Page 98 of Love Undercover
Turning Tables
The literal physical pain of sliding out of bed was agonizing. Sadie was curled up against Chase, every inch of her soft skin exposed. His fingers begged to feel her yet again.
Another taste of her had done nothing to sate him. He constantly wanted to experience her, feel her, hear her breathing and saying his name. Never enough. And yet, he had a job to do. If he wanted to have her in his arms, be with her freely, he had to bring the whole thing crashing to the ground.
So he rolled out of bed as quietly as he could, dressed, and made his way downstairs to pound through a rigorous workout in the hotel gym to center his mind. Then he came back up, checked his phone, showered, and made plans for what would happen next, all before she even stirred. The meet wasn’t for a couple more hours, but he was too keyed up to settle, even after his workout.
And so he sat on the edge of the bed as the morning sun blazed through the crack in the curtains, casting one finger of light across Sadie’s sleeping form. Her hair was spread over the pillow, one bare arm thrown over her eyes.
He couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward, brushing his nose along the smooth skin of her arm, and she shifted, releasing the sweetest sleep-laden moan.
Cracking one eye open to find him looking at her, she tucked her face under her arm shyly.
“Morning,” he said, cursing the time and their situation for stealing a moment he wanted to bask in.
She yawned and stretched, eyeing his clothes. “You already showered?”
He brushed a loose hair from her face. “Mmhm.”
She squinted at the bedside clock. “You look like you’ve been up for hours.”
He couldn’t help his smile. “Only two.”
“Two?” She pushed herself up, the blanket falling away from her naked body. “It’s only seven!”
He lifted a shoulder. “I’m a morning person.”
She scowled at him. “Ugh. I am not.” Her expression softened, taking on a serious edge that told him she remembered what the day had in store for them.
He hated what that did to her, how she shrank, pulling the duvet over herself. Her eyes darted to the window as if the bogeyman would be right there, though they were on the third floor.
“We have some time,” he assured her, despite the urgency simmering int he air. “You can get dressed; we can eat breakfast. Let’s just pretend it’s a normal day.”
“I don’t even know what a normal day for us is,” she muttered.
He would have laughed if it hadn’t been something he’d already been picturing. “A normal day would start with memaking your organic, free-trade coffee with grass-fed, full-fat half-and-half.”
She stared at him in amazement, her face cracking into her beaming smile, giving him a shot of the sunshine he needed. And damn it, if it was in his power, he’d give her that normal day.
He watched her dress and memorized the way her hands deftly braided her thick hair, the way she lightly brushed moisturizer over her smooth face. He hadn’t seen her apply make-up once, and yet she glowed, her big, round eyes searching for him often, and her pillowy lips parted into a sheepish smile when she caught him staring at her.
But soon enough, his eyes shot to the clock, every minute passing like a hammer against his mind. Despite his intention to pretend the day was easy and innocuous, neither of them could fully commit. They ate their room service meal silently. Chase barely tasted the food as he repeatedly checked out the window for any unusual activity. Sadie jumped at every little noise, her body held so tightly that he worried she’d knock something over.
He made no comments, couldn’t find any words to reassure her.
Finally, the time came.
What he really wanted was for her to stay at the hotel and out of harm’s way. But she was the bargaining chip. If the situation called for a show of good faith, she had to be there. It twisted him up, but it couldn’t be helped. So they packed up in silence and made their way downstairs.
They arrived at the meeting spot early. But even though they’d arrived well ahead of time, it was likely the others were scoping it out as well. His undercover training was taking over, and he felt the armor, the detachment, the darkness sliding into place.
He turned to Sadie, trying to soften his expression and tone. “Don’t get out of the car, no matter what happens. You hear me? Not unless I come get you myself.”
She wound her hands in her lap, round and round, tighter and tighter. “Chase—“
“Please, Sadie.” The desperation was there, and he let it bleed from inside of him to infuse his words. “I need you to stay in the car.”
She caught her lip between her teeth then nodded. “Okay.”
