Page 56 of The Agent
Marley sucked in a breath. “Oh, God, that’s awful.”
“Yeah, it was,” he agreed. “It turned out James knew about the robberies all along, she’d even participated in some, and Hernandez looked like a total fool.”
Despite herself, she felt a pang of sympathy. “And then Patrick and I came along, and the Bonnie and Clyde thing was happening all over again.”
“He didn’t want to make another mistake, but he took it to the other extreme. Too lenient on the first suspect, too harsh on the second.”
“I still don’t like him,” she said. “I get now why he was so hard on me, but I’m not sure that’s a good enough reason to totally railroad someone.”
“I agree.”
They fell silent, and she lay there watching the rise of his chest, the way he stared directly at the ceiling as if he couldn’t bear to look at her.
“Was it honestly real?” she whispered.
That got his attention. Very slowly, he turned to face her, looking into her eyes. “It was real,” he murmured. “I lied about my job, but I didn’t lie about who I am.”
“And who are you, Caleb?”
“I’m…I’m just a man. I make mistakes. I obsess over the job sometimes. I’ve never been in a serious relationship, probably because I’m used to being alone. I’ve always been alone.”
Each word sent an ache to her heart, until it squeezed so tight in her chest she could barely draw a breath. His voice was heavy with emotion, his face showing vulnerability she knew he hated to reveal.
“But not with you,” he said, so quietly she had to lean forward to hear him. “I don’t feel alone when I’m with you.”
She couldn’t help herself—she moved closer to him. Their faces were mere inches apart. Alarm bells rang in her head, warning her to stop this insanity before she fell into the same damn trap as before.
“It was real,” he said again, his breath warm against her face. “More real than anything else in my life, sweetheart. All these years I’ve gone through the motions, done my job and made conversation with my coworkers. I pretended to be normal, all the while knowing I wasn’t quite whole.”
She shivered as he lifted his hand to touch her cheek, tenderly caressing her skin. “I wasn’t pretending with you,” he finished. “I lied, but I didn’t pretend.”
God, what was she supposed to do, to say? This was the most open he’d ever been with her. His gruffness and cool composure was stripped away, leaving him bare and raw andhonest.
Was she an idiot for wanting so badly to believe in that honesty?
Sensing where her thoughts had gone, Caleb’s voice became desperate. “I’m not lying to you, Marley. It might be better if I was, because then I wouldn’t have to feel…whatever it is I feel for you. It scares me.Youscare me.”
Her breath hitched as he slid closer, so that their bodies were touching. She felt his heartbeat vibrating against her breasts, which grew heavy with need. His eyes dropped to her mouth, and her surroundings faded as Caleb kissed her.
She couldn’t pull back, couldn’t push him away. Goosebumps rose on her bare arms, which twined around him. Her fingers touched the soft hair at the nape of his neck.
“We shouldn’t… I shouldn’t…” Her words got lost in the kiss, swept away as he teased her lips with his tongue then slipped it into her mouth, where she met each greedy thrust, swirling and exploring until they were both breathless.
“Can’t you feel it?” he rasped against her trembling lips. “It feels right, Marley.”
She wanted to disagree, but the objection refused to leave her mouth. She didn’t want him to be right. She didn’t wantthisto be right. But she couldn’t stop kissing him, couldn’t stop the need that rose inside her like a tidal wave.
She reached between them and slid her hand under the elastic waistband of his boxers. She grasped his erection, stroking it as he let out a husky groan. She couldn’t fight thecrazy urge to touch him. He nuzzled her neck, his mouth latching onto the soft flesh there.
A slow-burning fire spread through her body, pulsing between her legs and making her breasts tingle. When Caleb groaned against her throat and moved his hips to meet her hurried strokes, the fire burned even hotter.
“I need you inside me,” she whispered.
Both his hands suddenly cupped her chin. He searched her face, looking hopeful and anxious and unbelievably aroused. “Are you sure?”
She nodded, shifting onto her back and parting her thighs. God, this was insane. She should hate this man, not want him. Kick him out, not pull him close. But the fire inside her refused to cool. Every nerve ending she possessed crackled with urgent need.
Caleb leaned over her and yanked open the drawer on the nightstand, rummaging around for the condoms they’d stashed there. He had his boxers off and a condom on before she could blink, and then he peeled her tiny boxer shorts and tank top off her body. He tossed them aside, along with her panties, and covered her body with his. With a slow and delicious thrust, he was inside her, eliciting simultaneous groans from each of their throats.
