She gnawed her lip as she studied me. “You know, we’ve met like this several times over the years and you’re always so serious—and so anxious to leave. Is it me? If you’d rather communicate with one of the other women, I can talk to Michael and see if we can do that, although I think he only trusts me to be a liaison with you.”
“No,” I said, sliding my hand over her thigh. The silken material was warm underneath my palm, and I had visions of gliding myhand up higher and burying them in the deep, wet place between her gorgeous legs. “I’m sorry. I’m just not the most sociable person and I have a lot on my mind.”
“Turning forty-two will do that to you,” she teased, leaning back on the cushioned wall. “How did you celebrate?”
“My dad and I had steaks and drank a few beers. Nothing crazy. And then I watched the Jets at the local bar with my buddies on Sunday.”
“And your mom?”
“She passed away a long time ago.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, sliding her hand over mine atop her thigh as I realized I never removed it. “Losing someone that close is devastating.”
“It was, for a while. Now, it’s just a dull ache that my dad and I both share.”
Her throat bobbed as intense sadness clouded her eyes. Her irises were almost transparent, with flecks of green and gold, and they appeared limitless as tears gathered there. “My sister died before I could save her, and I’ll never forgive myself.”
I knew some of the story on how Katia’s sister had passed. She’d been trafficked by one of the Eastern European smuggling rings, and Katia had come to America to try and save her. Unfortunately, she’d been too late, and I couldn’t imagine the pain she must’ve experienced.
“It wasn’t your fault,” I said softly, squeezing her thigh. “Those fuckers are assholes, and that’s why Michael is trying to eradicate them. He’s making good progress, and hopefully, we’ll get to the point where another young girl never has to suffer.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, sniffling as she gazed at me. “And what about the drugs? You seem surprisingly okay with that for a serious federal agent.”
Happy that she was teasing me instead of focusing on her sister’s tragedy, I breathed a laugh. “I don’t love it, believe me. But Michael is good at keeping fentanyl out of the ports. Like the shipment to Elizabeth tomorrow, for example. He’s getting there at five a.m. with a slew of his men to inspect it before it’s distributed. I know he won’t let one gram of fentanyl off that boat and will toss any he finds into the ocean.”
“And the cocaine and heroin?”
I scowled. “I fucking hate them, but it’s better to fight one battle at a time and align with the enemy you know instead of losing multiple battles to the enemy who will defeat you.”
“So, Michael’s your enemy?” she teased.
“A friendly enemy,” I said with a nod. “And that’s exactly what I need in my line of work.”
“Fascinating,” she said, her eyes locked with mine as I struggled to breathe. She smelled so fucking good, and I had the strange urge to pull her close and bury my face against her neck to breathe in her scent.
“Okay,” she said after several silent moments passed between us. “I think you can officially leave now. People will just think I gave you the dance of the century and you couldn’t control yourself.”
If she only knew.
“I can stay longer if you think it’s wise—”
“No, we’re good.” She squeezed my hand and rose, and my palm instantly tingled at the loss of her warm thigh against it.
Standing, I cupped her arm. “If you ever want to talk about your sister, I’m happy to listen.” I glanced around the room. “But not here. Somewhere else more...”
“Appropriate for a good Catholic boy?” she asked. “The purple sex cushions aren’t doing it for you?”
Chuckling at her teasing, I shook my head. “It’s not really my color.”
“I’ll remember that.”
We walked to the door, and she rested her hand on the knob before gazing up at me. “And thank you, Leo. That’s a very kind offer. I haven’t talked to anyone about Elena in years. Maybe I’ll take you up on it one day.”
“You have my number. Use it anytime.”
Her eyes darted between mine, filled with sentiment I couldn’t decipher. Then, she pulled open the door.
“Thanks for the dance.”
