“You’rekillin’ it. You fly F-18s, right?”
He stroked her silky thighs. “Yes, ma’am. I fly jets.”
She grinned at him. “My boyfriend’s a pilot.”
“I love flying.”
“How’d you get to Langley?”
“Special assignment.”
“And?”
“That’s it.”
“Open honesty. That’s the secret to my parents’ successful marriage.”
“I got invited because of my reputation.”
“Total badass. I love that.”
He sat up, pulled her onto his lap. “Your turn.”
“Ask me anything.”
“Why a case officer?”
“I wanted to work at the CIA, but I wasn’t ready to be a spy.”
“You were a great handler,” he said. “Once I worked with you, I refused workin’ with anyone else.”
“Thank you. I loved it, but it was more stressful to me than being an intelligence officer.”
He nodded. “I get that.”
“At one point, I was working with thirteen IOs at the same time. Different time zones, different personalities, different cases. I was stressed to the max. Your lives were in my hands. You relied on me for intel, to provide you with solid leads, to get your asses out in an emergency. I was a mess. Once I dropped back to no more than eight, things got better.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be your mentor,” he said.
She ran her fingers through his hair He loved how comfortable she was being naked around him, how they were just hangin’ together. He stroked her warm back, held her hand.
She stared at their entwined fingers before returning her gaze to his. “I took it personally until I learned they’d sent you somewhere. I searched, but couldn’t find you.” She shot him a relieved smile. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Same.” He glanced at the time. It was three in the morning. “We gotta sleep for a few hours.”
“Not until you tell me about your meeting with the President.”
“He needs us to find the bombs before this turns this into a national crisis.”
“No shit,” she grumbled. “Who else was there?”
“Evelyn.”
“The Trinity?”
“I went in alone.
“I’m sure they didn’t like that.”
