Page 46 of Fireline

It occurred to her that if he was in WITSEC, then he probably had a false identity. “Is your name really Booth Wilder?”

He angled to face her. “It is now. The old me is legally dead. I was given a new identity and sent here.”

“That would be so…I don’t know.” She leaned forward. Ran her thumb over the soft bristles of his beard. Heard him swallow.

If Sophie hadn’t interrupted them, Nova would’ve kissed Booth right there by the horses. She’d imagined it. Tried to talk herself out of it. Even avoided him so she wouldn’t be tempted. Other people might not know who Booth was, but she was pretty sure that she did.

“You know…” Her eyes dropped to his lips. Lingered. “I’ve never kissed a stranger before.”

Booth leaned in. “There’s a first time for everything.” His voice was low.

A shiver tingled down her spine. “I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge.”

“Why stop now?” He slipped his hand around the back of her neck and hesitated.

Nova waited, the soft warmth of his lips a sliver away.

The air between them sizzled.

She couldn’t stand it anymore. Nova tilted her head and kissed him. Her hands went up to cup his jaw, pulling him closer for a lengthy kiss.

Everything she hadn’t said but wanted to, everything she wanted to ask him but hadn’t—it all passed between them in that moment.

The trill of a cell phone drew them apart. They both reached for their phones.

Booth was on his feet. He found a flip phone in his front pocket. “It’s Crispin.” He snapped it open and put it to his ear. “Where are?—”

His whole body stiffened.

“I swear, if you—” He pulled the phone away and stared at the screen. Snapped it closed and stuffed it in his pocket.

Nova crossed the room to stand beside him. “Who was that?”

“The man who has Crispin. He wants to meet, but he has some demands for an exchange.” He turned and started to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“To save Crispin and get my life back.”

Nova stepped in front of him. “Wait, you can’t leave. It could be a trap. Let the police?—”

“I am the police,” he said.

Then it dawned on her. “You never cared about this team from the beginning. You were just here to live out your giant lie.”

Booth took a step back as if her words had physically shoved him. “Yeah, well, if I didn’t have to always watch your back, then I would have been able to solve this long ago.”

Nova stood there and watched him walk out the door. Her fingers touched her lips. Part of her couldn’t blame him.

He wanted to save his friend and maybe save the world.

Start a new life.

One that didn’t include her.

NINE

Perfect. Just Perfect. Booth had finally let himself open up to Nova—finally broken through her defenses—and now he had to walk away? Stupid. No way would she take him back when he finally finished all this and showed up.

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