Page 31 of No Reason to Trust

He flopped onto his back and swallowed hard. That had been a hell of a dream. He glanced at Livvy quickly, then dragged his gaze away from her sleeping, still figure. She’d apparently kicked at the sheet and blanket in her sleep, exposing the thin, worn T-shirt she wore. It didn’t leave much to his imagination, and the realization that he was being a creeper made him drag his gaze away from the other bed.

Staring up at the ceiling, he counted the sprinkler heads to try and erase from his brain images from his dream -- he and Livvy twined together on his bed. He already knew how Livvy tasted. He wondered how soft her skin would be. Wondered if she’d shiver when he smoothed his palm over her bare skin. Wondered if she’d taste as good if his lips and tongue were somewhere other than her mouth.

He rolled onto his side, putting his back to Livvy, but it didn’t help. He heard her breathing in the quiet room, heard her legs move against the sheets with a soft rustle. Heard the tiny sound she made, deep in her throat, as if she were dreaming of something sexy. Something arousing.

Enough. Jake slid out of bed, grabbed clean clothes and hurried into the bathroom without looking at Livvy again. He closed the door and contemplated locking it -- not to keep Livvy out, but to keep himself from stepping back into the room and sliding onto that bed with her. Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him.

Closing his eyes, he banged his head against the door. Livvy probably slept with her gun. And if he slid into that bed with her? She’d probably pull it out and use it on him.

He turned the water on in the shower, setting it so cold it would probably shoot out ice cubes. Exactly what he needed to get control of himself. While the water got sufficiently cold, he brushed his teeth. Then stepped beneath the ice-cold spray.

Ten minutes later, shaking with cold but all thoughts of Livvy erased from his head, he stepped out of the shower. Dried off and got dressed, then drew in a breath and slid the bathroom door open as slowly and quietly as possible.

As he exited the bathroom, he tossed his dirty clothes into his suitcase on the table. Grabbed a clean pair of socks, sat on the couch and pulled them on, followed by his shoes. Then, without looking at Livvy in that bed, he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through his emails.

Livvy’s sheets rustled, like she was moving around in bed. He forced himself not to look over at her. Desperate for something to do with his hands that didn’t involve touching Livvy, he walked over to the coffee maker and programmed a cup for himself. He dumped in one of those little cups of creamer, then swallowed too quickly. It burned his mouth and all the way down his throat, but that was okay. It took his mind off Livvy.

“You must be desperate for coffee, gulping it down that way,” Livvy said, her voice still raspy with sleep. “Didn’t that burn your mouth?”

“Didn’t notice,” he said, refusing to turn around and look at her. He waved a hand at the bathroom. “It’s all yours,” he said. “I already took a shower.”

“Thanks,” she said. He heard the swish of the sheets sliding against her skin, then the almost silent padding of her feet as she walked to her suitcase. Clothing whispered as she searched through her bag, then she walked past him, leaving the faint trace of her flowery scent behind. When the bathroom door slid closed, Jake dropped onto the couch. Gripped the coffee cup tightly in one hand as he navigated through his phone with the other. He saw the news stories but couldn’t have said what they were about.

When Livvy opened the bathroom door again, a cloud of fresh-smelling steam wafted into the room. Surrounded him with the faint scent of Livvy mixed with the same soap he’d used. “Any more of that coffee?” she asked.

“I’ll get you a cup. What do you like?”

“Nothing fancy. Plain coffee, plain cream.”

“You got it.” Without looking at her, he programmed the coffee maker, and when her cup was brewed, he carefully emptied a tiny container of cream into it. “One cream or two?” he asked without looking at her.

“Two, please,” she said, and he heard her bed springs pling.

Moments later, also wearing shoes and socks, she sidled up beside him. He handed her the cup of coffee he’d prepared, and she murmured her thanks. Brought the cup to her mouth and moaned. “Oh, God, that’s good,” she muttered.

Jake closed his eyes, unable to look at her. Based on the sounds she’d made, she was really enjoying that cup of coffee. And that was something he definitely didn’t need to see. He was having a hard enough time controlling himself around Livvy.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Want to order breakfast?”

“Hmm,” she said, and he realized she was right behind him. “Maybe we should go out for breakfast. See if we can spot any of those Bratva guys, eating while they strategize their day.”

He finally turned to face her. “You sure that’s a good idea? What if they know what I look like? What if Nelson sent them a picture? I’d rather they not know that I’ve got a backup with me.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily be your backup,” Livvy said. “When I met with my Bratva guys a few months ago, there were no women around. The women were in the butcher shop and the delis. They don’t expect women to be in positions of authority. I think it makes them… uncomfortable.” Her lip curled. “As if a woman in authority is a threat to them.”

Jake let his mouth curl into a half-smile. “In the case of the Bratva group you visited, youwerea threat to them. Which is probably why you were able to get away without being hurt. Or killed. They weren’t expecting you to be proactive. Smart. Clever.”

Livvy shrugged. “Yeah, well, if these guys talked to my guys, they’d get the scoop from them. ‘Don’t turn your back on her. Watch her the whole time.’” She shook her head. “They see me with you? They’re not going to underestimate me, unfortunately.”

Jake digested what she’d said and finally nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. So I guess it’s room service for breakfast.”

“Yeah, unless the hotel has a dining room.”

Before she was finished talking, Jake was shaking his head. “Not going down to the dining room,” he said, his voice flat. “Too many eyes down there. For all we know, they’ve sent men to all the hotels in the area, watching for me. So they know where I am in case I get away from them.”

Livvy frowned. Opened her mouth to respond, then shut it again. Finally sighed. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking strategically. The last thing we want to do is clue them in on where we’re staying. So I guess it’s room service.”

“Yeah.” Jake leaned closer. “This way, we’ll have in-room entertainment. We can listen to the feed from the cameras in the office while we eat breakfast.”

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