Page 26 of Lone Star Wanted
Chapter Seven
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Kincade stood at the stove, flipping eggs in a skillet as the coffee brewed behind him. The aroma that filled Cassidy’s kitchen was warm and grounding. Welcome sensations, considering the hell they’d gone through the day before.
Because this day might lend itself to another round of that hell, he was already dressed in jeans and a lightweight black jacket, boots. His head still ached, but the pain meds were holding steady.
He hadn’t slept much in the guest room despite the comfortable bed. The adrenaline from Travis’s call was still running hot in his blood. They were finally going to see him.
Assuming nothing went wrong.
He set two plates on the counter just as the soft padding of bare feet hit the hardwood.
Cassidy.
She stepped into the kitchen in jeans and a simple fitted top, her damp hair curling slightly at the ends, still wet from the shower. Drops of water clung to her neck and collarbone, catching the soft morning light. She moved with that effortless confidence that always managed to throw him a little off balance as if she didn’t realize the effect she had on him.
Or maybe she did.
Either way, every muscle in his body responded.
“Smells good,” she said, reaching for a mug and pouring herself coffee. “Though I thought you were more of a tactical rations guy.”
He handed her a plate. “Even those guys like a hot breakfast once in a while.”
She smirked, took the plate, and slid onto the stool at the kitchen island. And his body noticed that, too. Noticed the way those clothes hugged way too many interesting parts of her, how that wet hair framed her face.
Focus.
They had bigger things to deal with.
Kincade took the stool across from her and sipped his coffee. “Ruby’s already got a drone in the air over the meeting site. Actually, she deployed decoys, too. Other drones flying over random spots across the county. Just in case someone’s monitoring Maverick Ops flight patterns.”
Cassidy nodded slowly, chewing her first bite. “Smart.”
“She’s good at what she does.”
“So are you,” Cassidy said, her tone quieter now.
Their eyes locked for a second. Too long.
The heat was still there, just beneath the surface, but it had nowhere to go. Not yet. Not with everything riding on this morning.
Kincade broke the stare first, standing to refill his mug. “Eat up,” he said. “If this goes sideways, we’re going to need more than coffee.”
Cassidy exhaled and went back to her food. But neither of them was thinking about breakfast. They were thinking about ten o’clock.
And what Travis and they might be walking into.
Kincade had just finished the last bite of his eggs when his phone buzzed on the table beside him. Jericho. He hit speaker and set the phone between them.
“Morning, sunshine,” Jericho said. “Hope you two slept better than I did.”
Cassidy smirked faintly into her coffee.
“Update?” Kincade asked, cutting to the point. He’d briefed Jericho the night before about the meeting with Travis.
“Yeah. I’m heading out to the old drive-in now. I’ll scout the area but will stay out of sight in case we get any surprise visitors or the meeting turns to shit.”
