“But what a wedding, right?” Her eyes sparkled.
Fine. If she wanted to go all in, he would play along. He looked deep into her eyes. “Almost as beautiful as you.”
“Mmm. Thanks.” She framed his cheek with her fingers. Even the tone of her voice was different. Lighter, less serious. “I’ll remember it forever.”
They were still talking like that when the pilot announced they were about to land. Then Eliza did the thing he least expected. She tenderly took his face in her hands and kissed him on the lips. Not a seductive kiss, but a loving one. Slow and easy, like she’d done this a thousand times.
Her eyes looked straight through him and she smiled. One of the only smiles Jack had ever seen from her. “I love being married to you, Luke.”
If they hadn’t been in public, Jack would’ve slid to the empty aisle seat. They weren’t supposed to kiss like this, that was part of the deal. Affection, admiration, starry eyes—all good. But the mission was not to include anything more. Not unless absolutely necessary.
There was the hint of victory in Eliza’s eyes. As if she wanted him to know she could handle the mission. Despite her lack of experience when it came to relationships. She kissed him once more, her lips on his, and then she turned to the window.
What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t pull away or act uninterested. In case one of the traffickers actually was on the plane. That wasn’t likely, but still. Jack closed his eyes and leaned back. Her kiss stayed with him. It captured his breath and undid his mind so that even five minutes later the feeling was all he could think about.
Everything in him wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her. The way she had kissed him. But that would never work. He was the experienced agent, the one who knew the rules and the price he’d pay if he broke them.
The sooner he could tell her that, the better.
She didn’t try to kiss him as they made their way off the plane and through customs, or as they picked up their bags and hired a van outside the airport to take them to Atlantis. She gushed about the flight and remarked about the pale blue water and white sand. As if she’d never been to the beach.
But she didn’t kiss him. Didn’t do more than hold his hand.
“This is going to be the best week.” She leaned her head on his shoulder again as they drove up and over the bridge to Paradise Island, home of Atlantis. “I love you, Luke.”
“Love you, too.” He smiled at her, then glanced at the rearview mirror. Locals involved in trafficking sometimes worked as drivers to cover up their illegal activity. So unless the two of them were behind doors in their hotel suite, they had to play their parts. Jack kissed Eliza’s forehead.
Jack had said those words before in situations like this. But there was something different about saying them this time. Something that made his knees tremble. Stop, he told himself. This is a mission. You’re a machine, Jack Ryder. Don’t let her get to you. She was pouring it on, goading him, challenging him. Trying to prove she was up for the mission. That’s what this was.
He took a long breath and felt himself relax. The things she’d said, they were just words, nothing more. She didn’t love him. This was a job. And she was playing a part.
They checked in at the front desk of the Reef, the nicest of the seven hotels that made up Atlantis. Any doubt about Eliza’s intentions dissolved when they got to their suite. Often these suites were rented by different parties altogether. They were that private.
Eliza’s smile faded as soon as the bellman closed the main door behind him. She pointed to the separate room on the right. “I’ll take that one.” She grabbed her bag, unlocked the door and slipped into the room without looking back.
Jack watched her go. This was the last mission he would do with Eliza Lawrence. If she hated him, if she enjoyed mocking him, then she could work with someone else. And he would do his very best to put her out of his mind forever.
If only he could forget the way she had kissed him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Listen! My beloved! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills.
—Song of Solomon 2:8
The wall around Eliza’s heart had stood firmly in place since her first day at the Palace, the day she found out that her mother and Daniel were dead. It was a barrier made of solid brick and razor wire, that no one would ever breach. But today the fortress she’d built to protect herself was beginning to crumble, one chunk of cement after another.
All because of Jack Ryder.