“Turns out, they’d been watching Aaron for months but for a different matter, altogether. Apparently he’d been in contact with known players in other countries. Bad dudes who were into a whole lot more than passing pills to a bunch of eager college kids and slipping roofies into unsuspecting girls’ drinks.”
“So . . . what? This CIA agent wanted you to help them, too?”
“Not just help,” Colt clarified. “He offered me a job. Something that would make an actual difference in the world.”
“As opposed to marketing?”
“A fine career for some, but for me . . . I wanted more. Funny thing is, I didn’t even realize it until that day. But after what happened with Zoe, I knew the CIA was where I belonged. And like I told you before, I kept my involvement with the agency a secret from Garrett and my dad, because I never wanted that part of my life to touch theirs.”
“You were protecting them,” Alex whispered.
That’s what he’d told her in the hotel room thenight before. Colt had kept his real job a secret to keep those closest to him safe.
“This whole time . . .” Her voice trailed with a whisper. “I had no idea.”
“Yeah, that was kind of the point.” He smirked.
A breathy laugh flew past her lips. “This is all just so?—”
“Crazy?”
Alex gave him a hint of a smile. “I was going to say incredible, but crazy works, too.”
Whatever word they used to describe the reality of all she’d learned, there was one thing that stood out among the rest. Coulter Morgan was so much more than the man he let her and the others see.
He was a patriot. A hero who literally risked his life in the name of justice. A protector who went above and beyond to avenge Zoe’s death.
Years later, he was still risking himself for the safety of others. All this time, she’d been so very wrong. And now that Alex knew the truth about the kind of man Colt truly was?—
I want him even more.
CHAPTER SIX
Later that night . . .
Coulter tugged at the collar of his starched white shirt, stretching his tense neck as he knocked on Alex’s door. He shouldn’t be nervous. He was CIA, for crying out loud.
I don’t get freaking nervous.
Yet here he was, waiting for her to answer the door like a wired teenage boy preparing for prom. Only this wasn’t prom, and unfortunately for him, he wasn’t Alex’s date. He was simply the one who’d be watching from the shadows while she was wined and dined by that asshat Crawford.
His knuckles tapped against the door’s smooth surface a little harder than before. As soon as he did, Coulter forced his lungs to pull in a long, calming, deep breath. He blew it out slowly, willing himself to chill the hell out.
The one-man surveillance show he had planned for tonight was something he’d done a million times over. It was just dinner. One meal and after that, Alex would be out of Crawford’s dark orbit forever.
Coulter lifted his hand, preparing to knock a third time when the door suddenly opened. His jaw dropped open, and the world around him stood still.
Holy mother of?—
His mouth went desert dry, and his lungs suddenly ceased to move. He froze, his stunned gaze warring with his mind to accept what he was seeing. It was Alex, only this wasn’t like any version of the beautiful artist he’d seen before.
She was breathtaking—literally—and for a brief moment in time, all he could do was stare.
Her dark, chin-length bob had been pulled back on one side by a hidden clip. Thick, wavy curls surrounded her gorgeous, flawless face in a way that reminded him of timeless Hollywood glamour.
Alex’s makeup had been done in a way that highlighted the woman’s natural beauty. Her lids were smokey, her lashes long and thick. A touch of pink graced her cheeks, and her bow-shaped lips were a perfect match to her shimmering dress.
That dress.
