distraction?" he asks , smiling. Damn, his smiling is infectious, the arrogant ass .
"I haven't decided yet ." I practically bat my eyelashes at him. Who are you and what have you done to badass secret agent Alex Turner, you lust-filled jezebel?
He rolls his eyes but still seems pleased.
"Alex, you are the most frustrating woman I have ever met. You are also the most challenging. I don't know why, but I am finding I like that. How is your studying going?"
I relax a bit even though I know I'm blushing. This topic I can handle.
"Great for the most part."
"You're an incredibly smart girl ; I am sure you'll do great."
"You've only just met me." I fidget in my seat. He can't get to know me any better than he does. It's already too much.
"You're definitely smart."
"Thank you." I shrug. How can he be so sure? He doesn't know me.
"See, that wasn't so hard , was it?"
Confused by the question , I perk up. "What wasn't?"
"Not arguing with me." I laugh and so does he.
He hums his approval at the sound. "See, that is much better."
I purse my lips into a smile and look him directly in the eye. What am I going to do?
"Mr. Hunt —"
"Jeremy, please. I think we have moved passed formalities. Or at least I hope we have."
"Hmm."
What am I doing flirting with this beautiful man? My life doesn't allow for a love interest. Hell, the one I have is currently kaput, and this could derail my job and future.
Yes, this man could derail me. His adorable smile and boyish blue eyes would derail me if he railed me. Ha! My subconscious laughs at my wit.
"Would you like to get out of here? Maybe get some sustenance for your studying mind?" he asks, tearing me away from my inner monologue. As I look at him, I realize even though the words sound confident, I can see behind those crystal depths that he is nervous. He should be.
"You don't want to take me out," I say. I plead with my eyes for him to go away. I try to tell him with a glance that I am dangerous, no good, and entirely unavailable.
He shakes his head as if rejecting the statement. "Excuse me, but I think I should be the judge of that."
Why can't I stop smiling while I talk to him? I don't like that I am becoming more relaxed around him , because it leaves my wandering heart more vulnerable. I have worked too damn hard encasing that beating life force into a steel box.
His eyes are the distracting gray color of the ocean, and I'm finding it hard to wrap my lips around my words.
"I-I mean ... you shouldn't pursue me, Jeremy." It's the damned truth!
" You think I am going to give up now? I'm so close." He looks disgruntled. He opens his mouth to speak, then shuts it to think, but eventually continues. "I don't know what more I'd have to do other than to flat out tell you that I would like to take you out on a date. Tell me why I shouldn't take you out, and don't say Marcus, because for me that is not a good enough reason."
What is the appropriate answer to this? I have to think about it.
Oh! Because I am an undercover federal agent trying to seduce your best friend to find out when and to whom he is selling the biological weapon that he manufactured under the roof of your own company.
Before I can respond, he asks bashfully, "Don't you like me, Alex?"
My face is unchanged, though his words throw me off balance. "Don't ask me things like that." I'm embarrassed, which is a feeling I don't know well, or know how to deal with.
"You don't like being vulnerable, do you?"
" That is an understatement."
"Maybe you could learn to be with me."
It’s not that easy.
I sigh. "Jeremy, it’s more than that. I don't want you to get attached. I wish I could explain, but I can't."
"Or do you not want to get attached?" He winks! He's too good at this.
My teeth grab at my bottom lip with an unknown fear. I don't like fear.
I sit up in my seat, squaring my shoulders and trying to get a hold of myself.
" My job doesn't really allow me the time, and the place I'm headed may not be
A. A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner)