Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
“I hope you don’t have your heart set on working for those motherfuckers, baby.” He yanked a shirt over his head before tugging his cut over it. “Because I’d hate to deny you something you really want, but there’s no way in hell that’s gonna happen.”
My dad had raised me to be independent, so I probably should have been offended that a guy who’d only known me for a day was telling me how to live my life. But Connor wasn’t just any guy—I was already falling for him. And as much as my father had given me the tools to take care of myself, he’d still been incredibly protective of me. My mom, too. Even after they divorced.
Instead of bothering me, I took Connor’s reaction as a sign that his feelings for me were developing as fast as mine were for him. Hoping to ease his mind, I murmured, “I haven’t committed to anything yet.”
“Wouldn’t have mattered if you did,” he grunted, shoving his foot into a boot. “I woulda just pulled more strings to get you outta it.”
Speaking Neanderthal was apparently the way to my heart because butterflies swirled in my belly over how protective he was even though it was unnecessary. “Then I guess it’s good that I wasn’t set on being an intelligence officer. It just seemed to be the logical thing to do with my particular set of skills. Something I have my dad to thank for.”
He sat on the oversized chair in the corner of the room. “And I’ll be having a word with him about that when I track him down.”
I appreciated that he’d said when and not if. His confidence eased a lot of my worry. “You should definitely do that.”
“I’ll also give some thought to how we can put those skills of yours to good use.” Bending over, he laced his boots. “You’ll be a fuck of a lot safer with my whole damn club at your back than you would be working in an organization full of false friends who wouldn’t think twice about stabbing you in the back if it meant they got a leg up the food chain.”
In his letter, my dad had hinted at Connor being betrayed while he worked for the CIA, but he had understandably not given me any details. It hadn’t been important then, but a lot had changed in the past day. “Is that what happened to you?”
He nodded as he stood back up and walked toward me. “You could put it that way, yes,” he answered, standing at the edge of the bed.
I felt Connor’s agonized look deep in my soul. Scooting to the edge of the mattress, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek against his six-pack abs. “I know there’s probably a lot you can’t share with me because the information is classified. I get it more than most would because of my dad. And I’m good at keeping secrets, so anything you do tell me will be kept between you and me.” Tilting my head back, I flashed him a mischievous grin as I lifted my hand and wiggled my little finger. “Pinky promise.”
He shook his head with a laugh, the tension easing from his shoulders. “Why do I have the feeling that your childish pledge means a fuck of a lot more than most people’s solemn vow?”
“Probably because I’d take your secrets to the grave, same as I would my dad’s.”
“Fucking hell.” His chin dropped to his chest, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “I hate that your father landed smack dab in this mess, but I’m also grateful because it brought you to my doorstep.”
“Or gate, as the case may be. For an entire half an hour before Blaze talked you into letting me in.”
My teasing accomplished my goal of breaking the tension.
“Best damn thing he’s ever done for me, and I’ve known him for most of my life.” Connor bent down to brush a kiss against the top of my head before sitting next to me on the edge of the mattress. Interlacing our fingers, he set our hands on top of his thigh.
I bumped my shoulder against his. “And if it helps any, going through the interview process with the CIA means I have security clearance. Only confidential so far, but at least it’s something.”
“The level doesn’t matter,” he assured me. “I already trust you more than just about anyone, including the people I used to work with who had top secret clearance.”
I squeezed his hand. “That means a lot to me.”
“Not used to sharing, but you’re the exception to just about every rule, baby.” He didn’t give me the chance to properly celebrate that confession before he explained, “A little more than six years ago, I was on the hunt for a traitor who was selling a NOC list. It was a clusterfuck that needed to be contained. And fast, because people’s lives were on the line. Many of whom we couldn’t even warn because their covert role meant limited contact with their handler.”