Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
If he could get close to her, get his hands on her, he could convince her. He would ease her into a kiss. She always wrapped herself around him and made him breathless. She made him feel strong and sure and true.
He was a bit lost without her.
For a half a second he thought he had her. Then the bell rang and she seemed to shake off whatever she’d been thinking. “Nope. Like I said, we can be friendly, but I need space and you’ll be happier in the long run, too. Ask your mom about trauma responses. She’ll explain.”
“Caring about you is not a trauma response,” he shot back, frustration welling. “Is this punishment?”
Her eyes narrowed, and he saw a spark of the fire that had always drawn him in. “Did you do it, Coop? Did you find a way to make me the bad guy here? I wasn’t trying to get out of the role, you know. It’s been pointed out to me that it’s my place in the world. The good news? You’re going to escape my clutches.”
Now this he could work with. Sort of. “I never said I wanted out of your clutches.”
“Then we were at two different meetings the other night.” She took a long breath. “I promised I wouldn’t do this. I’m done talking. Be nice. Don’t be nice. It’s not my problem. Have a good day.”
He reached out for her, grabbing her elbow.
And then suddenly he couldn’t breathe because he was flat on his back, staring up at the sun and trying to cup his balls. Fuck, that had hurt. She’d kicked back and then pulled his arm and somehow flipped him.
She stared down at him, her head blocking the sun. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I’m…I’m twitchy since the incident. Are you okay?”
No. Not in any way. “Unblock me and let me in when I come to your place tonight and then I’ll be okay.”
Her expression shuttered, and he could see the hurt on her face. But then it was replaced with the blank look she got when she dealt with people she didn’t like. People who were unkind to her. She put her wall up.
He’d never been on the other side of that wall. He didn’t like it.
“Good-bye, Cooper.” She turned and walked away.
He stared at the brilliant blue sky. Shouldn’t it be raining or something? Shouldn’t the weather know how dark he felt in that moment?
When the bell rang again, he forced himself up, brushed off his clothes, and started toward class. They had one together. He would start working on her there.
She couldn’t shut him out forever.
Part Two
This Night
Chapter Five
Dallas, TX
Twelve Years Later
“Kala, you went through something traumatic.”
Kala bit back a groan and wished her father wasn’t so invested in freaking therapy. “I like to call it Tuesday, Lena.”
The therapist sighed and sat back. Lena Gallagher didn’t normally work in Dallas. She wasn’t an everyday, ordinary therapist working at the Ferguson Clinic, though for the last week she’d held sessions here.
Because apparently the Agency was worried their experimental team was twelve kinds of fucked up after their last mission.
No lies there. It had been a lot.
“All right, Kala. I have a job to do. After what happened in Montreal, the director is worried about the state of the team.” Lena was in her mid-thirties, a pretty woman who dressed in a neat and efficient manner that still managed to be feminine. She reminded Kala a whole lot of Eve McKay. Lovely and intellectual, and she didn’t exactly like Kala. “You’ve spent three days saying nothing.”
“I know. It’s been a good time, Doc.” She was hell on shrinks. Oh, they tended to look at her like she was their Disneyland, but all of her rides were closed, thank you very much.
An elegant brow arched over dark eyes. “You know I can bench you, right? I understand that the Kara construct you use is very important to several ongoing operations, but if I decide you’re not stable, I’ll still pull you out of the field.”
She had places she could hide a body. Always. It was probably sad that she kept a list. Uncle Jesse and Aunt Phoebe just moved and were renovating, including putting in a pool. Getting the dead body of one of your enemies buried right before the frame went in was chef’s kiss. Lou’s dad’s place had a lot of land. Oooo, Uncle Boomer had a couple of pigs now. They loved to eat dead bodies, right? See, this was why she liked animals more than most human beings. They were helpful.
“All I’m asking is for you to talk about what happened.” Lena crossed one leg over the other, showing off the red soles of her shoes. “You do that and I’ll clear you. I’ve cleared everyone else.”