Reid - Maddie Wade Page 0,20

his seat to face her. “You’re not what I expected, Callie East,” he said using her real name, not the professional one everyone else used.

She considered that for a second as she let her eyes wander over his strong profile. “Neither are you, Kirk Reid.”

The moment seemed charged with electricity, the cab of the vehicle practically vibrating with it. She’d done her best to keep their exchanges to friendly banter with nothing that could be considered flirty or suggestive. Reid had made it clear he wasn’t there for that and Callie wanted to grasp whatever she could from this enigmatic man.

“What did you think I’d be like?” he asked with a tilt of his head.

“I don’t know, but not sweet and kind and thoughtful. You’re a good friend, Reid.” She forced the words past a sudden lump in her throat. She didn’t want him to see how disappointed she was at the thought of only being his friend. She wanted more, and she couldn’t have it.

“I don’t want to be your friend, Callie.”

He reached up and cupped her neck with his palm, causing a shaky breath to escape. Her eyes moved to his lips that seemed to be coming closer. Her eyes closed as she waited for the second his lips would touch hers, when a loud bang on the window made them both jump apart.

“Shake a leg, you two,” Liam said, grinning at them through the window.

Reid sighed and pulled away but not before she saw the relief on his face. He’d been about to kiss her, and he was glad he hadn’t. That stung, but maybe he was right in his thinking. Kissing would only make her want something more, and the thought of his kiss made her think of forever, which was silly.

Reid wasn’t the settling down type, she remembered her brother saying so and everything she’d seen confirmed that theory. His job and lifestyle didn’t leave a lot of time for a relationship, not that she could talk. Her life was crazy busy, and she barely saw Bono these days.

Hopefully, this next project would change all that. She smiled as a bubble of excitement ran through her at the thought of finally getting to do the thing she’d dreamed of for the last two years.

The car door opened, and she smiled up at Liam, who held out his hand for her. “My lady.”

Callie couldn’t help but return the grin. “Good to see you again, Liam.”

“You, too. You look well. Did Reid look after you?”

She walked towards the building’s lift where Mitch waited, but glanced at Reid behind her. “He did, he’s excellent at what he does.”

She truly meant it too. Reid was a class-A operator. She could well see how he had been at the top of his game as part of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team. The fact he now worked for Eidolon doing—well, she wasn’t sure exactly what it was he did—but it probably involved a similar skill set.

“Good to hear.”

“Any problems here?” Reid asked from her left side.

The small elevator went silent for a beat, and she knew unsaid words and meaningful looks were being exchanged.

“Come on, guys, don’t do that. Just spit it out,” she snapped.

“Sorry, sunshine, this isn’t about you. It’s a team matter,” Reid said with somewhat of a smile in his voice. When she looked up though it wasn’t there, his face was impassive.

“Oh,” she said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

The rest of the ride was silent. The doors opened and Mitch moved out ahead of her as Reid guided her beside him with Liam behind. It seemed like overkill to her, but she shrugged it off. She needed a hot bath, food, and then lots of sleep in that order.

Mitch, who already had her keys, opened the door. As she went to follow him inside, Reid held her back. “Let him check it out.”

She sighed, feeling suddenly irritable with everything.

“Reid, get her out of here,” Mitch called.

The warning and cadence had the hair on her neck standing on end. She didn’t have time to process it though because before she knew what was happening, she was being ushered down the hall between Liam and Reid, their big bodies hiding her from anyone watching.

In seconds they were in the car with Reid pushing her head down onto the back seat as Liam drove like a bat out of hell away from her home.

Chapter Seven

“Talk to me, Mitch,” Reid demanded as Liam drove them out of Kensington and north towards Shepherd’s Bush.

“We