Breach of Honor by Naomi Porter

44 Will

TEXTING WITH CORI felt like a betrayal, but she was the only person I could talk to about the mess I was in with Miranda. I didn’t care how many times she told me faking an affair was the only way. I hated it with a murderous passion. I wanted out before I lost Miranda.

Cori: Just keep your cool when she gets home. Don’t unravel!

Will: Easy for you to say! It’s not your life imploding.

Cori: No, it’s not but how else are we supposed to get Jason?

Will: You’re the fucking FBI! Figure out another way!

Cori: You’re unraveling.

Will: I’m not but you better find another way! Miranda is here.

Cori: Hold it together!

Hold it together. So easy to say, entirely different to do.

After I’d talked to Miranda on the phone last night, I tossed and turned in bed until I had finally fallen asleep. What good it did me. I dreamed Miranda had disappeared, like vanished into thin air. I jolted awake, drenched in sweat, gasping for air. In a panic, I turned to Miranda’s side of the bed and she was gone. I yelled for her until I remembered she’d stayed the night at Lily’s.

It had been a fucked-up night.

I spent the morning wandering around the beach house aimlessly. My eyes stung, my body ached, and I felt a migraine coming on. If this was any indication of what it would be like to be without Miranda, I’d rather die.

Since Christmas, we hadn’t been apart for one night, and I never wanted to be apart from her again.

The garage door opened, and seconds later she appeared. Immediately I felt her closed off, her walls up as she stared at me. I couldn’t stop my feet from moving or my arms from wrapping around her. I had to get through those goddamn walls.

I inhaled her natural scent, burying my face in her neck. Her body was rigid against mine. I fought back the tears rapping on the gate behind my eyes from the crushing blow.

It seemed she was stronger than me, standing with her arms by her side and holding her breath. I had to get through to her. Prove myself to her. Fuck the FBI and Cori.

“I’m so sorry. Please tell me we can work this out,” I whispered.

“Do you want to work it out?” There was a detached element in her voice.

I pulled back, stunned. “Yes. I love you.” I cradled her face. “Don’t you ever think otherwise. We’ve talked about this. I will always love you.”

I claimed her lips, desperately moving over them to show her I meant every word. She kissed me back cautiously, but dammit, she was responding. I wouldn’t waste this opportunity. I swept her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom. I’d make love to her all day, pour myself into her, sear my kisses into her memory, and my touch onto her skin.

“We need to talk,” she murmured, arms wrapped around my neck.

“We’ll talk later. Just let me love you.”

“Okay… we’ll talk later.”

A few days ago, I had headed off a major disaster. Miranda and I were us again and I could breathe.

Then Jason called wanting to go sailing for the Fourth of July.

Of course, when I had mentioned it to Cori, she was eager to be alone on a boat with Jason and Tabitha, the blonde he’d met at Club R. I was more than a little surprised he’d kept seeing her. Jason never stuck with one woman. I guessed there was a first for everything.

But it meant more lies for Miranda.

A double knock on my office door put me on alert. Axel stalked in with an intimidating expression.

“What can I do for you?”

He sat in the chair in front of my desk, elbows on his knees and leaning forward. “What’s going on with you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I see everything.”

An icy chill ran down my spine. What had he seen? I kept forgetting “Big Brother” was watching. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“There are a couple of things I’ve noticed watching you. When you’re stressed, you pace with your hands on your head. When you’re annoyed, you drum your fingers on anything: a glass, a table, the arm of a chair. You’ve been doing both a lot in the last few weeks. What gives?”

“First off, you work for me and I don’t have to tell you anything. But if it’ll make you feel better… my girlfriend and I are having problems.”

“Problems?”

“Issues.”

“Issues?”

“Why do you keep repeating me?”

“I don’t buy it.”

“You don’t have to… Mr. Axel.”

He glowered at me. “You’re hiding something. I don’t believe for a minute you’re having problems or issues with Miranda. That woman loves you. She’s nice, and your parents adore her.” They did adore her, and if they ever got wind of this fake affair, they’d be beyond disappointed in me.

“Nothing you’ve said is untrue. But it doesn’t mean things aren’t going on behind closed doors.” Things with the FBI I was forced into and sworn to secrecy.

Axel tilted his head, studying me. Damn, it made me uncomfortable. Was he trying to read my mind or something? “You’re lying. There’s more going on with you, and it has nothing to do with Miranda. Whatever it is, you can trust me. I’ll help you. Remember, I was an Army Ranger, and I’m a computer genius.”

I didn’t know if I could trust Axel or even York. If I could, I’d spill my guts. I’d tell them everything I knew about Jason stealing the money to the FBI and undercover Cori. But I couldn’t say anything because of the arrangement with the Feds.

“Listen, it’s just girlfriend troubles. I appreciate your offer, and if I ever need a badass ranger to mess some people up, I’ll call you.”

Axel stood, nodded, and stalked out of the room.

Something told me to be careful around Axel, that he’d be watching me even more closely. But I couldn’t worry about Axel now. Miranda was my priority. I dreaded telling her I was going sailing with Jason tomorrow. It wouldn’t go over well.

I just hoped I could keep her from breaking up with me.