“Yes.” She could feel heat staining her cheeks.
He sent her a smile. “Good. I’d feel bad if you hadn’t at least been interested enough to do that. I did the same thing to you right after we first met in this apartment.”
“Really?” A little thrill moved through her that he would be that curious. She’d never forgotten their first meeting. They’d been working on a case involving the disappearance of a reporter for the Washington Post—a case that had put Sierra’s life in danger. And she’d felt a connection with Jed the moment she’d literally bumped into him at the front door.
Jed flipped the omelet over and lowered the flame. When he turned to her, his expression was serious. “I was attracted to you right from the first. I didn’t much like the idea of that.”
“I hated it,” Zoë said.
His smile was rueful. “Yeah. I got that. And I got a real kick out of annoying you. But when I discovered that I was becoming more and more attracted to you, and I began to fantasize about having you, it wasn’t so funny. So, I checked you out. Knowledge is power, and you were taking away some of mine.”
She simply stared at him for a moment. “I suppose I felt the same way.”
He nodded. “Good.” Then he smiled that slow smile that sent warmth through her right down to her toes. “So we at least know the basics about each other.”
“Not entirely. When I checked you out, there were a lot of files I couldn’t get into. I didn’t have the clearance.”
It shouldn’t have surprised him that she’d dug deep enough to discover the blocks. “Some of the work I’ve done for the government is classified. I didn’t even use my own name.”
Her eyes widened. “You were some kind of a secret agent?”
“That sounds a bit glamorous for the kind of work I did.”
“The envelope—it has something to do with an assignment you’re on. You don’t have to tell me—you probably can’t. I hope it’s not a matter of life and death.”
“I wish I could tell you.”
“No. Really, there’s no need, considering the nature of our relationship.” Then noticing that the coffee was ready, she located mugs and filled them. By the time she had the coffee and the toast on the island, Jed was already seated. He didn’t speak again until they were seated and she’d taken her first bite of the eggs.
“Well?” he asked.
The flavors were already filling her mouth. She barely swallowed before she cut off another bite. “It’s wonderful. I didn’t know eggs could taste this good.”
He pointed a fork at her. “They don’t if you eat them at a college or the kind of restaurant where they’ve been under a heat lamp for hours.” He lifted his mug. “Coffee’s good.”
For a few moments they ate in silence. It was only when their plates had been cleaned that Jed said, “We need to talk, Zoë.”
“Are you going to tell me what was in the envelope?”
“No. It’s about us.”
14
ZOË SET DOWN HER FORK. “If this is where you tell me that you can’t see me again, you don’t have to. I understand.”
Annoyance and something else swept through Jed. Fear? No, that was nonsense. He had been going to tell her that they wouldn’t be able to see each other—at least until he cleared his name. But there was something in her eyes and there’d been something in her tone earlier when she’d mentioned their relationship that told him she’d decided whatever they’d shared was only temporary.
Did that mean she liked Ethan better? Or had she merely used him for sex, used Ethan for sex, and was now prepared to walk away? Was that all he’d meant to her? The thought had temper rolling through him, but he tamped it down.
“Are you dumping me, Zoë?” he asked.
“We started out with an agreement that—” she waved a hand “—that we were going to have a one-time fling.”
“But you came here today.”
“Yes. To give a message to Ryder. The only reason we ran into each other was by accident.”
He couldn’t refute that. But some of his temper eased when he realized that she was interpreting the facts in the best way she could. Perhaps it was time to give her more to work with. He reached for her hand. “I do want to see you again, but my life’s complicated right now.”
“I don’t need to know all the details.”
When she tried to tug her hand free, he kept it in his. “I want to tell you what’s going on for a couple of reasons. For one, I’ve involved you in this and I’ve put you in danger.”