Chapter 7
Sadie was the perfect hostess, companion, and nurse, all rolled into one, and since that moment they’d shared, she’d kept herself rigidly professional.
It occurred to Saul that he’d never spent so much time with a woman outside the bedroom, unless it was for an assignment, and then it was just a job. The thought gave him pause. His whole life had been a revolving door of women, but there wasn’t a single one he could honestly call a friend.
Well, maybe Shelly, who he’d helped out and recommended for employment here on the island, but even she was a job, though they’d remained friends… or maybe acquaintance was more accurate. She was one of the few women to enter his life who he’d never been intimate with.
Yet he’d never set out to be a playboy. If he was honest, he even slightly resented the reputation. But it had been necessary to maintain his cover, until eventually, it had just become a way of life. As natural to him as breathing.
But the truth was, his first love was kink. And the women he was normally forced to engage with… weren’t into that.
And no, forced wasn’t fair. Nobody made him sleep with them. Still, if not for his undercover movements, they weren’t the women he’d choose to spend time with. And that was the truth. But he had chosen the method of his cover, so that was on him.
Lately though, just like the job, the revolving wheel of women was getting old.
The career which forced him to keep people at arm’s length was taking its toll, and he missed the companionship and just plain friendship of his peers.
Didn't it just suck that at the ripe age of thirty-five, he felt like he was getting old? But then, he’d seen more than most in those years, and as much glitter and glamour surrounded him, the majority of that had been the dregs of humanity.
Sadie? Well, she struck him on a different level. He’d been here, recuperating for four days now, and for as much pain as he’d been in at the start, he’d actually truly enjoyed himself in her company.
Sadly, he was getting to the stage where he had to start thinking about his future, and the repercussions of what had gone down in Puerto Rico.
“So, what’s crawled up your butt this morning?
” Sadie asked as he sat in the open plan lounge/kitchen staring sightlessly out at the beautiful tropical scenery of sun, sea and sand, all intricately intertwined with rich foliage and extravagant, scented flowers.
He knew it was there; it just didn’t register. Not today.
Saul heaved a sigh. “I have to get out of here. There are things I need to deal with, which I’ve put off for too long.”
Sadie raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think recuperating after getting shot can reasonably be called ‘putting things off’,” she commented, her eyes holding a depth of resilience and toughness completely at odds with her wholly angelic facade.
She was a paradox. A contradiction, with her spun golden blonde hair, beguiling blue eyes, and a pale complexion that barely held the hint of a tan despite the tropical paradise in which she lived.
She’d mark beautifully. Damn, he’d love to see his handprints on her naked ass. The thought had his cock twitching in anticipation.
Saul snapped his eyes away and scrunched them closed. No! He should not be thinking like that. Wasn’t he just telling himself how he was getting tired of the constant merry-go-round of women in his life? And here he was objectifying the very woman who was doing her best to help him.
“Believe me,” Saul replied, wrenching his mind away from the thoughts that were now spinning through his head.
“If I had the luxury of simply resting and recuperating, I’d take it.
But unfortunately, the circumstances that brought me here have consequences I can’t afford to ignore, and they’re time sensitive. ”
Sadie pursed her lips. “What, so you’re just going to fire up your helicopter and fly out of here while you’re still incapacitated?”
The censure in her voice was unmistakable, and Saul huffed out a breath. “I don’t have a choice,” he told her bluntly.
“Of course you do,” Sadie argued, her eyebrows beetling together.
Saul shook his head. “Not if I want to live,” he muttered under his breath, but evidently not quietly enough that she didn’t hear it.
“And what if you rip open your stitches? Or aren’t able to defend yourself in your current state? You think that’s any less likely to get you killed?”
“Please, Sadie. It’s not like I don’t agree, but…”
“What exactly do you need to do, Saul?” she asked boldly.
He looked at her. Really looked at her; deep into those blue eyes that should be so innocent and yet screamed of things they never should have seen.
It was like looking in the mirror - looking into her soul.
She would be a vault of discretion, he knew.
She already had to be for her job. Confidentiality was a way of life for this woman.
And suddenly, he found himself saying things he never meant to say.
“Look, I know you’ve already worked out I'm not exactly who people think I am.” He bit his lip, wondering just how much he should reveal, but the words tumbled out of his mouth, regardless.
“The truth is, I’ve used my persona as a cover for the past ten years while I’ve been working for the Secret Service. ”
She didn’t say anything, just waited for him to continue. He'd bet she was a fantastic therapist.
“On my last mission, I was compromised. And not just a little bit. The man who shot me, who set me up and was lying in wait for me from the start, has solid recorded evidence of exactly who I am, and what I do. The only reason I haven’t already been outed is because the greedy bastard is in the process of auctioning the information off to the highest bidder. ”
Sadie sucked in a soft breath, her hand darting out to cover his and squeeze.
He’d expected electricity. That always seemed to be there whenever they touched.
But what surprised him more was that it was…
comforting. Something he’d rarely experienced in the past twenty years.
It was enough to make his chest tighten unexpectedly, and he had the urge to rub at his sternum in response.
Sadie remained quiet, silently urging him to continue, and Saul couldn’t stop himself from turning his hand over so his fingers could tangle with hers.
Her breath stuttered and she wouldn’t meet his gaze, but she didn’t pull away, and Saul hurried on, happy to tell her his secrets if she would just stay close.
He felt an unusual connection to her. “When I escaped, I didn’t manage to eliminate all the protagonists… ”
He grimaced, realizing he’d just admitted to killing people, but Sadie didn’t so much as flinch at the admission, just squeezed his fingers. How could something so innocuous feel so right?
“Now, I have a limited window of time to try to stop that auction. Because if I don’t, and the details get out, my days will be numbered, and I’ll live what little of my life I have left constantly looking over my shoulder, while the people around me are endangered.”
He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, wondering if she’d permit him to have her, just once, before he walked towards what might be his death.
It was a beautiful dream. One that might even sustain him through what he knew would undoubtedly be the biggest challenge of his life.