Dangerous Secrets by Moira Callahan

last, but damn
it, I really want to give a shot. So, just for the record, I don’t plan on
going anywhere when the job is over unless you tell me to go. Even then, I will
put up a struggle, kick and scream a little and fight you over it, hard.”
    “Promise?” she asked, hope blossoming inside her
chest.
    “Absolutely,” he said with a firm nod. He lifted a
hand and ran a finger lightly down her cheek, a shiver creeping over her body
from the gentleness of the touch. “I’m not going anywhere, Mallory.”
    Feeling an exorbitant amount of relief, she wrapped
her arms around his shoulders tight and hugged him. Burying her face in his
neck, she let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes.
    “I’ve just found you, too, Mallory,” he whispered
softly, his arms closing around her.

 
    Chapter Twelve
     
    For the last hour, they’d been sitting, wrapped
around one another. Trent was fighting to behave, when all he really wanted to
do was get naked with her. He was attempting to behave himself, hard as it and
his damn cock were, since she seemed to want just to be held. Trent honestly
didn’t care. He’d sit there with her for the rest of time if he could.
    But Mallory lifted her head up and looked at him.
“I think I should make dinner.” She peeked at him before her gaze darted away.
    He didn’t know what to make of her. But he also
knew he couldn’t push too hard. She was coming to terms, he figured. With him
and with what she felt for him. Trent, on the other hand, knew just how he felt
for her. He wanted her, bad.
    He wanted her under him naked for hours upon hours.
He wanted to lock them into a room, and the rest of the world out. Not exactly
practical, but he truly didn’t care one iota.
    “I’d offer to help, but you tend to get twitchy
when I do,” he said with a grin.
    She made a face and pushed her hair back off her
face. “I know I’m a control freak about my kitchen. I can’t help it. Even those
I work with know my quirks and know better than to mess with my space when I’m
doing my job.”
    “Hey, don’t worry about it. I could totally get
used to be waited on by you.” His grin got bigger at the look that got him.
    She smacked his chest and slid off his lap. Not
exactly what he wanted, but he let her go. “Seriously, though,” he said. “Do
you want a hand with anything? I may not be up to your standards, maybe I could manage to be mildly helpful?”
    For a moment, he was absolutely sure she’d refuse.
But she gave a nod after a moment more. “Yeah, you can help,” she said. “I’ll
even try not to be my normal controlling bitch of a self, too.”
    Grabbing her hand to stop her as she turned to walk
away, Trent stood up and tugged her back to him. “Who said that to you?” he
asked. He didn’t know how he knew it, but the words had obviously hurt her.
    “Doesn’t matter,” she muttered.
    “Hey, yes it does. Especially since it hurt you,”
he said. Dipping his chin, he brushed a kiss to her cheek. “Tell me, Mallory.”
    “Why? You planning on
going over there and beating him up?”
    “Not a bad plan, actually,” he said with total
sincerity.
    Her chin jerked up to look at him, obviously trying
to gauge if he was messing with her or not. “Trent, no,” she said, stepping in
closer. Mallory pressed her hand to his chest and shook her head. “It was a
long time ago and doesn’t even matter anymore.”
    “It obviously does if you’re still saying it,
sweetheart.”
    A stubborn look settled on her face and she shook
her head again. “No.”
    He’d get it out of her eventually. What he’d do
about it he honestly didn’t know. But he wanted to know who would hurt her. She
was the sweetest woman he’d ever met. To say something like that to her was unforgivable.
Grunting, Trent let out a slow breath. “Fine, I’ll drop it,” he said. “For
now,” he added when she went to step back.
    Looking up at him, she squeezed his hand and didn’t
push for more. Mallory