Page 91 of Whistleblower
“Safe? How so?”
Yanking my feet back, I sit upright, suddenly aware of how bulky my robe is. For fuck’s sake. Linc’s been looking at me like I’m gorgeous since he arrived, so I completely forgot what a train wreck I am at the moment.
“You know how Delta Force works. My dad would leave”—I snap my fingers—“like that. Most of the time without warning. My aunt would stay with me when I was too young to stay by myself. I’d worry sick that my dad might not come back and all I’d want to do is call, even if he couldn’t answer. In those moments, my aunt told me the best way to keep him safe was to let him focus. My job was to be good, trustworthy, and always be where I was supposed to be, on time. If my dad wasn’t preoccupied worrying about me, he could do his job better, and get home faster.”
“This was your reasoning as a child?” Linc asks, sadness coating his face.
“I was coping, Linc. I didn’t have my mom. My dad was always gone. I didn’t know what to do, but I wanted to help my family. So I’d pack carrot sticks instead of cookies for lunch. I would always make sure my pigtails were neat. I was early for the school bus every day. I colored carefully in the lines…like all that could keep my dad alive.”
“Oh, Bambi—you didn’t stand a chance. You were always destined for HR, weren’t you?” Linc clutches his chest as he laughs lightly with me.
“Point is, I don’t want you watching surveillance footage of my apartment, worrying about me, and then getting yourself hurt. When you’re away—doing the things we don’t talk about—I don’t want to be a distraction. I need you to stay safe and come back to me in one piece.”
“I told you I don’t watch you. The surveillance is just for review if something happens.”
I crawl onto his lap, tucking my legs on either side of his hips. I give him my most serious expression. “Really? You’re honestly telling me you didn’t see what I did in bed this morning when I was really missing you?”
“No,” he murmurs as he scours the part of my chest that has become visible due to my loosening robe. “What did you do, bad girl?”
The delicious swirl of excitement flurries between my thighs. Apparently calling me a bad girl works just as well as calling me a good girl.
“Let’s just say I was all kinds of wet thinking about those handcuffs and—”
Linc sits up in a hurry, holding my back so I’m forced to straighten up with him. “Okay, I see where we’re headed fast. I want to give you your birthday gift, first.”
I grind against the bulge in his pants playfully, really not interested in opening presents at the moment. He grabs my hips, forcing me to sit still.
Linc reaches for the card and hands it over. “This is your present. I wanted it to be special and you don’t strike me as a diamonds and purses kind of girl. So, I went with sentimental.”
Now my curiosity has peaked. With a little more angst than intended, I snatch the card from his hands and rip it open. It’s a pretty card. There’s a beautiful basket of flowers on the front. The card’s wording is a little basic—Wishing a beautiful girl a beautiful birthday. But that’s okay, the thought is sweet. The affogato dessert is sweet. Linc knowing that I really didn’t want to be alone tonight is sweet. This man can do no wrong in my eyes. I’ll treasure this simple card, forever.
“Thank you,” I say, before pecking him on the lips.
He looks disappointed. “Thank you? That’s it?”
I shrug. “What? It’s a nice card—”
His lips turn down. “I thought you were good with details. Who is the card from, Eden?”
I check it again, wondering if I missed the entire compound signing the back and wishing me a happy birthday. Instead, I just find one signature. “It says from Chandler Jan—”
I catch my breath as the realization hits me.
“There it is,” he says, tracing my shocked expression with his finger. “There are exactly three people alive who know that Chandler Janey is my given name. Now, you’re one of them. I hope that tells you how I feel about you.”
All I can do is blink at him. The rest of my body is paralyzed.
Chandler.
Chandler Janey.
So, he didn’t lie about his name the first time we met after all.
This is a new kind of intimacy, which means I’m nervous all over again…but it’s the good kind of nervous. The kind of nervousness that makes me realize what I have in front of me is so much more than I realized. My heart pounds demandingly like it’s been called to the stage and it’s time to perform.
Placing the card back on the table, I wrap both hands around his cheeks. “Thank you so much,” I mumble between kisses. “For trusting me.” Another kiss. “For chasing me.” I use my teeth to tug on his earlobe with barely any pressure. “For wanting me, Linc.”
Our soft touches change. I taste his tongue and suck in his breath as he wrenches me against his growing erection.