to overdo it. No sparring yet, either. He’s being cautious with my hand.”
“Someone has to be, since I know you won’t.” Gisele smiled at him. “If you had your way, you’d be right back in the ring.”
“No argument.” Micah tossed the towel onto a bench, then leaned down and kissed her. “Wait for me,” he said as he pranced toward the locker room. She looked at his back, all muscle and power, then stared at his firm ass until he disappeared.
Gisele wasn’t going anywhere. His gym performance had succeeded in pulling her attention away from her woes. And they had the rest of the day together to enjoy the romantic date Micah had planned. She was interested to see what his idea of romance was, although he could be such a heartthrob when he wanted to be. Whatever they did, Gisele would be happy, because she would be with him.
*****
Micah stripped down and showered up; he didn’t want to smell gross when he was with Gisele. He’d noticed her watching him work out, with a look on her face that he quite liked. Having her there as a one-person audience had been a distraction.
While sweating and breathing hard, Micah had caught glimpses of her. Gisele was so lovely, and he knew how soft her skin was, how silky her hair felt to the touch. It took concentration to get through the workout, even that easy one Harlan had put him through as a first step.
He had planned a special evening. Just because the bad guys were chasing them, didn’t mean they had to hide in fear. That certainly wasn’t his style, or Gisele’s either. Anything the mob wanted from them they’d bloody well have to take, because they weren’t going to just hand it over.
Micah dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, then stowed his gear and went out to find Gisele. She looked up, her brown eyes soft, then gazed at his pumped biceps, just at the edge of his tight sleeves. He grinned at her.
“I must say, you do look fine today.” Gisele stood up and laced her arm through his.
“That’s good to hear. You provide great motivation for my workouts.”
Gisele beamed at him. “Showing off, were you?”
“What can I say? I crave attention…especially yours .” Gisele laughed right along with him.
Micah took her out the front door, as was his habit since the thugs had jumped him in the alley. He had the evening planned out, plus they had the rest of the afternoon together too. “I want to hear how it went this morning,” he said, taking Gisele’s hand.
They took a cab to the Vesper, an oasis at the Cosmopolitan hotel, away from the buzz of the casino. It was a fair-sized lounge with plenty of seats. The dark, cool interior was welcoming, an escape from the unrelenting heat of Vegas in the summer.
Mirrored tiles covered the walls, and the white with silver seating was very modern. The contemporary setting had a certain posh charm that Micah thought Gisele would like.
“I haven’t been in here before,” Gisele said, taking in the décor.
“Kind of a cool place.”
“Yes, I like it.” Gisele took a seat in a white-upholstered chair, and Micah sat across from her.
The menu described one of their famous drinks, the Vesper martini, inspired by a cocktail in the James Bond novel Casino Royale . “I have to try it,” Micah said. “If it was good enough for James Bond, I’m sure it will suit me.”
Gisele chose a caipirinha, a cocktail popular in Brazil, made with white rum called cachaça and lime. “It’s as close as I’m likely to get to Brazil…unless we make our escape to South America.”
The drinks were served and they each sampled theirs. “Mmm, this is good…potent too, I bet,” Gisele said.
Micah lifted his glass. “A good spy drink .”
Gisele giggled, then turned serious. “I ran into Alek this morning before Yuri arrived.”
“Did he behave?”
“He talked to me in private, and he claims that he wasn’t in on the deception.”
Micah raised his brows. “Do you believe him?”
“At first I