Page 39 of Code Name: Tank
“Well, that was subtle as a freight train,” Atticus muttered, not looking up from his screen. “You two want some privacy to figure out whatever’s happening, or should I start timing how long you stare at each other?” He wasn’t wrong. Dragon’s gaze had settled on mine, and neither of us looked away.
Alice gathered her things slowly. “I’m done for today. This little one is exhausting me.” She squeezed Dragon’s shoulder as she passed. “Get some rest.”
“Ready to call it a night?” I asked when Flint had been gone long enough that we wouldn’t risk catching up with him.
“Are we set for tomorrow?” she asked.
I rested my hand on the back of her chair. “We’re prepared, but if you want some time on your own, you don’t have to hide behind having work to do. At least not with me.”
Her smile reached her eyes. “I don’t hide.”
“Right. You just strategically relocate,” I repeated the same words she said when we were in Fort Worth. “You promised to work on that.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she half smiled. “I could call it a night.”
We walkedon the gravel pathway without speaking for several minutes until we approached the fork where our paths would diverge.
“Tank?”
“Yeah?”
She stopped walking and turned to face me. “What happened earlier?—”
“I’m not going to apologize for it,” I said, cutting her off gently. “But I also don’t want you to think I’m going to push for more than you’re ready to give.”
“I need you to understand that this is complicated for me.”
“I do.”
She crossed her arms. “Flint wasn’t just my partner, Tank. We were involved. And when everything went sideways on our op, when I needed him most, he chose saving himself over standing by me.”
The pain in her voice made my chest tight. “I’m not him.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true.” I stepped closer, close enough to see the uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. I’d never disappear on you.”
Her breath caught, and for a moment, I thought she might reach for me. Instead, she took a step back.
“I want to believe that,” she said. “But wanting something and trusting it are different things.”
“What do you say we table this conversation for tonight and get out of our heads for a while?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll meet you at Whisper Point in twenty minutes. Dress warm and wear your rain boots.”
Her smile broadened. “Do I need to bring anything else?”
“Nope. I’ve got it.”
“Tank?” she said as I turned to head to my camp.
“Yes, Piper?”
“Thank you.”
“Any time, darlin’.”
