If I Should Die_ A Novel of Suspense - Allison Brennan [77]
“This is just hard for me.”
“Me being a Fed?”
He shook his head. “Calling Noah for help,” he said, his gaze focused on the horizon.
Now Lucy was even more confused. “Because he’s FBI?”
“No.” He looked perplexed. “For a Fed, he’s not the worst out there.”
“From you, that’s a compliment.”
“Don’t you see it?”
“See what?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Don’t do that to me, Sean. You always tell me to spit it out. Or you just tell me what I’m thinking. Well, I’m not as good at reading your mind as apparently you are at reading mine, so I don’t understand.”
He tilted his head in disbelief. Well, if he wasn’t clear, how could she understand what he meant? She wasn’t psychic!
“Patrick would much rather have you dating someone like Noah than someone like me.”
She laughed; she just couldn’t help herself. That was the last thing she’d expected Sean to say. Date Noah?
He wasn’t laughing with her, and though she was still smiling, she suddenly realized there was more to this than Sean was letting on.
“First, I doubt you’re right about Patrick,” she said. “My brother would probably prefer I date no one. But that doesn’t matter, because what Patrick might or might not want is irrelevant.”
“No, it’s not.”
“You think I make my decisions based on what other people tell me I should do? I’m perfectly capable of making my own choices in life.”
“Patrick is different. Maybe you don’t see it—”
“There’s nothing to see!”
What was Sean keeping bottled up inside? She didn’t understand, and she hated feeling that she was missing something. It made her apprehensive. “Let’s not be mad at each other before I go to Albany.”
He reached behind her neck and pulled her across the small space separating the pilot and co-pilot’s seats. His heat-filled embrace sent her pulse racing. His hand went to her waist, under her sweater, pushing at the small of her back, holding her as close as he possibly could without bringing her into his lap. His mouth became aggressive, as if wanting to imprint the kiss on her, to kiss her so thoroughly that she wouldn’t be able to forget. Lucy held him tight, shivers of desire running through her, a need to keep Sean close.
He turned her head and kissed her jawline, all the way to her ear. A faint moan escaped her chest and he put his hands on her face, his forehead pressed against hers. “I’m not mad at you, Lucy. I was never mad. I love you.”
“I—” Her chest tightened. Tell him! Tell him you love him. “I’m not mad, either.” Her voice cracked.
His phone rang. Before he answered, she saw disappointment in his eyes.
He let her go. “It’s Patrick.”
Sean walked Noah through the mechanics of his Cessna, shared some of its quirks, and closed with, “Any questions?”
“I was an Air Force pilot for ten years; I think I can fly a little Cessna.”
“She’s not a fighter plane,” Sean said.
“I’ll take good care of her.”
Sean didn’t miss that Noah glanced at Lucy, who’d watched the flight “lesson” with a bemused expression on her face.
“When are you returning?”
“Tonight,” Noah said. “Considering what’s been happening, you need all the help you can get.” He handed Sean a file folder. “Here’s everything you need to get in to see Paul Swain.”
Though Swain was in a state penitentiary, Noah had contacted the FBI liaison and smoothed the way for Sean.
“I appreciate it,” he said. It wasn’t the first time Noah had pulled strings for him, and he didn’t particularly like feeling indebted to him.
Sean took Lucy’s hand. “Be careful, Luce.” He pulled her into a hug. She stiffened, just a bit, but he didn’t let her go. She’d never been comfortable with public displays of affection, and usually he respected her feelings, but this time he wasn’t pulling back. He kissed her long enough to make sure Noah Armstrong understood that Lucy was off-limits.
When he stepped back, she touched his cheek softly and said, “You be careful, Sean Rogan. I’ll be surrounded by FBI agents in a military-controlled building. You’re marching back to the lion’s