Free Tamed by Love (Agent Lovers Series Book 2) by Harper Steen, Lesley Schuldt Page A

that no baby will come of it.”
    “Don’t you think we know that?” said Chris. He glanced at Gray who was shaking his head and looked at the ceiling as if he would find the answer there. With a sigh he turned to the large monitor on the wall and steered the conversation in a different direction.
    “Enough fun at our expense! You have two more miles before you reach the helicopter. Your training isn’t over until you’re warming your sorry butts on the bench in the LAKOTA. Until then, keep your mouths shut, otherwise we’ll deduct points from your evaluation.”
    Jeff acknowledged the threat saying, “Stuffy old man.”
    Gray ignored the comment. “Maintain direction. Meeting spot with the helicopter in two miles.” Then he snatched his coffee cup from the table and leaned back. While he watched the two men as they carved their way to the helicopter, his thoughts drifted to Liz. She was constantly on his mind. It calmed him when he thought of her, even though not everything was resolved in their relationship. Since he had admitted his feelings to her, she had tried even harder to keep her distance from him. He even started to believe, he was spinning his wheels with Liz. Whether Gray wanted to admit it or not, he was afraid Liz’s will to suppress her feelings might be too strong. She doggedly refused him access to her inner self; she didn’t share her thoughts or reveal her true character. Gray knew they could be happy together but was also aware of the fact that this wouldn’t happen, if Liz didn’t open up, love him and believe in their potential.
    He stared into his half-empty cup. For God’s sake! Slowly he worked out how he could bypass her continuous denial of her feelings so they could finally come together. Why couldn’t Liz understand that she didn’t need to use this kind of defense mechanism with him? She had been able to accept their marriage, why not his feelings for her too? She had to know that his love was genuine.
    The thought crept over him that maybe Liz would never be able to love him. Quickly he shoved this aside. That was something he wouldn’t accept under any circumstances. Never in his life had he given up without a fight. And as far as Liz was concerned, he would spend the rest of his life fighting for her love, if he had to.
    Gray continued to stare into his cup, lost in thought, and didn’t notice Chris had been watching him for a while.
    Chris waved his hand in front of Gray’s eyes. “No time for dreaming, buddy.”
    “I wasn’t—”
    “Yeah, sure!”
    “Spare me.”
    “Hey, it’s okay. Do you really believe I don’t know what’s up with you? I have the same issue.” With his legs stretched out in front of him under the table, Chris leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Jeff really got on your nerves, didn’t he?”
    “Um hm. If he could have at least been helpful somehow.” He exhaled, then gulped his coffee and put it down on the table. “I’m out of ideas.”
    “No kidding! I was there for a while too.”
    Gray raised his head and looked at curiously at Chris. “And now you aren’t?”
    “I’m trying something else.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Has it occurred to you how little contact Jennifer and Liz have with their families?”
    “Of course. But that’s because of their jobs.”
    Chris shook his head. “That can’t be the only reason. For Jennifer it’s not just about keeping her family safe. She gets panicky every time I even mention her parents. She probably thinks I don’t notice, but she doesn’t know me well enough yet.” Chris sipped his coffee. “And since everything else I’ve tried has failed, I’ve decided to get closer to her parents. Both of them are only too happy to tell me how Jennifer used to be. From that, I’m getting to know her a little better, even if she isn’t the one telling me about her past. And maybe, with a little luck, I’ll find out what I can do so she’ll finally open up.”
    Gray nodded. Chris had