“Information from who? An enemy?”
“An enemy, informant, defector, or from our own internal agencies. I’m generalizing here, but there are those who make the laws, and those who enforce the laws on the law-makers.”
“Jesus. That sounds sneaky. And dangerous.” My heart speeds up as I search his flinty eyes. “But you can’t steal information by donning a ski mask and breaking and entering. It takes finesse, right? If you’re spending years on a single mission…”
…had to change my appearance, assume another alias, and stay far, far away from you…
My eyes go wide with realization. “It’s undercover work, isn’t it?”
“Processes and style of operation are off-limit topics. I haven’t given you classified information, but some of the terms I used might raise flags if you repeat them.”
“I won’t.”
“Not to Bree or your parents—”
“I promise, Trace.” I lower to the pillow and lean my face to his. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
It’s far more than Cole gave me, and now I have a clearer understanding of the job they did. I lean back, studying Trace’s relaxed expression.
Suspicion creeps in. Why is he telling me this now?
He and Cole are at war. I don’t put it past either one of them to leverage every angle they have to one-up each other. And Trace just gifted me something Cole wouldn’t. Candidness. Is it just a play in his game? I hate thinking that way, and maybe I’m wrong. I hope I am.
I run my fingers through his hair. “What did you and Cole discuss tonight?”
His nostrils flare. “You already know the answer to that.”
Me, probably. “I don’t want to assume. Will you tell me?”
“He spouted threats. I returned some of my own. Now we’re on the same page.”
“What kind of threats?”
“Danni—”
“Please?”
“Death threats.” He blows out a breath. “I’ll admit his were more creative than mine. But the one about my mother…”
I narrow my eyes. “What did he say?”
“If I put my dick in you again, he’ll skin me alive, dry my hide in the sun, and use it as a condom to fuck my mother’s corpse.”
My body goes cold, my voice a horrified whisper. “He did not say that.”
“He was pretty fired up when that one slipped out.”
“Oh my God.” I roll to my back and glare at the ceiling. “And you made threats on his life, too?”
“Yes.” A steadfast response, shameless in its delivery. “If he has sex with you—”
I whirl toward him, mouth gaping. “You can’t kill each other.
“Sure, we can. But we won’t.” He frames my face in his hands. “We won’t do that to you.” His eyes flicker. “I’ll just pound the ever-loving hell out of him.”
“No, you will not.”
He laughs without smiling. “I can’t tell you how many times we’ve beaten each other to near death over the years.”
“When? Before you met me?”
“Yeah.” His lips twist with a sinister delight. “He’s a stubborn son of a bitch. Sometimes the only way to set him straight is to break his ugly face.”
“You did that when you were friends?”
He shrugs.
My stomach cramps. “That’s fucked up.”
“Ready to change the subject?”
“Definitely.”
If I never hear about his relationship with Cole again, it’ll be too soon. Except that whole exchange doesn’t sit right with me.
I squint at him. “You just manipulated that conversation, didn’t you? So we’d stop talking about him?”
Something flashes across his expression, an almost smile, before he drags me across his chest and holds my face inches from his. “So goddamned smart and beautiful. I’m fucking doomed.”
“Doomed?” I shake my head, grinning. “Now you’re just being dramatic.”
“Am I?” He brushes my hair from my cheek, watching the movement of his fingers as they slide around my ear.
“I need to ask you an important question.”
His eyes flit back to mine.
“If you and I go our separate ways—” I reposition myself on his suddenly rigid chest and hold his unwavering gaze. “Can you just try to imagine that scenario for a second? See yourself far into the future? You could find love again, right?”
“I’m not doing this.” He pushes me off his body and perches on the edge of the bed with his back to me.
“Why not?” I crawl toward him. “I’m just trying to get a feel for—”
“You’re trying to determine who will be less heartbroken.” He sneers at me over his shoulder. “Do you really want to base a decision on that?”
My breath catches at the scorn in his tone, and I lean back, putting several feet between us. “I’m trying to reduce the amount of devastation.”
“Alright, let’s play out that scenario.” He twists at the waist, glaring blue flames in my direction. “You decide who’s more likely to find happiness without you, and you let him go. That leaves you with a sensitive, temperamental douchebag who can’t find his dick without your hands leading the way. We both know who that is.”
“Don’t be an asshole.”
“It’s a fucking cop out.”
“You’re being an asshole.” I shove off the bed and pace through the room as helplessness quakes through my limbs.
“I am an asshole, Danni. I’m not going to alter my personality to sway your vote for first place.”
“This isn’t a competition.” I ball my hands at my sides and take a wide stance before him.
“You’re turning it into one.”
“That’s not fair,” I whisper and stumble back, my heart banging against my ribcage. How am I turning this into a competition? “I didn’t ask for this. I just want to do the right thing.”
My throat closes, and tears sneak up. I turn away and pace to the wall of windows, resting my palms against the cool glass.
“Cole and I agreed on one thing tonight.” His reflection in the window rises from the bed, approaching my back. “Neither of us will pressure you into making a decision.”
“What do you mean?” I watch his mirrored silhouette prowl closer.
“We’re not putting you on a timetable. You don’t need to do anything.” He pauses inches behind me. “Just let it happen on its own.”
“Let the decision happen?” I roll the words around in my mouth, tasting the idea. “Like fate?”
“Yes.” He touches his brow to the back of my head. “It’s the way you approach everything else in your life. All heart and no plan.”
“I don’t think either one of you wants to wait around for fate. I won’t string you along.”
“I can assure you that you’re not stringing me along.” He slides his hands over my shoulder, caressing one down my arm while the other curls around my throat and tightens. “I’m in control. Always.”
“But I’m making the rules.” I clutch the fingers around my neck as an avalanche of desire crashes through me.
His growing hardness against my backside hitches my breath and trembles my legs. He’s power and temptation concentrated in one strong hand, securing me in place and demanding my attention.
Oh, how I want him. I want his dominance, his hunger, and his stamina. I press back against him, sagging against his hard chest while warring with the need to pull away.
He shifts closer against my back, adding upward pressure against my neck—a silent command to lift on my tiptoes. When I do, he slides the swollen head of his erection down my buttcrack and nudges it against my pussy. He’s so damn hard I’m surprised he hasn’t torn a hole through his boxer briefs.
“I want inside your tight little body.” Squeezing my throat, he splays his other hand over my stomach and dips lower, lower, sinking between my legs to rub the crotch of my panties. “If I feel like forcing the issue, I can have you begging for it within seconds. Do I make myself clear?”