“I’m sorry,” I start, the apology automatic in response to how severe his tone and expression have become.
As if he’s inside my mind, he softens them both to settle me. “Don’t apologize. Just listen. Okay?”
Desperate for his touch, I try to get a grip on him, but our positioning is awkward from the way he’s caging me in. I end up with my hand hanging on one of his strong biceps as if it’s a pull-up bar. Not that I’d know what it’s like to hold one of those.
Reed takes pity on me, releasing my chair and taking both my hands. He turns my wrists so my palms are facing each other.Then he places his big hands on top of mine, covering them entirely. Slowly and carefully, he lowers our joined hands onto my lap. It’s an unusual gesture, but I understand why he’s doing it almost instantly.
Not only is he preventing me from fidgeting, but he’s holding my hands safe. Building a wall of protection around them.
And he’ll do the same for the rest of me.
Lazily, he trails his thumbs over my knuckles and fingers. Each graze of his skin brings warmth and love.
Nothing about me is small or light. But somehow, in this man’s hands, I feel like a tiny feather. One he found discarded in a pile of trash, thought it was beautiful, and decided to cherish it.
I’m bombarded with a dizzying array of emotions as I stare at the loving way he cradles my hands. He doesn’t rush me or force me to look at him. Nor does he tilt my chin like he often does when he impatiently wants my focus. He doesn’t do any of that.
It’s as if he knows I need a moment to find my center again.
I meet his eyes. And IknowI’ve found it.
“Lila, you once pointed out how stubborn I am when I have a goal. Something about how you had no doubt I’d get into the FBI if that was what I set my sights on. Remember that?”
Fuzzy memories gradually crystallize. “I recall something along those lines.”
“In all my life, nothing has mattered to me as much as keeping you safe and bringing you through this shit unharmed.That’s my goal. Trust in that. Believe in it. There isn’t a force on earth strong enough to stop me. Iwillprotect you at all costs.”
The certainty in his voice and the earnestness of his expression somehow dwarf the meaning of his words.If he can believe that so ardently, maybe I can too.
I can’t speak. There’s nothing I could say that would be worthy of sharing space with his vow.
When I don’t respond, the devastatingly perfect man doubles down. Either he thinks I need more convincing, or he’s trying to make me cry.“I wasted my entire life without you, cookie. I’ll be damned if I lose you now. Not to a fucking criminal. Not to a prince or a billionaire. Not to the fucking Bachelor from TV. Not even to the old flirty fucker who sits at your blackjack table.Nobodyis taking you from me.”
We share a sparse laugh, just enough to debride the tension.
As the room grows silent, he cups both of my cheeks and burns his gaze into me, sending his love directly to my soul. Every time he holds me this way, I fall even harder for him.
Instinctually, I tip my chin up to beckon a kiss. “I believe you.”
His mocha eyes briefly glance at my lips. “So much for treating you like an ordinary CI,” he whispers before capturing my mouth in a tender kiss.
FORTY-ONE
Canaries and cougars
REED
Well,shit. Some prick with a greasy combover has taken my normal spot at the bar. I’d kick the bastard out of my seat, but I don’t want to cause a scene. Judging by his demeanor, the combover is the least of his problems. I bet he bought that drink with his last dime after a run of bad luck.
Poor bastard.
I scan the room for another seating option, then begrudgingly select an alternate where I can see Lila’s blackjack table at all times.
“Hey, stranger. It’s been a while.” Katrina tosses a cocktail napkin on the bar in front of me, then scans my attire. “Nice to see you dressed down for a change. Did you get fired?”
Instead of a suit and tie like usual, I’m in a simple black tee and dark denim jeans.
Smirking, I lower my head to draw her closer, then whisper, “Someone told me I tended to dress like a cop, so I thought this would be better for blending in.”
