Page 36 of Paths

Her brow furrows in question.

“With that work comes a certain amount of access to information. When Crew left here last night, he knew things weren’t on the up-and-up. I didn’t know how forthcoming you’d be with me about what happened, so we pulled your background. Because of our work, we can put together a very comprehensive report on someone.”

She instantly tenses in my arms before really trying to push away. I hold her tight and keep talking.

“Maya, let me explain. He ran your background, but I haven’t read it yet. More importantly, he also ran Weston’s. I haven’t read it yet either, but I’ve been told his is the one I’ll be more interested in.”

“What do you do?” Her words come out fast.

I pause before explaining as best I can, even if it is brief. “I used to contract for the government—sometimes our allies. I told you I don’t work in the field any longer, but because of Crew’s company, we have clearance.”

All of a sudden her face tightens and her hands drop from my chest. “If you had all this at your fingertips, why would you ask me to rehash all that? It wasn’t fun living it the first time—I certainly don’t like to talk about it.”

I bring my hand up to her face and when I make contact, she jerks. I ignore that and pull her close, lowering my voice to a whisper. “I thought you’d be upset if I learned about your past without giving you the chance to tell me. I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good. Maya, we don’t know each other well yet, but I’d never hurt you. I want you to trust me more than anything, so I gave you the chance to tell me first.”

“So you weren’t going to read that report?” she shoots back.

“Could you not have looked at your ex’s cell phone?” I ask.

Her eyes narrow, but she says nothing.

“I let your story come from you and told you I have the report. Don’t be pissed at me for something I didn’t do, baby. If you give me long enough, I’m sure I’ll do something to piss you off for real.”

That worked. Since I’ve got her close, I get to enjoy the change of her expression go from pissed to amused. It’s such a beautiful transformation, I look forward to the next time I get to make it happen.

Before I can think about how to do that, I get back to the matter at hand. “I’ll still read the report, along with Weston’s. But you trusted me with it first, and that’s what I wanted.”

Barely smirking, she shakes her head. “You’re not what I thought you’d be.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” I slide my hand back down her back, over her hip, and when I reach the outside of her thigh, I yank her legs over the arm of the recliner, scooting her down in my lap farther.

Surprised, she grabs onto my neck. I lean over her and cup the back of her head where she’s laying across my lap when she says, “You’re sweet. When I’d watch you come into the tasting room and order food to-go, you looked anything but sweet.”

Bringing my face to hers, I run my nose up the side of hers and whisper, “That’s because I didn’t have your magic, yet torturous, touch to make me better. I’m not usually known for being sweet. If I’m sweet, it’s because you made me that way.”

“What are you known for?” she whispers back.

I shake my head and say right before my lips touch hers, “I’m not sure anymore. Lately, I’m not sure I even know myself.”

When I kiss her, it’s nothing like last night. There’s no desperation, no intensity, and no urgency.

After seeing that shithead angry with her, hearing what he did to her, and knowing he threatened her, I find myself wanting to give her exactly the opposite. Today, I kiss her the way she deserves to be kissed.

Brushing my lips across hers, I pull her head back, working my way down her throat. I hear her exhale as I kiss across her collarbone. Feeling her chest rise and fall, I continue back up the other side of her neck, tasting her and feeling her skin under my lips.

I whisper, “I feel different than I have in a while—a long while. I have a feeling it has everything to do with you, but nothing to do with you fixing my shoulder.”

“Grady,” she murmurs.

I kiss my way back to her lips, but stop when I get there. Lifting just enough to look into her light blue eyes, I ask, “You ever been with anyone besides him?”

She says nothing and I wonder if I crossed the line before she gives her head two quick shakes, confirming my earlier assumption.

Looking down at her in my arms, arms that aren’t just new to her, but really fucking new to her, I realize I need to take things slow. Especially after what she just told me about how that asshole treated her.

I nod before tilting her head up to kiss her again. When I finally pull away, I say against her lips, “You’re not leaving, Maya.”

I think my words yanked her out of her trance, because even with her quickened breath, she returns, “I’m not sure I can stay. I don’t know what to do about Weston, and after what he said this morning, I really need to call my brother. I don’t want to go back there, but I need to go see him.”

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