Except I want to.
I want to feel his strong hands on me, stroking my skin and leaving a trail of heat in their wake. With a scowl, I hit the brakes, nearly missing a red light altogether. Next to me, Matthew sits up straighter and looks up from his phone. His stare burns through the side of my head, but I refuse to look at him.
Concentrate, Jen. Focus.
This visceral thing between us is going to fade away.
It has to.
Because I wasn’t going to let it get in the way of what I had to do to protect Simone, and the Slades. Or who I would have to become in order to ensure our safety.
At least you know about Travis now, so he can’t catch any of you off guard.
It doesn’t change the fact that Special Agent Matthew McCray is a distraction, and that’s all he will ever be. With a slight shake of my head, I pull up a few blocks away from Simone’s house and park the car, glancing around to make sure we weren’t followed.
At the gate, I stop to wave at the security camera, and it creaks open.
At the door, another security camera twists and points at me.
I lift my head up and try to smile.
Moments later, I hear a familiar beep and Bennett’s face appears in the doorway, his hair in tufts atop his head and sweat stains underneath his arms. “Maybe we should get you a key.”
“Or the security code,” Simone calls out, from behind him.
I give Bennett a grim smile. “I wish this was a social visit.”
“Special Agent McCray.” Simone materializes in a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, her hair piled on top of her head. Her eyes grow wide and wary when they land on him. “What’s going on?”
Bennett pushes the door open and ushers us in, glancing over our shoulders before slamming the door shut behind us. As soon as he does, a whooshing sound escapes, and a series of locks move back into place.
Simone laces her fingers through Bennett’s. “You two look like shit.”
“Thanks.” The knots in my stomach tighten and bile rises in the back of my throat. “That’s McCray’s effect on people.”
Matthew mutters something under his breath.
“Can we sit down and talk?”
Simone exchanges a quick look with Bennett before they lead us into the cream-colored living room. They share the loveseat, and I sit on the couch opposite them. Matthew joins me, close enough that our knees are brushing against each other again.
When he shifts, and I catch a whiff of his spicy cologne, the butterflies in my stomach erupted into a frenzy. I fold my hands over my chest and lean away from him.
You know what you’re here to do, Jen. Simone needs you. Nothing is going to get in the way of that.
“Look, you know I’ve never been one for subtlety, so I’m just going to get straight to it. Agent McCray is here to try and recruit me again.”
“Some new information has come to light, and because of Jen's particular knowledge in a very important case, we’re hoping it’ll convince her to change her mind,” Matthew chimes in.
“Travis is coming after you,” I tell Simone, my eyes never leaving her face. “He broke out of jail, and he’s pissed that we put him there.” I look at Bennett. “He’s going to come afterallof you and do everything in his power to destroy you.”
Bennett stiffens and his eyes tighten. “I’d like to see him try.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “No, you really don’t.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Simone asks and shrinks away.
I open my mouth, but Matthew interrupts me, looking at me in a way that makes me want to slap him. Like I needhimto save me from messing up. “We’ve got him under surveillance,” he says.