Page 178 of Summer Heat
“He’s a bomb specialist for the FBI—”
“I’ve learned that much on my own. Who is he to you?”
“We dated.”
“You live together.”
“Technically—”
He coughed a harsh laugh in her ear. “You’ve got to be kidding me. This is karma. This is for all the nice girls who I should’ve called and all the bad ones I should’ve left alone.”
Are you serious? Nicola smirked into her handset. “Like Sugar?”
“Yeah. Like Sugar. Hell, woman. You’ve got everyone fooled, including Sugar. You know, she tried to take up for you tonight. Like—”
“I knew it. I knew you’d go see her, you ass. Fuck whatever walks, Cash. Fuck me. Fuck her. Fuck every goddamn woman you see. That’s you. I get it, but you certainly don’t know me if you think I’d sleep with you and then go home to someone else.”
Silence.
She checked the phone. The line was still connected. Nic was content to wait until he had something to say.
Silence.
He had the same plan.
She took a deep breath, then continued. “I dated Jackson. Past tense. I broke it off more than a year ago, amicably. We’re good friends. There was no pop and sizzle. When I took the Smooth assignment, I got rid of my apartment because I’d only be home once every few months.”
“Go on,” he said, not nearly as sharply. Hesitation still hung in his voice.
“I crash at Jackson’s. He has the master bedroom. I have my own be
droom. I’ve stayed there three times, and you have shitty timing because I jumped in the shower after he jumped out. So there’s the truth, and I wouldn’t dare lie to you.”
Silence.
“Goddamn it, Cash—”
“Tell me another truth.” Again, his voice wasn’t as angry. It still grated, and the intensity was still there, but it didn’t rasp in rage.
“Another truth… I’m hurt you ran off to Sugar.”
“I ran off to the closest place I could unload an automatic weapon.”
Somewhat believable. “So you didn’t…?” She closed her eyes, hoping and listening for his response.
“Nope. It wasn’t even a passing thought.”
“What was then?”
He laughed quietly. “What was on my mind? Simple. The urge to kill.”
All right. She could handle that. “I’m glad you didn’t. Jacks is a good guy. Plus, he was useful tonight. Right?”
“My truck’s a goner. I’m pretty sure he did it on purpose.”
Oh, he loved that truck. Insurance would cover that, wouldn’t it? “He didn’t blow your truck up on purpose. Anyway… your turn. Tell me a truth.”
She waited patiently, wondering if it was going to be another complaint about her being in the field working a job.
