“Watch your mouth,” he threw back like I was a child.
“Oh, are you that protective of your relationship with her that I can’t say you’re screwing? Fine, making love? Sleeping together. God, you’re both such assholes. And I’m the stupid, stupid—”
His hand snapped out to catch my neck and push me back against the headrest as he turned to glare at me. I gasped, not in fear, but at the spark that flew between us as his pupils dilated, as his hand squeezed at the body part pulling oxygen into my lungs. All his muscles tensed; his veins protruded under the sleeve of his tattoo. I bit my lip as he leaned in close to my ear and whispered against it, “Stop talking bad about yourself. Jesus, Lilah. I’m trying here. I’m not fucking your sister. I never did and never will because I had you first. I told you a long time ago I wouldn’t forget, and I haven’t, Delilah Hardy.”
“What?” I stuttered over his declaration. “You dated one summer. She called me to tell me you guys made out.”
His thumb rubbed up my jawline, and he took a second to drag his face across my neck as he took in a deep breath. I didn’t know if he was trying to calm himself or if he meant something more, but I was embarrassed at how quickly my body reacted. The goosebumps popped up everywhere, and my pussy pulsed for a man I hadn’t had in years.
“Lilah, your sister and I went on one date. She tried to kiss me, and that was the end of it. I didn’t fuck her because she wasn’t you. You’re not replaceable.”
I recoiled at his profession, how he threw it out like an accusation. My heart pounded while I searched his face, searched for something we still had but shouldn’t. I felt the tension between us, thick with secrets and omissions, but also with want. I wanted to cry over the fact that I still longed to run my hand across his strong jaw, taste his soft lips, and have his tongue own every spot on my body.
I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about it even now. “I highly doubt you’re not hooking up with her because of me.”
“Think what you want. I didn’t sleep with her and I’m never going to. Our relationship is a professional one. One that needs to remain pristine for us to close this operation.”
Their years’ worth of lies was like ice water being thrown on me. I shoved his hand off my neck, and he let me. “Then do it. I’m not stopping you.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared out the window.
He pulled back onto the road and didn’t elaborate for a while longer as he made calls to a few people. Someone named Cade was working on their operation and was going to get Izzy what she needed behind bars.
“She needs money on her card for food,” I murmured to Dante as he was listing the items to Cade.
He nodded and added that to the list for Cade to work on.
Once he hung up, he disclosed, “She’s fine. She’s talked to Cade since you got out. Everything is on track. We get you home and get this finished up and she’ll be fine.”
“Get what finished up, exactly?”
“That’s classified information, Delilah.”
I rolled my eyes. I already knew half of the classified information. Izzy was undercover. “I’m not going home.” I cleared my throat and spoke louder. “I want to stay here. I have a job here, and I’m more than capable of handling myself, Dante.”
“Lilah, I know you can handle yourself …” He hesitated for a moment and then finished it off, “in a much safer, calm environment.”
“Oh, what the fuck ever.”
His eyes narrowed, and his grip worked that wheel like he was trying to strangle the life out of it. Good. I’d show him I’d grown way up, even if, at that moment, my maturity level was probably that of a teenager’s.
“Can you put aside your emotion for a second? I know you’re hurt, and that’s fair, but we have a government operation in play and a woman who is undercover in jail that looks just like you.”
“I’ve been here this whole time. No one cares what I’m doing, Dante.” I mean, I had to be right about that. Why was I all of a sudden a risk to their operation?
“Jesus, what happened to you just listening for the sake of your family?” he grumbled.
I could have told him my good girl rep wasn’t following me here to Puerto Rico with my whole family. I’d come here specifically for the opposite. “What happened is I have a life here outside of them. And what about you two? What happened to being honest with family? God, Dante, she made me think she was still using in there, and I even went as far as … My words to her were cruel. And she just let me say them all.” Remembering it stung, and my heart ached over it. I waited a beat before I said, “It’s official. I’m going to kill her.”