Hunted

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “She don’t want to lay on the floor,” Collin said, gently rubbing Coco’s back. “Right, girl? You want to sleep with me, right?”

  Geneva smiled and almost laughed at the inflection in his voice. He sounded so much like her and Myles, imitating the way they spoke to Coco. That reminded Geneva that she was going to have to watch her language around him.

  The dog barked and nudged Collin’s chin as if agreeing with him.

  “Oh, so that’s how it is? You guys are ganging up on me, huh?”

  Collin’s face scrunched in confusion, and he tilted his head as if trying to figure out what she was talking about. Before he could respond, Myles strolled into the room.

  God, the man was a sight for tired eyes. Dressed in a black T-shirt that stretched across his taut muscles and jeans that hung low on his hips, he looked good enough to eat.

  Or at least kiss. Or both.

  “What are you two doing in here?” he asked, strolling further into the room. “Collin, I told you to let Gen sleep.”

  “I did,” Collin defended and scooted to the edge of the bed, then turned onto his stomach and climbed down. “She opened her eyes by herself.”

  This time, Geneva did laugh. Over the last few weeks with Myles and Collin, her life felt more fulfilled than it ever had. Having a family hadn’t been at the forefront of her mind, though she hadn’t ruled it out. Now she couldn’t stop thinking about it, especially if it included them.

  “Can we go over to Miracle’s house?” Collin asked, giving Myles the same look that Coco had just given Geneva.

  Unbelievable. She wasn’t sure who was teaching who when it came to those two.

  “That’s why I came in here.” Myles ruffled his son’s short, curly hair. “Aunt Carolyn called to see if you wanted to come over and make cookies with the other kids.”

  Cookies, Geneva thought. What time was it? She glanced at the clock on the nightstand, surprised to see that it was after twelve. And God bless Aunt Carolyn. She was a master at keeping the kids entertained and busy.

  “Yay!” Collin cheered and ran to the bedroom door with Coco trotting behind him.

  “Wait. You can’t leave here without me,” Myles said as he moved closer to Geneva’s side of the bed. “Get your jacket and Coco’s leash and meet me by the front door.”

  When Collin left the room, Myles sat on the edge of the bed. “Hey, baby.” He brushed a feathery kiss across her lips.

  “Hi yourself,” she said, searching his eyes. Since he wasn’t a big talker, that was how she gauged his mood. Right now, though, she wasn’t sure what that was.

  “How do you feel?” he asked.

  A slow, wicked smile spread across her mouth. “Horny. You want to help me with that?”

  Myles grinned, probably remembering the last time she’d said that to him. “I’m starting to think you only want me for my body,” he joked.

  “And you would be right.” She laughed before turning serious. “I’ve missed you. I’ve missed us.”

  His steady gaze bore into her, and Geneva couldn’t decipher his expression. But the gentleness in the way he caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb almost had her whimpering.

  “I’ve missed you, too,” he finally said. “More than you know.”

  After a short hesitation, Myles lowered his head and covered her mouth. His large hands cupped her face and when his tongue parted her lips, Geneva’s pulse quickened. The kiss started tenderly but soon stoked the fire inside of her that had been smoldering during his absence.

  Myles’s hand slid behind her neck and pulled her even closer, deepening the lip-lock. Suddenly, the kiss turned more demanding. Geneva succumbed to the domination of his lips, loving when he reminded her of his alpha side.

  She wanted to be wrong, thinking he’d been avoiding her, but the way he kissed her, there was something akin to desperation in every lap of his tongue. Like it might be the last time. Like he was saying goodbye.

  Women had a sixth sense about some things, and Geneva was no exception. Something was going on with him. More than just hunting a killer. Was he getting ready to break her heart? Was this the calm before the storm of him walking out of her life? Or maybe she was overthinking everything.

  All she knew for sure was that she had fallen in love with him. And whether he admitted it or not, Geneva had a feeling Myles felt the same about her.

  She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. Not now. Not ever.

  “Daddy, we’re ready,” Collin’s high-pitched voice carried into the bedroom.

  Geneva smiled against Myles’s lips. “You’ve been summoned,” she said, giving him another lingering kiss before they pulled apart. “While you’re walking them to the main house, I’ll freshen up and get dressed.”

  Myles leaned back slightly. With his fingertip, he brushed her hair away from her face. The concern in his eyes couldn’t be missed.

  “You sure you don’t want to stay in bed a little longer? You still look a little tired.”

  A slow grin spread across Geneva’s mouth. “Is that code for I want you to stay in bed until I get back so that I can have my way with you?”

  Myles chuckled and stood. “I’m convinced. You have a one-track mind. Relax, I’ll be back in a minute.”

  He left the room, and Geneva debated her next move. They needed to talk. She knew that. Yet, if she was honest with herself, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

  Sighing, she climbed out of bed and padded to the attached bathroom.

  If he’s thinking about leaving, I’m not letting him go without a fight.

  *

  After brunch, Myles stayed in the kitchen longer than necessary. He had already loaded the dishwasher and wiped everything down, but he wasn’t ready for the conversation he needed to have with Geneva. He was still thinking that it was time for him to move on…time for them to go their separate ways.

  They had talked during breakfast. Not about their relationship, but about anything and everything else. Even with the distance he’d tried to put between them, they still clicked. Conversation flowed effortlessly, and being with her felt natural. Like they were right where they were supposed to be. Together. That realization only made his decision harder.

  Myles was still trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing—breaking up with her before they got in too deep. He never should’ve gotten involved with her in the first place. Then she wouldn’t have gotten hurt the other night. If he was right about Whitney’s death, the shooting, and this Cyrus guy connecting to Myles’s days in the CIA, he knew he and Geneva couldn’t be together. That would be proof that unknown enemies or enemies of his past could get to him and those he loved. It was bad enough his son’s life might always be in danger, but that didn’t have to be the case for Geneva.

  That was his reason for needing to leave, needing to walk away from what they were building together. It made perfect sense in his head, but Myles couldn’t get his heart to cooperate. He didn’t want to let her go, but he couldn’t risk putting her life in any more danger.

  But then there was Reuben. If Myles walked away from Geneva, that asshole would be right there, ready to step in and take his place. Myles knew it was selfish of him, but he didn’t want her with any other man, especially Reuben.

  Thinking about the guy had Myles rotating his shoulder. It didn’t hurt the way it had the night before after his encounter with Reuben, but this morning the area around the wound ached.

  It was interesting how he hadn’t thought about his injury while having breakfast with Geneva. She had a way about her that made him tune out everything but her.

  Damn. I have to stop thinking about how much she means to me and focus on catching a killer.

  Myles yawned and poured two cups of coffee, one for Geneva and one for him, which would be his third for the day. Last night, he and Laz went through most of the tenant names from the apartment complex where he wanted to believe Cyrus lived. So far, there were no matches, and
Wiz still couldn’t narrow down a specific unit number.

  Myles was trying to stay optimistic. Due to the late hour, he’d had to knock off and head back to the guest house. He wanted to make sure he was home before Geneva and Collin woke up. confident that they’d get it before the day was over. He wasn’t sure how yet, but once they did, they’d pay the man a visit.

  Myles carried the coffee into the living room. Geneva was curled up at one end of the sofa watching a sitcom.

  “One sugar and a dash of cream,” he said, handing her the large mug before sitting next to her.

  She graced him with the sweetest smile, and Myles’s heart banged against his chest. The woman was irresistible, and being near her had a way of screwing with his head…and his heart.

  “I’m so stuffed, I don’t even know if I can drink my coffee. I still can’t believe you know how to make crepes. They were amazing. Is there anything you can’t do?”

  Myles wanted to laugh at that, but the weight of what they needed to discuss was heavy on his heart. He set down his coffee.

  There was one thing he knew he couldn’t do, and that was to be the man she deserved. A man who could offer her a long, safe life. Not one where she might end up dodging bullets again.

  “We’re alone. What should we do with ourselves?” Geneva asked. She placed her coffee mug on the end table and snuggled closer to him.

  On reflex, Myles put his arm around her and pulled her against his side. She rested her head on his chest as if it was the most natural thing to do.

  “You’ve been more reserved than usual all morning. What’s going on? Where were you last night?” she asked.

  “I went to Supreme for a little while.”

  “Why? I thought you took time off of work.”

  Myles didn’t respond right away, debating on what to tell her. No way in hell was he discussing the visit from Reuben. Maybe if he didn’t mention the guy, she’d forget he even existed. One could only hope.

  “I was following up on a possible lead into the shooting, but… Gen, we need to talk,” he finally said.

  Removing his arm from around her, Myles leaned forward and propped his elbows on his thighs. He wasn’t sure where to start.

  *

  Geneva didn’t miss the way his back stiffened or how he ran his hands down his face. Whatever was bothering him was weighing heavy. When he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, she rubbed his back, hoping to offer some comfort.

  Either he was suffering from a very bad headache, or what he wanted to talk about was something he really didn’t want to discuss. It was safe to guess that it was the second one.

  For a change, Geneva kept her mouth shut. She wanted him to work out whatever battle was going on inside his mind, and she was trying something new. Patience. The only thing was, she wasn’t sure how long it would last.

  After leaving the hospital, Myles had catered to her every need. The first night in the guest house, he hadn’t left her side. That was when she had noticed that the cool, calm, and collected man she’d grown to love had disappeared. In his place was a man who’d wore concern…or maybe it was fear on his face each time he looked at her.

  Geneva didn’t know how to help ease his worries. Sure, she’d been terrified when he tackled her to the ground, and even more so when she realized she was in an ambulance. Yet, she couldn’t let those moments define how she spent the rest of her life. She refused to walk in fear. Now, if only she could get him to come to that same realization.

  She sat forward, imitating his stance by placing her elbows on her thighs. Then she glanced at him. “What do you want to talk about?”

  There was a long hesitation, and she wasn’t sure he was going to respond until he said, “I don’t think this is going to work. You and me.”

  Geneva wasn’t completely surprised by his words, but they still stung. Her relationships with the opposite sex never lasted for long. But what she and Myles had was different. Different enough to where she had no intention of giving up easily.

  “Once we catch this bastard,” Myles continued, a bite to his words, “I’m taking Collin, and we’re going away for a while.”

  “To where?” she asked, anxiousness suddenly swirling inside of her.

  Geneva would fight to keep what they had, but like she told Journey, Myles had the ability to disappear. It probably wouldn’t be as easy to fall off the grid with Collin. But if anyone could do it, it was Myles. She wouldn’t put it past him to cut out in the middle of the night without a word.

  Anger swelled inside of her. She bolted out of her seat and began pacing in front of the living room table. “Let’s get something clear right now. I’m not letting you go.”

  “Geneva…”

  She stopped abruptly and sat on the table directly in front of him. “You can’t make me fall in love with your ass, then cut out!” she snapped and jabbed a finger at him. “You don’t get to crash into my life, turn it upside down, then just…just disappear. No, that is not how this works!”

  Myles released a long sigh and brushed his hand over his mouth and down his chin, something he often did when he had a lot on his mind. It was the weariness in his dark eyes that had her tapping down her anger. Seeing him like this was like a gut punch, followed by a slap. She didn’t know how to reach him. She didn’t know how to shake some sense into him.

  “Myles, I get that the other night knocked you off your game. I really do get that, but you can’t let the fear of losing me or anyone send you running to God knows where.”

  Geneva knew this sudden desire for him to cut out wasn’t just about her. It was everything. Losing Whitney. Becoming a single father. Learning that his baby’s momma had been murdered. And then the shooting. All within a couple of weeks.

  Add that to the fact his mother died when he was a child, and he put up a barrier to protect his heart—a barrier to protect him from experiencing that type of pain again. Yet, the moment he opened his heart and let people get close, it happened all over again.

  “Babe, I almost lost you,” he said quietly, emotion muffling his words. “I never would’ve forgiven myself if you had… If you had died, it would’ve killed me.”

  “But I didn’t die, Myles. I’m right here, and I’m mad as hell. I can’t believe you’re trying to break up with me.”

  A flicker of regret lit his eyes, but he didn’t say anything.

  “You tried that shit before, remember?” Geneva continued. “Remember how you kicked me to the curb before you left for California? How’d that feel, huh? You missed me. You knew almost immediately that I had gotten to you. That I had penetrated that steel cage around your heart.”

  She was trying to lighten the moment, but tears pricked her eyes. All of what she had just said might’ve been true about him, but she’d felt the same, too. Never had she been with a man who she thought about all day and night. She had finally found someone who made her want to be a better person. Someone who made her feel alive and desired, and not just for her body. Myles liked her for her, no matter how crazy she acted sometimes. He understood her.

  Now he was trying to ruin everything.

  Geneva blinked away the moisture pooling in her eyes and wasn’t surprised that Myles still hadn’t spoken. But she could see his guard going down a little. He was a thinker. Sometimes he’d get inside his head and be able to tune everything and everybody out.

  The last time when he gave her that BS speech about how they needed to take a break from each other, she hadn’t been ready. He had caught her off guard.

  This time, though, she was fighting for what she wanted.

  “Besides all of that, you and Collin need me,” she continued, getting a little ticked that she had to explain any of this to him. “Just because things get hard or scary, you can’t just disappear. Relationships don’t work like that, Myles. You have to put in the work. Take the good with the bad, the scary with the sane.”

  Still, he remained quiet. He just looked at her with those gor
geous dark, intense eyes that stirred something desperate inside of her. She couldn’t let him leave. Not because she was stubborn, but because she couldn’t allow him to walk away from what they had.

  But what else can I say?

  Frustration spun inside of her, and some of the fight seeped out of her pores. She moved from the table and sat on the sofa.

  “I know I can’t make you stay,” she murmured, then laid her head back and stared at the wall that held the flat-screen TV. “But while you’re making your decision,” she continued, “I want you to know something.”

  The rest of her words stuck in her throat. She wasn’t used to making herself vulnerable for anyone…not even Myles.

  Maybe she’d said enough. Maybe it was time to just cut her losses.

  “What else do you want me to know?” Myles asked.

  Geneva’s eyes snapped to him.

  So caught up in her musings, she hadn’t realized he had scooted back on the sofa, their shoulders a few inches apart. It always amazed her how he moved so quietly through the house. Whatever skill that was, it also worked in tight spaces. She hadn’t felt him move at all, and they were sharing the same sofa.

  Turning her head more, she met his gaze, and the overwhelming feeling of love churning inside of her was almost suffocating.

  She loved this man. She was crazy in love with him, and it didn’t freak her out.

  “What else do you want me to know?” Myles asked again. His tone was lighter, and the tension that had been palpable when they first started talking had eased.

  Geneva licked her suddenly dry lips and maintained eye contact. “I need you,” she said quietly and cleared her throat. “I need you and Collin as much as you guys need me. So, while you’re thinking about your next move, remember that.”

  Geneva huffed out a breath and diverted her gaze as she swiped at her eyes. This was so not like her. What the heck? She didn’t get all mushy, weepy, and sentimental. For one, it was too exhausting. Secondly, it didn’t feel natural. It wasn’t her.