Page 10 of Softer Than Stone
“Because no one else would want to put up with the danger?” I asked, only half-joking.
“Partly,” he said, his smile returning faintly. “But mostly because they understand. They know what it’s like to drop everything for a call. To live with uncertainty. To carry the weight of a world that never really stops spinning.”
His explanation made sense, but it didn’t make me feel any better. My gut twisted, and I stared out the window, watching the blur of cars as they drove past us.
Was he telling me we couldn’t explore this thing between us? That I wasn’t cut out for his life?
“Waru,” he said gently, pulling my gaze back to him. “That’s not me saying this can’t happen. I just wanted to be upfront with you about why people like me end up where we do.”
I blinked at him, my pulse quickening. “Then what are you saying?”
He held my gaze a beat longer before answering, “I’m saying that while my job can be consuming, I don’t want it to be my whole life. When I clock off, I want to spend time with someone who reminds me there’s a world outside all of this. Someone who makes me laugh. Who doesn’t care about badges or agencies. Someone who’s got a life of their own and is okay letting me be part of it.”
The weight in my chest eased, but my heart was still racing, the touch of our kiss replaying in my mind. Was he saying…?
Something in his words chipped away at the barriers I’d spent years building. I’d learned to wear my edges sharp, my front unyielding, like stone worn smooth by storms. But Chris didn’t look at me like I was all hardness. He saw the part of me I tried to forget—the softer core I couldn’t quite carve out, no matter how many layers I wrapped it in.
“Chris,” I said quietly, my voice almost unrecognisable to my own ears. “Are you sure you’re ready to deal with someone like me? I’m not exactly known for making life easy.” Jesus, just ask any of my staff or my family. The latter loved me unconditionally, but I knew it wasn’t always easy for them.
“I—” His hand went to his ear, signalling someone was speaking. “Copy that,” he said into the receiver. “ETA twenty minutes.”
The moment was gone, replaced by the distant hum of urgency that seemed to linger around him.
Chris turned back to me, his expression calm but determined. “We should get a move on.”
I nodded and focussed fully on the road ahead, accelerating a little, driving towards a destination that was still unclear in more ways than one.
As the road stretched on, I couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d said. About what he hadn’t said.
Was I being reckless even thinking about pursuing something with a man like Chris?
Maybe.
But damn, I wanted to.
5
CHRIS
Perhaps kissinga civilian while running for our lives wasn’t the best-thought-out decision I’d ever made, but it was so worth it. I’d managed to pull a full smile from him. That was leagues above a barely there twitch of the lips.
What I needed to do was focus, especially as we pulled up at the safe house. Callen would be pissed I’d let Waru drive rather than hooding him. It would mean shutting the place down after this. Apparently, I was full of questionable decisions today.
We parked around the back after another loop, my focus not straying from the wing mirror—not that I technically needed to, as Smythe had already given me the all clear.
Waru turned off the engine and peered at me. Nerves danced in his gaze, and he swallowed hard, the audible click sounding loud in the cab of the car.
I shouldn’t… I really, really shouldn’t have, but I reached out and took his hand in mine. The first time we’d been dodging bullets, so I hadn’t had time to commit to memory his elegant fingers or how much I liked the fit of his palm in mine.
“When we head in,” I started quietly, “the first thing that’ll happen is you’ll be checked out. Make sure you didn’t pick up any scrapes.”
His brow jumped high. “Any scrapes I might have got would be healed by now.”
“True.” Our shifter healing meant fast healing. “But humour me, yeah? It’s just protocol.” What I didn’t explain was that there were several advanced weapons out there that could cause some serious damage to shifters and vampires. A simple nick from a treated flying bullet had the potential to cause serious infection. That wasn’t information the SICB or the government wanted to be common knowledge.
“Okay. And then what?”
I kept my tone light, concern growing in my gut as he started to flag before me. “We’ll get you set up with something to eat and drink before the adrenaline crash really kicks in. Then you’ll be asked a few questions. After that, you’ll be all done.”
