Page 119 of What Started In Deception

“Lyd sent a picture.” He showed his co-worker. “It’s sort of an inside joke.”

Nick nodded. “How are things going with you two?”

Ty shrugged as his mind flashed back to kissing Lydia’s sexy siren’s body in the wee hours of the morning, remembering how hard he’d had to fight himself to do the right thing when Lydia had been hot and eager in his arms. “Am I talking to my lifeline in this whole fucking mess or to the guy who’s going to run back to the brass?”

“You’re talking to your contact agent.”

He nodded. “It’s probably truthful to say that the lines blur from time to time. I understand the case objective. I know what I need to do and will do it if and when the time comes, but Lydia’s a different story.”

Nick nodded this time. “That’s normal. You know that. You’ve been in the undercover game for a while. This is classic identity conflict.”

Ty exhaled a long breath as he stared at the table because this felt like so much more than confusion about his current reality.

“You’re in deep,” Nick continued. “You fall asleep in the same bed. You spend your days together. It doesn’t surprise me that the line gets blurry.”

Nick didn’t understand that it went so much deeper than that. Nick didn’t stare into Lydia’s fantastic hazel eyes every day or watch her smile. She was absolutely fucking gorgeous, and her heart was pure gold. He’d never known a woman like Lydia before. She was once in a lifetime, and he would have to let her go.

“You just need to decompress when all of this is over. Things will get back to normal shortly after the operation ends. Just like it always does.”

“Yeah,” Ty said, even when he didn’t believe that at all. This wasn’t an operation where he spent long days with the criminal element. Never had he struggled with a case in this way before. Not once had there ever been an invisible line that he’d been tempted to or even willing to ignore. With Lyd, he fought it every single day. “I’m sure you’re right.”

“Of course I am, man.”

Ty sent Nick a small smile as his phone alerted him to another text. He immediately came to attention when he realized that it was Will, not Lydia.

I’m heading to a golf tournament with a client. Someone in our foursome canceled. Please tell me you play.

“Holy fuck, man,” he said to Nick. “We just got our next shot.”

Nick leaned closer, looking at the screen as Ty’s thumbs flew over the keys.

I’m no Tiger Woods, but I can certainly hold my own.

Can you save my life and meet me at the compound in an hour? We’re playing on Martha’s Vineyard at one thirty.

Definitely.

You can use my dad’s clubs. They’re in the garage.

Sounds fun. I’ll see you soon.

I owe you, man!

Ty grinned as he looked at Nick. “I’ve gotta go.”

Nick smiled back at him. “Yeah, you do. Call me when you get back.”

Ty stood. “You know I will.”

He tossed Nick a wave and headed for the door, smiling as he looked up to the bright-blue sky. Golf was something that he and his dad had enjoyed when his dad hadn’t been deployed. Neither of them had been great at the game, but they’d always had a good time.

He gave his attention back to his phone, texting Lydia as he headed toward her SUV.

Will asked me to play in a golf tournament as a favor. Apparently, someone bailed, and it’s for one of his clients, so I won’t be around for a while.

Okay. Have fun. I’ll see you when I see you.

He got in the Telluride and hurried back toward the compound to change. He and Will were about to spend the next several hours together.