The man she’d looked up to for years was a disgusting predator, and the man she’d craved for nearly as long was in the freaking CIA.
I can’t tell Avery or Garrett about Colt, and I can’t take Gordan up on his offer.
Merely thinking the man’s name was enough to send a wave of heavy nausea into her gut.
“Here you go.” Colt reappeared with a fresh drink in his hand, as promised.
Her fingers brushed against his as she curled her hand around the cool, smooth glass. Alex’s eyes foundColt’s again, and for a moment, it was as if everything around them disappeared.
“Colt?”
“Yeah?”
“I can’t tell anyone the truth about you, can I?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no. Not yet. Once this case is over, and Crawford’s behind bars, I’ll tell them myself.” His thumb feathered the back of her hand. “I promise.”
The soft vow sounded genuine. Sincere.
As crazy as it was, given the night’s unexpected turn of events, Alex found herself believing he actually meant every word. But what did she know? Her idol was a monster, and the man she wanted more than any other had been trained by the government to lie.
Boy, you sure know how to pick ’em, eh, Al?
She brought the drink in her hand to her suddenly dry lips. She tipped her head back to allow the caramel hued liquor to slide down her welcoming throat. Alex swallowed, then sucked in a quick breath.
Damn, that burns.
“Better?”
“Maybe after a couple more.” She handed him back the empty glass.
Colt set it on the carpeted floor beside the chair before he squatted down before her. He covered her fists with the warmth of his hands and sighed.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“Easy for you to say.” She gave a roll of her eyes. “You make a living lying to everyone you know.”
Lips she’d tasted earlier rose at just one corner, sending her troubled heart kicking in a way that itshouldn’t. Despite everything she’d learned over the past few hours, Alex found herself grinning back.
“I knew you were trouble the first time I saw you. I even said as much to Avery. You can ask her if you want.”
Colt’s broad shoulders shook with a deep, rumbly chuckle. “I have no doubt that it’s true.”
“It’s going to be different now, isn’t it?” Her grin fell. “Between us, I mean.”
Moving slowly, he brought a gentle hand to one side of her face. “That’s the thing, Alex. It can’t be different. We have to be exactly the same. With everyone else, but especially each other.”
“I don’t know if I can do that.”
“You’re going to have to try. For one, we can’t do anything that could throw a wrench into the case and risk losing the leverage we have against Crawford.”
“And two?”
“We have to do everything we can to keep our families safe.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she thought about lying to Avery, even by omission. She’d always been honest with her sister. About everything, ever since they were kids.
Not quite everything.
