The conference for counter-terrorist cooperation in Lima was meticulously prepared. But for all that Ethan and the team of bodyguards can’t avoid a clash with assassins trying to kill the Secretary of State and an encounter with the resident drug cartel out for revenge. Once more the couple fights for their lives.
He put an arm around her shoulder when she huddled against his side. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Yeah.” She put a hand on his belly. “They gave us enough food and drink to be satisfied. I was allowed to brush and braid my hair, and we could wash ourselves. I hadn’t put it beyond them to hand you a razor. You look like a thug by now, with that stubble.”
“Thanks a lot.” He gave a curt bow and ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. “I don’t mind skipping shaving for a few days.”
Her voice sank to a threatening growl. “You won’t show up like some grizzly hunter on Christmas day, right?”
Ethan pursed his lips as if pondering the possibility. “If I’m to play Santa, I need more than stubble. I should start growing a beard right away.”
Jazmin made a disgusted face and he chuckled. “Imagine your mom’s face when I open the door in some checkered flannel shirt, unkempt, and with a beard reaching down to my chest. What would she say?”
“She’d check the name plate and ask if her son-in-law had moved.” Jazmin shook her head. “Don’t do that to her. You know how much she loves to show off with her famous son-in-law, the bodyguard. She’ll bring her closest friends and their families. I bet she’d faint seeing you like a scoundrel.”
“And you?” He kissed the tip of her nose. “What would you say?”
Jazmin replied in her bedroom voice, “I’d rip that ugly shirt off your body, push away the beard, and kiss my way down your navel. If you’d dare to wear anything else, it would have to go, so I could check whether your accessories were still intact on Christmas day.”
Ethan swallowed. He appeared out of breath. “You don’t like checkered flannel shirts?”
“I like unwrapping you to see you in nothing, Ethan, and you damn well know it.” She cocked her head. “The beard would be next on my list, of course.” And when he arched his brows, she added, “I like my man neat, clean-shaven. That reminds me that I’ve always wanted to wet shave you.”
“Wet shave? Why’s that?”
Jazmin ran a hand across his chin and cheek, smiling about his disgust. “The feel of it. Nothing compares to a wet shave. It’s so…smooth.”
“You really want to do that?”
“A girl can have dreams, right?”
Ethan inched away from her to look her in the eyes. “If that’s something you like—why haven’t you told me?”
Jazmin gave him an innocent look. “Because you once told me you didn’t like the time and effort. Especially not with your fast growing beard.”
“You remember that? After such a long time?”
Jazmin nodded. “I do.”
He shook his head, then a smile broke through. “Let’s make a deal, princess. Once back at home, I’ll allow you to shave me to your heart’s content, okay? That’s my Christmas gift for you.”
She bit her lips. “Just the beard?”
