through her main space to a wash closet with a small shower. âUnless youâre a jade and it is your profession.â
They kept it quick, and he waited until they were back in her office and sorting their clothes out before he spoke again. He hoped this was a gamble that would pay off. âI understand the case is important to you and you have to go now, but I want to come with you to watch your back.â
âIâm working.â She stuffed herself into her pants and boots, sealing both. âThat means Iâm dealing with sensitive information for my client and going places you probably donât want to be.â
He snorted, pulling his shirt on. âI worked covert ops for a national intelligence agency. Do you think I canât keep a secret? Do you think I canât handle myself anytime, anywhere?â
Her jaw clenched. âThat isnât the point.â
âI can follow you. Do you really want me tailing you while you try to do your work?â Everything in him said if he let her shut him out now, he might never get her to talk about why she had such a deep aversion to mating. He needed to press his advantage now. âWouldnât it be easier to just let me come this one time?â
She growled, the fox in her ready to snap at him. âThis one time, you swear it?â
âYou trust me to keep my promise?â
âYes,â she barked.
âYou donât know me.â He bent down until they were eye to eye, until he was close enough to see the gold flecks in her irises. âCould it be that pesky mating instinct telling you that you can trust me?â
âGo fuck yourself.â
Putting on his boots, he shot back at her. âFucking you is so much better, but your suggestion is noted.â
She threw a few things into her ever-present bag, spun on a heel, and walked away. He sealed his pants and followed her out. The silence was chilly, and she refused to even glance at him as she jogged down the street to catch a public transport.
âWas it your parents who were mates?â
She stumbled, catching herself against the side of a building to keep from falling. She shrugged away from his touch when he tried to help her and pushed herself to a standing position. Not looking at him, she kept walking. âLeave it alone, Vaughn.â
âYou know I canât do that. Iâm yourââ
â Stop saying it. Deus!â She hurried to clamor onto a transport headed toward the Vermilion. No one else was on board, but he sat close enough that their thighs brushed anyway.
âSo it was your parents.â He drew in a breath, pushing her and hoping it didnât push her away. âWas it your mother who lied to your father or your father who lied to your mother?â
âMy parents were never married.â She stared out the window at the passing scenery.
He narrowed his gaze, noting the way she held herself, the inflection of her tone. It didnât ring true. She was lying about something. âThey werenât married. Were they mates?â
She sighed, closing her eyes briefly. âYes.â
âAnd who was the liar?â He kept his voice low and undemanding, knowing he could only press her for information so much before it backfired on him.
âMy father.â
He bumped her leg with his. âWhat did he lie about?â
âEverything. And nothing.â Her shoulder twitched in a shrug, and she eased away from him subtly. âIt doesnât matter now. Heâs dead. They both are.â
âWhy didnât they marry?â Some people didnât, but sheâd been the one to point out a lack of matrimony, and he suspected it meant something deeper.
Her mouth worked for a moment before she spoke. âBecause he was already married when he met my mother.â
That surprised him. âHe didnât divorce to be with his mate?â
âNo, his wife was a wealthy, influential woman.
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