Lucy Monroe - Satisfaction Guaranteed

She didn’t regret it. Not really. She had no choice if she wanted to maintain a shred of her emotions when the case was over, but she wanted Ethan. So much. He was no longer a fantasy, but a living, breathing man who she knew could give her more pleasure than she’d ever experienced-or probably ever would experience again.

But he didn’t want that intense pleasure and she had to keep remembering that fact.

Despite its setting, the cabin wasn’t at all rustic. The small kitchen was filled with ultramodern appliances and the television had satellite access. There was a whirlpool bath in the master suite and the furnishings were modern retro.

As she looked around, she realized it fit the image Ethan had chosen to portray of himself perfectly.

“Are we safe to talk here? Always?” Beth asked after discovering her clothes unpacked right along Ethan’s in the master bedroom.

She supposed that made sense, but it felt funny in the pit of her stomach all the same. Did the special training Ethan had mentioned help a woman separate the fantasy from reality in situations like this?

Ethan was looking out the window with field glasses and jotting on his PDA. “Yes. We’ve got a signal jammer activated that mocks television satellite interference.”

“Clever.”

“We like to think so.”

She swallowed, suddenly tired of the distance between them but unsure how to bridge the gap without opening the sex issues. “I like the cabin.”

“Good. It fits my image…our image.”

“Yes, it does.”

“I know you are going to want to sleep on the daybed in the office.” His voice was devoid of emotion, but she sensed that offended him.

“Um…yes.”

“Don’t go in there dressed for bed at night until the privacy curtains are shut both there and in the master bedroom.”

“You think Prescott is going to spy on his new employee?”

“He might. We don’t make stupid mistakes counting on the opposite…ever.”

“Got it, sir.” She saluted smartly.

And he smiled. “Sassy, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been accused of it a time or two.”

“I bet.”

At the return of his teasing demeanor, some of the tension that had clung to her since Friday evening dissipated. “I start work tomorrow,” she offered for lack of anything better to say.

“I know.” He turned to face her fully, putting the full weight of his attention directly on her.

For no reason she could fathom, her stomach dipped.

“Are you mentally prepared?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“You were nervous before.”

“I’m not any longer.”

“Why?” he asked, disconcerting her.

She wasn’t about to tell him that she’d realized the reality of working for Prescott wasn’t going to be nearly as overwhelming as the reality of living with Ethan in the small cabin.

“I guess I just settled down. Like you said I would.”

“Did it change how you feel about anything else?”

“You mean my decision to move away from D.C. or the sex thing?” she asked with more bravado than she felt.

“Either…both.”

“No.”

He nodded. “My car and your cats arrive in Portland on Thursday from the transportation company. We’ll pick them up after you get off work.”

“You could go in the morning, after you drop me off.” She couldn’t wait to see the kittens again and appreciated the fact that Ethan hadn’t expected her to board them out for the duration of the assignment.

“No.”

She frowned. “Why not?”

“I’m not leaving you alone at the estate.”

“I’m going to be working there five days a week for who knows how long…it’s not a problem.”

“I will be here whenever you are there. Close enough to get to you if there’s a need.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

He just shrugged. The man and his protective attitude were going to drive her insane. But he’d figure out on his own that he had better things to do with his time than sit around the cabin and twiddle his thumbs while she worked.

He moved out of the room, going to the window in the kitchen to look out and take more notes on his PDA.

“What are you looking for?”

“It’s just basic recon. I want to know what I can see of our environment from each vantage point in the cabin in case the information is necessary at some point in the future. I’ll do outside recon in a little bit…checking to see what areas have a good vantage point for looking in through our windows.”

“Can I go with you? I’d like to explore the woods a little.”

“No problem.” But a tightening around his mouth indicated a lack of enthusiasm for the idea.

“I can go for a walk on my own, if you’d rather.”

“Not happening.”

“Do you want me to stay here?”

“I said you could come with me.”

“I sort of sensed you’d rather I not.”

“Being around you without being able to touch you is a strain, Sunshine, but I’m not a hormonal kid. I can handle it.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

His understanding made her feel guilty, which was really pathetic. But there it was. “It’s not that I don’t want you.”

He turned to face her full on, his face cast in grim lines. “Hearing that is not helping. I respect your choice. Let’s leave it at that, all right?”

She nodded. “I’ll stay here.”

“No. I’d rather you came.”

“But-”

“You need to be familiar with our surroundings for your own safety. This is a job and we both have to remember that.”

“How can I forget? We wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“No, we wouldn’t. Let me finish my interior recon and then we’ll go.”

“Okay.”

The walk in the woods was a revelation. Ethan discreetly pointed out where they had motion sensors set up for the security system, he also showed her where a hidden assailant could see right in through the master bedroom window and the kitchen window. There was no such covered spot for spying on the living room or smaller front bedroom.

However, he still reiterated his desire she close curtains before getting ready for bed and going into the second bedroom to sleep.

“We’ll have to do some cuddling on the couch watching television and light touching now and then in case we’re watched.”

“Why would he watch us?”

“He didn’t get where he is in high-tech espionage by being careless with a new employee. We know he ran a background check on you. It would only make sense for him to follow it up with at least cursory surveillance in the beginning.”

“So, we have to act like a couple when we are alone?” The thought made her stomach knot.

Not touching Ethan…not begging to be touched by him was growing more difficult with each passing hour. If they had to touch and pretend to be a couple when there was no one overtly around to help keep her urges under control, she was afraid she was going to lose the battle with herself.

“Don’t worry, we can shut the drapes when it gets dark like any normal couple and hide our physical distance from prying eyes then.”

“You really did think it would be easier to run this assignment if we were in a sexual relationship.”

“I thought you’d already decided that.”

“I just didn’t realize all the ramifications of living together I guess. I thought we’d be off camera when we were alone at the cabin.”

“Mistakes like that lead to blown covers.”

“Sorry. I’m not an agent.”

“I don’t expect you to be. Follow my lead and we’ll be fine.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder, obviously taking his own advice to heart. “Okay?”

“Yes.” Her voice was a mere squeak, but she was doing everything she could not to run a possessive hand over his chest.