“And I let you leave because again, you can’t make a person stay. I can’t give him what he needs. IHATEthis job. I hate having to do paperwork, and not be free to have fun with it. I’m a spook, Lewis. We’re different animals. The CIA offered me a position, and I’m going to take it.”
Well, that was interesting.
Why?
He was about ready to retire to get out of the CIA. When the Hunter situation was done, he was out.
When he went to say something, she touched his face, and made him stare into her eyes.
“Come with me.”
Oh, holy shit.
That was a punch to the solar plexus.
He lifted a brow.
“What?”
She went there.
“Remember when you asked me to retire and come with you? I said no, because I couldn’t. That was a different time. We were different. Come with me, Lewis. Let’s run together, and go back to when we were both happy.”
Oh, Jesus Christ.
Lewis wanted that in the worst way. He’d never stopped loving Axelle George. Even when she became Axelle Maverick. He’d just loved her enough to keep that to himself.
But the truth was the truth.
He’d never moved on when he walked out of her life, and he knew he never would.
“Ax.”
She didn’t say anything, and he was overwhelmed with guilt over leaving her back then. He knew that was why she married the senator, and he knew that had she said yes, they would have had a very different life.
Together.
She was to the point.
“You didn’t destroy my marriage, Lewis. I wouldn’t have slept with you had I believed it wasn’t over. I’m not a cheater. I told you. I know Duke. He’s a dad to his core. He’d rather be a dad than a husband. He’s already moving on.”
That hung there.
Finally, Lewis spoke.
“I need to think about it. I’m stationed in NOLA right now. For the FBI.”
Axelle was staring into his eyes.
“My role won’t kick in for a while yet. I can do most of it stateside—for now.”
Again, he went there.
“I have to talk to Elizabeth first. I broke a big friendship rule here, Ax. She asked me to come here to make sure you were okay. She trusted me. I just fucked her brother’s wife a few times. I have to own that—even if Duke has decided it’s over. I’m going to have to face them both, because that’s the man I am. If he kicks my ass, I earned it. If she punches me in the face, I earned that. I don’t betray people, and what I did…that’s on me too.”
She was upset.
“So this wasn’t just fate?” she asked.
