Oath of Honor

to see Evyn, and the surge of pleasure at finding her there took her by

surprise. “I thought you were off today.”

Evyn shook her head with a wry grin. “POTUS decided to go

Christmas shopping.”

Wes rested against the counter and sipped her coffee.

“Something tells me that isn’t your most favorite thing.”

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“Unscheduled trips are about our least favorite. No advance

planning, lots of civilians, way too much exposure.” Evyn laughed.

“We like things to be orderly, controlled, planned out.”

“Sounds a lot like my life,” Wes said.

“Well, you know what happens when all that goes out the window,”

Evyn said softly.

Wes set her coffee aside. Evyn’s eyes were so dark, so deep, Wes

couldn’t look away. The pull on her body to move closer, to touch, was

nearly irresistible, and she gripped the counter to keep herself in place.

“Dangerous.”

“And scary.”

Wes had been scared plenty in her life—scared of what would

happen to her family when her father died, scared of what would happen

if she didn’t get a scholarship, scared of who might pay if she failed to

do her job in the classroom or the field. She’d countered that fear by

working harder and longer until she was absolutely certain the outcome

was in her control. She didn’t leave room for failure. “Sometimes being

scared forces us to be stronger—better.”

“Oh, no question. Nothing like a challenge to make us dig deep,

find out what we’ve really got.”

“And who we really are?” Until recently, Wes had known who she

was and what she wanted. Now she wasn’t so sure.

“That too, sometimes.”

“This is crazy, you know that, right?” Wes murmured.

“Maybe. Probably. I told Tom you were right for the job and field

ready.”

“Did you.” Wes slid her hands into her pockets, crossed her

anklesEvyn swallowed. “Mmm. Last night.”

“So I guess I’m not a squid anymore.”

“Nope.” Evyn laughed.

“No more sims?”

“’Fraid not.”

Wes smiled. “I’m not.”

“No—I imagine you’ll be glad to be done with our daily dates.”

“You too, I imagine.”

“Not so much,” Evyn murmured.

Wes knew exactly what she should do to extinguish the possibilities

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that seemed to be growing without any intention on her part. She knew

what to say, but she’d never been a coward. “I’m meeting friends of

mine”—she glanced at her watch—“in an hour. You like jazz?”

“Sure,” Evyn said, her gaze fixed on Wes’s face.

“When are you going to be done?”

“My push is due in half an hour—” Evyn laughed, shook her head.

“Are you inviting me to go out with you?”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, but I like being with you. Pretending

I don’t when we’re going to see each other every day isn’t going to

work.”

“I’ll come find you when Gary shows up,” Evyn said. “I’m usually

pretty good at pretending, but not so much with you.”

Wes warmed inside. “Tonight…just so we’re clear, it’s just—”

“I know,” Evyn said quickly. “Just friends. I know. That’s good.”

Wes nodded, grabbed her coffee, and left before she said anything

they wouldn’t be able to take back, or live with. She was halfway to her

office before she recognized the ache in her middle was gone.

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chapter twenty-six

So,” Emory said, leaning across Dana at the table and grasping

Wes’s arm, “how did you meet Evyn?”

“We work together.”

“I remember her,” Dana said. “She was at the wedding. One of

the agents.”

“That’s right,” Wes answered while watching Evyn thread her

way through the crowd toward the back of the bar. She looked great

tonight, in plain dark trousers and a white shirt. More than a few people

watched her pass, and Wes struggled between possessiveness and pride.

Both sensations were foreign.

“She’s very nice,” Emory said.

“Yes,” Wes said. The band was good, and the bar was packed.

There hadn’t been much opportunity for conversation, for which she

was grateful. Emory wasn’t as relentless as her mother or Denny when

she wanted to know something, but she didn’t let up. Her curiosity

had been apparent from the instant Wes had introduced Evyn, and

understandably so. Evyn was great company—sociable, funny, at ease

in any situation. Wes doubted she would be as comfortable meeting

any of Evyn’s friends, but then she wasn’t particularly comfortable

in social gatherings to begin with. She hadn’t had much practice.

Evyn undoubtedly had, and thinking about her in a bar, comfortable,

charming, connecting with other women, the twinge of possessiveness

swelled to a surge of jealousy. She promptly extinguished it. She didn’t

have any claim on Evyn, by her own choice.

“Sexy too.” Emory plucked a handful of peanuts from the bowl

on the table.

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“Yes,” Wes said.

“When did you lose your powers of speech?” Emory asked with

exaggerated politeness.

Dana cautiously eased her chair back from the table, clearing the

space between Emory and Wes.

“I could use a break here, Em,” Wes said quietly.

“I can see that—you’re out with a great-looking, sexy, charming