Free Simon Says Die by Lena Diaz

stopped to ask about his kilt.
    As if guessing her intent, Pierce shook his head and grabbed her around the waist, steering her to their booth.
    Madison frowned at him, her mood sinking again as she slid into the seat with the wall at her back. She glanced toward the entrance, reassuring herself that Damon wasn’t standing there. She had no reason to believe he’d followed her today, but if an FBI agent had followed without her knowing, anything was possible.
    Instead of sitting on the other side of the table, Pierce slid in next to her. Since he didn’t seem to be watching the door like her, she assumed he just wanted to be able to discuss Damon without anyone overhearing them. She also noticed he sat with his injured ribs facing away from her as if he still didn’t trust her. She blew out a frustrated breath.
    Her mood soured even further, until she began to notice how warm and cozy it was sitting close to him. This wasn’t the first time they’d sat beside each other in a booth. When they’d gone out to restaurants together in the past, they’d often sit next to each other instead of across from each other, so they could hold hands beneath the table, or exchange a more intimate touch—a kiss on the nape of her neck, the brush of his breath against her ear, her hand on his thigh.
    She shivered at the memory. Pierce glanced at her in question, and she looked away.
    The waitress arrived and took their drink orders. They sat in silence until their drinks arrived, along with an order of potato scones the waitress had recommended.
    Madison took a bite of one of the scones, but she barely tasted the almonds and raspberry preserves. She kept trying to close her mind to the memories that swirled around her, so she could focus on whatever questions he might ask her, but sitting this close to him was playing havoc with her concentration.
    It was all she could do not to bury her nose in his shoulder and breathe in that intoxicating blend of soap and cologne that she always associated with him. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed him, or how much she cared about him until she’d seen him jump in front of a bullet for her.
    She drew a shaky breath.
    In spite of his earlier quip about getting a beer, Pierce had ordered water. He took a sip and turned slightly toward her as if he were about to ask her something.
    Madison took another bite.
    â€œYou can stall all you want,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere until we talk.”
    The scone sat like sand in her throat. She chased it down with a generous sip of Diet Coke and shoved the plate away. “There’s really no need for another inquisition. As you can see, no one took any shots at me today. No one followed me.”
    He raised an eyebrow.
    â€œOkay, except for the FBI. Other than that, no one followed me.” She couldn’t help glancing at the door again. But she realized that was a mistake when he looked toward the door too. The frown on his face when he looked back at her told her he knew exactly why she’d looked toward the entrance.
    â€œI’m still a little jittery from yesterday,” she said in explanation. “And tired. But other than that, I’m fine. You have no further obligations to my brother. You can go back to Tammy and forget all about me.”
    He sighed heavily. “ Tessa . Her name is Tessa. And we shared that house for undercover work.”
    Jealousy slammed into her so hard her eyesight blurred. “How much undercover work did you two do?”
    He rolled his eyes and ignored her question. “Speaking of houses, it’s too dangerous for you to stay in yours. Until we know whether the gunman is coming back or not, you need to stay somewhere else.”
    She clutched the edge of the table so hard she was surprised the wood didn’t crack. She wasn’t about to let another man order her around. She rested her hand on Pierce’s thigh beneath