Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
“You will.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead and then stepped back. “Get me what I need. I know you think I should tell my mother, but I’m not going to. It would ruin her life, and I’m unwilling to put the mission in danger for something my mother doesn’t need to know. I need proof that this was a scam, and she’ll check into it. So make it good.”
All she could do was nod. He was bending. He was trusting her with something deeply important to him.
He brushed his lips over hers once more and then turned away. “Be good, baby. I know I will be.” He walked down to the room he’d shared with Brad and disappeared behind the door. Likely to pack so he could make his way to an airport.
“Well, that doesn’t make me feel better.” Brad had a frown on his face.
It didn’t help her out either. She forced herself to walk to her room and get to work. After all, it wasn’t like she was going to be able to sleep.
Chapter Twelve
Taylor rolled over as her cell phone rang. It was barely eight a.m. Who the hell would be…
Dom of My Dreams read the caller ID.
“When did you steal my cell and put your number in?”
Drake’s low chuckle came over the line. “Hey, I’m a good spy. I swiped it when you went to the bathroom at dinner.”
“Dom of my Dreams?” She took a long breath and stretched, feeling looser than she’d been in forever.
Thanks to the man on the other end of the line.
“Well, you might know other Drakes. I wanted to be clear.”
Yes, because Drake was such a common name. The good news was she could change it, and she would. Later. Probably. It was kind of cute. She rolled on her back and stretched. “It’s early. Did you make it to DC?”
“Yes.” There was a deep weariness to his voice. “I found a charter pilot who could take me, but I just got to my apartment. I’m supposed to go see my parents after I take a nap. I hope my mom doesn’t insist I stay with them.” She could hear him yawning. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Yes.” She wasn’t about to tell him she’d slept better than she had in a long time. Again, thanks to the long, slow care he’d given her.
“I’m glad because I barely slept at all,” he groused. “I want to say I didn’t sleep because I couldn’t stop thinking about how hot you were last night, but the honest truth is I’m worried you think I’m a monster for lying to my mom. I can’t stand the thought. We were doing so well and…”
“I do understand.” There was something about his weary words that reached across the distance between them.
He was quiet for a moment. “When I was a kid he told me I had to keep it from her because I was protecting her. Because everything we did was for Mom. She was kind of a superhero. She was a good mom. In a modern way, of course. I’m sorry. I’m rambling. I didn’t want to go to sleep until I talked to you.”
“So talk to me.” If he wanted to talk about his parents, it could help her do her job. Anything he could tell her would be information she could use to make proper decisions. “When was the first time you remember your dad asking you to spy for him?”
“The first mission he sent us on was more Julia’s than mine. I was supposed to back her up. I was ten and Julia and I were going to a friend’s birthday party,” he said with another obvious yawn. “Sally Girard. Sally’s dad was an ambassador from a European country. We were supposed to get into the dad’s office and take some pictures. If he caught us, we were supposed to pretend we were being goofy. Julia managed to convince the party to make a little movie and the ambassador opened the doors for us himself. Everyone trusts a kid.”
She sighed because Drake’s father had obviously been ruthless. “Never once did my dad ask me to do anything but monitor situations or help him clean up a wound.”
“I’m starting to wonder if your dad didn’t love you more than mine did me,” he admitted.
“Maybe just differently.” She hated how defeated he sounded. “Tell me something happy, Drake.”
She knew she shouldn’t care, but she couldn’t help it. She had to reach out to him.
His voice went low. “Well, I topped this pretty sub last night.”
This she could do. “Tell me all about it…”
He started to talk, and for the first time since he stormed back into her life, she truly listened.
* * * *
Dom of my Dreams
I’m in hell.
Taylor
It’s just DC. You can handle it. You’ve lived there all your life.