Page 49 of Snow

“Nothing.” She dropped her hand, but her grin remained. “Umm…what else can you pull out of that Mary Poppins bag of yours?”

Snow paused and looked at her. “My what?”

“Your Mary Poppins bag. Could you produce a lamp or a potted plant or a full living room set if we needed it?”

He stared at her for a moment, then barked out a deep laugh. Shaking his head, he stood, grabbed the duffel, and crossed to the closet. Compared to the amount of tactical equipment to start a small war, the cameras were practically the least suspicious thing in the bag. He shoved the bag deep into the closet and clicked the padlock shut.

He then handed her a key.

“What’s this for?” she asked, taking it.

“It’s a spare for the closet. Just in case something happens and I can’t get to the closet.”

“In all seriousness, what else is in there?” she asked.

“A few things I hope we will never need,” he admitted. “Some additional surveillance equipment, a couple of knives, a few extra handguns, extra ammunition, medical supplies—the kind of gear you carry when there’s a chance things could go sideways.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Do you have a gun on you right now?”

Snow nodded. “I have two.”

“Two!?” Nova exclaimed, her eyes wide as saucers.

Snow smirked and showed her. He lifted the other pant leg, showing the one on his other ankle. Then he lifted the back of his T-shirt, revealing the one tucked in his waistband.

“Holy shit! You’re like Batman. Well, if Batman skipped the utility belt and just shoved everything into his pants.”

Snow looked down at himself. “That sounded less impressive than I was hoping.”

Nova grinned. “I’m just saying that I wasn’t expecting you to be smuggling half a sporting goods store under your clothes.”

Snow smirked. “Have you ever shot a gun?” he asked, turning back to her.

“Once. Joaquin, my kickboxing trainer, and his wife took me to the shooting range.”

“Did you like it?”

“I did. I wanted to take lessons. You know, to learn properly. But life got in the way.”

At least she didn’t seem afraid to use a weapon.

Snow walked over to the bed where she sat and stood in front of her. “I’ll make you a deal. After we’re done here, if you still want to learn, I’ll teach you.”

Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“I’d love that. Thank you.”

There it was again—that smile of hers. Her entire face seemed to brighten in an instant. Why the hell does she have to look so damn beautiful when she smiles?

He had seen plenty of gorgeous women before. But there was something about Nova that kept catching him off guard. It wasn’t just the way her dark blue eyes sparkled whenever she got excited or how the corners of her lips curled into a smile that looked completely unforced. It was that everything about her felt genuine. She didn’t put on an act and wasn’t trying to impress anyone. Every emotion she felt flashed across her face without apology, and somehow that made her even more stunning.

He found himself wanting to keep that smile there. To be the reason it appeared.

Easy there, Romeo, he thought to himself.

He opened his mouth, not entirely sure what he was about to say, only that he wanted to keep the conversation going a little longer. But then a sharp knock echoed through the room.