Page 22 of Troubled Water
He smirks. God, that smile. It makes me want to love him and choke him at the same time. Then I think,Why can’t I do both?
With that in mind, I use every ounce of strength I possess to roll Parker. With his bulk, he must let me. There’s no other way I’d be straddling him. My hands rest on his heart, my hair falling forward to make a curtain between us. “Care to repeat that?”
He curls up so he can wrap me in his arms. “How about I just say it?”
“Why don’t you?”
He rubs his thumb along my cheekbone before he brushes his lips against mine. His expression is softer than any time I’ve ever seen it. His lips touch mine as he whispers, “I love you, Bethany McCallister. That’s no lie. That’s a promise I’ll keep forever.”
“I sure hope so because you’re stuck with me,” I warn him.
He barks out a laugh before rolling me back on the bed.
18
“Have you ever been involved in any form of fraud or deception?”
I roll my eyes. “This is the stupidest question.”
“Why’s that?”
“We work for the Agency. Weallhave been involved in deception. It’s practically part of our job description.”
Fox opens her mouth, but Pamola pipes in, “He’s got you there.”
She snaps, “My job doesn’t involve deception.”
I drawl, “Really, Fox? Do you go home and tell your non-cleared spouse, partner, family member what you actually do for a living? Who you work for?” Before she can answer, I point a wired finger in her direction. “Because if you do, not only areyou fired and this interview is over, but you’ve been lying to your co-workers. Thus, deception. And if you haven’t, you’re just as deceptive as anyone else.”
She crosses her arms. “Then what didyousay to your wife?”
I smirked. “Bethany was cleared.”
“Not to the levels she is today.”
My smile fades. “No. You’re right. And there were times when trust was harder, but Bethany’s always known I’ve worked for the Agency.”
Fox leans against the wall. “What times were tough?”
Immediately my mind conjures up the troubled patch our relationship hit when it came to the forefront that someone was following me.
And Libby.
Right before I offered Bethany my life, heart, and soul on a platter to do with what she wished.
19
TEN YEARS AGO—AGE 24
Islam my hand down to disconnect the call and say to the room at large, “Why do men believe throwing their sweaty, hairy balls on the table means shit? Does this date back to someone pandering to their egos about Homo erectus?”
The entirely female design team sitting around my conference table snickers with laughter before offering up different opinions about the blatantly sexist meeting we just navigated our way through while I seethe inside. Somehow, some way, I managed to not pick up my sledgehammer and remodel the nuts of the pricks that just walked out the door claiming they were doing us a favor by hiring us. While it isn’tthe first time this has happened in my career, it rubs me raw this time.
I blame Parker.
Maybe that’s because today’s our one-year anniversary, and I had some major plans to share with my boyfriend—all of which the United States government blew out of the water with their last-minute demand that he fly to Boston to meet with a potential recruit.
Why today of all days?I bemoan silently. Having Parker Thornton as a boyfriend is a challenge on any good day that ends in a Y. Even as I’ve been keeping secrets from him, well, I’m just impressed his massive cock hasn’t tried to fuck the truth from me.Then again,the voice inside me reminds me.It’s different.He has no way of guessing what happened.
