Laney shrugged. “Being lied to is an occupational hazard of working in the ER. No one likes to admit that they’re responsible for their own accident or that they did something stupid or illegal. Take your pick, but bodies don’t lie. That guy in the towel hut was shot on multiple occasions.”
“You can tell he took a bullet more than once?” He knew that was the truth, but how did she?
“The scars are different colors,” she said with a second shrug that threatened her cotton shroud. “The one on his palm is older than the one on his forearm, so not a matching set.”
Damn. She was good. It would have been easier if she were less aware of her surroundings.
“So, no matter what he told you, he’s been in a firefight.”
Also true. Levi had acquired those scars during a less-than-friendly meet-and-greet with the Nicaraguan Navy. He had joked that the bullet that had creased his palm was a souvenir. Since Levi had also walked away from that fight, Gray had been satisfied. Sometimes, blood got spilt. As long as everyone got patched up in the end, that was all that mattered..
“Got it,” he said. “Everyone lies.”
She shrugged again. “Pretty much.”
Great. She’d spent her professional life being conned and lied to, and he was doing the same thing. In the name of US national security, true, but the end result was the same. He sighed. There were days his job sucked, and this was definitely one of them.
“Tell me something, Doctor. Why are you here by yourself?” He stepped in closer until his thighs brushed hers. The massage cabana was a cozy space, and he had her up against the massage bed. He liked the way she refused to retreat, the way she held her ground and dared him to keep on advancing. Sex with her would be good. More than good. It would be great, and she would tie him in knots if he let her. Which he wasn’t going to do.
She eyed him suspiciously. “Did you look at my reservation the way you did my phone?”
“Would you believe me if I said no?” In point of fact, he hadn’t. Ashley had. She was a whiz at cracking databases and sticking her nose where it shouldn’t be. He’d asked her to hack Laney’s phone, although apparently that had been super easy because Laney had keyed in the password in front of Ashley, and the undercover op’s memory for numbers had done the rest.
Laney sighed and tightened her arms over her chest. The move did fantastic things to her bikini top, so it was a pity her beach bag covered the rest of her because he liked looking at her. She wasn’t naked and in his arms, but it was the next best thing. Her swimsuit was approximately ninety square inches of wet nylon.
He could have her naked in seconds.
And then in his arms five seconds after that.
Laney stared at him as if she’d just made up her mind about something. She stepped backward and he knew immediately that playtime was over. She was done with him.
“Damn it,” she said, and he recognized the regret filling her voice. He had far too much firsthand experience with that emotion himself. “I really wanted this massage, but I’m going to have to pass.”
Letting her walk away from him was harder than he’d anticipated. Her flip-flops smacked against the pool deck with a brisk snap-snap, her ponytail flicking back and forth. She didn’t so much as throw him a backward glance. Stay in character. He didn’t need a consult with Levi to know that a real masseuse wouldn’t go chasing after a client who had just canceled on him.
Never break cover. Fortunately, he had that iron self-control thing down pat, because the island’s newest guest was hands down the sexiest woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Better yet, she was interested in him, too. He had no idea how he’d lucked into that, but he definitely wanted to be the man giving her whatever she wanted.
He’d never been one to take orders in the bedroom—he was best at giving them—but some sixth sense told him Laney might be willing to let him be the one in charge. She was stubborn, opinionated and unless he missed his guess, an excellent trauma surgeon. When she wasn’t naked on his massage table, she owned her surroundings. He liked her confidence, her self-control, the aura of awareness she projected. It made the possibility of convincing her to let go even more intriguing.
He watched her go, moving double-time. His current position gave him an excellent view of her ass. She walked with a firm, determined stride, but her hips swayed just the tiniest bit as she walked, a sexy rhythm a man had to watch to catch. He needed to let her go. The closer they got, the harder it would be to not blow his cover, especially given her eagle eye for battle scars.
And...who was he kidding? He wasn’t interested in playing this smart. He was interested in her. He tossed her abandoned towel onto the bed, and hotfooted it after her, knowing Levi would give him shit for weeks.