Undercover Texas Read Online Free PDF Page B

would miss.
    “We’re making a stop. We’ll use the card here. Monitor our location and adjust the timeline for when the information goes out.”
    “Roger that.”
    Hunter swerved into a superstore parking lot and turned in his seat. “We don’t have any leeway in our schedule.”
    The flare of anger and trepidation in her eyes was quickly doused, replaced with determination.
    He didn’t like that look. He scanned the parking lot before exiting the Hummer’s door and opened the back. “Let’s go.”
    She got out, then lifted Brandon. “You don’t have to come with us. I can run in and out while you keep watch.”
    Her gaze flicked left, a tell for lying, and it pissed Hunter off. “I can see right through you, Erin. You are not bolting with my son.”
    She gasped. “What makes you think Brandon’s yours? You’re not the only man I’ve slept with.”
    The words sliced off a piece of Hunter’s heart, and doubt raced into his mind for a split second. Then he realized her eyes had flicked again and recognized the ploy. General Miller was right. Family made you soft.
    “Don’t lie to me again, Erin. First off, you suck at it, and second, it’s unworthy of you.”
    She twisted away from him. “But it’s okay for you to lie to me?”
    “To save your life? Absolutely.”
    Erin tensed with anger, and Brandon whimpered and squirmed against her hold.
    “Besides,” Hunter said, fighting the trembling in his hand as he touched his son’s soft black hair. “I knew the second I saw him he was mine. He’s a miracle I never expected to exist.”
    Erin’s eyes filled with tears and she looked away.
    Brandon stared at his father as Hunter brushed his hand down the baby’s chubby cheek. The boy laughed and grabbed Hunter’s finger, squeezing tightly.
    Hunter grinned. “Hey, sport, you’re pretty strong for a little guy.”
    Erin gulped, but she didn’t pull away. “What do you want from us, Clay?”
    He met her gaze. “What I can’t have,” he said, knowing it was the first truly honest statement he’d made that night.
    “Let us go,” she whispered.
    “I can’t.”
    Her grip on Brandon increased, and he let out a squeaking cry.
    “The baby needs changing,” she said. “We’ll talk again later.”
    “I can’t wait,” he muttered under his breath. They hurried across the parking lot and entered the store.
    Within seconds, Hunter identified all of the exits, then cataloged each potential hiding place and every person within his line of sight. No one appeared interested in them, and his equipment didn’t indicate any tracking devices. They were relatively safe for the moment.
    Erin grabbed a shopping cart, settled Brandon on her hip and made a beeline to the baby section. Hunter pressed his arm across her. “I go first. Everywhere. ”
    Now-familiar irritation crossed her face. “Lead on. I just thought we were in a hurry.”
    What had happened to the shy, gentle woman who’d let him take the lead in the bedroom? Then again, when he’d asked about her work, she’d blossomed into a confident, brilliant woman he hardly recognized. He’d loved the dichotomy. He could kiss her with passion and leave her trembling with want, but when he’d warned against finishing the prototype, she’d turned into she-devil.
    Hunter finished his scan of the surrounding aisles and nodded to Erin to go ahead. She gave him another aggravated look and headed for the diapers.
    As she searched through the plethora of colors and sizes, he admitted that he’d been awestruck by Erin’s idea, but he also recognized the inherent danger if the device was misused. He clearly hadn’t made a strong enough argument to stop her.
    “You almost done here?”
    She didn’t respond. From the corner of his eye, he saw her pause and stare at two swinging doors at the back of the store.
    He bent close. The floral scent of her hair wafted near him and he breathed in deeply. His lips moved against her ear. “Don’t even think about