Page 100 of Double Fault

He climbs out, then ducks down and says, “Fisher and Ebba are watching Maddie,” before disappearing.

“I… wait,what?” My heart lurches.

Blinking, I spin and watch him approach my door.

Darkness fell hours ago, and it’s been a long day, but I suddenly feel wide awake.

I take Noah’s hand, letting him help me from the car even though I don’t need it. “Together,” I breathe. “They’re watching her together?”

“Yeah,” he draws the word out, frowning. “Why?”

“I…” I snap my mouth shut. Shit. He hasnoidea that Ebba and Fisher used to be a thing. “Did they agree to this?”

“Obviously.” With a chuckle, he rests his hand on my lower back and leads me to the entrance of the hotel.

“So, they knew they were going to take care of Maddietogether?”

His brows furrow. “I… no. I didn’t think it would matter. They know each other and Maddie is comfortable with them both. Why? What aren’t you telling me?”

Oh my God.Ebba is probably freaking out. I’m shocked she hasn’t blown up my phone yet.

“Nothing,” I answer, the single word a squeak.

With another quizzical look, he drops the subject and greets the person at the check-in desk.

By the time he’s finished checking in, he thankfully seems to have forgotten about my strange behavior.

“I take it you think you’re getting lucky tonight?” I joke as we step into an elevator. Somehow, this hotel is even nicer than where we’ve been staying.

With the shake of his head, he grins boyishly and studies his shoes. “No.”

I giggle. How is it that I can appreciate this boyish side of him just as thoroughly as the bossy side? “Liar.”

When the doors slide open, he grasps my hand and leads me to the left. At the door, he presses his phone to the pad and it instantly unlocks.

“Ooh, fancy.”

Inside, I pause with a hand on the wall so I can take my new shoes off.

Noah sets the bag of books and the one that holds my heels on the table and turns on a light, illuminating the space dimly.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, Big Ben stands tall in the distance. It takes my breath away, how beautiful the world around us truly is. It’s sad, really, how few of us ever truly get to experience it, not when we’re working every day to make ends meet.

Noah undoes the button at his neck, then goes to work on the second one. “I booked the suite because I thought you might like a bath.”

Warmth blooms in my chest at the prospect. “A bath?”

“You like bubble baths.”

I gape at him, and in return, he gives me a sheepish smile. I didn’t think he’d noticed that.

“I do.”

“And our hotel room doesn’t have a fancy tub.”

“Right.” Only a standard tub, but I can’t complain. My last apartment had a shower stall only.

He cocks his head in the direction of the bathroom. “Take a look.”

---