Page 42 of Wyoming Cowboy Undercover

“Before you hand me off to my next babysitter?”

He swallowed a sigh. At least she was talking to him. “Do you want to discuss what happened last night?”

“We had sex. What else is there to say?”

It had been more than that for him, and he’d suspected, with it being her first time, that it had been more to her as well. “How you’re feeling for starters?”

“Angry. Betrayed. Confused.” She shifted in her seat. “Satisfied?”

Not even close.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To task force headquarters. Really, it’s just office space on Second Street. I have to meet with my boss, and another agent, one with the FBI, Becca Hammond, will want to speak with you.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Why?”

“It’s standard procedure. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Frown lines bracketed her mouth. “If I’m going to be interrogated again, this time by a stranger, I’d rather go someplace familiar. Like the Underground Self-Defense school.”

He shook his head. “It would be safer and more convenient to take you to headquarters. And you won’t be interrogated. Only questioned.”

“Am I under arrest?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then if you want me to speak with your FBI friend, we’ll do it on my terms, at the USD. Or we won’t do it at all.”

He didn’t like it, but he’d already put her through so much. Allowing her to choose the location where she’d speak with Becca was a small request. There were no windows in the office at USD. If she was in there with the door closed, then she’d be kept out of sight, mitigating any issues. “Okay. USD it is.”

More uneasy silence settled between them, and he hated it. “You must have questions. About me. About my job.”

Her gaze met his, those blue eyes piercing him. “Is Rocco Sharp even your real name?”

“Yes and no. It’s Rocco Kekoa. Sharp is my mother’s maiden name. I started using it as part of my cover when I was assigned to the task force.”

“Your time in the military and special ops?”

“All true. Enlisted in the army at eighteen. Served for ten years, including two tours in Afghanistan and a spec op mission in Syria.”

“What about your childhood, growing up with Charlie on a ranch in Hawaii, wrangling longhorn cattle?”

“Those are some of my fondest memories.” He came from a long line of paniolos, or Hawaiian cowboys. “When work slows down for me, I’m going to fix up my ranch here and get some horses just like I told you.”

“The story about falling out of a tree and breaking your arm? The fights you got into with bullies?”

He knew he deserved her suspicion and welcomed her questions, but it didn’t make it any easier.

“It really happened.” He’d shared things with her that he’d never told anyone else. Had spilled the stories that made him who he was in their first few days together and he wasn’t sure why. It hadn’t been done as a maneuver to manipulate her. Maybe it was how she made him feel...at ease, like it was safe to be himself. She had such a generous heart. Maybe that was it.

She stilled his usually restless mind. Filled the spaces he hadn’t known were empty with warmth and light.

Whatever it was, he wanted more. He wanted her. So much so that he’d do whatever was necessary to rebuild her trust. Prove how deeply he felt for her.

“I enjoyed our time together at USD. Looked forward to it. You have to believe me when I tell you that I care about you.” Regardless of his job, after her panic attack, he wouldn’t have let her go back to the compound alone. He recognized it as her survival instinct kicking in, a sign she needed help, even if she didn’t realize it.

“How long have you been watching us?” she asked, ignoring him.

---