Chapter 16
A loud, insistent beeping shocked Zoe out of a deep sleep. She jolted and found herself being spooned with a warm arm wrapped around her.
Panic filled her for a second as she tried to place where she was and who she was with. The hotel room could be anywhere.
“Shit, sorry.” Heath’s warm voice identified the arm as he quickly withdrew it and sat up, switching the light on.
Zoe’s heart rate slowed as she took a moment to calm herself before turning to face him.
“It’s fine.” Actually it would have been more than fine if she’d realised whose arms she was wrapped in when she woke.
She pushed her hair out of her face and smiled at him to show she wasn’t bothered. “Did you sleep well?”
He nodded and grinned. “I don’t need to ask about you, because you were dead to the world by the time I came out of the shower.”
Her cheeks flushed. “It was a long day.”
Their gaze lingered and Zoe was mindful of just how much of a mess she must look right now.
Heath on the other hand, was already clear-eyed and alert.
What would it take to distract him?
Her eyes darted to his lips.
Heath cleared his throat, already climbing out of the bed. “We should get moving,” he said. “I don’t know how long the lines at security are going to be and we don’t want to miss our flight.”
That threat was enough to dissolve all her thoughts of how she could distract him.
She wanted to go home. Zoe threw back the covers. “Do I have time for a quick shower to freshen up?” Her eyes felt heavy still, and her muscles were tight, probably because she hadn’t moved in several hours.
“Yeah, but don’t take too long.” He handed her the bag with her travelling clothes.
“Thanks.” As she walked to the bathroom, she noticed the exit door had a coat hanger hanging from it. She frowned, and it took her a second to realise it would make noise when someone entered the room.
Early warning system.
Heath was still on active duty. Still thinking about safety while she had been too tired to even think.
Her respect and admiration for him grew. Now they weren’t fleeing for their lives she had time to examine how she felt about Heath.
She wanted to get to know him, wanted to find out what else made him tick. But would he want to see her again after they got home, or was she just a mission—and a pain in the arse —to him?
Pushing her concerns aside, she finished her shower and brushed her teeth, walking back into the hotel room in record time. “Your turn.”
She used the mirror in the main room to brush her hair and then put the scarf in place.
She stared at her reflection, noting a faint bruise from where Kamran had backhanded her. She touched it lightly and winced.
It could have been so much worse. Ali or Kamran could have ordered her to be punished as well.
She’d been lucky.
The expression in her eyes grew darker as she ran through all the options.
She might still look the same, but something had definitely shifted inside her.
The world felt different now. She couldn’t go back to her cosy life while knowing that somewhere, someone was probably facing the most horrific day of their life right now.
How was she supposed to reconcile that?
The door opened and Heath walked out, drying his hair with a towel, dressed casually in branded tracksuit pants and a jumper. Casual, yet extremely sexy.
She pushed aside her dark thoughts to focus on Heath. Right now she would enjoy what time she had left with him. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah.” He handed Zoe her backpack, and she put her sleeping clothes inside. By the time she turned around to check what else needed to be packed, Heath was by the door with his backpack over his shoulder and one of the shopping bags full of their old clothes inside. “Ready to go?”
Part of her was more than ready to get home, but there was also a part that wanted to stay here, where it was safe, where she didn’t have to worry that something else was going to go wrong.
What if they hadn’t been cleared of involvement in the Dubai airport bombing? What if there was an international warrant out for their arrest and the moment they went through customs they were arrested again?
Heath didn’t look worried. He waited patiently by the door, but perhaps he saw the concern in her eyes because he said, “It’s all right. We’ll be home soon.”
“What about customs?”
“Dobby hasn’t picked up any international chatter,” Heath said. “There’re no warrants for our arrest.”
His assurance calmed her anxiety, and she followed him out of the room.
It was dark when they exited the hotel and boarded the shuttle back to the airport. “What time’s our flight?” she asked as they walked into the bustling terminal.
Heath placed the bag with their old clothes in a nearby bin. “We’ve still got a couple of hours.”
She frowned. “How long did we sleep for?”
“About eight hours.”
She hadn’t realised. Her stomach rumbled.
Heath chuckled and passed her a protein bar from his backpack. “We’ll get something more substantial as soon as we’re through security.”
She scanned the other passengers streaming into the airport, partially expecting the witch to turn up here, even though he was back in the UAE. Her shoulders were tense as she walked past another rubbish bin.
Would she ever feel safe in a crowded place again?
There was a part of her that was more aware now and possibly always would be.
Finally it was their turn at the customs desk. Zoe held her breath as Heath handed over their passports. The man stamped them without really looking at them and then they were through to the gate area. Zoe breathed a sigh of relief. Almost out of here.
“What do you want to eat?” Heath asked.
There were a few restaurants available. Something plain that reminded her of home. “How about a burger?” And chips. Comfort food.
“Sounds good.”
The service was fast and it wasn’t long before they were seated with their food, Heath sat facing the entrance again so he could see the comings and goings.
“Is it second nature?” Zoe asked.
He frowned. “What?”
“You position yourself so you can see everyone coming. You booby-trapped the hotel door too.”
He smiled and nodded. “You need to see threats when they’re coming. Even when I’m not on a mission, I tend to be aware of my surroundings.”
She had to remember this was a mission for him, instead of enjoying being in bed with him and thinking about wanting to see him again.
No wonder he’d leapt out of the bed when they’d awoken. And she’d thrown herself at him at the airport in Dubai, kissing him.
Talk about sexual misconduct. Her face heated. Totally inappropriate thing to do to a man who was doing his job. She’d put him in a difficult position, and now he was probably dying to get her out of his hands.
Maybe she had some kind of hero worship going on, and all the heightened emotions were getting to her.
Damn, she didn’t want it to be. She really liked him.
She had to apologise. But this was going to be awkward.
She tilted her head and studied him for a minute, trying to find the right words.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” Heath wiped at his beard.
She shook her head. “No, I’m trying to figure out how to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“It might make things awkward or weird.” She shifted in her seat, suddenly wishing she hadn’t brought it up.
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s OK, Zoe. You can ask me anything.” His eyes met hers, and there was open honesty in them.
She braced herself. “Should I not have kissed you? I mean, the first time I was trying to distract you from the witch, but the second time…” She squirmed.
“That was because I wanted to. Was that inappropriate work conduct?” Another thought occurred to her.
“Or did you just kiss me back so it wouldn’t be awkward? ” Oh, that was particularly mortifying.
Heath’s lips quirked, but he didn’t laugh at her spiralling.
He put down his burger and took both of her hands in his.
“Zoe, it’s OK.” He squeezed them. “I’m glad you kissed me, and I wanted to kiss you.
” His smile was warm before he turned serious.
“My major would have a fit if he found out about it, but I’m not planning to tell him.
The truth is, I want to get to know you better and was trying to figure out how long I needed to wait after we get back to Australia before it would be appropriate to ask you out. ”
Her heart sang, but she frowned. “Why wait?”
“I’m in a position of power over you, Zoe. I’m responsible for your safety. I don’t want you to feel as if you owe me anything. I won’t take advantage of this situation.”
Her mouth gaped as she realised what he was saying. “I didn’t consider that.” But she should have after what he’d been through. Her cheeks heated, and she glanced down at the table and then back at him. “But just for your reference, I’m fairly sure I’ll be free all this week for a date.”
He grinned at her then, the seriousness leaving his gaze. “Good to know. I’ll call you as soon as the debrief is over.”
Anticipation stirred, and she couldn’t wait to get back to Australia. “How long’s that likely to take?”
“No more than a day.” He pinched one of her chips. “What kind of dates do you like to go on?”
It had been so long since she’d been on one, she didn’t know. “To be honest, I want time to get to know you,” she said. “Somewhere we can talk, and eat…” She glanced at the surrounding people, feeling a little exposed. “And be away from crowds.”
“I can manage that.”
She grinned as she ate another couple of chips, but when she glanced at the burger, her stomach suddenly rolled.
The smell was too… meaty for her. Kamran’s face flashed into her mind and she pushed the food away, her appetite gone.
“Are you OK?” Heath asked.
She sipped the soft drink that had come with the meal, not wanting to spoil the mood. “Fine. You can have my burger.”