Page 67 of Between Love and Honor

“What the hell was that back there?” he demanded.

She crossed her arms mulishly. “Call the Queen? Really?”

He clenched his fingers into a fist to keep from reaching for her. She was as prickly as a stray cat right now. There was no way she would tolerate any tenderness.

“Okay, yeah, that took things too far. My bad,” he apologized. “I know you’re a little freaked out about your name being on that list, but what happened to us working together? We’re supposed to be partners on this mission, Quinn. This is a damn good plan. One I’ve played out hundreds of times.”

“Well that’s too bad. Because I’m not playing any longer. You can piss off, Ben Segar. Go back to the safety of your keyboard. I’ll take care of this myself. I’ve been doing it for years.”

His chest began to ache at the thought of her drifting back into the shadows. No doubt she could do it easily and he’d never find her again. And as much as he wanted to give her everything her heart desired, he wasn’t going to let her have her way. Not without giving her the facts.

“I don’t know how many times I can tell you I’ve got your back before you’ll believe me. Better yet, trust me.” He sighed heavily. “But no matter how angry you make me, I won’t give up on you. On us. I won’t let anyone hurt you, Quinn Darby. Ever. You want to know why?”

She remained silent, her only response a peeved glare.

“Because I love you,” he confessed. “I always have and I always will.”

Quinn sucked in a heavy breath that sounded almost like a sob.

Not exactly the reaction he expected, but he pressed on anyway. “I hope that deep down you love me, too. But, right now, I’ll just settle for your trust,” he continued softly. “You told me you trusted me last night. Was that just a lie?”

The air in the room grew thick as he waited for her to say something. Anything. Slowly, she shook her head from side to side.

“No, it wasn’t a lie?” he prodded. “Or no, you don’t trust me?”

Her eyes shimmered with moisture when she finally raised her gaze to meet his. “No, it wasn’t a lie.”

“Good. I can work with that.”

“I hope so,” she whispered. “Because I’m new to this.”

“Clearly.”

“It’s just—”

“No,” he said. “There aren’t any qualifiers, Quinn.

This is an all or nothing proposition.”

She nodded resolutely. “All. I want all of it.”

A slow smile threatened to spread over his lips, but he bit it back. Her admission had cost her, he could tell. She’d been a one-woman show for so long, trusting wasn’t going to come easy at first.

“Good, because I want all of it, too.”

“You have it all wrong, though,” she whispered.

“Come again?”

“I’m not freaked out about my name being on the list,” she explained. “I mean, I am, but I’m more freaked out about you meeting with Alexi face-to-face. He agreed too readily. It’s him I don’t trust.”

Understanding dawned. Her outburst from a moment ago was driven by fear. Fear for him, in particular. It was a heady feeling to have proof she actually cared for him.

“I don’t trust him either,” he reassured her. “That’s why I’ll have a handpicked team backing me up.”

“But the traitor. It could be someone you know.”

He shook his head. “I sincerely doubt that.”

---