Beautiful Redemption (The Maddox Brothers, #2)(52)

“Talk,” Thomas said, leaning toward me.

“What?”

He stifled a laugh. “You asked, talk, nap, or read. I choose talk.”

“Oh.” I smiled.

“But I don’t want to talk about Camille. I want to talk about you.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Why? I’m boring.”

“Have you ever broken a bone?” he asked.

“No.”

“Ever cried over a guy?”

“Nope.”

“How old were you when you lost your virginity?”

“You…were my first.”

Thomas’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “What? But you were engaged…”

I giggled. “I’m just kidding. I was twenty. College. Not anything or anyone to speak of.”

“Illegal drugs?”

“No.”

“Ever drank enough that you passed out?”

“No.”

Thomas thought for approximately thirty seconds.

“I told you,” I said, a tad embarrassed, “I’m boring.”

Then, he asked his next question, “Have you ever slept with your boss?” He smirked.

I shrank into my seat. “Not on purpose.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

“It’s not funny. I was mortified.”

“Me, too, but not for the reason you think.”

“Because you were afraid of what Tarou or Benny would do to me if Grove found out why I was there?”

Thomas frowned. “Yes.” He swallowed hard and then looked down at my lips. “That night with you…it changed everything. I was going to give it a few days, so I wouldn’t look completely pathetic when I knocked on your door. I came to work that morning and immediately told Marks that he was coming with me to Cutter’s. I was hoping to run into you again.”

I smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said, looking away again. “I’m still concerned. I’m going to have to keep a close eye on you.”

“Darn,” I teased.

Thomas didn’t seem happy about my response. “I’m not the one who keeps tabs on people, remember?”

“Sawyer?” I asked.

When Thomas affirmed my suspicion with a nod, I chuckled.

“It’s not funny,” he said, unamused.

“It’s a little funny. No one will tell me why they dislike him, except to say he’s a bastard or an *. Neither you nor Val will give me anything specific. He helped me unpack. He was at my condo all night and didn’t try to sleep with me. He’s got the sleazy barfly thing going on, but he’s harmless.”

“He’s not harmless. He’s married.”

My mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“No, it sounded like you said Agent Sawyer is married.”

“He is.”

“What?”

Thomas was beyond annoyed, but I couldn’t wrap my head around what he was telling me.

He leaned closer. “To Val.”

“What?” My voice lowered an octave. Now, I knew he was messing with me.

“It’s true. They were like Romeo and Juliet at first, and then it turned out that Sawyer has a small issue with commitment. Val has sent him divorce papers several times. He keeps dragging it out. They’ve been separated for almost two years.”

My mouth was still hanging open. “But…they live in the same building.”

“No,” he said, chuckling. “They live in the same condo.”

“Shut the front door!”

“Different bedrooms. They’re roommates.”

“Val makes me tell her everything. This is just…I feel betrayed. Is that rational? I do.”

“Yeah,” Thomas said, shifting in his seat. “She’s definitely going to kill me.”

I shook my head. “I did not see that coming.”

“I’d ask you not to tell her that I told you, but when we get back, she’ll take one look at you and know.”

I turned to face him. “How does she do that?”

He shrugged. “She’s always had a bullshit detector, and then the FBI helped her hone her skill. With pupil dilation, delay of response, looking up and to the left, and whatever inner radar she has that goes off, she can detect more than just lies now. She detects omission even if you’ve got news on your mind that you’re keeping to yourself. Val knows all.”

“It’s unsettling.”

“That’s why you’re her only friend.”

My mouth pulled to one side, and I cocked my head to the other. “That’s sad.”

“Not many people can handle Val’s gift or her brazen use of it. That’s why Sawyer’s such a dick.”

“He cheated?”

“Yes.”

“Knowing she would find out?”

“I believe so.”

“So, why won’t he divorce her?” I asked.

“Because he can’t find anyone better.”

“Oh, I hate him,” I snarled.

Thomas pushed a button, and his seat began to recline. A satisfied smile stretched across his face.