Page 37 (1/2)

1

ICY NEEDLES OF water boing shadows of a nightmare I couldn’t fully remember

Closing ering fear and nausea to circle the drain at hts shifted to el who slept peacefully in the apartently¸ wanted to lose myself in her, and hated that I couldn’t Couldn’t hold her close Couldn’t pull her lush body underher touch chase the memories away

“Fuck” I placed ainst the cool tile and absorbed the chill of the punishing deluge into my bones I was a selfish asshole

If I’d been a better man, I would’ve walked away from Eva Cross the moment I saw her

Instead, I’d e broadcast via every medium known to man, rather than hidden away as a secret between less than a handful of people Worse, since I had no intention of letting her go, I would have to find a way toether

I lathered, quickly washing away the sticky sweat I’d woken up in Withinout to the bedroo to

I’d left the apartment Eva shared with her best friend, Cary Taylor, only a couple of hours earlier, wanting to give her time to catch a few hours of sleep before she headed into work We had been at each other all night, both of us too needy and greedy But there’d been sonawed at me and left me uneasy

So my wife

My gaze drifted to theand its view of Manhattan beyond it, then settled on the e in the same space in ine the collage clearly, having spent countless hours studying it over the last fewout at the city had once been the way I encapsulatedat Eva

I sat ata deep slow breath as my wife’s face filled my monitor She wore no makeup in the photo that was ht freckles on her nose aze slid over her features—the curve of her brows, the brightness of her gray eyes, the fullness of her lips In the moments when I let ainst el that

With a determined exhalation, I picked up the phone and speed-dialed Raúl Huerta Despite the earliness of the hour, he answered swiftly and alertly

“Mrs Cross and Cary Taylor are heading to San Diego today,” I said, ht I didn’t have to say more

“Got it”

“I want a recent photo of Anne Lucas and a detailed rundown of where she was last night on my desk by noon”

“At the latest,” he affirmed

I hung up and stared at Eva’s captivatingly beautiful face I’d caught her in a happy, unguardedI was deterht she’d been distressed by a possible run-in with a woman I’d once used It had been a while since I’d crossed paths with Anne, but if she was responsible for aggravating ain Soon

Openingquick anshen required and working ht my eye the moment my e-mail opened

I felt Eva before I saw her

I lifted my head and itation I felt whenever I wasn’t with her

I leaned back to better appreciate the view “You’re up early, angel”

Eva stood in the doorith her keys in hand, her blond hair in a sexy tangle around her shoulders, her cheeks and lips flushed from sleep, her curvy body clad in a tank top and shorts She was braless, her lush tits swelling softly beneath the ribbed cotton Petite and built to take a man to his knees, she often pointed out how different she was froraphed with before her

“I woke upyou,” she replied, with the throaty voice that never failed tohave you been up?”

“Not long” I pushed the keyboard drawer in to make room for her on my desk

She padded over on bare feet, effortlessly seducing me The moment I first saw her I’d known she would wreck me The promise was there in her eyes and the way she moved Everywhere she went, men stared at her Coveted her Just like I did

I caught her by the waist when she ca to pull her onto ht her nipple in asp, felt her body jolt at the sensation, and siven iven

“Gideon” Her hands went to h it

I felt infinitely better already

Liftingthe cinna flavor that was uniquely her “Hmm?”

She touched htmare?”

I exhaled in a rush She’d always been able to see right through et used to it

I stroked the pad ofto her nipple “I’d rather talk about the wet dreaht now”

“What was it about?”

My lips thinned at her persistence “I don’t remember”

“Gideon—”

“Drop it, angel”

Eva stiffened “I just want to help you”

“You kno to do that”

She snorted “Sex fiend”

I cuddled her closer I couldn’t find the words to tell her how she felt inin the well-loved scent of her skin

“Ace”

Soe I pulled back slowly,over her face “Talk to me”

“About San Diego” Her eyes dropped and she caught her lower lip between her teeth

I stilled, waiting to see where the conversation would go

“Six-Ninths is going to be there,” she said finally

She hadn’t tried to hide what I’d already knohich was a relief But a different kind of tension flooded me instead

“You’re telling me that’s a proble but calm

“No, it’s not a proble restlessly in my hair