Page 9 of Softer Than Stone
I blinked. “What?”
He gestured to the car. “Your car’s less conspicuous than anything Eclipse has got. And honestly, I’m not sure I trust anyone else to keep us in one piece right now.”
My throat tightened at the compliment, but I rolled my eyes for show. “Fine. But if we get pulled over for speeding, you’re the one explaining it to the cop.”
Chris chuckled, low and deep, as his hand settled on my thigh. It was a possessive touch, reassuring and grounding all at once.
I didn’t question it.
Didn’t move it.
Hell, I didn’t even think Icould.
But focusing on the road while his fingers rested there? That was a challenge I wasn’t prepared for, but I’d give it a good go.
We drove with Chris spending most of the time talking through his comms. Picking up half a conversation was all levels of frustrating, but likewise, the less information I had, the sooner I could return to normality when all this was over.
“Is this the norm for you? Your life? Dodging bullets?” I asked when he’d signed off with “Over and out” a few minutes ago. We were almost forty minutes out of the city, traffic not too bad considering it was a Sunday.
I shot a look his way when I felt him do the same. A gentle squeeze of my leg preceded his “It’s not an everyday occurrence.” There was a brief hesitation before he said, “Sometimes there’s a case that makes things… tricky.”
I somehow held back my snort at his word choice. Tricky? Tricky was timing the rising of a soufflé to perfection, not going through your day wondering if you were going to get shot. At least that was the case in my world.
“And while there’s always a case that needs working on and there’s often an arrest on the horizon, I can hand on heart say that last time I was shot at was seven months ago.”
My brows jumped high, and I whipped my head in his direction. His “you see how awesome I am because it’s been a whole seven months” smile dropped, no doubt at seeing myexpression. I bounced between incredulous that he thought that was an impressive length of time and horror that he was basically saying at least, what… twice a year someone tried to kill him?
“Uhm….” He trailed off, no longer looking so certain.
“Thatis absolutely not normal.” I shook my head, an uncomfortable churning in my gut starting at him being at risk. “You know that, right?”
After a beat, he squeezed my thigh once more, but this time I lost his touch as he slowly removed his hand. My gut bottomed out, already feeling the drift before we’d had a chance to get started.
His expression shifted, not quite softening, but transforming into almost a careful understanding. “I get why you’d think that, and you’re right, it shouldn’t be normal for anyone. In an ideal world, we’d all be going about our daily lives smelling the roses, chasing rainbows, and fucking under the stars.”
My heart flipped at his words. All of that sounded like heaven. Where could I sign up for that with him?
But he wasn’t finished. He continued calmly, the only inflection evident one of quiet understanding, “But that’s not the world we live in. We’re imperfect. Humans, supes, people in power, folks who should know better—every single one of us is flawed.” He searched my gaze, staring at me with his golden eyes that looked so much darker in the dimming light. “It’s my job to do what I can to make things better. To hold people accountable when they step out of line. To stop the bad guys from ruining the good parts of life for the rest of us.”
His words carried weight, but his voice remained steady, almost serene. He wasn’t just explaining himself—he was grounding me, calming the churning storm of worry inside me.
“That’s… noble,” I said, trying to sound less rattled than I felt.
Chris gave me a wry smile. “Noble’s one way to put it. Frustrating, exhausting, and sometimes downright maddening are others.”
I huffed out a laugh despite myself, the corners of my mouth twitching upwards.
“Still,” he added, his tone softening as his gaze zeroed in on my lips before he made eye contact, “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s who I am. But I get that it’s not easy to hear.”
His words left me warm, conflicted. Was he trying to warn me? Or prepare me?
“And what about relationships?” The question slipped out before I could stop it, my voice quieter than I’d intended.
The corner of his mouth quirked up. “That’s a big question.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a curious kind of guy.”
That earned me a chuckle, but the smile faded into something more thoughtful. “It’s complicated,” he admitted, his focus shifting back to the road. “Most of my friends in the bureau—and even in Eclipse—they tend to date other agents or people in similar lines of work. It makes sense when you think about it.”
