Page 21 of Sinful Negotiations

She glanced over her shoulder with only a soft hum in answer.

“If I don’t lie down, I’m going to fall asleep in this tub.”

She grinned and slid on hand over his muscular leg, pulling at the fine hairs. “Then go to bed. I’ll join you soon.”

His breath cooled her neck, but the tension between them hovered as thick as the steam in the bathroom. Only he could change that, and he wasn’t willing at the moment. When he rose from the tub, stepped out, and dried off, she decided to not push for the time being. He had his reasons.

Her heart was another matter. She’d tried to put distance between them, but Aidan and circumstances kept bringing them together. She wasn’t good for him. Her uncle’s associations put him in the line of fire. Tessa leaned her head against the back of the tub to stare at the ceiling.

She thought of her life before him and how much things had changed. Always an active individual, she enjoyed kayaking andhiking as much as time allowed. In the evenings, she’d loved to do crafts and had even built a small following on social media. It all stopped after meeting Aidan. Why? She couldn’t find one good reason.

As soon as this, whatever, ended, she needed to find herself again. There would always be a threat, especially if her uncle remained part of her life. Aidan would have to understand. She couldn’t keep living like this and didn’t expect him to relinquish his life.

The blame didn’t belong on Aidan either, no matter who he was. She’d done this to herself. How many times had she said she wouldn’t be like her aunt? She should’ve accepted one of those positions and left. Disappointment settled in her gut.

A shiver slid along her spine signaling the end of her hot bath, so she quickly toweled off and joined Aidan. When sleep refused to come, she grabbed the remote control and turned on the television. Her fingers slid through his hair as she flipped through the channels.

They’d never slept together in an actual bed, so it was weird being in his home with him lightly snoring on the pillow beside hers. Dark circles haunted his eyes and the bruise on his temple had turned purplish-blue.

Her gaze strayed over his shoulder to a shady spot on his back. Curious for a better look, she scooted until she rested on her knees and could study it from a better angle. The light from the television and window allowed a perfect view.

The tattooed skull was at least six inches by six inches with a green hat on top. The wordsUSA Army Special Forceswere inked in black along with an emblem and crisscrossed daggers. Her gaze lifted to Aidan’s closed ones. Military? She didn’t know much about the Armed Forces.

After making sure he wasn’t awake, she slid out of bed to retrieve her phone from her purse. Aidan was still sleepingsoundly when she returned, so she entered the words she read on the tattoo.

Special Forces, Green Berets, are the United States Army unconventional warfare apparatus, involved in combat search and rescue, psychological, and peacekeeping missions. They are trained in and expected to fight in any environment.

Her phone dropped on her chest. What the fuck? Aidan a Green Beret? She didn’t remember reading anything about him serving in the Army in his biography. Her gaze drifted to him, again, and the bruise on his temple. Was Aidan Cross a business tycoon, or something else? And was that even his real name? He was identical to the photo on the internet, so it must be him.

Nothing made sense…not these people following her and not Aidan. For today, she’d let him sleep, but this evening she wanted answers.

Chapter 19

Soft fingers slid across his tattoo, but he didn’t move, although he was well aware of Tessa’s curiosity. They hadn’t slept together, had never been fully naked, and she already questioned his identity, so it was only natural she’d search for clues. Soon he’d have to tell her, but for today he would keep his secrets for his own safety as well as hers.

The nature of her uncle was in question, and Tessa would defend him. At least, he thought she would. He didn’t know much about her childhood, except her parents were killed in an automobile accident, and her uncle swooped in to raise her.

Devotion motivated people into questionable behavior. The grandparents she spoke of were a mystery. Tessa had been honest from the beginning, so he had to trust that. Many details were still sketchy. It was as if someone attempted to bury her profile.

It was partly his fault for holding her at arm’s length. Curiosity was natural, human behavior. They’d agreed from the beginning to keep things unemotional and detached, but their relationship had reached a crescendo where it either evolved or ended. He couldn’t let go, and he’d tried with subtle hints and an asshole attitude. Even when he had the perfect chance to walk away, and keep it professional, he couldn’t, and that was the bottom line.

She’d laid beside him for a couple hours, watching television, and lightly stroking his scalp, but left the bed not long ago. Trained to sleep on much less, two hours was enough.

Soft footsteps echoed throughout the condo. He knew she searched for clues, but she wouldn’t find any. The condo belonged to the FBI. There were no personal effects to be found except what he brought, and most of those were in this bedroom. The second bedroom was locked.

When he smelled bacon, he groaned into his pillow and his stomach growled. He’d skipped breakfast and slept through lunch, so a home cooked meal sounded delicious…especially with Tessa doing the cooking.

Images of her bent over the bed stirred him and his dick to life. She never questioned his controlling nature or need to dominate, but freely accepted him the way he was and encouraged it. He shouldn’t have desired more and shouldn’t have invited her over. The rules were simple…no attachment, no personal spaces, no involvement of the heart, and part ways as friends.

He stuffed his face in the pillow in exasperation because he knew better than to get involved with a suspect’s niece. Why was it so different this time, and why her of all people?

After a bitter divorce, he swore to never marry again. The heartbreak about did him in. He’d thrown himself into work, although his job was the reason his marriage ended. The secrets and long absences proved too much for his first wife. When he was discharged from the service, the FBI recruited him, and he was eager to make a difference.

This life fueled his blood, gave him purpose, and he was addicted to the chase. Could a woman like Tessa accept that?

Aidan groaned at his line of thinking where Tessa was concerned. He’d only accepted this assignment to help family. White collar crime wasn’t his specialty. He normally dealt with terrorism, drug lords, and organized crime. The world those criminals operated in was where he belonged, not in a suit sitting in an office with the scent of expensive cologne filling his nostrils. But then he wouldn’t have met Tessa. Good thing or bad thing? He chuckled to himself because she was definitely a good thing.

After pulling on a pair of shorts, he groggily stumbled into the kitchen, but halted to lean against a wall and stare at thesexy, feminine picture Tessa presented. One of his t-shirts hit her mid-bare-thigh, and she was barefoot. Blonde locks twisted in a messy bun on top of her head as she stirred a pan of scrambled eggs at the stove.

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