“It’sprobably also why you try so hard to never be in a situation where someone could take advantage of you.Whyyou make sure you’re always strong enough to fight back.Maybeit’s also what drives you to becompetitive.Whyyou like being the one to save the day, not the one who needs saving.”
“Isthat such a bad thing?”
Sheshakes her head slowly. “Ithink that is also a very beautiful thing.”
Hereyes rove over the muscles in my arms and then my shoulders.Whenthey get to my chest, my pecs are now the muscles flexing involuntarily.Sheis standing so close.Themoon and the stars bathe her in a silvery light, her eyelashes casting a shadow on her smooth cheekbones.Sheis so beautifully perfect.
Therise and fall of her chest tells me that her breathing has picked up.Shereaches up and runs her fingers along the side of my neck, across my shoulder, and comes to a rest on my chest.Theslight touch is making all my nerve endings fire, sending a cascade of electricity and heat through me.Sheis intoxicating.Whenwe left forDublin,IthoughtIwas an impenetrable vault.Itturns out that she is the safecracker.
Hereyes come back up to meet mine, flick to my lips for a moment, and then are back on my eyes, searching.Oneside of her lips pulls up in a sly smile. “Speakingof competitiveness, why haven’t you kissed me already?I’dthink you’d want to claim the win for being the first to initiate.”
Ishake my head and reach out to brush a lock of hair off her cheek with my fingertips, then skim my knuckles from the base of her ear down, along her jaw, feeling her smooth skin beneath mine. “That’sa winI’vewanted you to claim.Nomatter how long it takes.Nomatter howmany days we spend together without you making a move.Nomatter how muchI’mdying to kiss you every secondI’maround you.Thisone is your—”
Mysentence is cut off by her lips pressing against mine.Aslight moan escapes me at how good it feels to finally have her kissing me.Shehad blown my mind with the kiss she gave me in the hall ofSavovic’smansion when we were trying to not get caught by security.Thatkiss had felt like it was a need we’d had for ages.Shehad brushed that one off as being fake, just borne of necessity, butIhad felt then that her emotions had been mirroring mine.
Thisone has that same need, that urgency behind it.Butit is so much more because we have become so much more.Thiskiss is filling a well inside me thatIhadn’t realized had been so empty since that first day inMoldova.Herlips are moving against mine in a rhythm that feels like it’s matching our heartbeats.
Thereis so much longing and passion and connection and bliss being poured into this kiss, andIcan’t tell how much of it is coming from me and how much is coming fromZoe.AllIknow is that everything feels so perfect and so right.
Iwrap my arms around her, holding her close as we’re kissing and she’s tickling the hair at the back of my neck, sending the best kind of shivers up my back.Mylips leave hers long enough to place a soft kiss just below her ear beforeIplant a trail of kisses down her neck.
Thenmy lips are back on hers.Idon’t want this to ever end.
CHAPTER 28
HEARTSTRINGS AND HOME THINGS
ZOE
Lifeis good,Ithink asIplop onto my couch.Mycouch.Inmyapartment.Fourdays ago, after having dinner withLedger’sfamily and doing surveillance onCharlie’slove interest,Icouldn’t stop thinking about how great it would be to actually have my own place.AplaceIcould call “home.”
Ispend money on almost nothing, soIhave a good amount saved up.Istarted searching online for apartments to rent, and each one got me more excited than the last.ThenIfound one that was currently unoccupied and ready to move into immediately.Ithad a month-to-month contract, too, so it didn’t require a huge commitment, and the rent was less thanI’dpaid in hotel costs over the past month.It’snot far from work, either.Ididn’t think finding one this perfect was even possible.
Icontacted the owner right then and signed thecontract the next day.I’venever had the universe align for me like that before.
So,I’vehad a pretty monumental week.IkissedLedger, met all his family, went back to work (finally), sawLedgerevery night, checked out this apartment, signed the contract, got my keys, ordered a bed that was delivered last night, and went shopping withCharlie,Mackenzie, andMackenzie’sfriendLivitoday, buying so many of the thingsIneeded for this place.
There’sa knock at the door—myapartment door— andIwould skip over and answer it ifskippingandthis bootweren’t incompatible, even thoughIwas probably five the last timeIactually skipped.Ithrow open the door, andLedgeris standing there, holding a large gift bag by the handles with one hand, a bag with food in the other, and a smile on his face that has to be one of the most beautiful things on the planet.
Istep over the threshold and plant a kiss on those perfect lips of his, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me close, the bags he’s holding bumping into my backside.Itake a quick moment to soak in how great it feels beforeIstep back into my apartment, throw an arm out wide, and say, “Welcometo my humble home.”
Weare standing in my living room—myliving room— and he takes it all in, smiling as much asIam.It’sall open to the kitchen, on the left, and the bedroom and bathroom are down a hall to the right.Hewalks over to the small kitchen table which, along with my couch, was delivered less than an hour ago.Heholds up one bagand says, “Ibrought soup and rolls.”Thenhe holds up the bag in his other hand. “Anda housewarming gift.”
“Forme?”Iask, taking the bag from him.
Henods, andIpull out the coziest throw blanket in a deep purple color.Itis so soft thatIcan’t resist the urge to hold it up to my cheek, letting it feel how soft it is, too.Iwrap it around both of us, cocooning us together for a moment asItell him thank you and how muchIlove it.
Andkiss.Obviously.
I’veseen plenty of pictures where people artfully drape a throw blanket on their couch, and it always looks nice.Ithink it makes it feel like it’s a place for people to actually live in, not just look at.Ican’t sayIget it right— it mostly looks likeItried to put a blanket on a sleeping pig— butIlove it.
Ledgersits down on my couch, stretching his arms out along the back of it.Ihave to admit, asIwas shopping for a couch,Ilooked at each one, trying to imagine exactly this— how it would look withLedgerrelaxing in it.IthinkIchose perfectly. “Howwas shopping?” he asks.
Isit on the couch next to him but with my good leg bent and resting on the couch soIcan look right at him. “Atfirst,Ithought it was going to go horribly.Ididn’t knowLiviat all,Ibarely knowMackenzie, and only knowCharliea bit more thanIknowMackenzie.AndIwas just so clueless about everything.”
Ishake my head just thinking back on the whole thing.Iwas embarrassed, yetI’msomehow not embarrassed at all to tell the whole story toLedger. “Imean, the skills thatIhave are pretty impressive, but they’re all related to beingan intelligence operative.I’vegot no skills that make me good at shopping.Iwas such a fish out of water there.Afish out of water wearing a gigantic boot.Theone who didn’t know anything and was completely unskilled.Whichis a pretty uncomfortable feeling, by the way.
“Anyway, the entire time,Ididn’t show thatIwas good at one single thing, yet they all still seemed to enjoy being around me and liked me and wanted to spend time with me.”
