Page 96 of Love Undercover
45
Ache For You
It was dark before Chase came back.
In the time he was gone, Sadie had taken a long soak in the tub, trying to ease her mind. But until she had him there with her, worry over his safety continued to stew inside of her. She’d even ordered some food, but it remained untouched.
Despite the shower in the motel, she couldn’t shake the sense that a layer of grime hadn’t washed fully away. But that feeling was soul-deep and not something she could scrub off.
She was flipping through channels on the TV when the lock clicked, and she startled, turning toward the door as it swung open.
The shadows clung to Chase’s features, carving the lines and edges of his handsome face deeper, making his eyes glimmer as they shifted to her.
As soon as the door clicked shut, he strode toward her, pulling her against him before she could even react. His mouth tookhers with a force almost equal to the one he’d had when he’d devoured her body earlier. That new level of connection glowed with the nearness, and she felt his need as intensely as she had before.
He pulled back, breathing hard with his eyes shut, and his hands cradled her face. “It’s the worst being apart from you.”
She took a breath, shocked into silence by the fact he was able to put words to what she’d been feeling. The fact that he felt it as fiercely as she did floored her. She’d thought it was her natural tendency to get overly attached. But here he was, declaring something she’d felt and not yet voiced.
“Is everything settled?” She heard the tremble in her voice and swallowed against it.
A sigh slipped between his lips, and his eyes opened. “Everything’s set up. Settled will have to come after.” He kissed her again then pulled away.
His absence was like a physical pain, but she reassured herself that he wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet, anyway. And maybe this change, the thing that had grown between them, had shifted things for after. If they made it through what would come next.
He walked back toward the door to retrieve something—a bag—from the floor. She hadn’t even noticed it when he came in. It had blended with the ubiquitous duffel, but it was clearly a shopping bag. So that was why he’d taken longer than he’d said he would.
“What’s that?”
A soft little smile curved his lips as he glanced at her, walking toward the bed where he set the bag and nodded for her to come over. “I got some things for you.”
Trapping a lip between her teeth as she approached, she peeked inside the bag to find her favorite toothpaste brand, some jojoba-infused moisturizer, and a bar of organic, free-tradechocolate. When her fingers met red lace, she narrowed her eyes at him.
“And some stuff for me,” he said, arching a brow.
She laughed, the tension constricting her chest loosening.
“When you sent me to town before, I was taunted by this little bit of fabric, and I haven’t been able to get the image of what you’d look like in it out of my head.”
She rolled her eyes. “Such a man.”
He chuckled and moved the duffel back to its spot against the wall, his muscles shifting and contracting, and she felt that pull of desire again. He caught her gaze and smiled, the desire in his own eyes obvious. Now that they’d been connected the way they had, he was easier to read. But he’d also let his guard down, intentionally inviting her to the inner world he’d kept so well hidden before.
She took a breath, knowing she’d need to redirect the conversation. This wasn’t some kind of honeymoon, and they couldn’t spend all their time having sex.
“So, do I get to know the plan for what’s next?”
His expression darkened as he frowned. “You sure you want to spend time dealing with the nitty-gritty?” He sat on the edge of the bed.
“If we get all of that out of the way, we can just focus on our last night together.”
She came to stand in front of him, placing her hands on his broad shoulders. His landed on her waist, and for once, they were eye level.
But his troubled expression remained entrenched. “I called and set up a meet. Each of them thinks they’re the only one involved, and I’m giving them the only piece of evidence. That’s how I’m securing your safety.”
Her chest tightened again, and a knot formed in her stomach. “But we don’t actually have any hard evidence.”
He sighed. “It doesn’t matter. The plan is that they all take each other out. Meanwhile, I’ve got Kesterson and his line inside to help incriminate everyone. If everything goes to plan, it will be quick. In and out.”
