“I know nothing about the fiancé I have now but you’re telling me I had a near fiancé? What an odd thing to say.” She ran a hand through the ends of her hair that weren’t contained by her riding helmet.
“When your father approached our organization there was another person who was still single.”
“Was?”
“He has since become engaged.”
“Why was he even in the running then?” She finished braiding her hair and I still refused to put distance between the two of us. It felt unnecessary and was unwanted given the way we’d come close to fucking in the middle of a paddock.
“Because his fiancée, much like you, was too stubborn to see what was in front of her.”
It had to be the taste of her on my tongue and the scent of her release that still clung into the air that had me speaking to things that I shouldn’t have. I was unsure of what it was I was tellingAsha she was supposed to see but I felt like it was me. There was no reason I should want that but the desire was there. The desire to be chosen despite all of this.
I shook my head to clear my brain because I would have to abstain from drinking from her if it would cloud my brain like this.
“Back to warning me about Margo are you?”
No.
“Yes.”
I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of having my intrusive thought slip out at an inopportune time. But there was a part of me that wanted her to see me as something more than she currently did. I had an idea she did but there was some part of me that needed her confirmation.
But to what end?
I was thankful that she assumed I was speaking about her so-called friend even though the way she was looking at me had me feeling that there was something more there. Was I the type of fiancé who would listen to her when she was having trouble with her homegirls? I did it for my friends so I couldn’t imagine not doing it for her. But the idea of being relied on in that way had my emotional issues rushing to the front.
“I’m being more careful and since I’m going to be spending more time with you and Alec and the rest of the motley crew I don’t have to worry about her so much.”
“Is she pressing you for case information?”
The flash was brief but it was all the confirmation that I needed. “How did you—”
“Because she took the time to find our information out so that she could again offer her services to the team. In fact, she didn’t go to us directly; she went over our heads to our superior.”
I provided that information to her and I could see the wheels in her head turning. As she thought, I studied her seeing how shewas absorbing the information and attempting to organize her thoughts.
“Agent Cochran?” It was her way of confirming but this time she was wrong.
“No, her boss. And she didn’t enjoy having to use part of her morning to explain her reasoning for bringing you on yet again.” My hands slipped into my pockets and I could see the anger flash across her face. Something that hadn’t been there the last time we talked about Margo. She’d immediately been defensive, protective of her friend. Today all of that was absent and she looked suspicious.
Is that why she’s out here?
“What the hell is Margo doing?” The question wasn’t directed toward me but I felt the need to answer her anyway. It was my desire to keep her away from her so-called friend because I wasn’t sure if she would talk herself out of her suspicions and keep the woman around. That wasn’t something I could allow to happen. Despite how unassuming Margo appeared the fixation she had on Asha was unsettling. I wasn’t sure if she wanted to eat her pussy the way I just had or if she wanted to be her but she wasn’t stable enough for Asha to keep around.
Which was saying a lot, since I wasn’t sure how sane Asha was.
“Trying to make a name for herself but is instead making a line of very dangerous enemies. Cochran isn’t one to play with.” I didn’t have an issue telling her the truth of the situation. Cochran was pissed because having some random woman hint that she didn’t understand how to do her job was one of the greatest insults. It was hard enough for her as it was to be in her position and to have it questioned was potentially detrimental to her career.
“Back to this wedding. Why do I need to be in attendance?” She was redirecting the conversation and I let her since she’d given me almost all the information I needed.
“To show your face and make a good impression.”
She looked away from me and began to fiddle with the horse’s reins. “Am I on trial here or something?”
“No.” My answer was so swift that she turned to look at me to see if I was lying.
“Then why—”
