Page 13 of Deadly Target
He glanced at the big tub and then at her. “You want me to take a bath?”
The only shower she had was outside, meant for washing off after a day at the beach. “Don’t tell me you’re one ofthoseguys.”
“Not sure I follow.” But the look in his eyes said he was teasing her again.
“You think bathing is only for women.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “A manly man only takes a shower, right?”
“Actually, I was hoping you had some bath salts or bubble bath to go in it.”
“Nice save. When was the last time you took a bath?”
“Yesterday. I take one all the time.”
“Liar.”
He chuckled and raised both hands in the air. “Busted.”
“You might like some lavender Epsom salts. They’re detoxing and help you relax.”
“I’d rather have you. Why don’t you join me?”
“Because you’re tired and need sleep. You told Director Allen you’d be up and going in two hours, and you’ve already burned thirty minutes of that.”
He gave a mock salute. “You’re right, but I’m so damn crazy about you, I’d rather spend the remaining hour and a half in this tub enjoying every inch of your skin. I’ll take you over sleep anytime.”
His chocolate eyes grew darker, a sexy intensity she recognized. “Although I’d love to, I’ll give you a rain check. You need to take care of yourself, Victor, and if I have to force you to do it, I will.”
He started to argue, and she was already feeling pretty weak about her stance thanks to those sexy eyes, so she whirled away and shut the door behind her. All the way to the kitchen, she had to draw in slow, deep breaths to keep from running back to him.
Scrubbing the pans, she decided she had to come clean. Tell Victor the truth. Everything about him made her feel safe and ready to take the next step with their relationship. The nagging doubts were still there, but when he was around, they seemed completely ridiculous and insignificant. That’s what he did for her, giving her perspective and making her realize she needed a man in her life. Not just any man, but the right man.
There weren’t many things she felt one hundred percent confident about, especially outside of her job. But she couldn’t base a real relationship with Victor on a lie, and while the timing was poor, she couldn’t go on without telling him the truth.
Wiping down the counters, she hummed softly, and when she was finished, she shut off the kitchen light.I’m going to tell him everything.
Her insides felt tight with doubt and fear because there was no way he would take what she was about to tell him casually. In fact, he might walk out the door, but it was a chance she had to take. Undercover work was one thing—you had to lie and deceive people for the higher good. Lying to Victor was wrong, even though she hadn’t been investigating him seriously since that first night. Her instincts were usually spot on, and she’d known after talking to him for several hours at the Christmas party, that he was clean as a whistle.
Of course, her report to her boss with those words had only garnered a ‘stick with it’ reply. Normally, she wouldn’t have been annoyed because some of the best criminals were exceptional at creating a persona that made you trust them implicitly while they were doing illegal activities behind your back. She’d been duped once before, but never after that. Her bullshit radar was as superior as her shooting capabilities. She hit the bull’s-eye every time.
I have to do it.For better or worse, she had to come clean.
The bathroom door was open, steam filtering into the bedroom. Crossing the floor, she glanced to her bed and her heart melted.
Victor was fast asleep, the dog lying next to him.
Taz peeked open an eye and his tail did a lazy wag.
So much for good intentions.
Liv crawled in beside them both and let herself drift off.
