow and wait for him to protest. That’s what he should do. I wait for the words because I’m goading him to react.

But he doesn’t.

What is it with this guy? Does he do the opposite of everything he should? Why can’t he act like a typical person? Because he isn’t one. He may not have undergone the training I did, but he’s still highly trained. Mark and I are both reading each other, only right now . . . he’s doing a better job.

“You done? Feel better? Assert your bullshit idea of dominance? Because you’re going to see really quickly that I’m always on top. I’ll top you even from the bottom, princess. You should get used to it.”

I want to put a bullet between his eyes. “Think what you need to. I’ve never been on the bottom, and I never will be. So buckle up buttercup and get ready to be second in command.” I’m half joking and half testing him. I need to really gauge him. I don’t trust him fully. Then again, he probably doesn’t trust me, either. “I’m . . .” I pause. I don’t know what I am. “Ugh!” I groan.

“Sorry is the word you’re looking for.”

“We’re going to have to check our egos for this to work, Mark. I don’t know you and you don’t know me. But we have one thing tying us together.” We stand in the shadowed alleyway in a standoff.

“Love?” he jokes.

I laugh despite myself. “No. Let’s be real and talk.”

“Fine, talk to me.”

I look around because the hair on the back of my neck prickles. “We need to get out of here.” Someone is here, watching, listening, and now it’s time to do what I do best. “I’ve missed you.” I smile while I use the tip of my finger to trace his jawline.

Mark’s eyes shift over my head as he pulls me flush against his body. We’re both facing exits. “I’ve missed you more,” he plays along.

This might just work. He’s on alert as well and senses something awry. His fingers splay across my lower back as he holds me close. “Maybe we should head back to my place so you can show me just how much.” I glance over his shoulder. His blonde hair falls in his eyes as he dips his head into my neck. I know the move, but a shiver runs down my spine.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I release a very low moan, which I didn’t give permission to escape. Mark’s lips glide across my skin.

I’m not sure he’s acting.

I’m not even sure that I am.

Then Mark reminds me this is serious. “There are two guys behind you.” His voice is low enough that only I can hear him. To anyone passing, we’re two lovers reacquainting ourselves. “One at my two o’clock, and the other is out of my view.”

“One just passed behind you twice. I think going toward my exit is best.” I snuggle closer. “I’m ready when you are.” The double meaning is meant for anyone to hear, but Mark should know it means I’m ready to disappear. “You’ll have to keep up, though.”

He leans back while cupping my face. His lips hover over mine. “I don’t have any problems keeping you satisfied, princess.”

My pulse spikes. I know he can hear it, feel it, see in my eyes that I’m affected. My breaths are shallow as his hands slowly make their way down my arms.

“Arrogant prick,” I mutter.

I can tell he’d be an incredible lover. His overconfidence would only play to my benefit. We’re both cut from the same cloth, ready to fight for dominance. He’d win, though. I can see it in his eyes. There would be no battle, Mark has already won. Right now, he controls me. He determines whether we kiss, what it’ll be like, and for the first time in my life—I surrender.

His lips come closer. “They’re closing in,” he whispers, his eyes locked on me. “Charlie?” he asks.

“What?” My voice is barely audible.

“This will happen again when we don’t have to fight off people, and then you’ll be mine.”

I don’t have time to reply. His lips crash down on mine as he spins me around so he leads our exit. The second our mouths collide, my brain disconnects. My fingers tangle in his hair, grabbing it to pull him close. Mark’s hands hold my face to his and he continues to guide me. I know we’re moving but I have no idea to where. In this instant, I don’t care. Never has someone made me feel so desperate for them. I never lose control, never feel so lost, yet right now, I am. I’m raw, exposed, and completely vulnerable.

And it’s only a damn kiss.

Mark pulls my face back all too soon as we slip into the crowd. He takes my hand, pulls out a ball cap, and slips it onto my head. To disguise his clothing, he removes his button up shirt while he pulls me along. “Damn, you’re a good actress. I almost bought that,” he says, only wheezing slightly. “They got close enough I could hear a word or two, but nothing I could make out.”

I can’t get air into my lungs fast enough. “Yeah,” I say half-heartedly. My walls go up fast as they came down. “Did we lose them?”

“Let’s keep moving. Were you able to get a description of the guy behind me?” He grabs his phone. “Six-foot-three, short black hair, tattoo on the left arm, wearing a white shirt and black shorts. Mediterranean descent, spoke in either Italian or Spanish, but couldn’t hear enough.” He speaks into the recorder.