“I see it,” he agreed, pointing his free hand upward. “And there’s Ursa Major over there.”
“The Big Dipper. I’ve always loved that one since I was little, and my dad pointed it out. It’s easy to pick out, too.”
“Ursa Major,” Liam mused. “It’s the story of a beautiful maiden named Callisto, whom the god, Zeus, secretly loved. Didn’t they have a love affair?” he added in a whisper, shifting his position to stare down at Chloe.
Chloe gazed into Liam’s eyes, her heart thumping in her throat at his suggestion of a secret love affair. “Liam—I--we can’t even think about it. I’ve worked too hard to get here. Besides, I don’t have affairs, Agent Esposito.”
He held her gaze steadily, firmly. “I didn’t think you did, and I’m not asking you—us—to jeopardize our careers. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Maybe this sounds sappy and old-fashioned, but when I fall in love, it will be forever.”
Liam nodded thoughtfully, brushing a lock of hair from Chloe’s face when a breeze danced it across her cheek. “Surely you’ve had lots of boyfriends. I have a hard time believing you wouldn’t at twenty-six years old.”
She shrugged, trying to think of any man she’d known over the past decade that had affected her like Liam Esposito. She couldn’t even remember a single face, let alone their names. They were wiped out, gone from memory. “Of course, I date occasionally; I have lots of male friends. Sometimes it lasts for a few months, but nobody serious. I was too busy reaching my goal of Quantico.”
A grin crossed Liam’s face. “Maybe they were too intimidated by a woman who could bring them to their knees on the mat.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” Chloe said, giving a flirtatious shrug of her shoulders.
“That’s why you hit me like a brick between the eyes, Agent Romano. You have completely captivated me.”
“But is this thing we’re feeling just a crush, a flirtatious break from the stress of training?”
A small breeze rustled the fronds of the willow tree they were lying under. Liam studied Chloe, running his fingers lightly through her long, dark hair that was spread across the grass. He’d gone quiet, his eyes searching her face.
When Liam’s fingertips lightly touched her lips, Chloe’s heart went into high gear.
Was he going to kiss her? If he did, she wasn’t sure she could stop him. But if she died without the taste of his mouth on hers even for a brief moment—sometime, somewhere in the future—she didn’t think she’d be able to stand it.
“Oh, Chloe,” he whispered with a small groan. “I want to so badly—” He left the sentence unfinished.
“You do know that you have to be a good Italian,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “My Granny Zaida always told me to find a good Italian boy. Except I’ve found a man I can’t have.”
“Your Granny sounds like my Grandmother Victorine. One day, I’ll introduce you and she’ll feed you meatballs and the best marinara sauce you’d ever had in your life.”
“Sounds divine. But I’m not so sure I believe you, Agent Esposito. After all, you’ve spent most of the last month ignoring me.”
He chuckled in that deep throated way he had. “I can’t give you too much attention. If we’re not careful, I might just sweep you off your feet during class, carry your out in my arms, and slam the doors on the way out.”
“That’s a nice daydream,” Chloe whispered.
Liam shook his head, tucking her cold fingers into his warm hand and pressing it against his chest. “I need to get you back to your room before they lock the doors on us. Will you tell Jenna about our little unplanned meeting?”
“She knows that I admire you, but Jenna wouldn’t turn us in. Our secret is ours alone. Of course, we could always be like Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen. We’ll pretend to hate each other until—”
“Hey, I know The African Queen film, Miss Old Movie Buff. So just say it,” Liam dared her, a wicked smile on his lips.
Chloe glanced at the still water of the pond, a war raging inside her head. “You already know what,” she said flippantly. “Charlie Allnutt and Rose pretended to hate each other until they fell impossibly in love.”
“I like the way that sounds. Maybe we’re already impossibly in love and we just can’t admit it yet.”
“Don’t tease me, Liam. I couldn’t take it.”
“Okay, no teasing, even if I promise that I’m not teasing. Let’s talk about something else. When is Jenna’s wedding? She’s got to be missing her fiancé while she’s here.”
Chloe released her breath, knowing he was changing the subject, but she wanted him. Wanted everything about him. Unfortunately, Liam was her superior officer and one of her trainers. They had to tread carefully.
“Yep, I left her on the phone with Frank an hour ago. He’s a great guy, and they’re perfect together. The wedding will be sometime in the winter after graduation, but they’re not setting a firm date until we get our assigned bureau. She’ll probably be asleep when I return.”
Chloe tried to ignore the niggling worry—that this evening with Liam would only be one fleeting moment in time. “You owe me a Fred Astaire,” she said now with a small laugh.
“And what is a Fred Astaire?”
“If you don’t know that, then we can’t be friends.
All at once, Liam jumped to a standing position, and pulled Chloe up from the lawn with a firm hand. Sweeping her into his arms, he slid an arm around her waist and then grasped her right hand in a dance position.
“I can waltz with the best of them,” he said. “Although I like the foxtrot better. It’s more romantic because I can hold you a little bit closer, and avoid bumping into other couples on a dance floor.”
Tilting her head back to gaze at him, Chloe laughed softly.
Holding her firmly, Liam hummed in his deep melodic voice while a sliver of moon peeked out from behind a cloud.
Chloe slid her left arm up along his biceps and then across Liam’s back. He pulled tightly to him and then swept her in slow steps along the banks of the lake.
Their bodies melded together in a magical silent melody. Chloe put her face against Liam’s cheek and closed her eyes, drinking in the tantalizing feel of his body warm and close to hers.
After several long minutes, Liam finally slowed and came to a stop, taking both of her hands in his. Bowing in a chivalrous motion, Liam kissed the tops of Chloe’s fingers. “Thanks for the dance, Ginger.”
“Anytime, Mr. Astaire,” she flirted in return.
They gazed at each other under the moonlight, grinning like teenagers. Finally, Chloe sobered as reality sunk in. “I guess—” she said, her voice catching. “After tonight, we have to stay away from each other.”
“Only until you graduate,” Liam said.
“What happens when I’m assigned to a bureau far across the country?”
That was the unspoken question. How would a long-distance relationship work?
And how could Chloe even think about a long-term relationship with him? Maybe she was being stupid. Liam may not have more than a passing fancy for her.
He’d return to his house or apartment, or wherever he lived, and realize he was an idiot to even think about getting involved with her. He’d only been with the bureau for five years, and he was risking his career. To have been assigned to train NATs meant he was good, and he was trusted, and he couldn’t risk losing that.
Besides, there were dozens of gorgeous women out there in the world of Washington D.C. Women far more glamorous and sophisticated than she was.
“I know what you’re thinking, Chloe,” Liam said softly, and her name on his lips was like a caress. “We’ll figure it out. Tonight might feel like our only night together, but I promise you it’s not.”
Liam lifted Chloe’s fingers to his lips, and then cupped her hands with his to kiss the soft skin inside her palms.
The kisses from Liam were utterly romantic and her chest heav
ed with desire for this incredible man, but also the weight of the knowledge that she might never be able to call him hers.
Liam had invaded every one of her senses, occupying the very core of her being, and turning her soul inside out. All she could hope was that she didn’t die before she got the chance to kiss him.
Chapter 10
When Chloe walked through the dusky hallway back to her room, it was almost midnight. Euphoria made her light as a cloud, as if she might float up through the rooftop and fly to the moon and back.
Liam was in love with her. It was true. It was unbelievable. That knowledge would make it harder to stay away from him. Harder to keep it a secret. There couldn’t be any gossip, not a scintilla of rumors.
But for the rest of tonight, Chloe planned to bask in the memories of Liam’s touch, his whispers, and the way he held her when they danced under the willow tree by the pond . . . and especially when he kissed her palms and told her how beautiful she was.
It was dark when she tiptoed into the room she shared with Jenna. Moving silently into the bathroom to get ready for bed, Chloe quickly brushed her teeth, and then stared into the mirror at her reflection. Hugging herself, she did a little dance on the bathroom rug before hitting the light and sliding into bed, trying not to rustle the sheets.
Two seconds later, Jenna rolled over. “It’s midnight, Chloe,” she hissed in her best motherly voice. “Where have you been? And don’t tell me watching TV downstairs in the lounge.”
“I was watching a movie. A long one. Gone with the Wind. It’s four hours you know.”
“You are such a liar. You left hours ago to take a walk and decompress. Who have you been with? If you took up with another one of the NATs, you have to tell me all the details!”
Chloe smothered a laugh. “I haven’t taken up with anyone.”
“There’s something different in your voice. A giddy exhilaration. Besides, the scent of male cologne is wafting everywhere you walk.”
“Wow, you have a good sense of smell.”
“I’m a bloodhound in disguise. Spill it, girl.”
“Oh, Jenna, it’s wonderful and it’s terrible.”
“How? What do you mean?”
Chloe knew she could confide anything in Jenna, and nothing would tear a secret out of her best friend, even under threat of torture. “I’ve been down at the lake. With Liam.”
Jenna jolted upright; her face illuminated by the alarm clock on the bedside table. “No! Serious? THE Liam? The one you’ve been mooning over ever since the airport?”
“Keep your voice down,” Chloe hissed. “These walls aren’t soundproof.”
“So, how was it? Good?”
“Oh, Jenna, I can’t even explain it. He found me on purpose. We talked about everything—constellations and movies and—and danced under the moonlight. He held me in his arms. He kissed my hands. It was . . . perfect.”
“So he kissed you, and now you’re in love.”
“I already was, but it definitely confirmed it. But no, he did not kiss me. We came close. Oh, so deliciously close. But we can’t jeopardize . . . everything.”
“I don’t know how you managed not to.”
“Sheer willpower. And it was terrible. Wonderful and terrible both. It was so hard to say goodnight when we parted ways at the parking lot.”
“Oh, Chloe,” Jenna said softly. “I’m so sorry, but I admire you. And I admire Agent Esposito even more now. That’s self-discipline. It also means he really cares about you—not to hurt you or your future. I guess I can officially approve of the man.”
“Well, thank you,” Chloe said primly, before rolling over to laugh into her pillow.
“Next week if the halfway mark and we can go shopping for the wedding. That will help distract you. We’ll work harder than ever to graduate with flying colors.”
“How’s Frank?”
Jenna let out a happy sigh. “Perfect. Only eight months now. We decided to get married between Christmas and New Year’s. It’ll be easier to get time off, especially when I’ll be a new agent without any vacation time.”
A few minutes later Jenna checked their alarm, and then they both rolled over again to try and sleep.
“Chloe?” Jenna whispered a few minutes later.
“Yeah, you okay?”
“I had a premonition that we’re going to get assigned to the same field office.”
“That would be fantastic. Then you can keep me sane while I pine for Liam in the arctic circle of Alaska. Or the wilds of Wyoming.”
“It means I’ll keep you from floating off into the clouds.”
“Do you think I should leave the FBI, Jenna?” Chloe said, finally getting up the nerve to ask the most difficult question of all. “Maybe go into some other form of law enforcement. Or computer reconnaissance with the military or NSA?”
“Don’t be silly. You were made for the FBI.”
With a small sigh, Chloe pulled the blankets up tighter around her shoulders.
Was Jenna correct? Was Chloe made for the FBI?
Hogan’s Alley had freaked her out a little, despite it being a routine enactment. She couldn’t stop reliving the sound of her gun popping off those three shots to take out the bank robber. The sight of him hitting the floor, a red puddle of blood, and that black hole in the middle of his forehead for the final kill hit.
* * *
On Friday, the weather was freezing, and the NATs were rousted out of bed earlier than usual.
“What’s going on?” Chloe groaned, pulling on her sweats in slow motion, her limbs stiff.
“Temps are a balmy forty-five degrees. Wind chill twenty. Layer up, Agent,” Jenna ordered groggily.
Chloe quickly brushed her teeth, ran a comb through the hair, then snapped a hair band around her knot of thick hair. Finally, she threw her gray sweatshirt hoodie over her head to stay semi-warm.
“Hustle, people,” Agent Wells yelled from the end of the hall while doors slammed up and down the hallway. “You’ve had seven minutes to get dressed. You should only need five when we do a drill—preferably three if it’s an emergency. Pretend this is an emergency.”
Chloe’s stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten much for dinner last night, and she usually had a granola bar or a banana before her morning run. But they weren’t being given time to do anything but grab a bottle of water and go, go, go.
“Where we headed?” she asked the rest of her Hogan’s Alley team which had fallen into a group as they hustled toward the Academy field house.
“I heard it’s some sort of training exercise,” Marla said, muttering in a very grumpy mood.
“Hey, how’s your leg after the paintball attack?”
“Bruised, but okay. I was mad that I didn’t get to help inside the bank, but I blame myself for being such an easy target for the gunman.”
“We all make mistakes,” Chloe empathized. “And it was our first attempt at a real-life simulation.”
They reached the field a few minutes later, and Chloe groaned when she saw what was happening. No sleep was going to make this worse than normal. A lot worse.
Wade moaned and ran his hands through his crewcut. “I’ve heard about this, but I thought it came later in our training.”
Christian concurred with a simple, “This completely sucks.”
“What’s happening?” Lindsey asked, moving closer to Chloe and Jenna as if for comfort.
The NATs were being lined up in single file to get blasted in the face with oleoresin capsicum. The substance better known as pepper spray.
“They’re gonna hit us with pepper spray.”
“Why? What did we do?” Marla said, her eyes going wide with horror.
“Nothing. You’re a new agent trainee is all, my dear,” Jenna said, a grimace crossing her face.
“I don’t get the purpose,” Wade moaned again. “What are we supposed to learn?”
Jenna was the only patient one. She could usually calm everyone down with her practical sense and a
personality that didn’t turn into hysterics at the drop of a hat. “Our superiors want NATs to know what it’s like to get pepper sprayed so we know what to expect if we spray a target or subdue an out of control suspect.”
“I don’t need to experience it to know that it’s awful,” Marla spit out.
Agent Fedorko was walking up and down the long line. “Yes, you do. What if an assailant does pepper spray you—and then tries to take your weapon. You’ll be caught off guard one second, the next you’re dead—shot with your own gun.”
“Okay, okay,” Lindsey finally said with a sarcastic laugh. “Spray me and get it over with.”
Turned out she was up next. Everyone cringed to watch as she gasped and gagged and flailed around.
“Next,” Agent Wells yelled.
Chloe found herself pushed forward to where a punching bag was hanging from and roof soffit overhead. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered at the same time a fresh blast of cold wind whipped her pony tail against her face, stinging her skin. If only she wasn’t so bleary-eyed, but maybe it didn’t matter. In a few moments, she wouldn’t be able to see anything at all.
Agent Wells spoke up. “After I spray you, hit the punching bag at least three times, and then defend yourself from the attacker who will be trying to take your pistol out of its holster.”
Agent Fedorko strapped the gun holster around Chloe. She automatically placed her hand on it so she knew where it was and brushed a finger against the trigger, memorizing where she was standing.
She’d been practicing fast draws the last few weeks at the gun range and was comfortable doing them now. The ability to sweep the gun out of her holster and fire within three seconds.
“Okay, close your eyes,” Agent Wells ordered.
No sooner had she shut her eyes, then Chloe’s face was burning like she was on fire. She cried out with the horrific pain. Agent Wells had given no countdown or warning. Now she knew how Marla had felt earlier when she was suddenly shot out of the blue with the paintball.
“You must open at least one eye,” Fedorko called out. “Keep blinking.”
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