source of it, but they sure as hell weren’t the solution.
Those long legs of his covered ground fast and she had to jog to catch up.
He didn’t look at her.
It took him almost ten minutes to say anything.
When he did, they weren’t words of welcome.
“I live close to eight miles from here. Our vehicles were impounded. If you hurry, you can have your pal find you a place to stay.”
She slid him a sidelong look. “That’s why I caught up with you. After two years of talking, I figured you could hook me up with a bed for the night.” She risked it. Sliding her hand down his arm, twined their fingers. “I was kind of hoping it might be your bed, even though you did up and dump me.”
A harsh sigh escaped him. But he didn’t pull away. “You know about my daughter… Jay, I’m not in a good place right now. I’m sorry I was an ass, but I can’t handle a relationship when I’m…”
He stopped. Just stopped in the middle of the road and stared at nothing.
She eased herself in front of him and reached up, touched his cheek. Even with the gloves, she wouldn’t have risked this with most people. Accidental brushes of the skin, his chest bumping against hers. Or worse, he might lean in and kiss her, and those casual contacts were something she could never take for granted. She’d never been able to risk it.
So she’d thought. But she touched him. More, she let herself lean in, press her lips to his. That light contact stole the breath from her lungs, but not for the reasons she would have expected.
All she felt was a hot, hungry little buzz.
And grief.
Her own, not his.
He was hurting and it broke her heart.
“I never knew you had a daughter,” she said quietly.
“I never knew you were with the Feds,” he said sourly. “I guess we’re even.”
She laughed a little. “Maybe. Although I’m not with them anymore. I’m…well, sort of freelance. I am with a private security firm. It’s just not the kind you’d typically expect. I do troubleshooting, bodyguard detail, investigative work. Whatever is needed.”
His eyes searched her face. “But you were FBI.”
“I was.” She held her breath, wondered if he would ask. He’d recognized Taige. She was almost famous, in her own way. Would he connect those dots?
But all he did was reach up and push his fingers through her hair.
“You up for an eight-mile walk or you want to call them to pick us up?” he asked.
Nearly an hour later, she was tucked up inside a house that would have looked at home on some grand Hollywood production.
Well, at least in her mind.
But no, this was Linc’s home. He lived here.
If Scarlett O’Hara had swept out the door, her hand pressed to her breast as she cried out for her darling Ashley, Jay wouldn’t have been surprised. But as Linc had led them into the house, it remained silent. Despite the lateness of the hour, something about that silence disturbed Jay.
It was an almost haunting silence, and even now, she couldn’t help but think there was something wrong.
Every other place she’d been in town had felt… off . Dark, dismal. Unnaturally so.
This place felt muffled.
She wanted to talk to Taige and asked if she felt the same, but she didn’t have the chance.
Linc had guided the couple to a room, showed them a connecting bath and, to Jay’s wide-eyed surprise, a little kitchenette. Apparently the man was loaded. She’d suspected he had money, and despite the urge, she hadn’t done a background check on him. She might have, but her gut hadn’t given her any “off” vibes about him and she’d already been deceiving him. Why invade his privacy?
Now some part of her wished she’d poked around a little. She might have been a little more prepared for what was going on.
After he’d tucked Taige and Cullen into their rooms—their own rooms , geez—he’d taken Jay’s hand and led her to what she guessed she could call a different wing of the house.
She wasn’t sure what to
Those long legs of his covered ground fast and she had to jog to catch up.
He didn’t look at her.
It took him almost ten minutes to say anything.
When he did, they weren’t words of welcome.
“I live close to eight miles from here. Our vehicles were impounded. If you hurry, you can have your pal find you a place to stay.”
She slid him a sidelong look. “That’s why I caught up with you. After two years of talking, I figured you could hook me up with a bed for the night.” She risked it. Sliding her hand down his arm, twined their fingers. “I was kind of hoping it might be your bed, even though you did up and dump me.”
A harsh sigh escaped him. But he didn’t pull away. “You know about my daughter… Jay, I’m not in a good place right now. I’m sorry I was an ass, but I can’t handle a relationship when I’m…”
He stopped. Just stopped in the middle of the road and stared at nothing.
She eased herself in front of him and reached up, touched his cheek. Even with the gloves, she wouldn’t have risked this with most people. Accidental brushes of the skin, his chest bumping against hers. Or worse, he might lean in and kiss her, and those casual contacts were something she could never take for granted. She’d never been able to risk it.
So she’d thought. But she touched him. More, she let herself lean in, press her lips to his. That light contact stole the breath from her lungs, but not for the reasons she would have expected.
All she felt was a hot, hungry little buzz.
And grief.
Her own, not his.
He was hurting and it broke her heart.
“I never knew you had a daughter,” she said quietly.
“I never knew you were with the Feds,” he said sourly. “I guess we’re even.”
She laughed a little. “Maybe. Although I’m not with them anymore. I’m…well, sort of freelance. I am with a private security firm. It’s just not the kind you’d typically expect. I do troubleshooting, bodyguard detail, investigative work. Whatever is needed.”
His eyes searched her face. “But you were FBI.”
“I was.” She held her breath, wondered if he would ask. He’d recognized Taige. She was almost famous, in her own way. Would he connect those dots?
But all he did was reach up and push his fingers through her hair.
“You up for an eight-mile walk or you want to call them to pick us up?” he asked.
Nearly an hour later, she was tucked up inside a house that would have looked at home on some grand Hollywood production.
Well, at least in her mind.
But no, this was Linc’s home. He lived here.
If Scarlett O’Hara had swept out the door, her hand pressed to her breast as she cried out for her darling Ashley, Jay wouldn’t have been surprised. But as Linc had led them into the house, it remained silent. Despite the lateness of the hour, something about that silence disturbed Jay.
It was an almost haunting silence, and even now, she couldn’t help but think there was something wrong.
Every other place she’d been in town had felt… off . Dark, dismal. Unnaturally so.
This place felt muffled.
She wanted to talk to Taige and asked if she felt the same, but she didn’t have the chance.
Linc had guided the couple to a room, showed them a connecting bath and, to Jay’s wide-eyed surprise, a little kitchenette. Apparently the man was loaded. She’d suspected he had money, and despite the urge, she hadn’t done a background check on him. She might have, but her gut hadn’t given her any “off” vibes about him and she’d already been deceiving him. Why invade his privacy?
Now some part of her wished she’d poked around a little. She might have been a little more prepared for what was going on.
After he’d tucked Taige and Cullen into their rooms—their own rooms , geez—he’d taken Jay’s hand and led her to what she guessed she could call a different wing of the house.
She wasn’t sure what to
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