Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
He squinted at me.
“What?”
He scoffed. “Breckin’s always been a world-class liar.”
I shook my head. “No. Not always. You see him like my family and friends do now, through that lens of him letting me down, but we started out good. You don’t have to talk crap about him for me to understand that I made the right choice to end things. It’s not necessary.”
He grunted.
“He’s not the one for me, and I know that.”
Cord regarded me skeptically.
“I can do my own thinking, sir, thank you.”
“Fine,” he grumbled.
Leaning into his space, wanting to be closer, I was thrilled when he drew me near and wrapped me in his arms. I was loving this Cord so much that I missed the others around me until I became peripherally aware that everyone was staring at us. Breckin had a strange look on his face, and Celia looked stunned. Cord moved me sideways, keeping an arm draped around my shoulders, and extended a hand to Mr. Alcott.
“Cord Nolan, sir. San Francisco Homicide.”
Mr. Alcott took the offered hand and shook it, his eyebrows furrowing. “Good to meet you, Inspector, though I wish the circumstances were different.”
“As do I, sir,” he agreed, then looked at me. “May I introduce Tracy Brandt.”
Mr. Alcott smiled and offered me his hand. “Mr. Brandt, a pleasure.”
“And you as well, sir.”
“Tracy, is it?” Mrs. Alcott asked me, coming forward to shake my hand.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m so glad that in the absence of family out there in California, Breckin has such a good friend in you.”
I smiled as she introduced me to Breckin’s sister, Bethany, and his brother, Brian. They made a beautiful family. I was glad Cord had given me the rundown on everyone while we were on the plane so I knew who I was looking at.
Minutes later I watched Breckin put his arm around Celia and follow his parents out of the terminal. I didn’t move until Cord picked up his duffel and asked, “You okay?”
I nodded.
“You look sad.”
“No,” I assured him, putting my hand on his cheek. “I’m not sad one bit. Inspector.”
“Not for long,” he said gravely, “at least not the kind I am now.”
“Please tell me what you’re talking about ’cause you lost me there.”
He draped his arm over my shoulders as we walked. “I mean, I won’t be an inspector anymore, so you gotta stop calling me that. I’m leaving the force to take a job as an in-house investigator at a law firm.”
I was stunned. “You are not.”
His low, seductive chuckle made my cock twitch. “I am. I’m out at the end of next month.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, until these past few days, we haven’t exactly been close, have we?”
No, we had not. “Okay,” I said, leaning into him.
He tightened his arm, putting his hand in my hair. “I can’t seem to stop touching you.”
“I’m not complaining.” I sighed, savoring how demonstrative he was. “Why leave the force?”
“I’m not happy.”
“How so?”
“I have no balance in my life. I do the same thing day in and day out, and I don’t want to transfer to the DEA like Alex did, and, well, I’m just over the whole thing.”
“Why?” I asked, tipping my head back and giving him a quick kiss under his jaw.
His step faltered, and if I didn’t already know he liked me, I would have from the sudden staggered step. That fast, I had him flustered.
“I want more,” he choked, clutching at my hair.
“Like what?”
“Like, since I’ll be an investigator and not a cop, I would be home at a decent hour.”
“And?”
“And I could take you to dinner and stuff.”
“Oh.”
He coughed softly. “So, you think you’d wanna do that with me? Eat dinner?”
“I would.”
He instantly went from unsure to excited. “We could even take a weekend trip somewhere, since I wouldn’t work those.”
“That sounds great.”
“The money’s way better, double my salary, and I have room to move up, and there’s incentives and amazing insurance.”
“It seems to me you have everything worked out,” I said, leading him around the back of one of the agent counters at an empty gate.
“What are you—”
“Will you miss being an inspector?” I asked, taking hold of the scarf he was wearing around his neck and easing him down to me.
“I—no. I want to do a job but not have it be my whole life like Alex’s is. I want more.”
“What do you want?” I asked, my lips a hairbreadth from his.
“I wanna see you,” he rasped.
“Who was it gonna be? Since you didn’t know I was even available.”
“I was getting things lined up so I could make my play.”
“For me?”
“Yes, idiot. It was always gonna be you.”
The deluge of honesty was staggering.
“Trace…tell me I can see you.”
“Yes,” I murmured, “you can see me.”
He bent, and I lifted up and sealed my lips over his, kissing him hard, taking what I needed because the man was making my heart hurt. I’d had no clue he could be so romantic, so serious, and the idea that I had brought it out in him was overwhelming. I couldn’t seem to kiss, touch, or breathe him in enough. I needed more.