1
Present day…
“Tell me what has you so scared.”
McKenna Kelley made herself meet Sean “Coop” Cooper’s piercing stare. He was her teammate. Her partner. Her friend.
He was also the only man to ever make her want more.
“I…I can’t.” Had her voice quivered?
His hazel eyes, which had the power to shatter her, narrowed to a set of thin slits. “Can’t or won’t?”
Oh yeah. He’s pissed.
She started to bite her bottom lip nervously but forced herself to release it. She was usually good at keeping a lid on her emotions. But lately, she found herself slipping around him.
Only him.
Coop sighed. “Come on, Mac. You’re supposed to lean on your partner.”
“He’s right.”
Standing off to the side, Trevor Matthews—the team’s medic and SIC, or second in charge—spoke up. He was one of three people who knew the truth, andshit.
She’d almost forgotten he was still standing there.
Coop’s focus slid to the other man. Mac held her breath, praying Trevor wouldn’t tell Coop her secrets. He’d promised…
Trevor nodded Coop’s way before his gaze locked with hers. “Told you before, the story is yours to share. Tell him or don’t. Up to you.” With a shrug, his handsome face softened. “Just remember…you’re not alone in this.”
Trevor went back into the house, leaving her and Coop alone on their boss’s porch. Silently Mac released the breath she’d been holding.
“That sure as hell didn’t make me feel any better.” Coop shoved his hands into his pockets and leveled another unnerving stare her way.
“I trust you with my life, Sean.” Truth. “I always have. You have to know that.”
“So trust me with it now,” he implored.
Mac hesitated, knowing her next words were going to hurt him. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Blinking at the shocking statement, Coop took a half-step back.“Leaving?Where are you—”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Goddamn it, Mac.”
His strong jaw tightened with anger. Even pissed, the man was hot as hell.
“You said you trusted me.”
“You’re right.” She nodded. God, this was hard. Inhaling deeply, she forced herself to meet his stare. “I could tell you. But I won’t.”
Pain etched across his sharp features. “Why the hell not?”
“Because it isn’t safe.”
Concern immediately replaced his anger. “For you?”
