Page 76 of Point of Contact

"SO YOU STAY with your parents when you're not working?" Courtney eyed Reed as they walked through the quiet halls of Alaskan Security.

She’d learned a lot about him while he was gone, doing whatever Pierce needed him to do. His parents barely waited until he pulled out of the driveway after lunch before whipping out the photo albums and home movies. They were more than ready to spill all his secrets.

And they were definitely more than ready to see Reed in a relationship, which is what they seemed to think they were in.

She wasn't so sure.

Sure, they'd spent quite a bit of time together recently and seemed to get along and be compatible. Sure, they had some pretty intense chemistry. And sure, he didn't seem interested in putting her in her own room at night. But none of those things equaled a relationship. At least not as far as she knew. But she hadn’t had much experience with relationships since most of her interactions with people were bought and paid for in one way or another, so trusting her own judgment about their circumstances wasn’t something she was comfortable doing.

"I help my parents as often as I can." Reed swiped his badge across the sensor on the door to his room, opening it up and waiting as she walked in. "My mom doesn't like strangers in the house, so the second she could somewhat handle my dad on her own, she cut off all the help I'd hired."

That wasn't surprising. Even though she'd only known Reed’s mother for a handful of hours, she knew Reed, and they seemed to be cut from the same cloth. "Your mother takes her responsibilities very seriously."

Reed tipped his head in a little nod as he stepped into the room, letting the door close behind him. "She does."

Courtney shrugged out of her coat, tossing it over the chair in the corner before moving his way. "And it seems like she's a caretaker. Not the kind of person who tells you they love you, but shows you instead." She went to work unzipping Reed from his coat. "Kinda like someone else I know."

She couldn't bring her eyes to his, because she wasn't so sure what she would see there. Would Reed be irritated that she not only saw him for what he was, but also blatantly called him out on it? Probably. But that was something he would have to get used to if he wanted to keep sharing space the way they were.

"Look at me, Princess." His voice was deep and dark. “Now.”

She took a deep breath before lifting her eyes to meet his. "There. Happy?" She swallowed hard as his gaze held hers, simmering with the intensity and focus she liked so much. Especially since it was so frequently focused on her. Like she was worth giving attention to. Like he actually cared about what she was thinking and feeling.

Like she mattered.

Reed’s full lips quirked up at the corner. "Mostly." He pressed one finger under her chin, tipping it higher as he stepped closer. "I’ll be happier when you tell me what’s wrong.”

She shook her head, blinking at a sudden influx of emotion. "Nothing. I'm fine." Her eyes went back to his coat as she focused on dragging the zipper down before sliding her hands under the sides to push it off his broad shoulders. "Your parents are nice. I liked spending time with them."

"I'm glad." Reed snagged his coat as it slipped free of his arms, tossing it on top of hers before pressing his finger back under her chin, lifting her eyes to his. "But don't change the subject."

Courtney huffed out a breath, trying to rein in the tightness in her throat. "You're so fucking bossy."

His lips lifted a little more, eyes crinkling with an edge of humor. "So you’ve said." The fingers of his free hand slid down a piece of her hair before giving it a tug. "Now tell me what's wrong."

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, needing to look at something besides his face. Needing a little bit of space from the realization she was desperately hoping this would be more than what it probably was. His parents made it clear Reed never dated, so there was a chance he wasn't looking for something permanent. "I'm just tired."

Reed was already shaking his head. "That's not what's wrong." He gripped her chin, bringing it down so her eyes had no choice but to align with his. "The only time you aren't dishing out a ton of shit is when something’s wrong, so spit it out."

She wanted to. Tried to come up with something snarky to say to appease him so she could step back from the fear and rejection waiting to pull her into their grasp once again. But there was nothing ready to come out, so she leaned into her other defense mechanism. "I'm more of a swallower." Courtney moved closer, pressing her tits to Reed’s chest as one hand skated down his front to rub over his cock. "Speaking of, I still owe you that blow job I promised you."

Reed chuckled, shaking his head as he snagged her wrist and pulled it away, lifting her hand to his lips. He brushed them over the inside of her palm, eyes holding hers as he did. "You are a sneaky little shit, aren't you?" He pushed against her, the weight of his body backing her across the room. "But you're forgetting I'm not so easily distracted, Princess."

She sucked in a breath as her back hit the wall, pinning her between drywall and unrelenting man. "That's a shame. Because I would really love to have your cock in my mouth right now."

She wasn't lying. Sure, she was attempting to use sex to redirect Reed’s focus, but she also really wanted to finish what she'd started in the shower at the campground. Almost as much as she wanted to move past this conversation and all the painful feelings it was bringing up.

Reed’s eyes narrowed on her, his head barely tipping to one side as he studied her face. “Are you really still trying to distract me?”

Shit.

This man was too damn perceptive for her own good.

She shoved at his chest but he didn’t budge. “I don’t know why you’re being like this.” He was irritating her. Making her sit in this uncomfortable place she didn’t want to be. A spot where Reed wasn’t the only thing she would lose when this all went tits up. And she wanted to make him just as irritated and uncomfortable. “I would have been on my knees already with most men.”

The flash in his eyes told her she might have taken things a step too far.

His hand came to bracket her neck, pinning her in place as his nose ran alongside hers. “I think you’re trying to push me.”

---