pretty girl.”
Epilogue
Monday, January 26
Feeling like he might crawl out of his skin, Zyron paced the reception area of EM Security Management. Thank fuck he was finally home. The last two weeks he’d spent in Speck-on-a-Map, Texas, had been fourteen days too many. The good news: Their mission there was over. Cutter’s wedding to Shealyn West had gone off mostly without a hitch and the creepy-as-fuck cult down the road had been shut down in a hail of yeehaw and gunfire. The bad news: His wholly dependable fellow operator, Josiah Grant, had fallen for Shealyn’s sister, Maggie, gotten the girl, and decided to stay behind. Now the organization had a new guy to break in, the fucking small-town deputy from Maggie’s hometown. Zy snorted. In a team full of SEALs, Green Berets, and other elite warriors, he didn’t see this Rosco P. Coltrane working out. Yeah, Kane Preston had some military experience and he’d seemed all right, but c’mon… At least the hazing would be fun. But the worst news: He was going through withdrawals because he hadn’t seen his sweet confection of female, Tessa Lawrence, since leaving on assignment.
Now it was Monday morning, and she was late.
Was something wrong?
Logan Edgington approached him, black coffee in hand. “You have a desk.”
He did—way in the back and around the corner where he couldn’t see Tess walk through the front door. Logan knew it. But Zy didn’t dare admit that aloud. EM Security Management had a strict nonfraternization clause. No dating or physical relationships with co-workers. Violating the policy was grounds for job termination. The whole thing would have been funny as fuck since the company was mostly straight-as-an-arrow males…except that it had screwed him from doing more than stare at Tessa and stroking his dick raw to filthy, dirty thoughts of her.
And Logan knew that, too.
“Waiting to say hey to the new guy,” Zy lied.
Logan shot him a dubious stare over the rim of his mug. “Sure, you are. Lucky for you, Kane is already here, finishing up some paperwork with Joaquin. I’ll take you right to him since you’re so eager to shake his hand.”
Bastard. His boss was calling his bluff. “What the fuck do you want?”
“A sit-down. Conference room. Five minutes. Come with less attitude. We’ve got a mission for you.”
He’d just gotten back, goddamn it. Yeah, yeah… This was his life, and he’d signed up for this job. He was often gone for weeks at a time with almost no advance warning. But his gut was twitching about Tess. Before he’d gone, something had upset her. She’d freaked out and clammed up. Stopped talking. Started avoiding him. He wanted answers.
But he’d have to get them later.
Zy didn’t bother to swallow down his sarcasm. “Can’t wait.”
“Don’t worry. You’re going to love this mission,” Logan assured with an evil grin. “Right before you hate it.”
Then the son of a bitch disappeared.
What the fuck did that mean? He didn’t have time to figure it out before the door behind him opened.
Zy turned. And there she was, his gorgeous bundle of blonde, all big green eyes, lush mouth, and tits for days. He’d missed her Southern sass and bless-your-hearts. Jesus, the sight of her after two miserable weeks away had his breath catching and his body pinging.
Yeah, he had it bad for Tess…and every fucking person on this team knew it.
She dumped her keys in her little pink clutch and looked up. She stopped mid-stride when their gazes locked. Her breath caught on a soft gasp. The heavens fucking parted; he felt it.
Why did he have to be fixated on the one woman he couldn’t have?
She sent him a breathless smile. “You’re back!”
Zy wanted to touch her so damn bad—and he didn’t dare. Not only would he get fired but he’d been assured he would never work in this “town” again, as the saying went.
He’d wanted Tess for ten agonizing months. Seeing her almost every day and never having her felt like ten years of torture…and a decade of foreplay.
“Got back last night,” he managed to say past the knot in his throat. “You okay?”
Another smile, this one less genuine. “Fine.”
“Baby okay?”
Adoration softened her eyes. “She’s fine. Walking everywhere now. I can hardly keep up.”
“What about—”
“Let’s go, Garrett,” Hunter Edgington called out as he made his way to the conference room. “Shit’s hitting the fan and time’s wasting.”
Zy gritted his teeth. “Got to go. Lunch later?”
Her smile disappeared. Her gaze fell. “You know we shouldn’t. After what happened last time—”
“Nothing happened.” Absolutely fucking