“You’re beautiful,” he mused. “And special.” Taking a deep breath, he decided he might as well go for it. “I’m falling in love with you.”
She froze. Then, refusing to look at him, she slowly edged herself out of his arms. “Don’t,” she said.
Whatever reaction he’d expected, it hadn’t been this. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t ruin this.” Still, she wouldn’t look at him. He felt the awful weight of her words settle in heavy in the pit of his stomach.
When she finally turned to meet his gaze, her expression stern and full of resolve, he knew what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth.
“We’re good together, true. And I like you, Jake Anderson. I like you a lot.” She reached out her hand to touch him. He jerked away.
“Don’t be like that,” she urged, her voice soft. “We’re good together. I know it as well as you do. But I need to focus on my life here, becoming my best me. You know what I mean. Until I do that, I won’t be able to—”
“I get it.” He cut her off. Ever conscious of the probability of someone listening. Two could play that game. “What if Micheline herself wants you to be involved with me?”
Her eyes widened. “She does.” She sounded confident. Certain. “At least that’s what Leigh told me. I’m not sure what her motivation is, though. I’m sure it’s something nefarious.”
“We’ll see about that,” he muttered, more for the benefit of anyone listening than anything else.
“Jake. You don’t mean that.”
“You’re right,” he responded immediately. “But there’s one thing you should know about me. I don’t give up easily. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can have something special.”
She nodded, her expression sad. “It’s just bad timing,” she began.
Since his chest already hurt, he knew he didn’t want to hear anymore. Not right now. Not for a good while. Hell, maybe not ever.
A horrible revelation hit him. Was Fiona using him to help her make the case against his mother? Again, he didn’t have to wonder if she could actually be this deceitful. Micheline had long ago set the bar for that.
He needed to shut down the emotions swirling through him, and quickly. If he’d truly been such a fool, he’d deal with it later, when he could go off somewhere and lick his wounds.
Grabbing up his clothes, he dressed hurriedly, without looking at her. “Take care, Fiona.” He crossed to the door without a backward glance, opening it and stepping aside so she could pass. “I’ll be seeing you around, I’m sure.”
Chapter 9
She’d done the right thing, turning Jake down, Fiona thought. Even though right now, it didn’t feel like it. She truly believed this, beyond any shadow of a doubt. But then why did her heart feel as if it was breaking? Why did the backs of her eyes sting and her throat feel like it had closed up?
The vulnerable look in Jake’s eyes, the hope turning to pain, killed her. He’d eyed her steadily, as if he knew the truth no matter how much she might deny it. But how could he, when she didn’t even know it herself? The only thing Fiona knew for certain was her job. Over the years, she’d built a reputation as someone reliable, someone who didn’t make mistakes. She’d already made a huge one by revealing her mission to Jake. She couldn’t compound that by making another one.
Rule number seven of the undercover handbook: don’t get seriously romantically involved with someone. Male agents had casual flings all the time. She’d definitely heard the stories.
Since Micheline herself had, for whatever reason, wanted Fiona to get close to Jake, everything had seemed to naturally fall into place. A little fun, some mind-blowing sex and no one got hurt. Except now apparently, Jake had.
When she’d allowed herself to give in to the insane attraction she felt toward Jake, she’d never expected this. The absolute certainty that he could definitely be the one. Even worse, she wasn’t sure she could trust the feeling. How much of it was due to the role she played while undercover here at the AAG center? If she’d met him during her regular, normal life, working from the FBI field office, and they’d gone on the usual dates at trendy gastropubs or bars, would things have ignited so quickly between them?
She didn’t know. For that reason alone—okay, that was only one of the reasons—she had no choice but to focus on the mission. When all of this was finally over, the case wrapped up in a neat little bow, maybe then she’d have the luxury of finding out if what she and Jake had might be real.
Leigh buzzed her a few minutes later, summoning her to her suite. Instantly alert, Fiona told her she was on her way, glad to have something to focus on besides the mess she’d made of things with Jake.
When she got to Leigh’s hallway, she realized Leigh stood in the doorway, waiting for her. The other woman practically buzzed with excitement.
“Come in, come in,” Leigh urged. “There’s a lot going on today, but Micheline asked me to speak to you specifically.”
Fiona followed her inside. “About what?” she asked, wondering if she’d be called on the carpet for her rebuff of Jake. While she knew they listened in on her, if Leigh brought this up now, it would be tantamount to admitting her room and Jake’s had been bugged.
“Ta
ke a seat.” Leigh gestured toward a pair of antique chairs near her fireplace. Idly, Fiona wondered how many of the rooms in this place actually had fireplaces. Not too many, she’d bet.