“Grady Worthen can’t control me,” she shouted. “Let’s stay in Europe.”
Brandon whooped on the phone. “You go, Lizzy!”
“We’ll be in touch,” Chase said, pushing the end button on the call and dropping the phone in his pocket. He turned Lizzy to him, framing her face gently with his hands. “Do you mean it?”
She reached up and clung to his strong biceps. “That I want to be with you?”
He nodded.
“More than anything,” she said softly.
Chase’s eyes widened slightly and filled with warmth. Then he dipped his head and captured her mouth with his.
That was all the answer Lizzy needed.
Chapter
Thirteen
The only positivesChase could identify about Sunday was being close to Lizzy, knowing Brandon hadn’t betrayed him, being able to trust Macon and his men again, and finally having some answers about the attack.
He was tired from no sleep the night before and wanted to be alone with Lizzy. They had extra men from Sutton Smith on duty now, but he still felt unsettled and overly protective.
They spent a quiet evening eating leftovers from the fridge and watchingTheSound of Musicagain. Her infectious excitement about the movie and all the places they’d see on Friday distracted and enlivened him. For a short time.
More drawn to and invested in Lizzy than ever, Chase realized he had to make some changes. He needed to keep his distance emotionally so he could see clearly to keep her safe. It was imperative to dive deep into mission mode. The mission was protecting Lizzy, but he didn’t have his trusted Ranger unit by his side.
So Chase made a plan. He would not leave her side, even at night. That meant he needed solid boundaries and couldn’t be kissing her and holding her close. He’d have to restrain himselfuntil the mission was complete, no matter how rough it might be or how enticing and incredible Lizzy was.
Taking a relationship slow was usually no problem for him, but this was Lizzy.
Chase slept on the couch in her room Sunday night. She protested that he should take the bed, but he refused. He hurried to the couch and lay down while she studied him. It was torture to be in the same room as her and not touch or hold her, but he had to refrain. She finally gave a cute little grunt of disgust and then headed for the bathroom. Thankfully, he was tired enough he slept—after she was safely settled in bed.
On Monday, they spent the day on the Hallstatt Lake. First they did a ship tour on a large boat that Madelyne had rented out only for them, eating lunch on the ship. After lunch, they toured Schloss Grub, the castle on the lake. Then they got in a smaller boat with Macon and Tony, the guards from Sutton Smith trailing them in a separate boat. They skimmed across the water and enjoyed the bright sun, the epic mountain valley, and the beautiful June weather.
That night, when he told Lizzy goodnight and lay down on the couch, he felt like he’d accomplished a great feat. He’d not only kept Lizzy safe, but he’d kept his hands off of her. Besides the incidental touches or taking her elbow to escort her.
It was impressive on his end. She was almost impossible to resist, especially knowing how it felt to kiss her.
For her part, Lizzy had started the day giving him alluring, come-hither type glances. When he stayed strong, she grew quiet and seemed reconciled to their new roles. Part of him wanted to get her alone to explain that keeping his distance was only until they caught Worthen. Part of him didn’t know how to explain a military assignment to a civilian, and he definitely didn’t know how to explain to a beautiful woman like Lizzy that he couldn’t let his guard down when they were in her room alone at night.
She might think he was an out of control and hormone-driven man, but that was the very thing he was trying to avoid by keeping his distance. The silence between them felt thick as they went to sleep, but he was grateful she seemed to understand and he didn’t have to lay it all out there or have her cuss him or try to convince him not to keep his distance. That would make him feel awful.
On Tuesday, they went to the Eagle’s Nest, the famed headquarters of the Nazi party. The physical setting was in a beautiful spot, the view from the top inspiring, but what the building and tunnels had been used for was disturbing and added to his unease.
Chase’s soldier instincts were firing, and he found himself looking over his shoulder every other minute. Their guards were diligent, but something dangerous was lurking, and it went beyond the solemn setting. He could sense it even if he couldn’t pinpoint it. Grady Worthen was somehow tailing them and yet nobody could see or find him.
Tony and Macon agreed there was something lurking, which only put him more on edge.
After the Eagle’s Nest, they went to the scenic Königssee Lake and did a short hike. They explored the nature center, the town of Berchtesgaden, and did another intriguing salt mine tour. Chase didn’t like wishing away the time with Lizzy, but he was relieved to check off another day.
On Wednesday, they drove to Mondsee to see the Basilika St. Michael that the Captain and Maria were married in. Lizzy was absolutely adorable, spinning slow circles in the church and gushing over how beautiful it all was, reminding him of Maria’s dress and the nun’s song, and proclaiming what a dream it was to be there. Like the other locations, he felt uneasy and as if a shadow was tailing them, but nobody dangerous was sighted by Macon or Sutton Smith’s men.
Did Worthen have another accomplice? That was the only explanation he could think of.
That afternoon, they hiked the Almbach Gorge. Chase carried Lizzy part of the way out because her legs got tired, and he felt on top of the world when she leaned into him. Fighting himself not to kiss her like he wanted to was brutal.
Lizzy seemed restored to her chatty and appealing self, but she kept giving him questioning looks. She didn’t appear to like the emotional barrier he’d put up, and he could relate, but keeping her safe had to take priority.
