Page 51 of Queen of Diamonds
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The last thingKinsey had seen when closing her eyes against the pain and the replay of the attack in her mind had been Rand’s face. And she thought knowing he was with her was the only reason she’d been able to sleep. He would keep her safe. The first thing she saw when waking up was Rand’s face. Well, not really his face because he was doing a face-plant on her thigh.
She eased her hand onto his head, hoping that she didn’t wake him. She needed a few minutes of quiet time to think about the things he’d said to her last night, but he shot up as if she’d banged cymbals next to his ears.
“Kinsey?” He blinked his eyes, then scrubbed a hand over his face.
“You need to shave.” She wanted to slap a hand over her mouth. Her brothers wore scruff better than any men she’d ever seen, but Rand was meant to be clean-shaven. That was his most beautiful look. Not this face that seemed as if he’d aged a thousand years in one night because of her.
Oh, and she could talk. That was awesome. She didn’t have to try to write her thoughts anymore.
He gave her a smile that curled her toes. “Good morning, Sunshine.”
“You’re still here,” she whispered back.
“Like I’d be anywhere else.”
“I want to go home.”
“The doctor will be here shortly. As soon as he releases you, I’ll spring you from this joint.” He tapped her nose with his finger. “Your voice still sounds a little scratchy, so try not to talk too much. Let it get some rest.”
She stuck her tongue out, grinning when he laughed. But her throat was still sore, so she did need to let it rest.
“Nate and Taylor dropped off some clothes and stuff for you.”
What she wanted the most right now was her toothbrush. She also wanted to know if Sebastian had been arrested yet, but that conversation would have to wait since the doctor walked into the room.
An hour later she was in Rand’s car, but he wasn’t headed in the direction of her apartment. “Where are we going?” The doctor had said she could talk, but that she should save her voice as much as possible for the next few days. Her head still hurt, but not as much as it had last night, thankfully.
“To the field office. Your brothers want to talk to you.”
Cool. She’d love to see where they worked. He reached across the console, picked up her hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed her fingers. Instead of letting go, he lowered both their hands to his thigh, keeping his on top of hers.
How was it possible that everything with him seemed familiar, as if they were completely in tune, yet felt new? She turned her hand over, threading her fingers around his. He’d told her he loved her last night, but he hadn’t said it this morning. In fact, he appeared preoccupied, as if something was on his mind. Did he regret those words?
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?”
Her first reaction was to shrug off his question, but if they really were going to have a relationship, they needed to be honest with each other. “What you said last night, did you mean it?”
“That I love you?” She nodded. He squeezed her hand. “Yes, I meant every word. I wasn’t looking to fall in love, and I don’t know how it happened, but it did. Tell me you’re not having second thoughts.”
“No.” Not even. “I love you. I do. But you’ve just been really quiet today, so I wondered if you were the one having second thoughts.”
He glanced over at her and winked. “Not a one, Sunshine. There are some things you need to know, but we’ll talk about those when we sit down with your brothers.”
That sounded ominous.
Kinsey was disappointedin the FBI’s field office. She’d expected something like out of one of her favorite TV shows,NCIS. But there weren’t any fancy gadgets that she could see. It looked like a normal office with cubicles and desks.
“Hmph.”
“You say something?” Rand asked as he led her through the room.
“Just thinking out loud.”
He eyed her for a moment, then grinned. “You’re disappointed. You thought it would be something like out of a James Bond movie.”
“Close.” And how did he do that, read her so well?
