Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I nodded with a dip of my chin and inched back.
Despite the discomfort that kept a fist formed around my chest, what he’d said meant the world to me. Deep down, I knew I had surrendered—maybe I’d done that before the first night here. Because all the things that had followed were already treasured memories. No matter if we’d been playing together or I’d sat on the couch with my laptop while Gael read and Joshua cooked. Joshua had run plenty of errands too, which I was sure revolved around Caleb, but I hadn’t pressed for information.
I’d let this fantasy bubble swallow me whole.
“For being in hiding with you, I feel awfully exposed,” I admitted.
“That’s funny because I thought the same thing the other day, Sir.”
Yes, well. I preferred it when the sub was exposed, not me.
Hmpf.
I sat down on the couch and grabbed my iPad from the coffee table, just wanting to make sure I had enough battery. Out here, I didn’t have a newspaper to collect from my mailbox, so the online version would have to do.
A moment later, Gael came over with a tray for me. Coffee, eggs and bacon, brown toast, and a small bowl of blueberries and sliced strawberries. It was turkey bacon, something that sent me in two different directions. It sure wasn’t as delicious as real bacon, but it was a testament to how much Gael already cared. Without going to extremes like Macklin sometimes did.
“Enjoy, Master Dean.”
Just Master is fine, dear.
“Thank you, little peach.” I hadn’t been prepared at breakfast yesterday. Today, I was. “I think I found a way to show my appreciation,” I said, pointing to his phone on the table. “Check your email.”
I’d sent him a PDF of the script—well, my part of it—for a documentary I was participating in this year. I’d found out Gael was passionate about Cold War documentaries and articles, so this was right up my alley. The Cold War was my true area of expertise.
Much like yesterday, Gael squirmed his way between my legs so he could sit on the floor, and it had the same impact on me today. Joshua had suggested it at first, knowing I liked my sub at my feet. And yet, it felt entirely new with Gael. Different, more meaningful.
I took a sip of my coffee as he opened the PDF, the title right there, to which he scrolled quickly through the first few pages.
“Oh my gosh.” He peered up at me with wide eyes. “Is this for the documentary where you’ll be talking about the K-129?”
I smiled and inclined my head.
“And I can read it before anyone else?” he pressed.
I chuckled. “Well, outside the production crew. Yes.”
“Holy crapamoly! Okay, you eat. I read. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, shush.”
I exhaled a laugh—and allowed myself to be shushed just this one time.
He was too adorable. He got comfortable right there on the floor and hugged my leg, resting his chin on my knee while he read. It filled me with a sense of serene peace I’d never experienced before.
It was a wonderful moment. I kept my plate close so I wouldn’t get crumbs all over him, and I had my iPad resting on my thigh. Every now and then, in between bites, I combed my fingers through his hair and—
I frowned when I heard Joshua’s phone go off upstairs. It wasn’t his alarm signal—it was too early for that anyway. Someone was calling him.
His gruff voice followed. “Santiago.” A few seconds of silence came next. “Are you kiddin’ me? How the fuck do I interpret that?”
Gael cocked his head and looked up at me, visibly confused.
So was I.
“All right,” Joshua replied. “Yeah. I’ll go talk to Dean and Gael. Thanks for calling me, buddy. We’ll talk soon.”
Gael and I exchanged another glance, and then we waited. I turned off my iPad and set my plate on the table to the sound of Joshua cursing and yawning. Then he trudged down the steps wearing nothing but a pair of jeans, indescribably sexy, which led me to believe we weren’t in a rush.
“What was that about?” I asked.
Joshua rubbed the sleep from his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t fuckin’ know, but I don’t think it’s over. Caleb returned his rental at the airport an hour ago, and then he bought a plane ticket to San Francisco on his credit card.”
I furrowed my brow, and my mind started spinning. If the douchebag had been following us, perhaps he’d noticed a change in our patterns…?
We still didn’t know where Caleb had been staying during his weeks in the DC area, but we did know the car he’d been driving. Thanks to outside help from someone River and Reese knew, we’d found out it was a silver Hyundai Accent. An older model.