Blake clears his throat, breaking the private conversation. “Either of you mind explaining what the hell is going on because I don’t particularly like watching my best friend feel up my wife.”
“Wife?” Caleb’s eyes dart from me to Blake.
“Not legally, yet. But soon enough,” I say with pride.
“Well, glad I came around then. That’s something I don’t want to miss.”
“And to explain love, Caleb here is actually, Special Agent Masterson of the FBI.”
Caleb straightens his posture, giving me a quick glance and smile.
“What?” Blake looks as if someone just punched him in the gut.
Caleb moves to his side, clasping Blake on the shoulder. “You remember when I was 21 and told you I was going to visit family for a few months?”
“Yeah.”
“I was in Quantico at the Academy. I wanted to tell you, but I knew I wanted to do undercover work. My recruiter said the fewer people who knew, the better. They stationed me at the Baltimore Field Office so I could still take care of Carson without having to move.”
“Damn it, man. All this time, you’ve been FBI.”
“Yep. Been assigned to your ass for the last four years, too.”
“Assigned to me? For what?”
“When Shannon went missing and you contacted Interpol, they didn’t have a team to handle it. Lily’s team was somewhere in Africa at the time, if I remember correctly. Word got around. Agencies talk sometimes. They found out I knew you and told me to keep an eye on you and the situation.”
“I’m not sure if I should thank you or punch you in the balls for lying to me,” Blake says shaking his head.
Caleb laughs. “Not that you need me now. Your wife is rather respected and not just by Interpol agents.”
He gives me
a pointed look and my cheeks actually heat. Other than with Interpol agents, my skills aren’t usually discussed.
“Alright, enough about how awesome I am. I think Caleb and I need to have a word. In private.”
Blake’s face falls, his jealousy getting the better of him. He should know better. Dresden was a rebound. Though Blake says he forgives me, he’ll never forget. The same way I’ll never forget his affair with Maria, but come hell or high water, we’re going to push past it because losing him again isn’t an option.
“We’ll be right back, babe,” I say, striding to him and planting a hard kiss on his lips.
He grabs my hand as I take a step back, yanking hard to slam my body flush against his. His hands weave into my hair, his mouth slanting over mine, as he possesses me, making a public claim. Not that it’s even necessary. Blake owns me— body and soul, but after everything we’ve been through lately, if this is what he needs to feel secure then its fine with me.
“What was that for?”
He kisses my cheek this time, a crooked smile pulling up the right side of his mouth. “No reason.”
Chuckling to myself, I step back and run my fingers through my hair. I can’t afford to get distracted right now.
“Caleb and Sammi, my office.”
“Lily take one of our agents with you,” Vlad says eyeing Sammi with contempt.
“Come on then, Vlad. Let’s find out what the good Fed knows.”
Caleb lets out a howl of laughter, following us into my office and shutting the door. Sammi sits in an armchair in front of the desk, Caleb taking the seat next to her. Vlad joins me behind my desk but remains standing, tension radiating off him in waves.
“Alright, Agent Masterson. You said you could explain this for her, and I didn’t kill her. So, explain.”