Page 44 of Secrets We Fight
Hayden and Tyler had made all the arrangements for our weekend away, which wasn’t how things were usually done with the Secret Service. But seeing how the trip wasn’t official business, certain concessions were made. We’d just have to conduct our sweep of the house when we arrived instead of setting things up in advance. Tyler had sent over the property listing from the rental website of the two-story home, so we’d studied the location and layout. It sat on a secluded part of the lake with few neighbors around to be concerned about, and everyone, including my team, was staying at the house.
The four of us chatted as we began the one-hour drive. With Fallon so close to me, I had to resist the urge to lace my fingers with his or run my hand up his thigh. To distract myself, I stared out the window at the passing mountains dotted with snow-covered trees.
When I glanced back at Fallon, he was typing something on the prepaid phone I’d bought him. A second later, mine buzzed in my pocket.
You better figure out a way to sneak into my room tonight
I smiled and texted back:
Only if you promise to be quiet. Who knows how thin the walls are
I’m sure you can think of things to do with my mouth so no one hears me
I groaned and cleared my throat to cover up the sound I’d made. All the while, Fallon sat beside me, grinning and looking quite pleased with himself.
The sun had just started to set when we arrived at our destination. The first thing I noticed when we got out of the car was how quiet it was versus the hustle and bustle in the city.
“Damn, the professor did good,” Fallon gushed as he looked toward the house.
The pictures online hadn’t done the place justice. The property was stunning, with pine trees surrounding the two-story home and icicles hanging from the roof.
Hayden and Tyler immediately came out to greet us, and after Fallon introduced them to all the agents, Shea and Vance headed inside to conduct their sweep while Leigh and Day walked the outside perimeter.
“Thanks for inviting me up this weekend. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to find a place that could accommodate my entourage,” Fallon joked with his friends.
“It was no problem at all,” Tyler replied. “This lake is where we stayed two years ago, and we just happened to find another rental that was bigger.”
Fallon turned to me with humor in his tone. “And two years ago, Tyler thought he was being slick by sneaking away during our fraternity ski trip to spend the weekend with Hayden. But the joke was on them when a storm came through, and they found themselves snowed in. Between Tyler texting me he wouldn’t be home until Monday and Hayden canceling class, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together and blow their cover.”
I found it interesting that Fallon and I were in a similar situation to the one his friends had been in. Maybe that was why he seemed to accept the fact we couldn’t go completely public with our relationship. He understood the risks but had also witnessed how the wait was eventually worth the sacrifices made to be together.
“I’m sure being stuck in a house together for a couple of days wasn’t a hardship.” I chuckled, throwing a covert wink in Fallon’s direction since my team wasn’t around.
“I’ll admit it was risky, but definitely worth it.” Hayden smiled at his fiancé.
Once we got the all-clear, Fallon and I grabbed our luggage from the SUV and walked inside and into an open-concept kitchen that led to a large living room with massive windows overlooking the icy lake.
“Why don’t you all get settled upstairs,” Hayden suggested. “Dinner should be ready soon.”
On the first floor was the primary bedroom, where Tyler and Hayden were staying, and upstairs were four more rooms for the rest of us. Since the other guys were busy retrieving their stuff from the vehicles, Fallon and I headed upstairs to pick our rooms.
He opened the first door and walked inside. I let him check it out because whatever room he chose, I was going to take the one next to it regardless of the amenities.
He stepped out a moment later and waggled his eyebrows. “This bedroom has a bathroom that connects to the room next door.”
“I guess I’ll take the other one, then.” I grinned and went to the other bedroom to unpack.
A few moments later, I spun around as Fallon said, “This is going to be very convenient.”
I closed the bedroom door, then walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “It is, and I plan on taking advantage of it tonight.” I placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
“Why wait until tonight?”
“Because your friends are making dinner, and everyone will wonder what we’re up to if we don’t go down there.”
“Fine,” he huffed. “But I’m going to call it an early night, and you better not keep me waiting.”
“I won’t.”
