Page 33 of Point of Contact

Courtney nodded, forcing on a little smile. "Okay. Be careful." She started to back into the camper, ready to close the door and hide under the covers, but Reed's voice stopped her.

"Princess?"

The warmth in his tone snaked through her, trying to soothe the raw edges of the always present ache she carried. “What do you want, Sexy Pants?”

Reed’s sinfully perfect lips slowly lifted at the corners. “You better not be a bed hog.”

The tease made her relax a little. Helped her settle back into something that felt normal and safe. She lifted her chin, standing a little straighter. “You better not be a cuddler.”

Reed was still laughing as she closed the door, a smile quirking her lips. Not because she was amused with herself. But because she was almost positive the man sitting outside, making sure it was safe before he would go to sleep, was most definitely a cuddler.

CHAPTER TWELVE

REED

HE WAS A COWARD. That wasn't anything he ever expected to say about himself, but right now there was no denying it.

He was fucking exhausted. Between lack of sleep, lack of food, a head injury, and the stress of the past two days, he needed sleep. Desperately. Yet, here he was, sitting outside alone around a dying fire, pretending to keep watch for a threat that didn't currently exist.

They were safe. Without a GPS, Courtney had taken one hell of a convoluted path north, and landed them in a spot no one who might be trying to follow them would expect. Add on that they hadn't had cell phones or bank cards to leave a digital trail, and the odds they’d be found dropped even more.

But he still couldn't make himself go inside that camper. Because while the threat outside it might have been neutralized, the threatin itwas real.

He'd spent every minute since meeting her thinking he and Courtney were like oil and water. But after those few minutes in the rest stop bathroom, he had no choice but to admit he was wrong.

They were like fire and gasoline. Combustible. Explosive.

Dangerous.

Being in bed with her would lead to nothing good. It was a huge conflict of interest, and he'd already broken so many of his own rules in life. Adding that one to the list felt like he’d be completely giving in. Abandoning the man he grew up believing he would be and acknowledging how far he’d fallen.

Courtney was a job. A woman he was paid to protect. The lines between them were perfectly clear, but he'd already seen how willing he was to ignore them.

How easily she tempted him.

Reed leaned back in his chair, scrubbing one hand over his burning eyes as he considered his options. He could stay up all night, but then he wouldn't be as sharp as he needed to be in the morning when they got back on the road. He could sleep outside, propping his feet up on the other chair to get as much rest as the cold and uncomfortable position allowed.

Or, he could pick up his balls, go in the camper, and lay down next to Courtney.

Courtney who drove him absolutely fucking insane. Courtney who was snippy and defiant and more than happy to break the law. Courtney who was also turning out to be loyal and selfless and a little more broken than he ever could have anticipated.

She'd been so invested when he talked about his parents. And the hurt in her eyes when he made an offhand comment about the way people should be with their kids was palpable. It was threatening to make him see her in a whole new light. Again. One that illuminated the shadowy parts of his own choices, highlighting decisions he tried his best to ignore.

"Fuck me." Reed grabbed Courtney's chair and yanked it closer, kicking his feet up onto the seat before sliding down. He couldn't go in that camper. It would be all sorts of bad.

Dropping his head against the canvas back, he folded his hands in his lap and settled in as much as possible. Luckily, exhaustion was on his side and he was drifting off almost immediately, falling into a blissfully ignorant state where life could be easy and choices were simple. He was so relaxed that when the new cell phone Heidi sent them to retrieve started to ring in his pocket, the chair nearly tipped over as he jerked awake.

Managing to get one hand out, he barely caught himself before fully hitting the dirt. After shoving himself upright, getting all four feet of the camp chair on the dirt, he connected the call.

"Hey." Dutch's voice on the other end surprised him.

Reed swept his surroundings, suddenly unnerved. "What's wrong?"

This was why he needed to get Courtney to Alaska and off his hands. She was a distraction in so many ways. One that limited his ability to do his job.

And he prided himself on doing his job and doing it well. It wasn't a job he necessarily wanted, but he still did everything in his power to be as good at it as possible. Even when he didn’t believe the people he was put in charge of deserved protecting.

Which was a position Courtney once occupied.

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