“Yes.”
He didn’t argue.Didn’t try to stop her or coax her to stay.“Okay.”He put her in the passenger seat and turned the heat on.“Need anything on the way?”
“No.”Nothing she was prepared to ask for or act on.
The trip to her place went by way too fast.And even though she knew she had to go in alone, part of her still ached to ask him to come in—and stay the night.
He parked the truck.Shut off the ignition.
A tiny bit of panic spurted through her.If he came inside, it was all over.There was zero chance she could resist him.“You don’t have to walk me in.”
“Going to anyway.”
He got out.Walked beside her up the path to her door.She unlocked it and disarmed her alarm system, reminding herself over and over of why she had to stay strong and not give in.
She stepped inside.“I really needed that.Thank you.”But then she made the mistake of looking up into his eyes.
Whatever else she’d planned to say was instantly forgotten.He was standing less than three feet away, big and strong and caring, and so damned sexy she couldn’t breathe.
“You sure you’ll be okay alone?”
She drew in a deep breath.“Tristan...”How did she explain this without hurting him or damaging their relationship?“I can’t.”
He watched her in silence, the heat in his eyes making her heart thud.“Can’t what?”
“Wecan’t,” she corrected herself, struggling to think straight.Her heart was pounding.“For a lot of reasons.”
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand.“Such as?”
“Such as I have the most incredibly shitty and malfunctioning taste in men.”
He raised an auburn eyebrow.“I think I’m insulted.”
She laughed softly.“I don’t mean you.I don’t think you’re like the others, but if I’m honest, no, I don’t trust my instincts.At all.And I’m back to work tomorrow.We both have a job to do, and we’ll be working closely together at times in the future too.I don’t want to mess that up, and crossing the line would reflect badly on both of us professionally.”
“You seem pretty certain about that.”
Oh, she was.And when he kept staring at her, she continued.“I got involved with someone at my last job, and it was a huge mistake.I’ve made it my mission not to repeat my past mistakes.CPS is a small company, and this is a small town.People would talk, no matter how careful we were.Rumors would start flying—and I would take the brunt of it because I’m the woman.”She’d be the office slut, and he’d be the stud.“No thanks.So I need you to understand and not take this personally.”
“I’m trying like hell, Cass, but I’ll be honest—it’s not working.”
Oh, God...“I wish...”
“You wish what?”
“I wish we didn’t work together.Things would be different then.”
“They can be whatever we want them to be.And while I do see how unfair it is that you’d be judged twice as hard as me because you’re a woman, I don’t give a single shit what other people say.I only care what you think.”
She swallowed, clinging to the last shred of her control.Don’t give in.You’ll ruin it.You’ll ruin everything, just like you always do.“I...”
He sighed, his frustration clear.“You know I’m here for you, no matter what.Right?”
She nodded.Swallowed against the sudden tightening in her throat.
“Okay.Take care of yourself,” he murmured, the deep drawl resonating inside her.And then he made the ache inside her a thousand times worse by leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head before walking away.
