Page 157 of Untouchable

He didn’t say a word the whole time.

When they were done, she felt stranger than ever—not connected to him the way she normally was. She had no idea why.

She turned around and reached a hand out to cup his cheek. “Are you okay, Caleb?”

“I’m fine. Just distracted from work, I guess.”

“Okay.” It was probably true, but it didn’t make her feel better. Nothing about this situation made her feel better.

And she felt even worse when she heard her phone beep and went over to check the message.

It was Jack. Saying he had something for her and he needed to see her right away.

Tonight.

Kelly knew that Caleb still had a bodyguard following her around since he was worried about the Russian gangster. If she was going to meet up with Jack tonight, then she would need to slip away from the bodyguard without his noticing.

Caleb’s security was well trained, so this wasn’t an easy thing to accomplish.

She went back to her own apartment first and thought about where they should meet. Then she texted Jack with the time and location.

A few minutes later, she left her apartment and took a cab to Georgetown, which was packed with tourists and students at this time in the evening.

She was pretty sure she’d lost the bodyguard in the traffic since he would have to drive and then find a place to park. But just to be safe, she wandered into a crowded pub and immediately went to the bathroom, finally slipping out the back hallway into the alley.

From there she found another cab and went to the university library, where she had arranged to meet Jack. She made a quick stop at a computer on the first floor, like she was looking in the catalog for a particular book. Then she went up to the third floor where she quickly found a private study room in the far corner.

Jack was waiting for her when she stepped inside.

He closed and locked the door behind her.

“I lost the bodyguard,” she said, “so we should be fine.”

Jack’s response was to grab her by the shoulders and swing her back against the wall. “What the hell are you doing?” he snarled, the rough, handsome lines of his face tight with what appeared to be anger.

Kelly gaped at him, having absolutely no idea what he was talking about. “What?”

“What the hell are you doing?” he repeated, his dark eyes blazing with anything but cool professionalism. “We’d agreed you’d avoid Marshall for the last two days.”

Kelly still had no idea what was going on, but her heart was starting to pound and her blood was pulsing in reaction to Jack’s uncharacteristic intensity. “What are you talking about?”

His strong hands, gripping her shoulders, were almost bruising. “We agreed you’d avoid Marshall, and you didn’t, did you?”

She was so close to him she could see a pulse throbbing in his temple. So close she could see the stubble of dark hair on his jaw. “I tried, but it didn’t work out. What’s the big deal?”

“Because this whole thing isn’t safe for you.” He looked like he was holding himself back from shaking her.

Kelly’s hands had gone up instinctively, and she was holding on to his shirt. She suddenly felt trapped with him, and she was so tired of always being trapped. She pushed him back with her hands on his chest. “It hasn’t been safe from the beginning, but I did it anyway. So back the hell off!”

Jack stepped back, looking surprised by the shift of her tone. “Sorry if I was being pushy, but?—”

“But nothing. You don’t get to act that way with me.”

Jack was breathing heavily, and a sheen of sweat had broken out on his broad forehead. “I know. Sorry. I haven’t been having a good week, but… but sorry.”

She took a deep breath and brushed out of her face the stray wisps of long hair that had escaped the clip at the nape of her neck. She leaned against the table in the room. “Yeah. I know. Sorry I snapped at you. I really do appreciate your help, but this has always been my thing, my show.”

With a sigh, Jack propped himself up against the table beside her. He didn’t touch her though. “I know. Sorry about the macho routine. I was… upset.”