Page 15 of Dangerous Devotion

“Maybe.” He turned his head to the right, staring out over the crowd. “I wasn’t about to find out. I told Con this could happen.”

“Did you call him?”

He grumbled something under his breath, but she didn’t get a chance to ask what he said because a presence entered their space.

A man.

And this time, it was May who knew him.

The champagne she’d drunk iced over in her stomach, but she slapped a smile on her face and turned to greet the newcomer.

“Major General.”

Henner stood close enough that his arm brushed against hers, and she felt how stiff it was. She was sure if she looked down, she’d see his fingers curled into a fist. She darted a look at his face, trying to gauge whether or not the general knewhim.

She waved a hand toward the general. “Honey, this is Major General Simpson.”

The man gave AJ a nod. “Nice to meet you.”

She extended a hand, which the general took. “Shaw,” she called the general by his first name. “So good to see you.”

He squeezed her fingers and released her hand. She let herself drift an inch closer to Henner.

Simpson and Henner stared at each other for an uncomfortable beat.

If he knew Henner, their cover wasn’t just completely blown—Blackout’s was.

Simpson delivered a crisp nod to Henner. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Alfonso.”

It took a lot of self-control not to react to the name. She hadn’t even thought to look at the ID he selected from the stack he carried in his bag.

“Would you have been at Fort Knox, maybe three or four years ago?” Simpson asked him.

Henner gave her a private smile as if he read her thoughts. “Actually, yes. I’m surprised you’d remember me.”

May had to get them out of this. She glanced around. “Where is your lovely wife?”

Simpson toyed with the top button of his dress attire. “Uh…I’m divorced.”

She blinked. When she’d met Simpson and his wife, their relationship had seemed so solid. But one never could assume what rumbled under the surface of any marriage.

“I’m sorry.”

Henner raised his glass to his lips, and Simpson raised his like they were drinking buddies.

“Military life must be hard on a marriage. Then again, isn’t all life hard on a marriage?” Henner’s statement almost made her choke, and she didn’t even have a drink.

“He’s joking! We’re married.” Apparently, they’d skipped right over the girlfriend plan and went straight to the altar.

She leaned against his side and latched on to his arm. The muscle was solid steel under her touch.

He smelled good—no, great. The scent made it easy to get even closer, to pretend that this was real.

Simpson’s scrutiny moved over them both. “Well, congratulations to you both.”

She craned her neck as if seeking out someone in the crowd. “Oh! There’s Tom and Anna! We must go speak to them before we lose them in the crowd.”

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