Page 57 of Silk Shadow

"It is what I do," Izzy said with a laugh. "I can't vouch for the quality of the clothes, but at least you'll be able to go outside."

"I'm starving." Phoenix picked up a room service menu. "Let's eat and then I'll call a cab to take me to the airport."

They ordered three cheeseburgers with fries and got three Cokes out of the fridge. After they were done, the store manager arrived with bags of samples, which she proceeded to lay out on the bed.

Izzy picked out two summer dresses with bright floral patterns—one was short, ending above the knee, and the other was a long, flowy maxi dress. She held them up and smiled. "These are perfect."

She also grabbed a pair of sandals and some flip-flops.

Viper wavered, and she could tell these beach clothes weren’t his style. Eventually, and only because he had no other choice, he selected a pair of shorts and two T-shirts, one with a sombrero on it and the other a dolphin. It was the only thing in extra-large. Phoenix chose a pair of white Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian-style shirt with peppers and cacti in crazy colors all over it. Both men had to settle for leather sandals, as all the closed shoes were too small for them.

"You won't win any style awards, but you'll do," Izzy said, trying not to giggle at how different they looked.

Dressed in his multicolor ensemble, Phoenix said, "Okay, folks. I'm going to leave you to it and make my way to the airport."

"How far away is it?" Izzy asked.

He shrugged. "I have no idea, but I'm sure the helpful concierge will point me in the right direction. See ya back in D.C." He gave Viper a handshake turned shoulder-bump and gave Izzy a quick hug. "You two take care now."

"We will."

Phoenix caught Viper's eye and grinned. "You can trust Viper. He'll take good care of you."

CHAPTER 24

Izzy sat under an umbrella and read a romance novel bought in the resort gift shop. It was the only thing she could find in English. She'd also purchased a swimsuit and a pair of swimming trunks for Viper. Now that they were away from everybody, there was no reason why he couldn't join her in the pool.

Shamefully, she couldn’t wait to see him out of those clothes. The tiny glimpses she’d had of his bare torso had stunned her, and part of her just wanted to see if it really was as gorgeous as she remembered.

He'd felt secure enough to leave her sunning herself while he went to sort out the inflatable. He'd told her it belonged to the CIA, and he wanted to send it back. Izzy took a deep breath. If he wasn't worried, then neither was she.

Not really.

Although, she did keep glancing at her fellow guests, wondering if they were really who they seemed to be.

The resort wasn't busy, and she was one of three women lying by the pool. There appeared to be a conference in the convention center attached to the hotel, and the lobby was filled with flashy men in expensive suits and well-coiffed women in designer outfits, expensive shoes, and expertly manicured nails. What could she say? She noticed these things.

Izzy read her book and tried to remain unobtrusive. She wore a cheap pair of sunglasses and stayed on the lounge chair, getting up only to take a dip in the swimming pool when she needed to cool off. The less attention she drew to herself, the better.

It was strange not having a phone or laptop with her. Usually, she was joined to both at the hip, and now she didn’t have them, it took some getting used to. She wondered if Emily had pushed on with the fashion shoot or whether they'd abandoned it until she got back.

She was dying to ring her assistant but knew that was out of the question. Viper had told her explicitly not to call anyone, and for once, she was going to listen to him.

"All set." Viper appeared from the path that led down to the beach. He had sand on his feet and was wiping his hands on his T-shirt with the dolphin on it.

She smiled. "You look like you've just gotten back from a day at the beach."

That hint of a dimple. "I have."

"Nobody would ever guess you were my bodyguard."

He sat down beside her on an empty lounger. "That's a good thing. The less conspicuous we are, the better. It helps if people think we’re a couple.”

If only they were.

She couldn’t meet his gaze for fear he’d see right through her, see her yearning, the desire that had been building ever since she’d first met him.

“The newspapers are full of your disappearance," he said, his voice edged with concern.