Secret Agent Seduction by Maureen Smith Page A

historic landmark we could, including a number of slave houses and presidential museums, Churchill Downs, the Saint Louis Arch, Rocky Mountain National Park, the Grand Canyon, the vineyards in Napa Valley and Alcatraz Island. We ended our trip at Lake Tahoe, where my father and I went camping, hiking, sailboating and fishing while my mother mostly stayed behind at the cabin and tried to recover from our travels.”
    Armand chuckled. “I don’t blame her. It sounds like quite an adventure you had.”
    â€œOh, it was,” Lia agreed, her smile widening as she warmed to her subject. “I’d never been to any of those places before, so it really was a treat.”
    â€œYour family didn’t travel a lot during your childhood?”
    She laughed. “On the contrary. We traveled all the time. Just not in the United States. See, my father was in the foreign service, so I grew up mostly overseas. While most American kids spent their summer vacations at camp or amusement parks, I was moving all over Europe and Africa. By the time I was thirteen years old, we had lived in England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Senegal and South Africa.”
    Armand whistled softly through his teeth. “Quite the world traveler, weren’t you?”
    Lia grinned ruefully. “You could say that. Now don’t get me wrong. I had a very fun, exciting childhood. I was constantly exposed to different people, languages and cultures, and I wouldn’t trade those wonderful experiences for anything in the world. But the downside of moving around so much was that I never really felt rooted anywhere. We were always on the go, like a Gypsy caravan. In fact, that’s what one of my tutors called me—her little American Gypsy.”
    Armand smiled softly. “You have eyes like a Gypsy. Did she ever tell you that?”
    Lia nodded, chuckling. “All the time.”
    â€œToo bad,” Armand said huskily. “I was hoping to be the first.”
    Lia met his gaze, her smile fading. Armand could tell by the way her eyes narrowed slightly that she’d caught his double meaning. Afraid that she’d put an abrupt end to the conversation and resume fishing, he smothered a wicked grin and returned to the original subject.
    â€œOf all the places you lived, what was your favorite?” he asked.
    Thankfully she took the bait. “Hmm. Let me see…” She pursed her full lips, pondering the question for a moment. “It’s hard for me to pick a favorite. Each place was so unique and different from the rest, and of course, they all had their pluses and minuses. But if I absolutely had to choose a favorite place, I would say Senegal. I’ll always remember the breathtakingly beautiful beaches, the exotic food and music, the vibrant people and customs. Come to think of it,” she said with a surprised little smile, “I loved Senegal for many of the same reasons I loved Muwaiti so much.”
    Armand felt a thrill of pleasure at her words, similar to the way he’d felt earlier when Lia had revealed to him that she hadn’t wanted to leave Muwaiti eight years ago, that she’d felt as if she were leaving a part of herself behind. To know that she loved his homeland even half as much as he did made his chest swell with pride and satisfaction. It also made him feel ridiculously euphoric and hopeful for the future. Because if Lia truly loved Muwaiti and wanted to see the country restored to the peaceful paradise she remembered, then just maybe—
    Armand stopped himself, shaken by the direction of his thoughts. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Magliore. Concentrate on surviving the next nine days before you go making any plans for your future, let alone someone else’s.
    â€œBecause we never stayed anywhere longer than two years,” Lia was saying, “I tried not to become too attached to any one country. Like I said before, it was hard to feel rooted to a place