Page 55 of Exposed

I drop my hands from her and take a step back.

She seems unfazed. Doesn’t even flinch. Unlike me who wants to pull her into my arms and all of a sudden become a thespian.

She moves away from me and goes straight to the kitchen. Her back is to me as she starts to load dirty dishes into the dishwasher. “We ran into each other a few months ago. It’s all history from there.”

“That’s it?” I demand.

“Yep,” she quips in a high voice. “Now we can keep our stories straight.”

I stand here in the middle of her apartment that feels like a thrift store. It looks like it was curated over the last five decades. Nothing makes sense but it works.

Weirdly, it’s just like her.

“Has that happened to you before?” I demand. I need to know if she met some stranger in a rainstorm, had the one-night stand of her life, and fell in love.

She doesn’t turn to look at me. “No. I wish that would happen. But then again, I guess I have to be brave enough to put myself out there to allow the universe to let something that magical happen.”

I exhale, relieved the backstory she created for us is just as unreal as our fake engagement, even though I shouldn’t give a shit.

But when she was describing every detail, I could only see us. The thought of her replacing me with someone else is…

As depressing as me thinking like a chick at this exact moment!

I need to get my shit together.

I drag my hand through my hair and do everything I can to focus on cartels and cocaine. “I have no idea how Dex is going to receive me tomorrow. I think we both know he’ll be an asshole to you. My cell will act as a wire and agents will be down the street. If something goes south, they’ll be close.”

She flips the water on to wash her hands before grabbing a towel. When she finally turns to face me, she’s back to nervous and inhibited. “That makes me feel better.”

“Don’t leave my side,” I demand. “Not to use the bathroom. Not to check your lipstick. Not for anything. Prepare for me to be the most obsessive, possessive, and jealous man on the planet. If you’re okay with that, you’ll be just fine.”

She rolls her eyes. “So you’re a controlling jerk. Got it.”

I hold up a finger. “That’s not what I said.”

“Isn’t it the same thing?”

“Goldie, if you think that’s the same thing, then you’ve never had anyone obsessed with you. Prepare yourself for a new experience.”

“Ouch,” she feigns. “Thanks for pointing that out.”

“You’re the one who said you haven’t been brave enough to let the universe do its thing.”

She holds her arms out dramatically and emphasizes her words. “Well, I feel likemedoingthiswithyouis pretty darn brave. And newsflash, Special Agent Jennings, I don’t like it one bit.”

“It is brave,” I confirm. “That’s why I want to make sure you know that I’ll take care of you. But you also need to cooperate so I can do my job.”

She shakes her head and pushes off from the counter where she was leaning and marches past me in a huff.

“Where are you going?” I call after her.

“To get you a pillow,” she snaps from the other room. “I’ve had about all the cooperation I can handle for one day.”

I take this opportunity to adjust my cock in my pants. Trying to sleep on the sofa with her in the next room after thoughts of fucking her until the sun comes up was not what I had in mind when I decided to drive by to see if she’d skipped town on me. The night took a sharp turn toward the intersection of blue balls and insomnia.

She returns and shoves a pillow, sheet, and blanket into my arms ranging in every color under the sun. The mismatch matches her apartment. “Good luck not getting a backache.”

I can’t help but smile. “Is that a dig at my age?”

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