The Missing

dropped her gaze and moved away, shoving the door wide open and stalking inside. Her booted feet made muffled thuds on the wooden floor as she crossed it, not turning back to him until she had put a good five feet in between them. “Don’t go getting cute, Cullen. I said I’d try to find him. Nothing else.”

    “With me.”

    She gave him a frown.

    He clarified and said, “You’re going to try finding him with me. I’m not being left behind on this.”

    Taige shook her head and stomped into the living room. Cullen followed and rested a shoulder against the arched doorway, watching her as she sat down and started unlacing her boots. They were black, thick-soled boots like a soldier might wear, and they should have looked ridiculous on her. Instead, they suited her. Or rather, they suited the woman Taige had made herself into. She’d gone from a girl with no particular goal in life beyond getting through each day to a dedicated warrior. The promise of the woman he’d glimpsed in her before either of them had even been old enough to consider themselves adults had come to life, and she was more than he’d ever thought she could be. And he’d always thought she could become a great deal.

    The cost had been damn high for her, though. She’d risked her life, her sanity, her heart, time and again. Whatever the cost to her, she’d done what she had to do, and she’d done it alone. Not this time. This time, he’d be with her. When it was over, he had every intention of keeping her. If she’d let him.

    “Cullen, you have no idea what you’re asking. Besides, Jillian needs you.”

    “And I told you that Jillian needs to feel safe. She won’t be able to do that while he’s out there.” He moved over to her, hunkering down in front of her and taking her other foot, loosening the laces and slowly pulling the boot away. Taking both boots, he set them aside and then focused on Taige’s face. “I’m going with you on this.”

    She cocked a brow. If he didn’t know her, he wouldn’t have seen through her bravado as she said, “Exactly how are you supposed to help me? Got any law enforcement experience? Got a permit for a gun? Do you have eyes in the back of your head, or have you suddenly become psychic?”

    “I don’t need a gun, or law enforcement training to watch your back, Taige.” Unable to resist, he placed his hands on her knees and squeezed gently. “I saw you that morning after I told you about Jillian. You were all but helpless. You need somebody with you.”

    “I’ll get somebody from the task force.”

    “And if it takes a while?” He cocked his head, studying her. “I’m willing to hire you, pay whatever you want for as long as it takes. You freelance for them, so you can take however much time you need on this. Can anybody else?”

    She glared at him. “And you’ll take all that time away from your daughter?”

    Cullen shook his head. “No. I’m not going to disappear from her life until we find him.”

    “So you plan on taking breaks from watching my back?” You went and got catty on me, sugar, he thought. But he couldn’t really blame her. “No. I plan on making sure you take breaks and take care of yourself.” Slowly, he slid his hands to the outside of her thighs and watched her pupils flare as he started to rub his hands up and down, edging higher and higher. “You could come home with me. Spend some time with Jillian. She could use somebody in her life who knows what she is dealing with. Somebody who understands her.”

    Her gray eyes narrowed and flashed hot. “That’s low. Using that girl to get to me.”

    “No. It’s a fact. What would be low would be if I used her to get close to you so I could seduce you back into my bed.” Leaning in, he stopped just a breath away from her mouth before he added, “I plan on seducing you before the night is up, just so you know. I’m going to fuck you blind, until you can’t see or hear or feel anything but me. Then I’m going to make love to you, soft and slow. Then I’m going to start all over again. You’ll welcome me back into your bed, Taige, and sooner or later, you’ll welcome me back into your life.”

    Taige’s breath hitched, and her eyes widened. He felt the reaction in her body, even though he never once looked away from her face. Her body temperature seemed to spike, and the heat coming off of her set his already hot blood to boiling. The scent of her seemed to grow stronger, and blood