“Cale is a part of our group,” Gunner said. “I don’t want him in danger because he’s falling for a pretty face. I want to know everything about Cassidy that I can.”
It wouldn’t be the first time that a well-trained agent was misled because emotions got involved in a case. Sydney liked Cale. She didn’t want him at risk, either. She didn’t want any of the EOD agents put in additional jeopardy. Their jobs were dangerous enough without any intimate betrayals.
She knew that from personal experience.
“I’ll find out exactly who she is,” Sydney promised. And she would. Either with Mercer’s help...
Or on her own.
Gunner laced his fingers with hers. “I missed you.”
And her heart had been breaking without him.
* * *
CASSIDY WAS ASLEEP in his arms. He’d known the exact instant that she’d slipped away, but he hadn’t tried to wake her up. He’d held her and enjoyed the feel of her body against his.
He wasn’t the type to just hold a woman in bed. That wasn’t him. His sexual encounters were usually fast, hot, with no strings attached.
He wasn’t looking for strings.
But Cassidy Sherridan came with miles and miles of strings attached.
Cale turned his head on the pillow, moving so that he could see her as the light of dawn spilled into the room.
No makeup, her hair a beautiful tangle, the woman was so gorgeous that she made him ache.
He’d taken her two more times during the night. Wanted more but he’d known she needed to rest. So when she’d fallen asleep, he hadn’t woken her.
But he had wanted her.
With her, he was wondering if he’d always want more.
A slow beeping reached him, and Cale frowned. That beeping was coming from their discarded pile of clothes.
Carefully, because he still didn’t want to wake her, Cale climbed from the bed and headed for the clothes. He reached down. Found Cassid
y’s phone. The photo flashing on the screen was of Genevieve Chevalier.
“Cale?”
Cassidy’s voice. Sleepy, husky, sexy.
Damn. Those strings were wrapping around him, tighter and tighter, with every second that passed.
The phone had stopped beeping.
He turned toward her. Cassidy pushed up in bed and smiled at him. “You look good in the morning,” she murmured as her eyes slid over him.
Not nearly as good as she did.
But then she frowned. “Was that my phone?” She clutched a sheet to her chest. She didn’t need to cover up on his account. “Has something happened?” A thread of fear leaked through the words.
Nothing new had happened. At least, nothing that he was aware of. Cale cleared his throat. “Your friend...Genevieve. She was calling.”
Her hand reached toward him, grabbing quickly for the phone. “I didn’t even get a chance to tell her goodbye!” Her fingers flew over the phone’s surface. “We raced away so quickly that I—”
His fingers closed over hers. “Don’t tell her where you are.” That was the agent talking, not her lover.