Page 22 of Mine to Protect

With his happy nature, soft features, and warm blue eyes, he’d be good boyfriend material if you liked the lighthearted, center-of-attention type. And based off my body’s instant reaction to Cas versus Chandler, I seemed to be attracted to the brooding, threatening, dangerous nature.

Yay me.

I didn’t want soft and kind. No, that reminded me too much ofhim. The man who stripped me of my former self and stole my innocence wasn’t into rough. No, he was timid, kind, and considerate as he took me against my will during the three days he held me captive. In those three days, my revulsion against touch grew with every gentle kiss, every caress along my incapacitated body.

Cas wouldn’t be timid, wouldn’t question every touch or move. The red-hot glint in his dark eyes showed a man who knew what he was doing in all aspects of life. That’s what turned me on, plus his handsome face and hard body. I wanted to be taken, wanted to be touched—I wanted the dark Iknewhe could offer. With my brokenness, the dark side might be the only place I could ever be free.

Maybe he saw that yesterday and decided I was too much. Our attraction was obvious, but whether it would go anywhere past stolen glances and heated glares was yet to be determined. With him still hiding in his room, it didn’t seem that he’d be offering up a piece of his dark soul anytime soon.

Still inspecting the ceiling from my spot on the floor, I mused, “All the cases are the exact same. Women taken with zero evidence, zero witnesses, and zero reasons to up and leave their families. The only difference between those cases and the two here is the stupid location.”

“That's my conclusion too, but what does that leave us with, huh? Wait until the next woman is taken and say a fucking prayer to every god out there that this bastard makes his first mistake?”

“You keep saying ‘taken,’ not ‘killed’. You think they’re out there somewhere?”

The blunt legs of a chair scraped across the floor. I tilted my head back, viewing Chandler upside down. “I sure as hell hope not.”

“Same,” I said as I chewed down the cuticle around my thumb. “I was wondering, since I haven’t met a lot of FBI agents… how is it? Being in the FBI?” I propped up on my elbows for a better view of the couch where he now sat on the arm, looking down at me.

“The agency does a lot of good. We catch the bad guys, but sometimes the red tape feels more hindering than helping.” He massaged the back of his neck as he rolled his head side to side.

“I feel the same way about the park services. We do a lot of good, but sometimes our hands are tied when an opportunity arises to make a bigger impact. Can I ask you something else?”

“I’m intrigued.” Releasing his neck, he motioned for me to go ahead.

My vision blurred as I zoned out, staring at the red coals of the dwindling fire. “Were you assigned this case, or did you take it?”

“Why? Does it matter?”

I raised one shoulder in a noncommittal half shrug. “I don’t know. Just wondering, I guess. We don’t have a lot to go on, no evidence and zero media coverage, so why would someone take it willingly, you know? More than likely the guy will disappear again, leaving all these cases cold, nothing to build one’s career on.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him, waiting for his reaction.

“I took it.” He paused. “You’re right, it’s a tough-as-hell case, but… don’t judge me on what I’m about to say.”

With my full attention, I situated to face him straight on.

“I’m the only male on our team—surprising, I know—and I didn’t want any of my team to get hurt. The special agent who went missing….”

“You didn’t want any of your team members to take the case because they’d be a target, not you.”

He nodded. “Does that make me a sexist bastard?”

“No, it confirms what I already thought about you.”

Chandler’s shy smile cracked the solid walls that protected my anonymity. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Birdie, you don’t have to be here. You could’ve walked the scenes with Mathews and me yesterday and gone back to your normal life.”

I huffed a dry laugh. “What’s normal again?”

“Why did you choose to work this case with me, knowing you could pin a target on your back?”

“I don’t know. I guess—”

The closed bedroom door swung open, severing my train of thought. Like yesterday, the air evaporated from the room and the heat boiled in my veins the second he stepped out, his narrowed eyes immediately locking with mine. Wearing mesh shorts and a gray T-shirt, he fell onto the couch and propped his bare feet up on the coffee table, not bothering with words.

Crap. Even his feet were sexy. Manly. I needed to work on finding a quality about him Iwasn’tattracted to.

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