He held her gaze, desperate to confirm she spoke the truth.
“Him I met after Caro came into my life.And it turned out he was part of the group who had left me to fend for myself.Who burned me.”
“You said hewasn’tthe one.”
She shrugged without a shred of remorse.“He wasn’t the only one.But part of it, yes.”Jasmine fell silent and he didn’t doubt she was figuring out how much to tell him.He wanted to demand she spill all of it, but one simply didn’t force Jasmine to do something she didn’t wish to.
Shit was clicking in his head.“So when I met you that first time, you had no one.You weren’t really a junkie, but a Fed who’d been hung out to dry.”
She shook her head, lips pursed, and held her hands up briefly.“Iwasa junkie.”Jasmine held his gaze without flinching, without trying to hide.“I’ll not make excuses for that time in my life.I fell into the life I’d been a part of for so long but without that anchor, it consumed me.I wasn’t strong enough to fight it off until I found Caro.”She pushed a hand through her hair.“I was an ex-federal agent who had zero ties to anyone.No history, because all of mine had been wiped aside from what I’d created.I agreed to go into WitSec after testifying so Caro could get back to her life.”
“Robert.”
She nodded.“I don’t trust him.The man’s a fucking incompetent asshole.I’m not an agent any longer but I hope to hell you have another backup plan in place.”
“What did he do to you?”
Her indecisiveness to tell him wasn’t difficult to spot.It took a short time but she shook her head.“No.I’m not willing to use my experiences with the man you are supposed to trust at your back.People can change so perhaps he has.I willnevertrust him, but you have to make up your own mind.”
Holy fuck, this woman.After all that man put her through, she still encouraged him to make up his own mind.Personally, he would have burned him to the ground.Lance strode to her, maintaining eye contract.
“So if he’s not good anymore, I’ll be out there with my ass exposed.”
Her fleeting smile pushed heat through his veins.
“Now I wouldn’t complain, you’ve got an awesome ass.But you’re not going to be alone.I’ll have your back.”
Gazes locked, tension high, she waited in silence and the words took longer than usual to slip free.
“Good to know, Jasmine.”
Cupping her chin, he held her still as he lowered his mouth to hers.Needing justonetaste.Even as he did so, Lance knew he lied to himself.One taste of this woman wasn’t ever going to be enough for him.More, he always wanted more.Craved her taste to be with him once they were apart.
Somehow he found the chops to break off the kiss that had ratcheted up in intensity immediately.Her eyes, a bit hazy, watched him, and he gave her a small smile, loving the way she reacted to him.
“Tell me the rest.”
“You know how it is when an agent is burned.Life isn’t easy and I had made a good number of enemies while I was under.So I had battles on my hands.Daily.”
Unease made him want to puke.He again forced himself to stay still.All he had to do was listen.Jasmine had lived it.
“I paid off debts, did things I’m not proud of, but I had to survive.”
“Why didn’t you stay in WitSec?”
She watched him without responding, merely cocked an eyebrow.
He got it.“Carolyn.”
“I was horrible to her, stole and set her up to take the fall with Declan.Even got her shot.”
He nodded.He’d been there when Caro’d taken a bullet.
He dug his short nails into his palm to keep from reaching for her.“But you were there when it counted.”
“I’ve never had family before.To find out one day after being alone that you have a twin you’ve never met, it changes everything.At least for me it did.”She put some distance between them and pushed her hands in her pockets.“I refused to lose that.WitSec, you know how it is.I wouldn’t be able to have any ties to her.I’d never get to see my nephew grow up.I couldn’t do that.”
“So you live in the shadows?How is that being in her life?”
