Page 19 of Joshua's Mistake
He said, “I could not let them kill you. I won’t let anyone kill what is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced.”
“What about sex?”
His head cocked to one side. “What about it? Is that an invitation?”
She shook her head but her cheeks heated. “When you have sex with someone you care about, don’t you open your mind?”
“That’s not exactly a probe, is it? Sure, if it was someone I trusted and cared for.”
“Then you’ve been in minds when they didn’t cause you pain, like mine.”
He turned away. “It’s not the same.”
She didn’t know what he meant. How was she different? “Why didn’t you just do a quick probe? You have the skill to have rushed in and taken what you wanted.”
His eyes opened wider and then narrowed on her. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Why not? What do you care about an agent you’d never met before? They told you I was a traitor. You had no loyalty to me. Why not just do the job and get out?”
“I’m not the monster you seem to think I am.”
“I don’t think you’re a monster, Joshua. I just don’t understand you and I’m wary of things I don’t understand.” It was the truth.
“It’s not complicated, Tessa.”
It took all her willpower not to step back. “Good. Explain it to me.”
He touched her hair where it fell around her face. “I’m attracted to you.”
All she could think about was how badly she needed to wash her hair. “That’s it. That’s your whole explanation?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to hurt you. It seemed reasonable, if you would acquiesce, the probe didn’t have to be violent and you might not hate me when it was over.”
Tessa wished her heart wasn’t racing. She wanted to feel nothing for the legendary agent who looked at her as if he might devour her at any moment. “Hate you?”
He moved even closer, her heart tripled its rhythm and both his hands came up to cup her face. His lips touched hers softly, but the shock of the contact spread through her entire body. It couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds yet time seemed to stop in the wake of the kiss. Their breath still mingled when he spoke. “Yes, Tessa. If I had forced my way inside your head, you would hate me now. You would hate me with every fiber of your body. It would be your mission on Earth to make me pay for the intrusion and violence I had inflicted on you. I can say without a shadow of a doubt you would not be thinking about having sex with me.”
It was silly to deny it. She was thinking about how it would feel to be held by a man like Joshua. Strong, gifted, dangerous and yet damaged. Still, she was overwhelmed by him and had to back away. “Maybe we should talk about something else.”
He smiled. “You’re right. What was your mission detail the night your team was attacked?”
He changed tactics as if they were the gears of a sports car. It took her a moment to catch up.
It was a matter of national security. If she trusted Joshua she risked more than just her own life. Though, he had the highest security rating for an agent, even higher than hers before she’d been accused of treason. “My career is over, what’s the point in telling you something that would end yours as well?”
“It’s nice of you to worry about my fate as an agent, but don’t. If the government wants me back after that stunt today they will have to pay. If they don’t want me, that’s fine too. I’ve been thinking for some time it may be time to go into the private sector.”
“You’re going to open your own agency?” The implications were enormous. If he wanted to, he could pull most of the Psi Agents away from the government. That would mean the people he’d been working for would likely be paying him big bucks to do the same job, but without all the governmental restrictions.
“I’ve been tossing the idea around with my brother for a few years. This might be the right time to make a move.”
“Can I assume you would continue to work on behalf of the US and her allies?”
He frowned. “I’m not switching sides, just getting myself a better strategic position.”
She believed him. Nothing in his mind had made her believe he could ever betray his country. She sat on the edge of the bed. “I had just received the intel minutes before the attack. We were to infiltrate Fa’han and take Al Azim out with his elite guard.”
“That’s high profile for your team.”
