Page 29 of The Ghost

“Listen, I’m really busy,” I tried.

But he didn’t give me an inch. Instead, he put a hand on my hip the way he used to do when we were together. I flinched, unable to keep the disgust from my face. Again, I was sure that would serve to broadcast my feelings, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Baby, we need to talk,” Ryan murmured, pulling out all the stops.

I wondered why I ever thought he was husband material. He seemed so smug and so divorced from reality it was laughable. For a spy who was supposed to be able to read body language, he was acting tone deaf. I stepped away, putting an acceptable amount of space between us.

I wasn’t worried about him forcing me to do anything I didn’t want to do. Both of us knew that I was more than capable of handling myself. The problem was that I had some distinctly pleasant memories attached to him. Regardless of how he was acting, I couldn’t deny the fact that I was attracted to him. Maybe that was the reason I decided to let him into my life so many years ago. He was hot.

“Don’t call me baby,” I protested.

“Okay,” he replied, putting up his hands. “I know it’s a shock to find out that I’m alive, and I want to say I’m sorry.”

“I know you weren’t in any Russian jail cell,” I snapped. If we were going to have this conversation, we might as well have it. I didn’t care if other people walked by. In fact, that would be preferable to finding myself somewhere alone with him.

But he looked around, concerned about the public location. “I know I have a lot to explain,” he said, giving me puppy dog eyes. “Please, let’s go somewhere to talk.”

“Why can’t we talk here?” I demanded.

“I can’t share state secrets in the hallway,” he replied. “Come on, you know I won’t bite. Please don’t tell me you’re afraid of me.”

“I am not afraid of you!” I shouted, rising to the challenge.

The last thing I wanted to do was get a reputation as a pushover. If he thought I was scared, that was more than enough reason to meet him on his terms. It didn’t occur to me that he knew exactly which buttons to push to get me to respond. We’d been together for a while, and even though he might not have been sincere, I was.

I followed him down the hall to a dorm room. He held the door open for me, acting like the perfect gentleman. I stepped through, still steaming from his implicit insult. But when I made it past the threshold, I realized my mistake. This wasn’t just another room. This was his room. And his bed was right there.

Chapter 14

Clark

––––––––

RYAN GAVE ME A SEDUCTIVE smile, one he probably thought was bulletproof. It occurred to me that he probably had his pick of women, and that I might not have been the only one he was with at the time. Who knew what had occurred since his supposed death? I’d moved on, but it was only because I fell in love. He’d probably moved on to multiple conquests, and was accustomed to getting his way in the bedroom.

I set my jaw, determined not to fall for his charms. He was still beautiful, and that was something I would have to deal with. But he wasn’t half the man Theo was, and I knew it. All I had to do was keep my wits about me, say my piece, and get out of there.

“Have a seat,” Ryan suggested, pointing to the bed.

“I’d rather stand,” I asserted.

“Humor me,” he said with such an exaggerated sigh that I felt forced to comply.

I didn’t want to seem like a crazy person or like I was worried about what might happen. I was in complete control of the situation, so why should it matter where we sat? Just because it was a bed didn’t mean anything was going to happen in it.

I sat down, drawing a breath to begin my unceremonious dumping. “Ryan, listen—”

“No,” he said, cutting me off. “I owe you an explanation.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I pressed my lips shut and gave him the floor, eager to hear the details even though there were warning lights flashing in the back of my mind.

“I almost died in the field,” Ryan said, beginning his story. He put one hand over mine, making me uncomfortable. I took it back, not shying away but also not wanting to play boyfriend and girlfriend after all these years. Ryan took it in stride, continuing the saga without interruption.

“The mission was to take down a high-ranking Dark Sparrow operative. At the time, we weren’t aware that they were the good guys.” He sighed, getting comfortable. I could tell this was going to be a long story and held my tongue, waiting for the payoff. He continued after a moment. “When I woke up, I was in a strange place with a bunch of people I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t a hospital, but there were some medical personnel there. It took me weeks of reconditioning to recognize that I was in a secret CIA bunker somewhere in the Midwest.”

So far, I wasn’t buying it. He still hadn’t explained why he hadn’t reached out. And if the CIA knew that he had survived, why didn’t they reunite us? Were they that cold-hearted that they could watch me run around the world looking for revenge and not say anything? Apparently, the answer was yes.

“The thing was, sweetheart,” Ryan continued, putting his hand back over mine, “I had amnesia. I didn’t remember who I was, and I didn’t remember that I had once been engaged.”