Mine - HelenKay Dimon Page 0,83

protocols.”

“Not here.” For some reason the idea of breaching that line had anxiety swelling inside her. Gabe deserved his sanctuary. She didn’t want to take that away. They could use that cabin or somewhere else. “Don’t change your life for me.”

“Maybe I think you’re worth the effort.”

No one had ever found her to be worth the effort. “I’m not looking to make your life difficult.”

“You’re staying here. With me.” Gabe placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Andy can get in touch with Eli.”

She knew the history. Talking to Eli involved Andy, which meant her deception moved out in circles, swallowing up the very people she wanted to protect. “Is that a good idea?”

“This is about what you need.” When she started to protest, Gabe put a finger over her lips. “You come first.”

Every word he said tied them tighter together. She’d spent her life pushing and clawing. With Gabe, she cuddled in close. The realization scared her and excited her. Had her brain ticking with denials and plans for a future she never thought she’d have.

She turned it all off and let herself feel.

“Speaking of that . . .” She lifted her hips and rubbed against him.

A spark of heat flashed across his face. “Naughty girl.”

She slipped her arms around his back and tugged him in even closer. “I was thinking we’d try it without the ties this time.”

If possible, his smile grew even wider. “You’re in charge.”

She felt that vow to her bones.

TWENTY-TWO

Andy saw the outline of two heads through the conference room’s shaded glass. Two men at the table, not one. The realization deflated him. It shouldn’t. He knew the score. Wade had been clear. Hell, people lined up to talk about Eli being with Wade now.

Fucking message received.

He shoved open the door, letting it bang against the far wall as he walked in. “We meet again.” His gaze lingered on Eli’s dark hair then zipped to Wade. “I called Eli in.”

Wade lifted his hands off the chair’s armrests. “Which means you get both of us.”

The headaches that rolled over Andy so often after he got back from deployment and after Eli had died down. One ticked up now, threatening to swamp him with a debilitating migraine. “I’m not trying to—”

“Okay.” Eli thumped a palm against the wood table. “Let’s stick to work.”

“Sure.” That was the right answer. Andy understood the need to keep the conversation on track. He kept veering off because he didn’t want it to be true that Eli finally committed to someone and it wasn’t him. He blocked the rush of disappointment and listened to Eli’s suggestion. Work only. “Natalie would like to see you.”

Eli frowned. “Good God, why?”

“Not the reaction I was expecting.” Since she asked for Eli, Andy assumed this would be a welcome bit of news.

“Look, I respect her.” Eli leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “What she did to make it possible for me to leave the CIA in one piece is not something I’ll forget.”

Andy knew buildup when he heard it. “But . . .”

“I owe her. That doesn’t mean she likes me. The idea of her calling me for anything is more than a little stunning.”

“How could anyone not like you?” Andy joked.

A slight shift had Wade’s chair squeaking and all eyes going to him. “And that is why I’m here.”

Andy hadn’t intended to flirt or touch on an issue that would set Wade off. They sat in the middle of the Tosh offices, and Gabe would be pissed if he came in to find blood on the walls. “Just kidding around.”

Eli cleared his throat. “Are we still talking about work? If not, let’s get there.”

Time to man up, and that meant backing off. Andy’s instincts told him to keep fighting but his eyes told him the truth. Wade and Eli wore how comfortable they were with each other in how close they sat together, the stolen looks. The calming change in the way Eli handled everything, problems big and small. There was an intimacy there. More than sex. Something Andy wanted to grab on to but would never try to steal. He had to earn it, cultivate it.

“We’re good.” They were. He wasn’t, but at least now he could turn the corner. Stop picking up guys and limiting every interaction to sex in hope of Eli coming back.

“About Natalie,” Eli said, his dark eyes intent and his expression serious. “Is she okay?”

“She’s with Gabe.” Andy thought that told them everything they needed