Free The Reveal by Julie Leto Page B

hurt, as if his loving Jayda in the past would somehow diminish what he felt toward her, but saw nothing but curiosity.
    She was collecting information. Nothing personal. Nothing private.
    “I don’t know,” he replied.
    “How do you not know?”
    “Have you ever loved anyone?”
    “No,” she replied.
    “You answered fast.”
    “It wasn’t a difficult question.”
    “It is for most people.”
    “Only for people who haven’t taken the time to examine their lives in fine detail.”
    Now he heard her pain. Loud and clear.
    “I loved my mother,” she continued, her voice softening as if her admission was somehow scandalous. “She died when I was young. After her, though, I didn’t love anyone.”
    “What about your father?”
    Brynn laughed humorlessly. “I was enamored of him. For a time, I worshipped him. But in the end, I hated him.”
    Sean nodded. He’d hated his father his entire life.
    “What about your brother?”
    “Ian?” This time, she did stop to think before she answered. “Yeah, I love him. But that’s new. We’re twins, but I grew up barely knowing him, first thanks to separate boarding schools and then because of my father’s head games. I learned not to trust him. Now, I’m relearning. That’s why we went away together for the holidays…we had a lot of baggage to unload.”
    “But you’ve let it go.”
    “We’ve started.”
    “You’ll get there,” he reassured her, but he wasn’t sure where that belief came from, except that if there was one thing he’d learned about Brynn, it was that she could make anything happen if she wanted it badly enough.
    “So you loved your mom, and you’re learning to love your brother,” he said, “but you want me to believe that you never once fell for one of your lovers?”
    “No.”
    “I don’t believe you.”
    “Why would I lie?”
    “You wouldn’t,” he reasoned. “Not unless you needed to, which you don’t. It’s just that you’re clearly no stranger to the art of seduction. Your keen appreciation for pleasures of the flesh did not begin with me.”
    His teasing tone hit its target. Brynn grinned, and the smile heated him more than the fire crackling in the hearth.
    “There were a few men that I might have fallen for if I’d stuck around long enough. But when you’re trying to live up to your father’s legacy and keep hundreds of analysts, agents and specialists employed, you don’t have time to indulge your personal whims.” She shrugged. “Seems like a tactical error now. A couple of broken hearts might have hardened me up. Prepared me.”
    “For?”
    “You.”
    Unable to stop himself, Sean reached out and caressed her cheek. “It wouldn’t have helped. I’ve lost and lost, cher , and that’s not going to make leaving you tomorrow any easier. In fact, I’m pretty certain it’s going to make it worse.”
    Brynn said nothing. She snagged the dried tartan blanket and draped it over them before snuggling into his warmth. He nearly suggested they sleep in shifts or do one last recon before they slept, but instead, he drew her a few inches closer and closed his eyes, concentrating on nothing but timing his breathing to hers. For the first time in forever, Sean forgot all about responsibility and duty and protocol and simply enjoyed the feel of a woman falling asleep in his arms.

Ten
    The crack of gunfire sent Brynn and Sean diving for cover. Sean had suggested they approach Macy’s house at dawn, on foot, in hopes that her security people would recognize him and let them pass to the front gate.
    Clearly, he’d miscalculated.
    “What exactly did you do to piss her off?” Brynn asked, spitting dried leaves out of her mouth.
    Sean drew his weapon. “You’re asking me now?”
    Gunfire crackled again, but this time, Brynn registered that the noise was in the distance. A firefight was going on, but it wasn’t aimed in their direction.
    Sean rolled out of the brush. Brynn scooted behind him, pressing her back to