Spooky Business (The Spectral Files #3) - S.E. Harmon Page 0,59

of kissing. “Please tell me you’re not….” The sounds grew filthier, enough to make my ears turn red. “Oh God, you are.”

A low moan was enough to startle me into action. “See you on Saturday,” I said loudly. I hung up without waiting for his response. Little exhibitionist. I tossed my phone on the desk and sat back in my chair. Well, at least one of us was getting laid tonight.

My fingers stole to the pendant on my neck again.

“Hey.” I glanced up to find Danny in the doorway. He was wearing plaid sleep pants and a soft-looking white shirt. His feet were bare and his hair was still a little damp. “You busy?”

“No. Come on in.”

He paused at my guest chair and gave it a suspicious look. “Are we….”

“Alone? Yeah.”

He eschewed the chair, coming around to my desk instead and sitting on the edge. Even though he was the one who sought me out, he didn’t seem in any hurry to say anything. I figured maybe I should.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I should’ve told you.”

He didn’t pretend not to know what I was talking about. “Yeah,” he finally said, “you should have.”

“I just wasn’t sure how you’d take it.”

He nodded. “Rain, I know you loved the FBI. And I’m not surprised Graycie’s trying to poach you back—”

“I never loved the FBI,” I said, surprising us both.

Huh. I went over the words again in my head, and yeah, they were true. I hadn’t liked being under Graycie’s thumb, nor had I enjoyed his leadership method. His supervision had felt suspiciously close to “bug under a microscope,” and I often chafed under the restriction.

I certainly hadn’t loved my lack of social life. It was almost scary how easy it had been to let my whole world become work. I canceled plans on friends so often that they just stopped inviting me. Even that became easier. No friends meant I didn’t have to let anyone down.

It was also easier to not have a relationship. It hadn’t been uncommon to get calls from Graycie on special days of the year, usually entailing little more than a terse, “Wheels up in an hour.” I barely had time to get home, grab my go-bag, and head for the airport. I’d gotten one of those calls during Christmas dinner, my first time meeting my then boyfriend’s parents. I’d gotten another during his birthday party.

I winced at the memory. We hadn’t lasted too much longer after that.

Realizing Danny was looking at me shrewdly, I tried to put some of that into words. “I think I associate the FBI with a time in my life that was ghost-free. Well, not exactly ghost-free, but a time when I could pretend that part of my life didn’t exist. It was comfortable. Easy. I knew what was expected of me.”

“You miss it,” he insisted.

“Sometimes. I don’t miss the politics or the red tape. I certainly don’t miss Graycie breathing down my neck and micromanaging me to death.”

“I respect your choices, and I would never try to tell you what to do in your professional life. You know that, right?”

“You always give me shit to do.” I side-eyed him. “Pretty much after every briefing.”

“I’m your supervisor!” He blew out a patient breath, probably more patient than I deserved. “My point is that I’m here for you, and whatever you want to do, we’ll figure it out.”

It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I hadn’t realized how worried I was about it until he said that. “Thank you,” I said quietly.

“You’re welcome. But regardless of what you decide about the FBI job, the boxes around the house need to go.”

Talk about coming out of left field. He might as well have tap danced right across my desk. “The boxes?”

“Yes, I need you to unpack.”

“I know they’re in the way and a little messy.” I frowned. “But I’ve been crazy busy lately—”

“It’s not about the mess,” he said shortly. “It’s just that… you know what? Let’s just forget it.”

He started to slide off my desk, and I shot out of my chair to stop him. I put a hand on his chest, not restraining him, but just to let him know I wanted him to stay. I stepped between his legs to get closer, planting my hands flat on the desk on either side of him.

“Explain.”

He stared at me for a few moments, unspeaking. “It’s stupid.”

“If it’s important to you, it’s not stupid.” I could see the indecision warring in his eyes