Page 79 of Tell Me All Your Lies

My head hangs low, and our foreheads touch one another. Our breathing is heavy, but I have to be the one to put a stop to it.

Cara is the sun, and anyone would feel lucky to be swept into her orbit. I’d gladly follow her every day for the rest of my life. Ifthings were different, but they aren’t. All she wants is something temporary.

I let go of her hip and take a step back.

“We can’t.”

Cara’s eyes shoot up to mine, filled with hurt.

“Oh.”

She gives me a small nod and takes a large step back toward my bedroom door.

“Right. Well, I’ll just…” she stammers.

Cara looks toward the doorway and then back to me.

“I’ll be downstairs.”

“Cara. Wait. It’s not because I don’t want you.”

“It’s fine, Sinclair. We’re partners. I got caught up in the moment. That’s all. This is nothing.”

Sting. Sting. Sting. Sting. Sting.

“Good. I’m glad we have that covered.”

“See you in a few. We don’t want to be late.”

“We won’t be.”

Cara looks me up and down once more and then knocks on the bedroom door before leaving the room.

I sit down on my bed and take my head in my hands as it hangs.

“Just great.” I sigh.

This isn’t how I wanted this to go. I’m almost fifty years old; I can’t let there be any miscommunication between the two of us. We’re adults. Miscommunication is something grown adults just shouldn’t let happen. Hell, she’s in her mid-thirties, so I doubt she wants that either.

Tomorrow. After the mission tonight, I’ll explain to her how crazed she’s been making me and how it’s my own feelings that I don’t want to get in the way of what this is. I’m so fucking starved for love that I’m mistaking this time together as that.

Off my bed, I put the finishing touches on. My guns and knife. I know I’ll be checked, but I don’t go anywhere without them. Certainly not when I know I’m entering the lion’s den.

Brad’s warning was severe, but I’ll take it for what he was saying. The Marlin is dangerous. We know this. The fact of the matter is my old friend is scared shitless. These are different times we’re working in. It would be stupid of me not to take extra precautions with his warning.

Grabbing my cell phone, I head down the stairs to see Cara waiting by the front door, tapping away on her own phone.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

She looks up at me, almost panicked. Clearly, she’s talking to someone about something she was wrapped up in.

“Everything’s great. The car is here.”

She grabs both sets of keys and tosses me one that I easily catch.

“Just in case we get separated.”

“We won’t,” I counter.

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