Evidence of Passion (Shadow Agents 7)

She held his gaze. “I don’t...” Her words trailed away and she hesitated before saying, “You know I don’t like the plan. And I think Mercer and Noelle are wrong. Jack doesn’t have an attachment to me. He just wants me dead.”

“If that were the case...” The words were brutal, but they had to be said. “Then why aren’t you in the ground?” Don’t think of her that way. Don’t.

She flinched. “Start the car, Dylan.”

He didn’t. “Noelle knows her killers. That’s the point of her being a profiler, right?” Dylan pressed. “She says that he has a connection to you. I believe her. We need to use that connection.”

“What they want to use is you, not me. They want to dangle you in front of Jack like—like you’re a red flag hanging in front of a bull.”

“So what? I’ve been used on missions before. I’m an agent. That’s just part of my job.” Risk. Danger. The adrenaline rush. It was his nine-to-five routine. More like my 24/7 routine.

“They want him to think that we’re lovers.” Now her voice was hushed and her eyes were troubled. “They want you to pretend to be involved with me.”

He had to handle this carefully. “It’s not exactly a hardship to do that.”

Her lips parted.

“I’ve done jobs much worse.”

And he’d just said the wrong thing. So much for being careful. Dylan knew he’d bungled when her eyes narrowed to chips of blue fire.

“Oh, so glad that I don’t fall into the category of worse for you,” Rachel snapped. “I mean, I’d hate for the idea of being my lover to be so terrible for you to consider. I don’t want to give you nightmares or anything.”

“It’s not terrible.” His voice was low. “It’s tempting.”

She tensed.

Time for them both to cut through the lies. “You have to know,” Dylan told her, aware that a new intensity had entered his voice. “You have to know how I feel.”

She glanced away.

No, he wasn’t having that. He caught her chin and made her look at him. “Come on, Rachel, it’s me. Three years. I’ve been with you, at your side for three long years.”

She didn’t speak.

“I want you.” The words were a growling rumble. He’d meant them to come out easier, without that hard edge, but when it came to Rachel and his need for her, there was very little control there for him. “I’ve held back because I didn’t know what you wanted.”

She still wasn’t speaking.

Hell, he should have just kept his mouth shut. He’d thought Rachel might want him, too. Especially after the way she’d kissed him the other night.

I thought wrong.

He freed her chin and turned away from her. His fingers curled around the key and he twisted it in the ignition. The car immediately snarled to life.

Rachel’s hand flew out. Her fingers clamped around his. “I want you to be safe. I don’t...I don’t ever want extra danger to come your way because of me.”

Her touch electrified him. If he ever actually got her naked and beneath him the way that Dylan wanted...

I won’t let her go.

He swallowed and tried to keep some of the need from his voice as he told her, “Baby, I’m EOD. Danger is just a way of life for me.” His gaze cut to her.

Her eyes were on him.

“What do you want?” Dylan pushed. He waited, needing her to say...

“I want you.” Her words were so quiet that he had to strain in order to hear them.