He swallowed. “Why not?”
“Because you don’t ask for things like that. I can’t make you love me. You can’t make me not love you. It is…” She still had her hand over his heart. “We feel what we feel.”
Another swallow as his Adam’s apple clicked. “Someone like you deserves to be loved.”
He could say he was bad all day long, but Remy could also tell her the sweetest things. “I happen to think the same thing about you.”
“Don’ttrust me so much.” Anger thickened his voice. She could see the flash of fury glinting in his eyes. But she didn’t think that the anger was directed at her.At himself.“I’m not worth your trust.”
“Because you’re a forger. A thief. A criminal.” She pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. “I heard you the first time, Remy. I just can’t say that I cared.” Exhaustion pulled at her. “If we’re breaking into a safe tonight,” she figured they would strike at night, “I need a little rest.” Jacqueline settled down against the mattress once again.
“How can you not care about what I was?”
Was.There it was. The real key. Didn’t Remy even hear it?Past tense. What I was.Not…What I am.“Probably because my grandfather was a thief, a safecracker, and an all-around criminal. Most people thought he was the absolute worst, but for my whole life, he was the one person who treated me like I was something special.”
“Youarespecial.”
There he went again, being all sweet and not even realizing it. “None of us are just one thing. My grandfather changed. He put that life behind him. By your own admission, you worked with government agents for years to right wrongs.”
“You keep painting a pretty picture. That’snotwhat I did.”
“No, you don’t paint pretty pictures. You paint masterpieces, ones I can’t wait to see. You got freedom for your friend. You told me you got protection for your sister and justice for your father.” Exhaustion pulled at her, but she needed to say one more thing. “That’s all the stuff you did. Now you’re helping me. Don’t mean to tell you your business, but that pretty much sounds like stuff that aherowould do.”
“Take it back,” he whispered.
“Nope.” A yawn. “Can’t do it. When you love someone, you don’t take it back. It just…is.” Her eyes drifted closed again. “Love you.”
***
She’d just gone to sleep. Yawned, closed her eyes, cuddled up against him, and gone to sleep. As if it was just the most natural thing in the world.
He’d told her his deep, dark secrets. Revealed all about his crimes. Instead of running, she’d made love to him.Love, not simple fucking because Jacqueline mistakenly believed that she loved him.
She didn’t, though. Impossible. Adrenaline and fear and a mixed-up cocktail of emotions had her confused. She was grateful to him, and she must be confusing gratitude with love. Surely, that was it.
But I wish she loved me.
His phone rang, the vibration coming from the other side of the room. The place where he’d ditched his jeans after he’d gotten a bit of sanity back. The phone was probably still tucked in one of the pockets. He wanted to ignore the ringing but…
Too much trouble surrounds us.
He pressed a kiss to Jacqueline’s brow and slipped out of the bed. He scooped up the jeans and the phone. A glance at the screen showed the caller to be Constantine. After hurriedly turning off the ringer, Remy crept out of the bedroom. They were in a suite, so he shut the door. When it was closed, only then did he take the call. “What’s on fire now?”
“I’m outside the hotel room door. Didn’t want to interrupt anything, so I thought I’d give you a courtesy call.”
“Well, aren’t you awesome.” He jerked on his jeans, kept the phone to his ear by using his shoulder, then he stalked for the door. A quick glance through the peephole confirmed Constantine was alone and on the other side of the door. “Come on in.” He hung up and unlocked the door.
Constantine didn’t enter. His brow furrowed as he studied Remy’s face.
“What?” Remy barked when the study session went on a little too long.
“I’m trying to figure out why you look shaken.” Constantine’s head tilted. “I figured you and your lady would rush up here, strip off the wet clothes, and—”
“Don’t worry about what happens when Jacqueline’s clothes come off.” A grim warning. A possessive one.
Constantine smiled. “You have it so bad.” He crossed the threshold. Shut and bolted the door. But the furrow returned to his brow. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”Not a damn thing. Except Jacqueline thinks that she loves me, and, clearly, she doesn’t.