Never Gonna Happen - Cynthia Eden Page 0,24
classified BS, but real, usable intel—you call me, got it? Because this is my city, and I don’t care if you are playing spy, you tell me when things threaten my people.”
He wasn’t playing spy. He’d never played. “Got it.”
Sebastian watched Winston hurry to his waiting car. Guards were on the perimeter of the property, and he nodded to them. Then he turned and headed back into the house.
Your big reveal is going to blow up in your face. Probably going to make her super angry with you.
Super angry? Nah. More like enraged.
And maybe…hurt?
Damn, he didn’t want Alyssa to be hurt. But when she learned the truth, when she learned that he and her brother had been lying to her for years, Sebastian knew she’d probably explode with fury and be hurt.
He squared his shoulders. There was no escaping this reveal. Time to face the music. He headed for the den, but Alyssa wasn’t in there. A quick search showed him that she was in the kitchen. She stood in the middle of the gourmet setup, and her short, unpainted nails tapped on the granite top of the island he’d recently had installed.
For a moment, he just stared at her. My favorite view. She had been since the first moment he’d seen her. Sebastian’s hands sank into the back pockets of his jeans as he rocked forward onto the balls of his feet.
He could stare at her for hours and be a happy man.
Then her head turned. Her gaze lifted and met his. That dark stare of hers hit him with the force of a punch and stole his breath.
He’d had the same reaction the first time he’d seen her.
“I want to know what’s happening,” Alyssa told him. “Tell me everything.”
A slow sigh slipped from his lips. “Have you ever heard the expression…you should be careful what you wish for?”
“I’m not wishing for anything. I’m asking for the truth. Tell me.”
“Fine. But when I’m done, promise that you won’t run from me, okay?”
“Run?”
“Um, yes, promise you won’t run.” Though if you did, baby, I’d chase you. I think I’d follow you anywhere.
Chapter Six
He wanted her to promise not to run? Alyssa blinked. Then she laughed. A nervous, shaky laugh. Mostly because she felt extremely nervous and shaky. “It’s not a time for jokes.”
Sebastian didn’t flash his dimples at her. “I wasn’t joking.” He strode toward her, all tall, muscled and lethal. He’d always moved with a silent, almost scary grace. You didn’t hear his steps, didn’t even know he was there, not until he wanted you to know.
Her shoulders stiffened as he approached. She was on one side of the kitchen island. He stopped on the other. Stared at her.
The tension stretched, and it made her even more nervous. “I think we can stop drawing the moment out,” she muttered. “Just tell me already because I am imagining a thousand things in my head right now, and every single thing I think of is very, very bad—”
“I’m a spy.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
“So is your brother.”
She shook her head.
“And his cover has been blown. His enemies know about you, and I have to keep you safe until we can get the situation contained.” Sebastian nodded. Expelled a rough breath. “Okay. I think that’s done.” He started to turn away.
She half-leapt over the island, shoving her body across the granite top, and grabbed his arm. “That’s not funny.”
Sebastian turned back toward her.
She let go of his arm. Eased back onto her side of the island. “I want a real explanation. Not some bullshit.” Anger churned inside of her. “Why the hell can’t you be serious about this? Someone shot at me. Someone broke into my home. Someone—”
“I assure you,” there was still no sign of the dimples and she didn’t think she’d ever seen his green gaze be so flat and hard, “I’m dead serious. When it comes to your safety, I don’t play.”
“You’re telling me some bunch of BS about my brother being a spy.”
A nod.
“About you being a spy—”
Another nod.
She growled. The sound was animalistic and angry. Exactly how she felt. Her hands fisted. “My brother is a gaming designer. He spends every free moment working on his tech. You are a gaming designer. Yes, you’ve made spy games for folks to play, but this isn’t a game. This is real life, this is—”
His hand flew over the island. Caught one of her fists. “I’m not playing anything. I’m telling you…your brother is a spy. So am I.”
“This is ridiculous!