“I didn’t notice anyone except you, and that look of hunger in your eyes is something I will never forget.” Eyes turned dark as the midnight sky, he stared at her with an intensity that made her question why she was fighting this attraction to him.
“Ethan, we can’t?—”
“It’s why I’m on the other side of these chairs. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“What wasn’t?” She wanted him to argue with her. To tell her all of the reasons they could try to make this work.
“Forget it. Let’s settle in. Then we can flip a coin for who gets to choose the next song.” He refolded his jacket a few times before tossing it on the bench.
“What’s one of the first things you want to do when you get back to DC?” she asked, arranging her bags and watching him stretch out on his bed for the night. With his arms braced behind his head, he propped his legs on the armrest to be able to fit in the tight space.
“Downtown is beautiful in the snow.” He closed his eyes like he was imagining the scene, his long dark lashes standing out against his ivory cheeks. “I wonder if they’ll still have the skating rink near the National Christmas Tree and Menorah.”
“I think it’s at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden.” She snuggled under the coat with her head on her purse, remembering the fun she had skating there with her family when she was a kid.
“Maybe we could meet up while you’re in town?”
CHAPTER 8
“Okay. Heads or tails?”At her silence, he changed course, not wanting to push or to hear the seemingly endless list of challenges being thrown in their way.
“You go ahead and pick. You’ve been a good DJ all night.” Her voice sounded small and far away, but he saw her adjust her earbud, which was the other half of the one he wore.
“Alright, fellow travelers, we’re going to slow it down with the next song to ease you off to dreamland.” He did his best imitation of a classic disc jockey with his hand to his ear before pressing play on a ‘chill’ playlist. He had hoped for a giggle or a smile, but Bri remained quiet and curled in on herself with her eyes closed.
He could tell she wasn’t asleep yet, even though he knew she needed it. As much as he wanted to draw her out, giving her space to think things through seemed to work best for her. He watched the shadows move across the ceiling like clouds in the sky, until he felt a tug on his sleeve.
“You doing okay?” he asked, turning on his side and grasping her long, delicate fingers reaching for him. After hours of continuous contact, the separation felt strained. How would it be when it wasn’t even a possibility?
“Yeah. You’re just… unexpected.”
“Bri, I need to tell you something.”
“Is it about the coffee shop?”
“You know?”
"I think I do. At least part of it, but I'd like to hear it from you." She waited, her breath steady despite the way her pulse quickened.
"I work for a private investigation firm that was hired to look into charges against the agency you work for. Everyone and all communications were reviewed."
"What kind of charges?"
"It's an ongoing investigation."
"Is that why you're here with me?"
"Not at all. I couldn't interact with you until you were cleared of any suspicion."
"When was that?"
"Before Thanksgiving."
"But if I was cleared, why did I keep seeing you around?"
"I told my boss that I was gathering intel on your boss in case you met with some of her accomplices."
"Dang, I would have been happy to share all the dirt on her. Not that she let me near anything of importance. I wonder if this is the reason she demoted me?" She turned the pieces over in her mind, connections forming and reforming like a puzzle she'd been solving without knowing the final image.
