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“You shouldn’t have to do it alone.”
He felt stuck in an anthill. The various agents toiled around them, collecting samples, taking pictures, writing notes. But for him, the world stood still. They all faded away until he and Cass were all that remained. The fire that had been extinguished years ago was relit. It smoldered, urging him to finish this tonight. Find Sandy and put the whole thing to rest. Then he could focus on whatever remained between him and Cass.
Instead, he said, “I should take you to WANC to be evaluated.”
Cass blinked. Her long lashes fluttered in confusion. “I don’t need to be looked over.” Her voice was flat and emotionless, the usual walls she kept up back in place.
“We should call it a night. Start fresh in the morning. Let me take you to your hotel at least.” He tried to show how important she was to him. He wanted to protect her. They were up against a foe who experimented on bird shifters, leaving them mutated. Who knew how close Cass had just been to that fate?
“Did you drive my car here?” She tapped her foot on the ground. He debated changing the subject. He’d been scolded in the past for touching her car, but Cass would find out eventually, so he decided to come clean.
He nodded. “It was the fastest way to get here.”
“If there’s one scratch…” Instead of letting him have it, she winked.
Grayson was taken aback. The old Cass would have reamed him out for touching her stuff. Especially her sacred car. But instead, she joked with him. Thiswasa new Cass. And he was curious to find out what else about her might have changed.
“Do you want to grab a bite to eat?” he asked, deciding there was one way to find out.
* * *
Cass didn’t know what to say. Was Grayson worried about her, or had her mind created what she wanted to see in his words and his gestures? She wanted so badly to believe he cared, but perhaps it was just protocol.I should take you to WANC to be evaluated.
When she refused, she thought he’d insist, but instead, he invited her out to dinner. She stared at him in confusion, not knowing what to make of it.
“I am hungry,” she admitted, her stomach rumbling. She’d think more about it later. Right now, she needed to eat. Her brain didn’t function well when hangry.
Grayson held out her keys. “I’ll let you drive.”
She could tell by the look on his face he’d prefer if she didn’t. It wasn’t a secret that he hated her driving. She hesitated on snatching the keys from his hand. Yes, she loved to drive, and, yes, she preferred to be in control… but she could let someone else drive for once, right? It was Grayson, after all. If he didn’t crash the car speeding to rescue her, she was sure he’d be careful on the way to the restaurant. “Why don’t you? I could use the break.”
Grayson raised an eyebrow but didn’t question her decision. He closed his hand around the keys. Turning on his heels, he led Cass into the floodlights and headlights of the FUC agent vehicles. She smiled to herself. If Grayson needed another sign that she’d changed, she hoped this was it.
8
Surprise still rocked Grayson’s brain as he drove Cass’ car toward a nearby restaurant. She hadn’t chided him for taking her car without asking to the building where she was being held. Then she allowed him to drive to the restaurant. Neither of those facts matched the image he had of Cass in his mind.
Grayson wanted to believe she’d matured, but nagging doubt rippled through him. Did it matter if she’d evolved? Just because she showed up a changed woman didn’t mean that she wanted to give their relationship another try. He needed to be careful. It was too easy to fall for her, and he couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t want to be hurt again. Entertaining the idea of Cass and him getting back together would be playing with fire.
He chanced glances at her as he drove, seeing that her face remained neutral as she recounted the day’s events, everything from the two bozos who kidnapped her from the park to what happened where she was being held. He remained silent, allowing her the space to express herself and get it off her chest.
“I’m not traumatized,” she reassured him after he asked if she was all right. Again. “Maybe I’m a little afraid of what’s on the bottom of my stilettos after we went to the bird bar, but…”
He turned toward the restaurant and parked the car in the lot. “Cass.”
“What?” She stared at him, biting her full bottom lip, her eyes widened with surprise.
“It’s okay to not be okay.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” She shrugged and picked up her handbag, but before she could leave the car, he continued.
“You seem so level after the encounter with the henchmen. Even if you’re fine with being captured, they still threatened to mutate you like the gulls.”
“I almost bit one of their fingers off.” The grin that accompanied her shrug didn’t fully meet her eyes. From what he knew of Cass and her background, her mother hadn’t raised her to be able to fully express herself or her feelings. He’d hate if she was holding it in now.
“In self-defense,” he agreed. “But I know how I feel when I react in the field. Mixed feelings are normal.”
Something stirred behind her eyes. Her skin wrinkled around her mouth as she assessed him. She sucked in a deep breath, leaning back in the bucket seat of her car. The leather whined beneath her as she shifted her weight. He braced himself for her to unload, but as quickly as her walls tumbled down, they were put back up.
