13. Adrian
THIRTEEN
“Ithink maybe I was being optimistic about the scabies thing,” I muttered as we pulled into the motel. Nataliya’s laugh, sweet and melodic, carried me into the lobby.
The motel was old, that was for goddamn sure, and the man behind the desk grinned too salaciously when I mentioned we were going to pay in cash.
“For an hour or two, sir?” he asked, and he looked over my shoulder, out the filmy window to where Nataliya was waiting in the car.
“Two days,” I gritted.
The man’s smile was nauseating as he gave me the price. We exchanged money for keys—actual keys, what the hell—and I rushed back to the car. Nataliya jolted as I slammed the passenger side door behind me. “What room number?”
I looked at the number engraved on the key. “Room 207.” I hoped it was far from the lobby.
As luck would have it, Nataliya had to circle to the back of the property. We were on the second floor, on the corner, near the back stairs. It was a good vantage point, and I was glad not to have our car visible from the road. We had no reason to believe that Hayes knew what we were driving, but if he’d been able to track down Zach, he might know about Nate and Emily, too.
And, even better, the lobby was not a reflection of the quality of the actual room. It was a little dated, yes, but it was clean. “Oh, this isn’t bad,” Nataliya said as we set down our bags. “I’m not afraid to take my shoes off.”
I laughed, and something relaxed in my chest that had been tight. “You’re braver than me,” I said, and we shared a chuckle.
But that good mood couldn’t last. The longer we stayed in the motel doing nothing, the more tension crept back between my shoulders. I hated having to “hurry up and wait”—I was a doer by nature. But it would be illogical and stupid to do anything without Zach and Gabe. Even recon could be risky.
“Are you okay?” Nataliya asked. She had been going through the files again, seated at the scarred table pushed against the wall opposite the double beds.
I shook my head. “Going stir-crazy.”
It was worse than that, though. I was angry, and I had nothing to vent that frustration on. “Dirty FBI agents, and they’re going after my team. I just?—”
“It’s a good thing.”
Nataliya’s words landed like a blow. “Excuse me?” I demanded.
“Obviously, Hayes doesn’t know what we’re planning, and he doesn’t know where we are. That’s why he’s going after your team. Just like with the kidnapping report, he’s trying to flush us out. That means he’s in the dark—which is good for us.” That made a lot of sense…but it didn’t do much to make me less pissed off. From the considering look on Nataliya’s face, she knew that. “Why don’t we get out of here for a bit?” she suggested.
“What?”
She nodded. “We both could use some dinner that doesn’t come out of a vending machine or a gas station. Unless you don’t think it’s safe with my picture still out there, attached to the Amber alert?”
I considered it. Yes, it was a risk having her out in public, but probably not as big a risk as she was thinking. “Most of the pictures that have been circulated have been of Elias, not you. Since he’s not with us, we’re not driving the car that went with our description, and there haven’t been any pictures of me, I don’t think people will recognize you. The picture they used of you had your hair pulled back—if you wear it loose, I think we’ll be fine.”
And the more I thought of going out with her somewhere, the more I liked the idea. The last real meal either of us had was at Sam and Owen’s this morning before we left. “Look up what’s close?” I asked, gesturing to her laptop.
She tapped the keyboard and brought up our options, limited as they were. “Fast food,” she mumbled, scrolling down. “A few diners.” More scrolling. “And someplace just called The Grocery Store that serves food.” She glanced at me. “It has decent reviews.”
“We’ll try that then,” I said.
It wasn’t until we were back in the car, following the directions on my phone, that it hit me that this felt like a date. We both needed a warm meal, of course, but we could have gone through a drive-thru and gone back to the room. But, instead, we were going to a sit-down restaurant together.
And, damn it all, I was nervous, like I was some teenager on his first date.
The only thing I should be thinking about was the mission that lay ahead, but here I was, fluttery over the idea of going to dinner with a woman. Not just any woman, I reminded myself. Nataliya.
There was something about Nataliya that was unlike any other woman I’d ever known. It wasn’t like I hadn’t met beautiful, capable women before because I had. All of my teammates had found women precisely like that. Nataliya just dug under my skin in a way that was entirely new.
The Grocery Store was tiny and served “country classics.” It gave me the vibe of being in someone’s grandparents’ home. The hostess showed us to a dimly lit table and smiled as she handed each of us a menu. “Enjoy,” she said.
Nataliya looked the menu over; a little wrinkle formed between her eyebrows. Without thinking, I reached across the table and soothed that area with my thumb. “You’re thinking too hard,” I said. “It’s just food.”
She waved me off, but there was a smile curling at her pretty lips. “Well, I’d like to get good food, preferably.”
I glanced down at the menu. It was all comfort food, all rich and satisfying. “I’m pretty sure you can’t go wrong here.”
Nataliya’s eyes went back to the menu, and when the waitress came, she ordered the chicken and dumplings. “Oh, that’s my favorite on the whole menu,” the older woman said, writing the order down. “Good choice, honey.”
“How’s the burger?” I asked.
She smiled. “It’s great. You want it fully dressed?”
I nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
The waitress toddled away, taking our menus with her. “I’m not entirely sure what I ordered,” Nataliya confessed when she was far enough away. “Is the chicken in the dumpling?”
“You worked in a diner in Louisiana and never had chicken and dumplings?”
She shook her head. “We had dumplings with Chinese takeout sometimes.”
I chuckled. “Totally different kind of dumpling.”
We were one of the only tables in the whole place, so it took a very short amount of time to get our food. When Nataliya saw her chicken and dumplings, her face twisted in confusion. “Is it like a stew?” she asked.
“Kind of. Try it.” She took a bite, and her face went through a whole slew of emotions. Had I ever watched someone eat with such fascination before? Someone I wasn’t actively pranking, that is? “How is it?”
Nataliya’s nose wrinkled slightly. “Odd,” she said. “But good.”
I smiled. “Good.”
We ate, mostly in silence. I’d learned over the past few days that Nataliya tended to be quiet during meals, but I’d thought perhaps it was because we were eating with my teammates—people who were basically strangers to her. But no, it seemed that mealtimes were just quiet times for her. She would answer questions, but she didn’t feel the need to fill the space with chatter.
I liked that. I could relate to the need for a wind-down time, especially when things had been so chaotic lately.
“Do you need to call Elias?” I asked as we were finishing up.
She checked her watch. “I will at eight thirty. That’s the time Sam and I agreed on. She’ll call me during the day if he wants to speak with me, but I wanted an agreed-on time so he has that constant.”
By then, we would be back at the motel. “I can take a walk if you want some privacy.”
Nataliya shook her head, chuckling. “Do you think he’s not going to want to talk to you?” she asked. “He’ll want to know all about whatever hero stuff we’ve gotten up to.”
That made me snort. “Oh, waiting in a motel for backup is so heroic.”
She shrugged, a delicate rise of her shoulders. “He’s eight. He thinks everything is cloak and dagger.”
I smiled. “I’ll try and make it exciting.”
“That’s all he wants.”
Something about the way her mouth curled around the words made my heart stutter in my chest. What do you want? The question was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t voice it. It wasn’t the time or place to ask. We were talking about her child, for God’s sake, and it wasn’t like this was a real date anyway.
We paid for our dinner and backtracked to the motel. Nataliya fiddled with the radio until it played something other than country music. She hummed along with the Top 40 station. She was a little off-key, but I ached to hear her sing for real. Even if it was terrible, I thought it would be a sound I could get addicted to.
There were a few more cars in the parking lot when we returned, but all seemed quiet. I parked near the stairs that led up to our room. “Stay in the car for a second? Let me check the room?”
I expected her to ask why, but Nataliya just nodded. “Okay. Lock the door after you get out.”
Smart girl. I locked her in and took the steps up to the second floor of the motel. The weight of my handgun at the base of my spine, tucked into the holster, was a comfort. I unlocked the door and swung it open, ready for whatever might be waiting.
I checked the tiny closet and bathroom; I made sure the door to the adjoining room was still locked. Everything was quiet. I poked my head out and waved Nataliya up, and moments later, she came through the door. “Lock it behind you,” I said. “Hayes might not have found us, but?—”
“It’s good to be abundantly cautious,” she finished for me. “I get it. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve done out of precaution.”
“Like keeping all of your important belongings in a bag in your trunk?”
She nodded. “I’ve abandoned furniture, changed aliases, literally run for my life.” She wrapped her arms around herself, as if she were cold. “I’m hoping that after we do this, all of that will stop.”
“I hope so too.”
“Did getting out of the room help?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“You were angry before, right? Going stir-crazy? Did getting out help?”
It had. Being out, getting to act normal, even for a little while, had tempered my mood. “Being with you helped.”
Nataliya smiled, clearly pleased. It was a smile I hadn’t seen on her before. I liked it. “I’m glad I could help. That’s why I’m here, after all.”
She was talking about the mission, but her words shivered over my nerves and down my spine. The tension was thick between us, and we were on that edge—we could fall into it, or we could walk away.
I didn’t want to walk away.
“Nataliya.” She shivered, as if just by saying her name, I’d touched her, and I knew she was feeling the same thing that I was. I glanced at the clock—we had some time before her call with Elias. “I think we’re both still a little keyed up.”
She nodded. “I think you’re right.”
“I have an idea for how we could deal with that,” I said and crossed the room to her. My eyes zeroed in on her lips, plush and soft.
“Show me?” she breathed, and I took her into my arms, biting back a sigh of relief at the feel of her pressed against me again. I’d held her all of two times. How could I have missed her this much? It was like an ache beneath my skin that I hadn’t even realized was there.
Our lips met, and there was that citrusy burst of sunshine taste again. It must be some sort of lip balm. Whatever it was, I couldn’t get enough. I licked into her mouth, intent on chasing that taste, and she sighed against me. Fucking beautiful.
I kissed my way down her neck, finding all the little spots that made her shiver, and she clutched at me, fingers digging into my arms. “How long has it been since someone touched you?” I murmured in her ear. “Properly?”
“About three years.”
I didn’t know her ex-husband, but whoever he was, I hoped that he knew just how badly he fucked up by walking away. “That’s a crime,” I said, nibbling at her earlobe. “Let me make it up to you?”
Nataliya nodded. “Please.”
I peeled her out of the simple shirt that she’d put on this morning, leaving her in a pretty lace bra. There was a flicker of uncertainty on her face; her fingers dug into me for a second. “You’re beautiful,” I told her, gently. “I can’t wait to get my hands on you.” Her breath shuddered out, and with careful hands, she reached behind her and unclasped the strap of her bra. It loosened, and she slid the fabric down her arms.
Fucking hell. I wrapped my arms around her, reaching under her thighs and hauling her up so that she wrapped her long legs around my waist. She squeaked. “Adrian?—!”
I took her to the closest bed and laid her out, standing just for a second to appreciate how angelic she looked before I reached out to pull her jeans down her hips. “You too,” she said, leaning up on her elbows. “I want to see you too.”
I smirked. “Anything you want,” I said and shed my clothes with far less care and far more speed, making her laugh.
“I want you,” she said.
I climbed onto the bed with her, crawling between her parted knees. “Then, you get me.” Our mouths met, and I couldn’t keep my hands off her for a moment longer. Her skin was soft, and we both groaned when I palmed her breast.
My mouth followed my hands, and I made my way down her body, mapping her curves, until she was trembling and pleading for me. Finally, I reached the very center of her and groaned to find her already wet for me.
“Oh, God!” Nataliya cried out when I buried my face against her, tasting her properly for the first time. “Adrian, please, don’t stop.”
Like I was going to. I took her over the edge with my fingers and tongue, relishing the way she chanted my name and how her thighs pressed tightly to the sides of my head, holding me in place until she reached her climax. When I eased back, her hazy, satisfied expression nearly drove me back to continue on with what I’d been doing.
As if she could read my mind, Nataliya shook her head. “You, now,” she all but demanded.
I reached over to the side of the bed, to where my jeans had fallen, and grabbed the condom that was in my wallet. Nataliya raised her eyebrow, and I shrugged, sheepish. “I wasn’t expecting anything,” I insisted. But I also sent a silent thanks to Owen, who had suggested I take a few before we left. I’d protested, but he’d just given me a look, and I’d stuck the condom in my wallet to shut him up.
I slipped the condom over myself, groaning slightly, before I slipped back between her thighs. She pulled me down for a kiss, and I pressed myself against where she was wet and waiting for me. I plunged my tongue into her mouth as I thrust inside of her, and Nataliya let out a muffled cry of pleasure as she wrapped her legs around my hips. Her hands were everywhere: gripping my shoulders, carding through my hair, cupping my face.
“You feel incredible,” I murmured as I moved within her. Pure pleasure lit up my spine, and I was getting close…but there was no way in hell I was going to finish before Nataliya. I pulled myself out of her arms and sat back so that she was splayed out for me. She moaned at the shift in angle and chased my movements with her own, building that sweet tension between us.
Her hips hitched against mine, and I groaned out loud when she reached between her thighs to touch herself. “That’s it, sweetheart,” I grunted. “Make yourself feel good.”
Nataliya’s breathing hitched, and I felt her inner muscles tighten around me as we worked together for her second orgasm. “Adrian,” she moaned. “Oh—!” I watched her face as she came for me again, and it sent me over the edge with a groan and a stuttering of my hips.
Panting, I leaned down and pressed my lips to her shoulder, her throat, her chin, and finally her lips. Nataliya smiled at me, eyes heavy on mine. “Share a shower with me?” I suggested, already thinking about what fun we could have beneath the water.
She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. We still had plenty of time before her phone call. “Okay,” she said. “A quick shower though.”
I held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Were you a Boy Scout?”
My laugh echoed around our room. “Not at all.”