Page 36 of Taking Care of the Target

He’d gone into interrogation mode, his serious cop face on.

“No, but I got this creepy vibe when I went to the area where I was hit.” She shuddered as the sense of wrongness that had her fleeing the area as soon as possible hit her again. “No memories of the accident or any of my time here in Jersey have come back to me. I think they’re gone for good.” She wiped her fingers on her napkin and folded her arms across the table. “What’s this about, Tom?”

“Like I said, just a bit of follow-up. You should see the paperwork I have to fill out.” The smile he pulled out was plastic. “If you remember anything—anything at all—will you do me a favor and call?”

“Sure,” she said, bothered by his sudden dodgy-ness. Why wouldn’t he just give it to her straight? Men and their irritating need to hold back.

She glanced at Vince’s Jeep.He could use a little holding back in other areas—namely, the showing-up-to-my-lunch-meeting one.

Tom pushed the brown paper his sandwich had come in to the side and leaned in, his features soft again. “To be honest, there’s something else I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

Cassie’s spine stiffened. Oh no. This better not be going where she thought it was. She’d assured Vince that Tom was simply a nice cop who’d helped her out and had become a friend. Vince’s skepticism had been so clear, and now it looked like he was right.

And of course he was watching it all through the freaking window.Heaven help me. And Tom—he might need help, too. And Vince when he gets arrested. Better just go ahead and help us all, and as soon as possible would be great.

Tom covered her hand with his and jerking it away seemed too rude, so she simply stared at it, a car wreck waiting to happen. “I care about you, Cassie.”

“Yeah, I’m so glad we’re friends, because you helped me through a really rough time.” She hoped he’d take the hint. Back off. Slow the Holy Shit Train right down.

“I wanna take you out.”

A glint of light caught her eye—Vince’s Jeep door swinging open. Her blood pressure shot into the danger zone, and she slid her hand away and folded it in her lap. “I’ve, uh, been dating someone. It hasn’t been very long, but it’s getting pretty serious.”

Seriously crazy with a cherry on top.

Vince leaned against his Jeep, folding his massive arms across his chest, and she could feel his steady stare against her tightening skin.

Tom sighed. “Guess I should’ve made my move earlier.”

Cassie simply smiled at that. The truth was, she probably would’ve dated him and been perfectly happy. But now she couldn’t imagine anyone but Vince. Even though the simultaneous urge to hit him with something right then was strong, and she didn’t think she’d ever been so mad at anyone before.

“Well, if he gives you any trouble, you call me. I could even do a background check if you want. Make sure he really is a good guy.”

A nervous laugh spilled from her lips. “Oh, that’s okay. Anyway, I should probably get to work,” she said, jumping to her feet, despite still having an hour to kill.

Or a boyfriend to kill. Either one.

Before she could sidestep it, Tom gave her another hug. “You call me if you ever need anything. I mean it.”

“I will,” she said. After all, a friendly officer of the law might come in handy. “And if there’s any change with my memories, I’ll definitely let you know. Thanks again.”

She grabbed her purse and coat and practically ran to get to the door first. Luckily Tom was taking his time because she doubted she’d make a very sturdy line of defense.

She strode over to Vince, her anger growing stronger and hotter by the second. “In the Jeep.Now.” She rounded the hood and climbed into the passenger seat, relieved when Vince climbed inside and closed the door.

“What the hell was that?” she asked, throwing up her arms.

“Would you believe I’m justthatconcerned with your safety?”

“He’s a cop, Vince. I think that makes me pretty safe.”

“Well, I don’t. I think…” He clenched his jaw and glanced at the ceiling, as if he’d find patience there. Then he blew out his breath and turned his multicolored brown eyes on her. The concern in them took the edge off her annoyance. “I can’t just sit back, Cassie. The security work I’ve been doing has made me cautious, and I needed to see for myself that you were safe. I’ve always tried to keep people at a distance, but you broke through, and now I’m a mess.”

She blinked at him, warmth working its way through her chest. Did he just confess to caring? To being as crazy about her as she was about him? How’d she get so lucky for this amazing guy to show up at the perfect time in her life? Her very own protector, and now they’d tiptoed into something more.

“If you even knew how badly I wanted to go in there and make sure he knew you were mine…” His eyes locked onto hers, the dark, possessive edge to them making her breath lodge in her throat. “But I refrained. One more second to that hug and I would have lost my shit, but I—”

Cassie stretched over the console and crushed her lips to his. She pulled back enough to study his rugged features and ran her hand down the side of his face. “I so shouldn’t be rewarding this behavior.”

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