teeth nibbled on her bottom lip as she considered. Full, plump—he could just imagine how the natural blush of rose would deepen after he’d had his fill of them.
“Why was he there? To check up on you, or something else?”
Teigan shrugged, even though he knew she couldn’t see it he didn’t expand.
“Garret…” she started. He flinched. He was really getting sick of hearing his brother’s name on those lips. “I’ve heard…I’ve heard that something has been happening to them, the other V-10. That someone’s been…eliminating them.”
And this conversation had just gone from personal to business.
His mind went alert, focused. He sat up straighter, his eyes drifting around the outdoor seating area. The tables closest to them were empty, with only three or four other couples at the far end of the patio and the waitress nowhere in sight.
He breathed a sigh of relief that his sloppiness hadn’t cost them anything. Guess it only takes discussions of life and death to bring my attention back where it should be.
“How do you know that?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
He grabbed her hand on the table, using the pretext of intimacy to lean closer so as to not be overheard. “Like hell it does. How do you know that?”
Something flickered across her face. “I have contacts, too.”
“Who? Damn it Aria, this is important,” he hissed in low tones. “If someone is leaking secrets, the government needs to know, because the only people who know what’s been going on are government, or the killers themselves.”
She withdrew her hand from his, encircling her waist. “You already knew what was going on. Didn’t you?”
He took a deep breath. “I did. Now I want to know how you know. How you knew of me specifically, and why you searched me out.”
“I did what I thought was right. If you hadn’t been warned yet, then someone should do so.”
“Why do you give a shit about me or the others like me?” Wow, that was good. He really was getting into the role. Or he was just a natural at being a lying jerk. Doesn’t matter . He pushed the guilt aside. Focus on the mission. She’s your best lead. “Obviously whoever told you didn’t, or they would’ve come to tell me themselves.”
Tell me it was some friend in the government, Aria. That they slipped up around you and then made you promise not to tell anyone.
She sighed. “I care because I always thought it was unfair. No child should grow up like that. Like some lab rat rather than a human being.” She leaned forward earnestly, her hand fumbling on the table and finding his own. So delicate, so small against the roughness of his own large hand. “And you are human.”
He looked into her eyes, expecting to see something more than the blankness there. What he saw was his own reflection: The reflection of a liar. She thought he was Garret. The compassion, the interest she’d shown him thus far was for another man.
“Every one of you.” Her other hand drifted up, searching, found his tense jaw. “And because you’re human, I don’t think anyone should be able to control your fate but yourself.”
“You think that.” Beyond lying jerk, lying ass, no lying dickhead, because that’s all he seemed to think with when he was around her—his dick, which had drawn to attention again the moment she’d touched him.
“I do.”
“Some people would think that we’re freaks. An abomination. They might see that as a reason to kill us off.”
She dropped her hand, tilted her head down slightly. “Some might. Or maybe someone thinks they’re better than any of you. Maybe that someone thinks the way to prove it is to eliminate the competition.”
His blood chilled. Though it was worded as such, her comment didn’t sound like speculation. Little red warning lights went off in his head. Not his little one, he may have been thinking with that one too much around her, but that didn’t mean his big one had
“Why was he there? To check up on you, or something else?”
Teigan shrugged, even though he knew she couldn’t see it he didn’t expand.
“Garret…” she started. He flinched. He was really getting sick of hearing his brother’s name on those lips. “I’ve heard…I’ve heard that something has been happening to them, the other V-10. That someone’s been…eliminating them.”
And this conversation had just gone from personal to business.
His mind went alert, focused. He sat up straighter, his eyes drifting around the outdoor seating area. The tables closest to them were empty, with only three or four other couples at the far end of the patio and the waitress nowhere in sight.
He breathed a sigh of relief that his sloppiness hadn’t cost them anything. Guess it only takes discussions of life and death to bring my attention back where it should be.
“How do you know that?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
He grabbed her hand on the table, using the pretext of intimacy to lean closer so as to not be overheard. “Like hell it does. How do you know that?”
Something flickered across her face. “I have contacts, too.”
“Who? Damn it Aria, this is important,” he hissed in low tones. “If someone is leaking secrets, the government needs to know, because the only people who know what’s been going on are government, or the killers themselves.”
She withdrew her hand from his, encircling her waist. “You already knew what was going on. Didn’t you?”
He took a deep breath. “I did. Now I want to know how you know. How you knew of me specifically, and why you searched me out.”
“I did what I thought was right. If you hadn’t been warned yet, then someone should do so.”
“Why do you give a shit about me or the others like me?” Wow, that was good. He really was getting into the role. Or he was just a natural at being a lying jerk. Doesn’t matter . He pushed the guilt aside. Focus on the mission. She’s your best lead. “Obviously whoever told you didn’t, or they would’ve come to tell me themselves.”
Tell me it was some friend in the government, Aria. That they slipped up around you and then made you promise not to tell anyone.
She sighed. “I care because I always thought it was unfair. No child should grow up like that. Like some lab rat rather than a human being.” She leaned forward earnestly, her hand fumbling on the table and finding his own. So delicate, so small against the roughness of his own large hand. “And you are human.”
He looked into her eyes, expecting to see something more than the blankness there. What he saw was his own reflection: The reflection of a liar. She thought he was Garret. The compassion, the interest she’d shown him thus far was for another man.
“Every one of you.” Her other hand drifted up, searching, found his tense jaw. “And because you’re human, I don’t think anyone should be able to control your fate but yourself.”
“You think that.” Beyond lying jerk, lying ass, no lying dickhead, because that’s all he seemed to think with when he was around her—his dick, which had drawn to attention again the moment she’d touched him.
“I do.”
“Some people would think that we’re freaks. An abomination. They might see that as a reason to kill us off.”
She dropped her hand, tilted her head down slightly. “Some might. Or maybe someone thinks they’re better than any of you. Maybe that someone thinks the way to prove it is to eliminate the competition.”
His blood chilled. Though it was worded as such, her comment didn’t sound like speculation. Little red warning lights went off in his head. Not his little one, he may have been thinking with that one too much around her, but that didn’t mean his big one had
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