Page 56 of Spy With Me
“Arthur, it seems, is in the lifestyle.”
That got her attention. “Arthur?”
Zach shrugged those big, glorious shoulders. “Hey, they getkinky in Wales, too.”
She still wasn’t going to tell him about her near miss witha potential serial killer—she did not want to be the next Daisy—but she feltlike she had to talk about what she’d seen. “There’s something odd about him. Isaw a picture of him today in the pub. It was his name, but it didn’t look likehim.”
Zach seemed to think about that for a moment. “I promisehe’s been vetted, and sometimes we don’t look like ourselves in pictures. It’sall about angles and lighting. Lacey says he’s solid, and he’s been helpful.Also, it’s a small community. I think they would notice if their vet gotswitched out.”
He was probably right and she was looking for conspiraciesthat didn’t exist. Which she shouldn’t do because there were so very many realones. She didn’t need to make them up.
She also didn’t need to procrastinate. It was obvious Zachhad been working hard all afternoon while she was gone. He had set up a wholeplay space, including a cot that would be hard for the both of them to fit on.Unless they cuddled close. He had a table with carefully placed toys laid out.There was a crop and lube and… Yup, that was a plug. A too big but reallyprobably wasn’t too big plug. There were a couple of different styles ofclamps. He had promised to dress her up the next time they played at TheHideout. He had gone to Canada before the weekend, so they hadn’t had a secondweekend at the club.
How could she have fallen so hard in so few days?
“Take off your clothes, Devi.” Zach stood back.
She was right. It hadn’t been long. This might be exactlywhat she needed. Time with him could prove it never would have worked, and thenthis whole thing could be a hot, fever fantasy, a time she spent with anon-the-run, wanted-by-several-countries Dom. It wouldn’t hurt her whole heartif she figured out living with him wasn’t something she wanted to do for therest of her life.
Because living with him these last few weeks hadn’t beenawful, and he hadn’t even been fucking her.
Yeah, she knew she was being a little delusional. She wascomfortable with him. She was starting to wonder if she needed to live inManhattan or LA or London to have the career she wanted. What if the career shewanted was to be happy doing her own thing? Building her own business, even ifit meant working at her uncle’s restaurant while she did it.
Being with Zach made her happy. Content. With herself. Thatwas the part that killed her. Being with Zach made all those voices thatnormally screamed in her head quiet down, and she could hear herself for thefirst time in forever.
“Devi?”
She sniffled, trying not to get too emotional. “This isn’tgoing to be casual.”
His head shook. “Not for me. You will never be casual forme, Devi. It’s why I stayed away these weeks. I don’t want to hurt you, but Ialso… I don’t want to go the rest of my life without touching you again,without making as many memories as I can.”
He always knew what to say. The problem was she wasn’tcertain who was talking to her—the man or the operative.
Tonight, it didn’t matter.
Devi frowned, realizing what she was wearing. “I shouldhave… Zach, I’m sorry. It’s a farm. As a proper submissive, I think there’s anunwritten rule that you should never present yourself to your Dom while wearingCrocs, but it was these or Wellies.”
He stopped for a moment, and then the most brilliant smilecrossed his face and he laughed. He reached out a hand and grasped hers. “Comehere, brat. I’ve missed you.”
He kissed her, his hands steady on her waist while his lipsmoved over hers. He took his time, exploring her mouth, sliding his tonguealong hers, drugging her with his nearness.
Oh, how she’d missed him. These weeks had been filled withquiet revelations, but none so big as the fact that she was in love withZachary Reed.
But love didn’t have to last forever. Love could come andgo.
Or this could be the love of her whole damn life. She’d onceasked her mom if she would have taken back the heartache of losing her dad.
Not even if he had never come home to me. Loving yourdad made me a better person. No matter how it ended.
When she stepped away, she kicked off the aforementionedCrocs and pulled the jumper over her head. She was calling it a jumper nowinstead of a sweater. Like this time and place were so different from realityit had its own language.
This was their space. Their time. It wouldn’t last long, butshe was going to let herself revel in it until she had to give him up again.Until she had to watch him meet fate.
She wriggled out of her jeans and then did away with hercotton bra and panties. She normally had gorgeousfetwear and lingerie she made for herself, but it felt right to be in her own skinwith this man. To feel primal and stripped down to her rawest self. A piece ofher no one would ever witness. Only Zach.
She moved in and put her hands on his chest, memorizing thescars there. The long one that ran from under his right shoulder blade almostto his pec.
“Bulgaria. Knife fight over a piece of intel we weresupposed to bring back,” he said quietly.
