Fay’s heartpounded in her chest so hard it hurt and that pissed her off. She resented that the idea of seeing Lee again had any effect on her whatsoever. Who gave a rat’s ass what this asshole thought. He had no control over her destiny. No say in her career and he certainly didn’t have an opinion about this case.
He didn’t matter in her life. Not this time.
“Relax.” Walker squeezed her forearm.
“Easier said than done.”
“I know it’s not ideal to have him stay at my house, forcing you into my bedroom—”
“It’s not that.” Though, now that he’d reminded her that she’d have to climb under the sheets with him, it sent a warm shiver across her skin. However, she’d deal with that sensation later. “My entire career I had to deal with men who didn’t think I belonged. Who challenged both my intellect and my ability to physically get the job done. I was constantly having to prove myself. Now I’m in a position where I’m not only wanted, but I’m valued. To have to face someone like Lee again is making me want to jump out of my skin.”
He looped his arm around her and heaved her chair closer. “While I’ve never lived that, I had to watch my sister endure it all through the Naval Academy. Tammy and I had our own sibling competition going, but we never let it bleed over into the real world because sadly we were always compared to one another and I always came out on top, even when it wasn’t deserving.”
“What did you do?”
“I made sure that the assholes that put my sister down knew they’d made a mistake, but you can’t fix stupid.”
“No, you can’t.” Fay wiggled her fingers, hoping that would ease the tension in her body. It helped a little. But not nearly enough.
“When Tammy and I took physical fitness tests together, there were things she could do that I couldn’t. I always pushed myself as hard as I could during those events to try to drive home the point that it wasn’t about overall strength sometimes, but what each individual brings to the table and understanding your own personal limitations.”
“There are some that don’t have that much self-awareness.” Fay kept her focus on Craig who was currently having a chat with Albert at one of the blackjack tables. There were three other people playing. Two men and one woman.
Fay suspected they were all part of Craig’s team based on the way they paid more attention to Albert than the cards in their hands.
“Here comes Lee.” Walker lowered his chin and nodded toward the main entrance.
“Wonderful,” she mumbled. “Shall I drape myself all over you?”
He took her hand, laced his fingers through hers, and rested it on this thigh. “I’ve never been a big fan of public displays of affection.” He squeezed. “This is enough to drive the point home. And you can keep calling me babe. I like that.”
“Of course you do.” She laughed. “I’m sure you can guess what I think about it.”
“You’d hate it, but how about honey or sweetheart?”
“They’re endearing terms, so who am I to judge.” She shrugged. “It’s game on.” She sucked in a deep breath through her nose and let it out slowly through her mouth. It wasn’t that she was nervous so much as she needed to keep her anger in check. Lee had a way of getting under her skin.
Of course, that used to be Walker and now he was affecting her on a much different level and in unexpected ways. If she was being honest with herself, the emotions swirling around in her gut when it came to Walker were a nice distraction when it came to dealing with Lee, who paused midstep when he locked gazes with her. “Jesus, Walker. He doesn’t know I’m here, does he?”
“I told him my girlfriend was visiting and his only response was he didn’t believe I had one. I decided not to go five rounds with him.”
“Well, this is going to be fun. Not,” she mumbled.
“Hey, man.” Lee approached the table with his arm stretched out.
Walker tugged his hand free and stood, shaking Lee’s hand. “It’s been a while.”
“Seems like an eternity.” Lee had the audacity to look Fay up and down. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” He shifted his gaze. “So, the girlfriend comment was a joke.”
“No. It wasn’t,” Walker said with a tight tone.
Leave it to Lee to all but ignore her existence with the way he handled their news. “I’m confused. You expect me to believe that after everything, the two of you are getting kinky between the sheets?”
She cringed. Even if she were sleeping with Walker, she’d be insulted by the way Lee described the relationship. She bit down on her tongue, because if she said what she was thinking, it would start an argument and while Lee would probably always be antagonistic toward her, she needed to behave differently.
“That’s my girl, so I’d appreciate it if you had a little more respect. You’d demand the same from me if the shoe was on the other foot.”
Lee hiked himself up on the stool. He didn’t really ignore Walker’s request, but he didn’t acknowledge it either. “Are you working for the Brotherhood Protectors too?” he asked with a heavy dose of disdain.
“No.” It was time to see how well their cover story would stand up to scrutiny because she knew without a doubt Lee would check it out because that was the kind of guy he was. “I’m visiting.”
“You’re more than visiting.” Walker leaned in and kissed her cheek. “She’s trying to decide if she can handle living out here.”
“What about work?” Lee asked. “Or are you an employee—”
She held up her hand. She’d had enough. “The group I work for is currently contracted by the Brotherhood Protectors.”
“Of course they are,” Lee said, shaking his head. “I suppose good for you is in order.”
Walker grabbed her bare thigh and dug his fingers into her muscle. “Fay is really good at what she does. I’m proud of her accomplishments.”
“Have you forgotten—”