Chapter 16 #2
Her heart tugged uncomfortably. She hadn’t realized that that moment had had as much meaning for him as it had for her.
Asha frowned. “We’re not from the same place.”
“We might as well be. They’re all controlled by the same people.”
She stopped kneading. “What are? The compounds?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “Not something civilians are supposed to know, but I figure it can’t hurt to tell you now.”
“So…the Cave and the Delta are controlled by the same owners? Who are they?”
Cade tried to shrug, but gave up halfway through. “Above my pay grade. That’s one of the big secrets that nobody but those at the very top know for sure.”
They were both quiet for a while after that. She resumed the head massage, and eventually, she felt Cade’s body grow looser and heavier, his breathing deepening.
“You getting sleepy?” she asked.
He yawned. “Guess so. Feels good.”
She smiled and continued, moving down onto his neck and shoulders. She thought he’d fallen asleep, but he mumbled, “You’re my angel, Asha.”
She froze. “Why would you call me that? After everything he—”
Her voice cut off. She only associated that name with pain and torture and death. Even now, they were only on this mission because of that asshole.
The corners of Cade’s mouth lifted. “Because to me, you are. You’re sweet, and—”
“I am not sweet,” Asha protested. “You know I’m not. Don’t lie.”
He gave what looked like a painful chuckle.
“Alright,” he admitted, amused. “Not sweet. You may not be an angel, but you’re my angel, appearing in that slave market to remind me of what I’d lost. That’s what I care about.”
Asha bit her lip. That was probably the kindest thing anyone had ever said to her.
“You’re stoned, soldier,” she quipped, and he laughed again. “Out of your mind.”
“Maybe,” he allowed. “But also, Angel shouldn’t get a monopoly on the name, considering he only uses it ironically. I’m reclaiming it.”
“Is it not his given name, then?” Asha asked, interest piqued.
“No. It’s Hoyt.”
She burst into laughter. “No, it’s not. You’re fucking with me.”
Cade grinned, eyes still covered. “I’m not. He told me once when he was plastered. Made me swear not to tell afterwards.”
Asha dissolved into more giggles. “Oh my God.”
“Don’t tell anyone,” he said playfully. “We have a reputation to protect.”
“I won’t,” she replied, swiping at her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so hard. “Thank you for telling me. That was the best thing I’ve heard in ages.”
“Glad to be of service.”
He grunted when she pressed on a particularly painful spot at the back of his head.
“I have a funny story to trade,” Asha said, trying to distract him. “When I went to get Leo, he was stark fucking naked. You should’ve seen how he jumped—”
“Leo exposed himself to you?” Cade cut in, his voice suddenly cold as ice. He struggled to sit up, ripping the washcloth off his eyes and wincing at the light.
“No, no,” she hurried to say as she gently pushed him back down. “Nothing like that. It was an accident. I was worried about you, so I barged into his tent. He just…happened to be naked at the time.”
Cade relaxed a little, though he didn’t seem to find it funny like she’d thought. There was an awkward pause.
“See anything you liked?” he asked after a moment. His tone was carefully neutral.
“What?” Asha asked, taken aback. “Why?”
“I mean, he’s a good guy,” Cade continued, though he now sounded a touch resentful. “Brilliant doctor, good-looking…a woman could do worse, I guess.”
She frowned. What is he on about? Then it dawned on her, and more laughter bubbled to the surface.
“Oh my God. You’re actually jealous.”
“No,” he protested, but it was a pathetic attempt. “It’s my job to know what my troops are—”
“You are so fucking jealous, soldier,” she said, deeply amused.
“Fine,” he growled. “But you agreed to be my woman, darling, and I’m not about to share you with the doc. I don’t care how great his dick is.”
She laughed some more. “I didn’t get a good enough look to judge.”
His grumble told her that didn’t make him feel much better, but she was enjoying him like this.
She liked that he cared enough to want to keep her to himself; she’d never had that before.
Nothing physical had happened between them, yet she felt closer to him than she’d felt to anyone.
Their connection wasn’t one that followed conventional rules; instead, it’d been solidified in a single glance, a single moment of mutual need.
They’d needed each other in that slave market to remember who they once were, and to give one another a spark of hope for a better tomorrow.
“I like Leo a lot,” Asha continued, and she rolled her eyes as he grumbled again. “He’s always been nice to me, and he’s a good doctor. But there’s nothing between us. He’s a friend to me in the same way he is to you.”
Cade relaxed fully. “Okay.” He reached up and took her hand. “Because you’re my angel. Not his, or anyone else’s.”
Despite her earlier protest, she felt tingly all over when he called her my angel.
“You like that, huh?” he said, amused.
“No,” Asha replied primly, returning to her ministrations on his scalp. “I’m just thinking about how huge your head is. It’s a miracle I can even massage it. A miracle it even fits in my lap.”
“Sure, my angel.” He wore a smug smile that made her huff. “I know the truth: you feel some sort of way about me, and you don’t know what to do with that.”
He was right, but she covered her discomfort by rolling her eyes at him again.
“The smugness is really unattractive.”
He wouldn’t let up. “If you say so, my angel.”
Cade grimaced, blinking rapidly, and Asha realized that his eyes were hurting him again.
“Auras?” she asked, and he nodded. She frowned and adopted a scolding tone. “Relax. Don’t undo all my hard work. Close your eyes.”
For once, he listened, and they eventually lapsed back into comfortable silence.
This time, Cade did fall asleep with his head on her lap.
Asha smiled, tracing along his jaw with a finger as he breathed slowly in and out.
Her touch must’ve brought him comfort, because he leaned into it, even in sleep.
That same unfamiliar warmth from earlier radiated even stronger from her chest, and she sat quietly with him, stroking his head, until it was time for Leo to check on him again.