Page 70 of Point of Contact

Courtney seemed to relax a little. "I guess I forgot." Her voice steadied. "I woke up and you weren't here and I freaked out a little."

Reed sat down beside her, setting the containers of cookies onto the mattress before pulling her close. "Mona sent you some cookies."

Courtney curled up against him, holding tight to his shirt. "That was really nice of her." She was quiet for a minute. "I don't know why I got so scared. I just—"

He slid one hand down the length of her dark hair. "I didn't think about that when I left. I should've stayed." They hadn't been apart for over a week, and she’d nearly been killed before that. It would only make sense that she'd panic a little at being alone.

It made sense, but it presented a problem.

He couldn't stay with her around the clock. He'd been hired to do a job, and Alaskan Security needed him now—maybe even more than ever. He was going to have to find a solution.

Courtney eased up, working her way to a sitting position. "It's not your fault. I just need to suck it up." She rolled her head from side to side, stretching her neck. "It’s not like anybody knows I'm here. I'm just overreacting. I know I'm safe now."

He hated that it might not be completely true. That she might still be in danger.

And that this time it would be his fault.

That wasn’t acceptable. No way would he be the reason Fairbanks would end up being just like Miami for her. She was going to have to stay somewhere she would be watched. Somewhere he could always have eyes on her in some way. That meant she’d have to stay on campus.

There was one other option. And her reaction to it could go either way. She might immediately be on board.

Or she might end up deciding it was better to stay locked in the rooming house.

He reached up to smooth back her hair as she bit into a thick cookie. "What would you think about going to meet my parents tomorrow?"

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

COURTNEY

"I FEEL A little throw-upy."

Reed looked her over from where he stood in the open passenger’s door of the Jeep they’d taken from Alaskan Security's garage. "Do it out here then. If my mom thinks you're sick, she’s gonna throw you in a bed and force-feed you miyeok-guk until you swear you’re better."

He said it like it was a threat, but the possibility actually sounded nice. Sure, she’d had nannies who took care of her when she was sick as a child but, like everything else, it had been compensated attention. Another funded and fraudulent interaction in a long line of them.

But barfing on Reed’s parents’ driveway still didn't seem like a great way to start this whole thing off. So she took a deep breath in through her nose before blowing it out, shivering a little as the frigid air cooled her throat and lungs. "I think I'm okay."

Reed lifted his brows. "Are you sure?"

She started to nod, but the front door of the small house they were parked in front of flew open. A tiny woman with graying hair stood in the opening, hands on her hips. "Are you coming, or not?"

Courtney plastered on a smile. But not because she was bothered by Reed's mother's clipped tone. If anything, it made her relax a little. It was familiar. Reminded her of the man watching her with a sharp gaze.

Her concern was that, while she was already unexplainably attached to the woman who raised one of the best people she’d ever met, Reed's mother might not like her back. She might find her just as lacking as everyone else always had. And there was no way she could bribe her to think any differently. It was a vulnerable and unfamiliar position for her—relying on her attributes instead of her bank account to convince people to let her hang around. Especially considering her attributes had been severely lacking for most of her life.

Courtney gave his mother a little wave before standing, bumping Reed out of the way so she could close the door. She started to reach for him, but wasn't sure exactly what he planned to tell his parents about them, so she tried to play the move off by adjusting the scarf wrapped around her neck. It was awkward and only made her feel more out of sorts. This was uncharted territory for her and she didn’t know which way was up.

Considering the way most of her relationships had gone up to this point, it wasn’t surprising she’d never actually met anyone's parents before. She’d kill for just a little experience to work with, because this whole thing was intimidating as hell. All the ways things could go wrong twisted around in her stomach, threatening to send the coffee and Danish she'd had for breakfast splattering onto the snow.

His mother waved one hand, hurrying them along. "Come on. Come on. The house will be just as cold as the outside by the time you two get in here."

When Courtney tried to pick up the pace, her boot hit a slippery spot and she started to skid. Reed immediately grabbed her, steadying her with a strong grip that stayed as they finished their trek to the small front porch.

His mother's eyes flicked to where he held her before coming back to move between them, her gaze shrewd and assessing.

Reed helped her through the door, using his grip to keep her on the small rug just inside. He motioned to a line of shoes against the wall as his mother closed the door behind them. "Your shoes go there." He was already working on taking his own boots off. "Then you put on your inside shoes."

Courtney blinked, her stomach dropping as she leaned into his ear. "I didn't bring inside shoes."

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