Read Her Spy to Hold (Spy Games Book 2) for Free Online Page B

was the equivalent of tandem skydiving with a single, shared parachute.
    Bev finished her drink. “So tell me about him. How did you meet?”
    They’d gone over their story in the car. “Stick close to the truth,” he’d warned her. “Don’t make it something your mother wouldn’t believe.”
    “We met at the beach. I was reading a book and he was surfing. He couldn’t fathom there was a woman alive and breathing who wasn’t paying attention to him, so he came over to see what was more fascinating than he was.”
    Bev laughed. “I bet he got a shock.”
    “He wasn’t the only one.” No point in getting so far into this fairy tale that she couldn’t escape. “I don’t see it going anywhere though. We don’t have enough in common. Right now I’m a challenge to him, but sooner or later, the novelty will wear off.” That much was true.
    “So what if it does?” Her friend dismissed those concerns with a shrug of her slim shoulders. She topped off Irina’s drink with the last of the wine and signaled to the waiter to bring them another bottle. “There are plenty more men in the world. Why not have fun while it lasts?” She waved the empty wine bottle at her. “Don’t marry him, though. Not unless he earns more than you do. Divorces are expensive.”
    Irina took a healthy sip of her wine and picked up her menu. Kale was driving and she might as well make the most of it. But if they were going to be drinking, she needed food in her stomach. “I’m fairly certain marriage isn’t on either of our minds.”
    “Then I don’t see your problem.”
    As the evening wore on, Irina no longer saw it either. Kale was hot. He didn’t seem to mind kissing her. She wasn’t so boring she couldn’t figure that out. But they weren’t really involved with each other, and nothing good ever came from mixing business with pleasure.
    One hour slid into two and she began to feel guilty. Surveillance might be part of his job, but at the same time, she didn’t need to be inconsiderate about it. He’d be waiting for her.
    “I should really be going,” she said, sneaking a glance at her watch. “I was supposed to meet Kale at 8:30.” Underneath the sapphire crystal, the numbers were blurry. It looked like they read nine o’clock, but that couldn’t be right.
    Bev’s eyes brightened. “He’s picking you up? Can I meet him?”
    Irina couldn’t see why not.
    They paid the bill. Outside, the brightly-lit street was noisy. They were in the middle of the downtown bar district on a Friday night. Cool, salt-scented air flowed off the harbor. Irina tucked her purse under her arm, her jacket in her hand, and looked up the steep street toward the Halifax Citadel. Kale and the car were right where she’d left them, about six parking meters up, on the opposite side of the street.
    He must have been watching for her. He got out of the car and started walking toward them. He wore tight jeans and a white cotton shirt, unbuttoned at the throat to expose a few inches of chest. The blond man bun showed off his high cheekbones. If not for the fading black eye, the whole image would have shouted something straight out of GQ .
    “There he is.”
    Her friend’s eyes widened. “If only I were twenty years younger…” she breathed. “ That is a whole lot of man. You go for it, girl. You’re too smart to be passing that up.”
    Irina might be smart about some things, but in this particular instance she was so ignorant it hurt. She didn’t know how a real relationship worked, let alone a pretend one. She’d also had too much to drink. It might be best if she took her cues from him as far as introductions went. Or anything else, for that matter.
    “Hey,” he said, stopping in front of them.
    “How tall are you?” Bev blurted out, awed.
    Kale’s lips twitched. “Six five. And I’m guessing you ladies had a few drinks with your dinner.” He looked at Irina. Flustered, she dropped her purse. He bent to retrieve it at the same