Chapter 11 #2
As she finishes, she gives the ends a tight pull and drops her hands to her sides. Cara’s breath becomes uneven, and she doesn’t step away.
“Grant,” she murmurs.
I swallow thickly as I place a hand gently on one of her hips. Cara lets out a soft moan that makes me want to say fuck all the rules and take her right now as mine.
Fuck the tournament.
Fuck catching the Marlin.
Fuck all the preconceived notions that I had about why she and I can’t ever be together.
“Cara,” I rasp.
She grips onto my shoulders and finally gazes up at me.
“What are we doing?”
“Pretending.”
“What if I don’t want to pretend with you?” she asks.
My heart sinks momentarily until I realize what she’s really saying.
The conviction in her eyes is almost all the confirmation I need to know that we are on the same page.
“I don’t want to pretend with you while we’re here, Grant. Please ,” she says.
Fuck.
While we’re here.
This is all temporary to her, as I knew it would be. I can’t take the risk that’s involved if this is temporary. Not only for my old heart but because of everything else that’s at stake.
My head hangs low, and our foreheads touch one another. Our breathing is heavy, but I have to be the one to put a stop to it.
Cara is the sun, and anyone would feel lucky to be swept into her orbit. I’d gladly follow her every day for the rest of my life. If things were different, but they aren’t. All she wants is something temporary.
I let go of her hip and take a step back.
“We can’t.”
Cara’s eyes shoot up to mine, filled with hurt.
“Oh.”
She gives me a small nod and takes a large step back toward my bedroom door.
“Right. Well, I’ll just…” she stammers.
Cara looks toward the doorway and then back to me.
“I’ll be downstairs.”
“Cara. Wait. It’s not because I don’t want you.”
“It’s fine, Sinclair. We’re partners. I got caught up in the moment. That’s all. This is nothing.”
Sting. Sting. Sting. Sting. Sting.
“Good. I’m glad we have that covered.”
“See you in a few. We don’t want to be late.”
“We won’t be.”
Cara looks me up and down once more and then knocks on the bedroom door before leaving the room.
I sit down on my bed and take my head in my hands as it hangs.
“Just great.” I sigh.
This isn’t how I wanted this to go. I’m almost fifty years old; I can’t let there be any miscommunication between the two of us. We’re adults. Miscommunication is something grown adults just shouldn’t let happen. Hell, she’s in her mid-thirties, so I doubt she wants that either.
Tomorrow. After the mission tonight, I’ll explain to her how crazed she’s been making me and how it’s my own feelings that I don’t want to get in the way of what this is. I’m so fucking starved for love that I’m mistaking this time together as that.
Off my bed, I put the finishing touches on. My guns and knife. I know I’ll be checked, but I don’t go anywhere without them. Certainly not when I know I’m entering the lion’s den.
Brad’s warning was severe, but I’ll take it for what he was saying. The Marlin is dangerous. We know this. The fact of the matter is my old friend is scared shitless. These are different times we’re working in. It would be stupid of me not to take extra precautions with his warning.
Grabbing my cell phone, I head down the stairs to see Cara waiting by the front door, tapping away on her own phone.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
She looks up at me, almost panicked. Clearly, she’s talking to someone about something she was wrapped up in.
“Everything’s great. The car is here.”
She grabs both sets of keys and tosses me one that I easily catch.
“Just in case we get separated.”
“We won’t,” I counter.
“You never know.”
Cara picks up her purse from the entryway table and opens the door. I quickly catch up and close it behind us before we descend the stairs to the black car.
“What did Brad say?” she asks as I open the car door.
“Nothing new.”
“Figured.” She slides into the backseat, then moves over to give me room to slide in after her.
“It was strange though,” I offer as I shut the car door.
“Still heading to the Gem Casino?” the driver asks.
“Yes, please,” Cara replies warmly.
“On our way. Should be less than a fifteen-minute drive.”
“Thank you,” she responds.
The driver raises the divider between us to give us privacy.
“What was so strange?” she asks me.
“He’s scared beyond belief of the Marlin.”
She tilts her head.
“Is that really a surprise?”
“No, but he’s scared. Brad the Bull is fucking scared shitless.”
“I see.”
Cara takes one of my hands in hers.
“We’ll help him through this. He doesn’t have to go under for this.”
“But he’s culpable.”
“We’re after the Kingpin and the Marlin, not him.”
“He said the Marlin’s plans will be laid out here. Tonight is the biggest test for me, and then we’re in.”
“Then we’ll be professional,” she teases.
I smirk.
“Right. Professional. Lately, I’m beginning to wonder what the hell I’ve been doing being so professional my whole goddamn life.”
Cara’s hand tightens on mine. I didn’t realize she had kept it there.
“We’ve got this, Grant. We do. Let’s go in there and impress Cordelia. Snoop around. Find out what’s next.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“It’s anything but simple,” she starts before grinning.
“What?”
“But Mr. and Mrs. Weston are on the case.”
She tilts her head to the side, and I can’t help but laugh. Fuck, this woman gets all facets of me. Cara laughs freely, and it feels as though I’m peeling back the layers of the person I crave.
“That we are.”
She did make me feel better.
“What did Ruby say?”
“Nothing new on her front. Said she would be in contact with Rob on your behalf and pass along any messages if need be.”
“I’ll have to check in with him too.”
I pull out my cell phone and send him a quick text message, checking in and letting him know he can trust Ruby. If Cara and I are partners for now, then they need to be too.