It was a nice sensation, being held so tenderly.
But it was also scary. Not just because I barely even knew this man, but because I now knew, without a doubt, that this was more than mere lust. This was the real deal.
And the timing absolutely sucked.
I closed my eyes against the sudden rush of fear and panic. Damn it, why would fate do this to me? Why throw my future in my face when my present was so full of danger? I might have ditched the tracker, but until I freed my mom and the kids, the scientists would remain a dark specter on my horizon. A specter that had proven more than ready to kill.
And I didn’t want to have to pray for Trae’s soul in the predawn morning as I had Egan’s.
“You okay?” Trae said softly.
I shoved the fears aside and forced a smile. “Yeah. Just a little mind-blown.”
“That was pretty amazing, wasn’t it?”
“Totally.”
After a bit more snuggling, he added, “We really can’t stay here like this.”
“I know.” But I didn’t move, wanting to delay that moment and enjoy the warmth of his body wrapped around mine just a little bit longer. “What time are we going to the house?”
He pulled away a little, and air swirled in between us, cooling the sweat still dotting my skin.
“The agent’s meeting us at ten. Which gives us about an hour.”
I frowned, and twisted around to look at him. “Agent? How can we possibly raid the safe if we have a real estate agent dogging our every move?”
“Because she won’t be dogging our heels. I’ll arrange a little distraction, then you’ll keep the old girl occupied while I find and raid the safe.”
“Will that work?”
I couldn’t help the doubt in my voice, and he smiled. “It has in the past.”
“You raid homes in broad daylight?
”
“Best time. People are less watchful during the day.”
“And it’s more of an adrenaline rush, undoubtedly.”
His smile grew. “Undoubtedly. You want first shower? I’ll make coffee.”
I tossed off the covers and got out of bed. As I walked toward the bathroom, the daylight caressed my skin as warmly as Trae had minutes before. Part of me wanted to go back to his arms, to taste more of what he had to offer.
But time wasn’t something I had a lot of, and dallying in bed when I needed to be elsewhere would be nothing short of foolishness.
And I’d been foolish enough recently. But not, I thought, this morning. Whatever else happened, at least I had that moment to take with me.
I took a long, hot shower, and when I finally stepped out, I felt a muted echo of the vitality I felt every time I stepped out of the sea.
Unfortunately, this time there was no yummy man within eyesight to warm my skin to even greater levels and set my pulse rate soaring. But he was near—and the clink of a spoon against china and the delicious aroma of coffee invading the air suggested he hadn’t been idle while I’d drenched myself under the hot water.
I dried off quickly, then wrapped the towel around my body and headed out.
He looked up as I entered the main room, his cool blue gaze sweeping the length of me before coming back to rest on mine. He held out the mug of coffee and said, “I’ve made some toast, or there’s some cereal if you want it.”
I accepted the coffee and took a sip. Its taste was more bitter than I liked, but compared to the muck the scientists used to give us, anything short of mud would have tasted divine. And as the thought ran through my mind, an image rose. A cherub-cheeked man with a cheerful smile and blue eyes bringing us coffee. The same cherub-cheeked man holding a gun to Egan’s forehead. The cold light in his eyes as he threatened to press the trigger unless I dropped the gun I was holding. The splatter of his brains across the wall as I fired the weapon rather than release it.