Page 55 of Wicked Suspicion

“Sounds like she was putting her two little girls first, making sure they had somewhere to live and food to eat.”

“You’re right.” Nyx sounded surprised.

“Fireball, I grew up in a situation like that. Single parent, not enough money to keep food in the apartment. There were lots of nights I went to bed hungry. Your mom was looking out for your sisters and willing to sacrifice herself for them.”

“I’m sorry you dealt with that.”

“It was a long time ago,” he said, keeping his voice cold to discourage questions. “Husband number two didn’t stick, I take it?”

“No, they were divorced before my brother was born. Mom was leery after that. Then she met my dad. He had to woo her for weeks to even get her to agree to have coffee with him.”

There was amusement in Nyx’s voice and warmth, too. “They’re still together, I take it?”

“Closing in on thirty years and going strong.”

“But?”

“But I told you. Dad was Special Forces. Mom still couldn’t go back to college because he was never home. There was always an op somewhere.”

“And now she had a fourth child.”

“Exactly, but at least she didn’t have to worry about feeding or housing us.”

Nyx went silent again and Case waited. And waited. Finally, he nudged her. “This is the history behind your why?”

Nyx’s sigh was loud enough for him to hear easily. “Mom never regretted us. She made that clear. We were loved, but she did regret never being able to get her degree. She regretted not being able to pursue the career she always dreamed of. If she told me once, she must have told me a million times to chase my goals before finding a man. My goal is to get a PhD in geoarchaeology.”

There was a downed tree ahead of them. They would need to go around it and he adjusted course. It also gave him time to think. Nyx said her mom told her to do what she wanted to do and probably told her that if she didn’t, she might not ever be able to have the future she envisioned. Case was willing to wager that the advice had started when Nyx was small, maybe even too young to be in school yet. Was it any wonder that it had taken hold as a core belief?

“There’s birth control, you know.” The sun wasn’t as bright and Case looked up to see rain clouds rolling in.

“I know. I have a contraceptive implant in my arm, just in case, but no birth control is one hundred percent effective.”

If he wore a rubber and she had the implant, the odds against pregnancy would be astronomical. Case almost said it, but stopped before it came out of his mouth. Nyx had shared personal intel with him, and trying to talk her into bed was the wrong response. Besides, they weren’t in a situation that allowed time out for a hookup.

He’d reached a decision at the hut. One his Fireball wasn’t going to like. He was sending her back to Los Angeles. It was the only way to keep her safe.

Chapter 23

Nyx waited for Case to say something, but he remained quiet. She wasn’t sure what she expected. It wasn’t as if she went around announcing she was a virgin, but dead silence? He was the one who’d pushed for an explanation.

Maybe her reasons didn’t make sense to him. He had suggested birth control would solve the situation. At least he hadn’t propositioned her.

Or maybe she hadn’t explained her reasons well. Her words seemed to be a pale echo of how deeply etched this was in her head. In her heart. School first, dreams, and then men. Or a man. Case. She might possibly be falling for him. Telling herself that it was too fast, that it was the situation, that he was protecting her wasn’t working anymore.

She felt comfortable with Case, despite the attraction between them. Nyx tried not to rely on anyone, but she could put her faith in him. She could count on him. It was like they were a team, not just two individuals thrust into a terrible set of circumstances.

He was her brother’s best friend, but somewhere along the way she’d stopped thinking of Case like that. She didn’t trust him because of the connection. She didn’t trust him because he was Special Forces. Nyx trusted Case because of who he was. This man was rock solid and his steadiness was one of the things she appreciated the most.

She noticed their course had angled. She raised her gaze from his ass, blinking to bring her distance vision into focus. A tree was lying on its side blocking their path. It was too close to the ground to crawl under it, and too tall for them to climb over it. At least not easily. He was taking them around it.

“I didn’t expect you to press the mute button,” Nyx said. “At least say I’m nuts. It’s an acknowledgment that you heard me.”

“I heard every word you said, Fireball. I always listen when you talk. I’m not sure what to say, to be honest. Everything I come up with either sounds condescending or sleazy.”

“You think my reasoning is flimsy.”

Case stopped and turned to meet her gaze. “It doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is that it’s strong in your head.”

---