Page 94 of Ricochet

He shook his head, dropping his head. “This was too easy.”

“What was?”

“You and me.” He picked his head up. “We started way too easy, and now you’re nuts.”

Her eyes narrowed, and even as the words came out of his mouth, he regretted them. He didn’t meant that exactly like it sounded and didn’t want to hurt her—but that wasn’t the face of hurt.

“I’m nuts?You’re pissed because I didn’t wait like a damsel-in-distress on the side of a road for you.” She wriggled her fingers and rolled her eyes. “Ohh, Colin.”

He caught the reference to their first nightand the hero-swooping assumptions he’d downplayed. “Cut it out.”

“Oh, Colin. Save me. Help.”

Heat crawled up his neck and a flush warmed his cheeks. “Adelia.”

She pursed her lips. “You can’t stand it when things don’t go according to your plan, huh?Welcome to my life.”

A protest tipped on his tongue—but she was almost right, and it pissed him off how close she’d come. Colin shook his headand leaned back. “You have no idea what it took to find you.”

“You already said that.”

His annoyance boiled on the edge, and her irritation didn’t help a damn bit. “I’m tired.”

“So am I.”

“Yeah? Maybe you shouldn’t do whatever with Mayhem. God.” He slapped the table. “Mayhem lives in la-la land, and out here in the real world, I’m going to lose my shot at a new job, hell, if not the respectof my command. And right now, I can’t do anything right, and I don’t know if this headache is worth it when you give me nothing.”

Her bravado faltered, breaking her impenetrable bluster with the slight tremble of her bottom lip. “It’s not. I’m not.” She dug into her purse and threw bills on the table and lofted a small duffel bag over her shoulder. “I have to go.”

“Like hell.” He snagged herwrist as she pulled away, and the dagger-tipped stares of the old ladies next to them were ice cold, but he didn’t care. His fingers tightened. “I’d like to come up with a plan.”

Her jaw tensed as she pressed her lips together. He didn’t know if she was going to leap across the table and strangle him or just scream.

“If you’re going to leave without me,” he said, “At least I’ll know where youare. That you’re safer than you have been.”

“I’m not some a damsel that you can swoop in and just—” She snapped. “Fix everything. Because you understand nothing.”

“You need a little help, and I don’t give two shits what label you want to put on that.” The angry, frustrated beat in his chest wound down until the dull roar of his heartbeat was only a reminder that he’d lived a charmed life, andAdelia had walked through hell more than once. “Breathe, baby.” He loosened his hold. “I came here to help.”

She slipped back into her chair, waiting for him to sit, and then buried her knuckles into her eyes. Her exhaustion was well-hidden, and Colin could only imagine what her energy level felt like.

Finally, she let her hands drop. “You only came because I called my brother.”

He reachedover the tossed dollar bills and threaded their fingers together. “You don’t believe that for a second.”

“I might.”

“Nah.” He squeezed her hand. “We should start this whole conversation over.”

Adelia scowled though she squeezed her fingers, too. “You came in here like a jackass.”

He laughed and choked down the list of reasons he felt well within in his rights. “Is that a no?”

She lifted aneyebrow, trying to hang onto her scowl, but a small laugh pushed its way to freedom.

He puckered his lips and bunched his brows, over-exaggerating but rubbing his thumb along her knuckles. “Or was that a yes? I can’t tell when you growl at me.”

“It wasn’t a growl!” Her cheeks pinked, and her jaw-dropping laughter sweetened the air.

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