Undercover Texas Read Online Free PDF Page A

his stupid dreams, he had to keep his emotions in check. Erin’s and Brandon’s survival depended on his experience in high-risk operations. He couldn’t let them down.
    “I said that we’ll talk. You can get up now.”
    Erin crawled onto the leather backseat, a worn-out Brandon in her arms. Hunter couldn’t keep his gaze away from the sleepy baby as she rocked him, whispering words of comfort. The baby burrowed against the curve of her breast and settled in. He stuck his thumb in his mouth, closed his eyes and nodded off.
    Hunter shifted his attention back to the road. “Will he be okay?”
    “My son will be fine. I’ll take care of him.” She glared at Hunter. “I’ve been doing it on my own for quite a while.”
    “I guess we’re going to skip the thank-you-for-saving-my-life part of this conversation, huh, Erin?”
    She shot him a look. “Clay, I’m grateful. I’d be stupid if I wasn’t, but I wish I was sure what you were really doing at my house. You have a car seat. Did you get it because you intended to rescue us, or did you plan to take Brandon the entire time?”
    Hunter’s throat closed off. He’d wanted to do just that so many times, but he wanted more than Brandon. He wanted them both. Hunter shook off the regrets. He couldn’t afford to think of what could have been. “Instead of griping at me, why don’t you put Brandon in the car seat and strap him in? You can trust me.”
    “My house is ashes. My son is in danger.” Erin flashed an irritated look at Hunter in the rearview mirror but did as he said. “Excuse me for having trouble finding my happy place. Trusting you is just not happening, no matter what you’ve done for us.”
    He caught the tearful quaver in her voice hovering just below the anger. She was exhausted...and petrified.
    She should be.
    Way more than she realized.
    “I promise...you’ll be fine,” he said rashly, having no clue if he could guarantee such a claim.
    “I’ve been fine since you disappeared,” she said. “Then, the moment I see you again, my home goes up in flames. You fight like an assassin and your phone-jamming toy is too high tech and top secret for a computer analyst, or whatever you’re claiming to be today. If you’re into something bad, how do I know you didn’t bring this trouble down on me?”
    He shook his head. Despite her fragile—and frightened—appearance, Erin Jamison had a spine of steel and a genius IQ that made her way too smart for her own good. Any other time, her suspicions about him would be correct, but this crisis she’d brought on herself. “I told you, your prototype caught the attention of the wrong people. My company intercepted several communications that indicated you were to be kidnapped tonight and turned over to a terrorist cell. Those are the facts.”
    Erin let out a shaky breath. “If you know who these people are, then drop me by the police station and tell them before you go. After they’re arrested, I’ll deal with this problem just like I’ve dealt with everything since I was eighteen. By myself.”
    For a smart woman, she was being incredibly obtuse. She was in danger. He wanted to be there for her. He’d always wanted to be there for her. When he’d been unable to get her memory out of his head, he’d taken his first clandestine leave to go see her, thinking he’d surprise her.
    Instead, she’d surprised him. She’d been seven months pregnant.
    He’d never doubted her child was his. She’d been a virgin before Santorini. She had been so naive. An unbelievable prodigy, genius level, and the most innocent, loving person he’d ever known. She’d made him feel alive again.
    Seeing her pregnant, and knowing that even by communicating with her he’d endanger her and the baby, Hunter had gone from elation to grief in a heartbeat. Every warning from that first briefing with General Miller pummeled through Hunter’s brain. No family. No friends outside of the team. No weaknesses.
    Erin was his