He nodded as Rachel took a now sleeping Paige and walked back up to the main house.
He held a hand out. “Give me that latch. I need to get home.”
Max handed it over. “All right, but I still think you should teach a class on that easy kill thing. Hey, who’d you kill at the Feed Store Church? Did you kill Dennis? Because I swear it’s a travesty that he only gives discounts to people who sit through his sermons.”
Henry sighed and got back to the job at hand.
Two hours later he let himself into the house. Nell sat on the couch and it was obvious she’d been crying. His heart ached at the knowledge that he’d been the cause of her tears. But she wouldn’t appreciate him pointing it out.
“Hey,” he said quietly as he placed the bowl Rachel had sent with him on the table. “How are you? Are you hungry?”
“I made lentil soup.” She didn’t look up from her knitting. “It’s still on the stove.”
She’d eaten without him, though it wasn’t quite their dinnertime. That made him ache, too. Dinner was when they talked about the day, when they sat together and caught up if they’d been apart, or talked about whatever book she happened to be writing. Sometimes they could be in a room together and Nell was still miles from him.
She would be in her own world and it was safe because he was always here in the real one waiting for her.
Now he was the very reality she was trying to escape.
“Rachel sent some fruit salad.”
“That’s nice.”
“I’m sorry.”
She was silent.
He sat on the couch, not quite knowing what to say. Maybe he wasn’t clear enough. “I’m sorry for all of it, but I was specifically apologizing for not listening to you. I had a long talk with the Harpers and it was pointed out to me that I’m not being a good partner on a couple of different levels.”
She finally glanced up. “Not listening to me?”
“When you were telling me you needed sex.”
A fine flush rushed over her cheeks. “When did I say that?”
She was still aware of him, and not in an entirely bad way. “You’ve told me a hundred different times, and I chose my fear over your needs. You should understand that I won’t do it again. All you have to do is give me the word and we’ll play. I’ll be careful, but I’ll give you what you need.”
She dropped her eyes back down, but her hands were still. “I’m not playing with you, Henry. I’m angry with you.”
She didn’t look angry. She looked hurt. Anger would be good, but he might have to wait for it. Rachel was right. Nell needed time to process, and being patient just might kill him. “Doesn’t mean you can’t use me to get what you need. I’ve recently been informed that pregnant ladies can have these hormones that make them incredibly horny. I’m the reason you have those hormones. I can be the solution.”
She put a hand to her cheek. “Stop. I’m not talking about this.”
“Just know that my cock is ready and willing,” he replied. He sat back. “Do you have any questions for me?”
Her hands started moving again. “I told you I need time.”
“Okay, but we need to talk soon about what kind of danger you could be in.” He took a deep breath and decided to ask one more question. “Just one more thing. Do you want me to leave? If you do, then all I ask is that you let me take you to Mountain and Valley. They can protect you there.”
She seemed to think about that plan. “That man from today, he was working for the people who are looking for you?”
“Yes. He was from the same cartel as the man who hurt Seth and Georgia,” he replied, keeping his tone as even as he could. He wanted to spill everything, to tell her the whole story, but she wasn’t ready to hear it.
“But you worked for the CIA.”
“At the time I was running a team that investigated narco-terrorist groups in South America.”
She turned and he saw the moment curiosity lit her eyes. Nell loved research, adored learning about pretty much anything. She would have a million questions. If she didn’t decide to protest him fully, he might be able to draw her back in with info.
Fuck the fact that it was classified. His wife was beyond reproach. Though it might end up in a book. The good news was there were few operatives who followed the world of erotic romance.
She got back to her knitting. “I bet you weren’t exactly shutting them down. You know the war on drugs has only brought more violence to the streets of this country. And it disproportionately affects people of color.”
“I was really more looking for terrorists,” he pointed out.
But she was off, giving him a lecture on how policing morals led to misery on all sides and it would be better to legalize and tax and make rehab and therapy far more accessible.
He sat and listened and found himself oddly soothed.
She finally went quiet after a long time. “You’re sleeping on the couch.”
He could handle that. “All right.”
The cabin fell silent again.
Time. She needed a bit of time, but at least she wasn’t throwing him out.
He would take it for now.
Chapter Five
Nell sat in the waiting room of the Bliss County Clinic and wondered if Henry was going to bother
