But not yet. He wasn’t ready to give him up yet.
He looked at Edward now, sitting quietly in front of the laptop as he searched through the thumb drive for the identity of the man who’d shot at them. He had changed into loose gray sweat pants and a black T-shirt that stretched across his muscular chest and made his arms look huge. His hair stood up in all directions from him running his fingers through it, and he had a frown line between his dark eyebrows as he stared at the screen. Daniel wanted to climb into his lap and ride him, take that frown off his face, but he left him alone to do his job.
Daniel paced to the window and wished the hotel room had a balcony, but they’d been on the run and focused more on safety than luxury this time around. The taupe and brown in the bedding and curtains reminded him of American hotels, as did the bland wall art.
But the view outside was still foreign and spectacular, the white, onion-shaped domes of Sacre Coeur peeking through some trees. The basilica was situated on the highest point in the city, giving a panoramic view of the entire city on a clear day.
He couldn’t believe he was in Paris of all places—but everything about this trip felt surreal. Except for being shot at. That had felt very, very real. He shivered and hugged his arms around his chest. The drive through the Pyrenees Mountains had been terrifying, but being out in the open with bullets flying had been worse. He turned away from the window when Edward cleared his throat.
Edward leaned back against the headboard of the bed and set his laptop to the side. “Come here,” he said softly.
Daniel walked to the side of the bed and stared down at him. Edward patted his chest and then held his arms up. Daniel gently got into the bed, so he didn’t hurt Edward, and leaned against his chest. Edward’s arms closed around him and his face nuzzled in Daniel’s neck. “That shootout was intense.”
“How did you know I was reliving that?” God, the man felt good wrapped around him.
“I could just tell. You’re safe now.” He tightened his arms, his breath hot on Daniel’s skin.
“Did you find anything else on the thumb drive?”
“I did. There are several mentions of a guy by the name of Marcus Dillinger, and from what I can tell, he was high up on the military ladder. A general. Looks like they were both looking for a hefty payout. With Kevin’s death, his front man is now missing. I believe Dillinger is trying to take out all the players and erase his presence in the whole matter.”
“Wow. An American general is involved in selling secrets.”
“Looks that way. I’ve already emailed my handler, so they’ll be helping to track him down now. I found a picture of him online. He’s done a lot of consulting work in Washington. He looks like the guy I saw running across the grounds at Fontainebleau.”
“Do you think he’s still in France after the mess he created at the château?”
Edward nodded. “Doubt he’d take off with the job undone.” He shifted and winced.
“Do you need more painkillers for your shoulder?”
Edward’s lips touched softly on Daniel’s neck. “I’m fine. Had worse.”
“I’ve seen the scars. You were shot before.”
“Once. I was lucky both times.” Edward kissed his neck again. “You were fantastic out there, by the way. Running to help Sergei. Although you scared me to death when you did that.”
“What else was I going to do? Let him bleed out?”
“Most would have let the Russian spy bleed out.” Edward chuckled.
Daniel stroked Edward’s arm. “I guess I’m not like most, then.”
“I would say not.” Edward held the front of Daniel’s throat and turned his face for a long, slow kiss that made his toes curl. Their tongues twined together, and warm desire pooled in Daniel’s belly. When Edward pulled back, he stared down at Daniel, and something in his expression made Daniel’s gut knot up.
“What?” Daniel asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He was silent for several long moments before he sighed. “Because there’s no reason for you to stay here any longer. Word’s completely out that you aren’t Kevin Jones—there’s no way for you to help this mission now.” He paused and his Adam’s Apple moved in a tight swallow. “I’m going to miss you.”
Everything in Daniel froze solid. He’d known he’d have to give the man up, but he hadn’t thought it would be this soon. He pulled away from Edward and scrambled off the bed. “So, I’m done. Just like that.”
Edward looked surprised as he swung his legs to the side of the bed. “You should be happy. No more crazy car chases and getting shot at.”