Page 56 of Baited

She swatted his hand away. “Ha. No way were we going to do it on the table.”

“Were too.”

She shook her head and straightened. “You’re crazy.”

His hand slid across her neck and cupped her cheek. Her emerald eyes sparkled with humor at him, the soft crinkle around her eyes warmed something inside him. Damn, he loved seeing her happy.

“You drive me crazy too…in the best way,” he whispered.

Her smile faded and her teeth caught her bottom lip. Her eyes never wavered from his. “Do you mean that?”

“Hell yeah, I mean that. Why would you think I didn’t?” He moved his thumb over the slight angle of her cheekbone. Her gaze lowered to his chest, and then slowly moved back up.

She shrugged and her big, doe-like eyes grew heavy. Her fingers trailed over his forearms in a slow cadence, bringing fire to his skin.

“Honey, you really have no idea the effect you have on me, do you?” He brushed a strand of her hair back and slid his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him when her eyes kept falling downward.

“Well, I know of one effect in particular.” Her eyes locked with his, and the intensity in her green orbs slammed into him.

He bent his head and repeated the motion with his tongue. She lowered herself from the counter and onto her tiptoes, her palm closed over the back of his neck and her mouth molded against his. A soft moan sounded in her throat.

He pulled away. “Well now, who came on to who?”

Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed at him.

“I thought you wanted to talk,” he said. He raised his shoulders in mock innocence.

“You’re evil,” she hissed. He bent his head and nipped her shoulder, earning him a laugh. The laughter vanished from hereyes and a soft smile replaced it. “Can I ask you something, Ethan?”

“Of course, babe. Anything.”

“Why did you leave the FBI? And what are your plans now?”

A weight settled on his chest. He rested his hand on the back of his neck and kneaded the muscle. He didn’t want to talk about his past, but dammit, he couldn’t shut her out either. Months had passed since he’d walked away from that life and still, he didn’t know what the hell he was going to do.

“Let’s sit.” He led her to the couch and pulled her onto his lap. Her ass nestled against his dick, bringing a dark fog to his mind. He ran his hand up her thigh, and that too, muddled his thoughts.

Christ.

“I left the military three years ago. It was horrific. That’s the only way I can describe it. I knew that I didn’t belong there, but I needed to protect and went about it the wrong way, I guess.”

“Protect? Now why does that not surprise me?” Her finger traced the line of his shoulder and drifted down his arm.

He caught her fingers, stilling her. He’d never get through this damn story if she kept touching him. “Nate had left before I did and was working with the FBI. I needed a job, had all the requirements and then some, so I thought maybe it would work. That way I could still protect the innocent and crucify in a way that didn’t make me lose sleep at night.”

“And it didn’t work, did it?”

He shook his head. “Nope. But this time, it was because my hands were tied by the law. Nate and I had busted a sex-trafficking ring a couple of years ago, and I nearly killed a man with my bare hands.”

Her gaze fell down to the hand that rested on her thigh, but instead of coiling away, she rested her hand on top of his.

Relief expanded in his chest. “Nate had to pull me off him. I got too emotionally involved. Fuck.” He breathed and shook his head. “How the hell do you not get emotionally involved in something like that? I stuck it out as long as I could, but I hated every minute of it. I left a couple of months ago and to be honest with you, Riley, I don’t know what the hell I want to do with my life.”

Tears shone in the corners of her eyes. She pulled his head to rest against her shoulder and stroked the back of his neck. The warm, sweet scent of her filled his nose, intoxicating him. His chin lay against her breast and he inhaled her aroma.

“How have you been doing this that long? How have you made ends meet?”

He snorted and pulled away. “That’s one problem I don’t have.”

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