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Yeah, he should be happy, but the thought of leaving Edward made his chest hurt. “I feel invested in this now. I don’t want to leave.”
Edward stood up, towering over Daniel. He balled his hands into fists at his side. “Well, I want you safe at home. With your family and friends.”
“I. Don’t. Want. To. Go. Home.” Daniel said, clearly enunciating each word and concluding with a poke to Edward’s chest. “I want to see this thing through now. Plus, who’s going to watch your back? This whole situation has gone wrong since day one, and the CIA seems perfectly happy to let you handle this alone. You need me.”
“It makes no sense for you to stay!” Edward’s voice rose on the last word.
Daniel paced away from him. “Look, I’ve proved myself over and over throughout this. You said so yourself. I’m no fucking damsel in distress here. I even killed a man!”
“And I hate that you had to do that. Hell, you haven’t even had time to fully focus on that and trust me, it’s going to come back to bite you on the ass.”
“I know it will. I already see his face whenever I first close my eyes. And if it turns out I need therapy when I get home, I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever it takes.” Daniel paused and shook his head. When he looked up at Edward, his steely resolve was firmly in place. “But right now, my focus is here on you and me finishing this thing with Dillinger.”
“No, I can’t let you stay.”
“You can’t stop me.”
Edward’s face twisted into an amused smile and he lifted an eyebrow.
“What? You plan to physically put me on a plane?”
“If I have to.”
Anger tightened Daniel’s fists. “What about us?” He couldn’t help but ask.
Several emotions flashed through Edward’s expression, which gave Daniel a mix of hope and sadness. His belly clenched because he could tell the man wasn’t ready to give him up yet either. If so, why was he being so insistent?
“What we’ve had here has been fantastic,” Edward said slowly. “Don’t get me wrong, but we both knew it was a temporary thing.”
“What if I’m not ready for it to be over?” Daniel whispered.
“Fuck, Daniel. I’m not either, okay? But I also have a job to do, and I can’t do it right if I’m worried about you.”
“Hey now, I’ve held my own throughout this.”
Edward walked toward him, but Daniel stepped back, his heart aching too much to be touched right then. The man paused, his hand in the air before he dropped it and sighed again. “You have handled yourself better than anyone else who would have been thrown into this situation, but we now have another unknown in the situation who is determined to take you out.”
“Take us both out, you mean. Pretty sure he was shooting at everyone.”
“Daniel, the only reason for you to stay at this point is me.”
That was enough of a damn reason for Daniel, but he didn’t say that. “And to see this thing through. What would happen if I went home now? Would you even call to tell me how everything pans out?”
“If you’d like.”
Daniel scowled and stomped away from Edward. “No. I’m not leaving yet.” He stopped and looked at Edward, knowing his heart was in his eyes. “I’m not ready.”
Edward shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m really going to have to insist you catch a flight home.”
“You don’t really want me to go either. I can tell.”
“It doesn’t matter what I want!” Edward yelled. He tightened his lips and threw his arms up in the air. “I should have never let you get as involved as you were. I shouldn’t have gone along with my handler’s plan to use you. I feel like shit that you’ve nearly been killed several times on my watch. That you’ve had to kill!”
“You’ve kept me safe, and I trust that you will for a while longer.”
Edward looked away from him, his throat moving in a hard swallow. “You don’t understand. I don’t think I could…handle it if you got hurt now.”
Daniel held his breath because there had been a ton of emotion in those words. Emotion that tugged at his chest and made his palms suddenly sweat. Edward was just as invested in them as he was now. He could tell. “You care.”
“Of course I fucking care! Shit, Daniel, I didn’t expect to be feeling anything like this.”
“What are you feeling?” Daniel took a step closer to him.
Edward closed his eyes his shoulders slumping. “I’m not…I don’t…” He opened his eyes and the bleak expression in them punched Daniel in the throat. “I just care. Okay? I want you safe on a plane and home.”
“Well, I don’t want that. Not yet. I’ve okayed the time off with my boss—he understands the extenuating circumstances, and I’m not ready to leave whatever the hell this is.” He took another step closer—close enough to feel the heat of Edward’s body. “Tell me you understand. That you really want me here. With you.”
