Weston by Debra Kayn

“Hungry?”
    “Yeah, starving,” she whispered, studying him.
    He held up a sack she hadn’t even noticed him holding. “I stopped at the burger joint a couple miles down the road.”
    “You snuck French fries out of the sack,” she said, rubbing her mouth.
    He burst out laughing. “Right before I ran up the driveway.”
    She knew it. Her hunger came from the salt on his lips, not his kiss turning her into a starving lunatic. “I need to get away from you; you’re distracting me.”
    He stuck a fry in her mouth and led her into the kitchen, carrying the rest of the food with him. She sat at the kitchen table and practically ripped the burger out of his hand.
    “I should’ve realized you haven’t eaten.” He strolled to the fridge and pulled out the milk. “You’ll feel better after you eat. You’re probably feeling whacked out from going so long without food.”
    She chewed, suddenly ravished. When she finished swallowing, she answered, “Too busy to eat.”
    He returned to the table with two full glasses. He studied her, his mouth hard. She wiped her chin with the paper napkin and glanced away. She knew she was a sight, wolfing down the food. It was past the time to take little bites and worry about manners. She ate simply because she was starving.
    “My fault,” he muttered. “That won’t happen again. You’ll eat when you’re hungry from now on.”
    Unsure of how to accept his semi-apology, she shrugged his concern away and remained silent. None of today’s events had anything to do with him. She was the one who’d dragged him into her business. If anything, she owed him.
    She wadded up the paper from her burger, her hunger appeased for the moment. “You know what bothers me the most? Gino working for Darrell.”
    “Don’t jump to conclusions.” He wiped his mouth with his hand. “I’d bet my Camaro on Darrell lying about most of the things he told you. It’s how he works. He’s planting doubt in your mind and buying himself time to line up all the cards. He’s a player. A very skillful manipulator who’s had a lifetime of practice.”
    Hope filled her and she leaned forward. “Then I should contact Gino? You think he’s innocent? He’ll want to know what happened. We can get a team back in there and—”
    “No.” He dug out a few fries from the bottom of the bag and popped them into his mouth. She waited while he chewed, and then he continued, “I’m not saying Gino’s clean. There was something odd about how he answered my questions about you on the phone. I understand you were undercover, but I’ve had a chance to work with Gino for the last several years and something didn’t feel right. I want to talk to him alone without him knowing you’ve escaped or Darrell discovering your true identity.”
    “When do you plan on talking to him?” she said.
    He brushed off his hands. “In the morning.”
    “Why can’t you set something up with him tonight?”
    The longer she stayed with Tony, the more complicated the case became. She needed to clear her head, toughen up, and take back control. To do that, she needed to figure out why Darrell sent her to Tony and Kage when he knew she was working undercover all along. But going against Darrell on her own was getting her nowhere. To move forward, she’d need to keep a professional distance from Tony. He messed with her mojo.
    “Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking?” He leaned back in the chair. “No lies this time.”
    “What lies?” She gazed over his shoulder at the new kitchen window.
    “Where do I start?” He grinned, and she had a feeling he found her amusing. “Nails?”
    “Oh.” She put her hands on her lap under the table. “Yeah, that was necessary.”
    His mouth curved into a full smile. “Real estate?”
    “What’s wrong with that?” She rolled her eyes. “I could sell houses if I wanted to.”
    “Right.” He leaned forward, captured a lock of her hair, and tugged her forward.