Page 93 of Unexpected Redemption

Adjusting her positioning, she rolls over, throwing one of her legs over mine. Like a meerkat, she burrows into my chest.“Tomer?”

“Yes, sweetness?”

She lifts her face off my chest and bats her lashes at me, still damp from her tears. “Do you need to get back to work now?”

“Nope.”

She closes her eyes again, hiding her face in my chest and squeezing me with all her might. “I’m sorry for freaking out. That must have been embarrassing for you.”

If my head wasn’t reclined against this pillow, it would have reared back and hit the wall. “Embarrassed? Ofwhat?”

“You had to run out of your office, probably blowing off the video conference call thing, to scoop me up and carry me through the building while I was blubbering like a toddler.”

“Lettie baby, if youeverneed me, I’ll race to your side no matter what I’m doing or who I’m with. The FBI. The President.Jimmy fucking Hoffa. The ghost of General Patton. You come first. Always. And I’ll never be embarrassed for it.”

Tighter, she grips me. “I’m still sorry, babe.” There’s a hint of relief in her tone, barely noticeable.

I kiss the top of her head. “Don’t be silly, you silly ass.”

We soak in the warmth of our embrace, letting the connection smooth the frayed edges of our nerves.

After a while, she loosens her grip on me and shimmies a few inches away for a better view of my face. “What were you guys working on? Did Sue explain her theory about Icarus?”

“We don’t need to talk about that.”

“I want to help,” she insists.

“Lettie, I don’t want to trigger you. We shouldn’t have been discussing the case with you as much as we did earlier. I’m so sorry. I won’t let it happen again.”

She lifts her upper body and props herself on her elbow. “No, that wasn’t it. I promise. I’m okay. “

“What set you off if it wasn’t that?”

Her eyes fall, and she picks at the comforter. “Um.”

I tip her chin so she meets my eyes. “What is it, sugar bear?”

She worries the corner of her lip, nibbling and licking at the plump red flesh. Her throat bobs with a forced swallow.

My pulse thrums wildly in my neck. “Lettie, what was it?”

“I ju-just don’t want to talk about it yet. I’d like to discuss it with Simone tomorrow first. Can you let it go for now?”

“If that’s what you want,” I concede, dread pooling in my gut.

“You can believe me when I say that working on the case with you guys wasn’t what caused it. I swear. Helping was empowering.”

Despite the looming fear that she’s hiding something from me, she comes across as sincere.

There wasn’t a question in her words, but her expression begs me to acknowledge her declaration. Lowering my forehead in a single nod, I reassure her. “I believe you.”

She closes the distance between us and joins our lips for a chaste kiss. “Thank you, babe. I promise I’m better now. Don’t worry about me. Okay?”

Aiming to bring a smile to her face, I goad her. “I’ll worry about you if I want to. You’re not the boss of me.”

As expected, her face shifts, brightness returning. “Doms are just bigger brats. I’ve been saying that all along.”

This time, I instigate the movement, sealing our lips and pouring all my tumultuous emotions into a passionate kiss. Nothing too jarring or forceful. I don’t want to frighten or dominate her.

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