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Silence.
He had the same plan.
She took a deep breath, then continued. “I dated Jackson. Past tense. I broke it off more than a year ago, amicably. We’re good friends. There was no pop and sizzle. When I took the Smooth assignment, I got rid of my apartment because I’d only be home once every few months.”
“Go on,” he said, not nearly as sharply. Hesitation still hung in his voice.
“I crash at Jackson’s. He has the master bedroom. I have my own bedroom. I’ve stayed there three times, and you have shitty timing because I jumped in the shower after he jumped out. So there’s the truth, and I wouldn’t dare lie to you.”
Silence.
“Goddamn it, Cash—”
“Tell me another truth.” Again, his voice wasn’t as angry. It still grated, and the intensity was still there, but it didn’t rasp in rage.
“Another truth… I’m hurt you ran off to Sugar.”
“I ran off to the closest place I could unload an automatic weapon.”
Somewhat believable.“So you didn’t…?” She closed her eyes, hoping and listening for his response.
“Nope. It wasn’t even a passing thought.”
“What was then?”
He laughed quietly. “What was on my mind? Simple. The urge to kill.”
All right. She could handle that. “I’m glad you didn’t. Jacks is a good guy. Plus, he was useful tonight. Right?”
“My truck’s a goner. I’m pretty sure he did it on purpose.”
Oh, he loved that truck.Insurance would cover that, wouldn’t it? “He didn’t blow your truck up on purpose. Anyway… your turn. Tell me a truth.”
She waited patiently, wondering if it was going to be another complaint about her being in the field working a job.
“The phone was an excuse.” Cash spoke deliberately. A long pause expired. “It wasn’t the reason I drove back to your apartment.”
Banging on the door drew her attention. “Hold on a sec.” She lumbered off the bed and cracked the door to see David’s weaselly face. “What do you need, David?”
“We have to head home. Something’s gone wrong with one of my back burner projects. I’m needed in the States. You’ve been trying to go home. Let’s go.”
A mischievous glint in his eye made her stomach tense. Instinct was a precious tool, and hers was precision honed. Something wasn’t right. Her gut screamed for her to backtrack and bed down. “I’m exhausted. We can leave in the morning.”
“You’re already packed.”
“I’ve been packed for two hours. Now I’m ready for bed. Leave without me, if it’s so important. I’ll hop on a commercial flight.”
David studied her, and her muscles tensed, the hair on her forearms standing at attention. There was an edge to his voice and an off-kilter air about him that made her skin shiver.
“Fine. I’ll have the jet prepared for a seven AM departure,” he said.
Nic shut the door without responding. Her skin continued to crawl. She fished the phone from her robe pocket and pushed it back against her ear. “Cash? You there.”
“Yup.”
“Sorry. What were you saying?”
“Nothing much. Just that this bed is lonely without you.”