The ride to the safe house was quiet. Some might call it eerie. Seeing the gated entry, Kathryn couldn’t help but wonder if she’d entered some sort of unmarked federal compound. The kind you only read about in books.
Thick woods darkened the winding driveway beyond the nearly pitch-black night. The high beams that had cast a bright hue on her car earlier did little as they rounded one dark curve after another up the hill. By his speed and relaxed steering, it was clear Jake could navigate the twists and turns with his eyes closed.
The driveway ended at a large contemporary building with straight lines and hard angles, giving the structure a foreboding presence. The standout feature contributing to the don’t fuck with me atmosphere was that there were no windows on the first story.
The truck pulled into what for most houses would be the garage. Here, it opened to a huge bay sparsely filled with a few other vehicles, including a Range Rover and several motorcycles. Jake killed the engine and they both got out, the thud of their closing doors echoing against the walls.
“So, how many people are at this safe house?” she asked.
Kathryn’s tired attempt to grab her overnight bag from the back was met by his hand swooping in. He threw a you know better scowl her way and slung the bag’s strap over his shoulder before he showed her inside.
“Including you and me? Let me think.” He mulled it over, counting on his fingers, looking to the ceiling as if it could help him through a complicated math problem. “Carry the one . . . oh,” he said as he gave her a sly look, “that would be two.”
Her smile slipped past her heavy fatigue. He was trying to lay a rosy red carpet over the swamp of crap she was wading through, and it was adorable.
Opening the door, he let her into a vestibule. Instantly, soft lights popped on as they made their way through a long corridor.
Motion activated.
They approached an ominous steel door. Jake pressed his hand onto a panel next to it. The loud clank snapped her from her weariness, letting her know the door had unlocked.
High-tech security too.
Well, even if my room is the corner suite at Alcatraz, I just need some sleep. Pretty sure it’s got running water and electricity, so it’ll be paradise compared to some of the hellholes I’ve bunked in.
Jake pushed open the heavy door to let her through.
Stunned, she reconsidered every preconception she’d had. Apparently, walking through the hall of MI-6 led them straight to the lobby of the Ritz Carlton.
The vaulted ceiling soared a full three stories above them, with a massive rustic stone mantel towering between walls of floor-to-ceiling windows. For a second, she could lose herself in the twinkling lights of the distant city and forget the whole reason she was here.
“This safe house is nicer than Buckingham Palace,” she said. “After they catch the SOB messing with me, I just might stick around. Maybe I could water the plants or cook to earn my keep.”
Her soft laugh earned her a slight chuckle from Jake in reply.
“Anything’s possible. I’ve got an in with the owner. Here, I’ll show you the room you’ll be calling home for a while.”
A half-spiral staircase took them to the landing on the second floor. Down the hall, he opened the double doors to a corner bedroom with a king-size poster bed and two walls of windows overlooking the same breathtaking view.
Jake ushered her inside the room and set down her bag. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab you a few bottles of water. Do you need anything else? Snacks?” When she shook her head, he said, “Be right back.”
Snooping around, she peeked into another doorway. The biggest bathtub she’d ever seen barely took up much of the spacious bathroom. A fireplace shared the wall between the two rooms.
Definitely going on my must-do list. Bath with a roaring fire.
The large walk-in closet was empty except for a few quilted blankets stored high on the top shelf, and she took another glance around. With the cream sheers and plush corner chair accented with a namast’ay in bed pillow, the room was lavish, but comfortable and cozy. A small photo in a silver frame on the nightstand tied it all together with a homey touch.
She picked it up, surprised to see a family photo depicting a much younger version of the man she’d spent the last few hours with. A candid shot, it captured an up-close-and-personal view of a young man graduating from high school, flanked by his beaming parents. For whatever reason, the sight of it brought tears to her eyes.
Convincing herself the response was perfectly normal for someone recently faced with extreme events and exhaustion, she didn’t try to hold back the tears that slid down her cheeks.
When Jake’s returning footsteps neared, she turned away, swiping her face and using her sleeve to dry the frame where a few drops had landed.
She cleared her throat as he stepped inside the room. “Looks like you’re here a lot. I guess rescuing damsels in distress is just another day for a lead cyber investigator, slash EMT, slash knight in shining armor.” She set down the frame. “Anyway, I’d hate to take a room you’re used to.”
He slung his arm around her shoulders as he gazed at the picture holding her attention. “I was eighteen, about to head off to boot camp and my first deployment.”
She stepped out of his hold and grabbed the bag at her feet, not bothering to get too comfortable. “You take the room. Seriously, I’m really low maintenance. I’m happy to take a smaller room . . . or the couch. I’m just grateful for a safe place to sleep.”
He stepped in front of her, tucking her hair behind her ear, and she dropped her bag. She looked down, foolishly trying to mask her crying.
Her breath hitched, but she said softly, “Or a tent out back . . .”
He lifted her chin, and her eyes fell closed. The press of his lips touching hers unknotted every muscle in her body. As he pulled her to his chest, she relaxed, unable to push away his warmth.
This man’s too much for me. I barely know him.
But she was his. All his. At the weakest, most vulnerable point in her life.
He pulled back from the kiss, leaving her wanting.
“This is my home, Kathryn. And you’re more than welcome to it. This is the room my folks stay in when they visit, but if you’d rather have a different one, there are several to choose from. If you need anything at all, I’m at the other end of the hall.” He pecked her sweetly. “Feel free to mosey anywhere you want, but try to get some rest.”
She studied his eyes, biting her lower lip. “Do you always come on this strong?”
Carefully, he slid his fingers to the back of her neck. His low voice sparked a shiver. “No, little kitten. Never in my life.”
With the firmness of his grip, her head fell back. For the first time, she realized what she’d been too preoccupied to see.
He knew who I was. All along.
Becoming her Dom hadn’t been a coincidence. Jake had chosen her.
She smoothed her hands across the muscles of his torso and slid them around him. His lips brushed her ear, and her nails skated over his back.
“And for the record,” he murmured, “I’ve barely skimmed the surface of coming on strong with you.”
The heat of his low voice vibrated against her neck, and she let out a little whimper.
His hand dropped to cup her cheek as he laid a last kiss on her lips. “Try to get some rest.”
He headed out, closing the door behind him.
Once she had her pajamas on and having spent the last of her energy on unpacking, Kathryn welcomed the surrender of sleep. But not before looking at the photo one last time. Smiling, she pressed a kiss to her finger, carrying it to the young man in the frame.