“So…how do you feel about leaving the country?”
Chapter 14
Emily
“You don’t have to do this,” he says for the hundredth time as I grip the arm rests of the plane seat tightly. “It won’t have any bearing on your job if you change your mind.”
I close my eyes, desperately trying to forget that I’m on a plane. It’s not that I hate flying, exactly. The flying part I don’t necessarily mind, but the plane… I could do without. I can’t stand to be in an enclosed space, knowing that I can’t simply open a door or window and feel the air on my skin. Because of that, planes are the worst. You can’t exactly open the door and step outside anytime you want. The only good thing is that the flight is direct.
I just have to get through the next few hours without convincing my new boss that I’m bat-shit crazy. I’m not stupid, I know how all my little quirks look. God knows, I’ve dealt with them long enough. I used to be much better at hiding them, but ever since my dad got sick, they got worse. Just hearing his voice used to be enough to pull be back when my anxiety got too out of control. But now he’s gone…
“Have you found an apartment yet?” Luke asks, pulling my attention back to reality, though I’m not sure if that’s good or bad at this point.
“N… no, not yet. I have some appointments lined up for next week though to check a few out.”
“You’re still at the hotel?”
“It works; I don’t mind it. The realtor—she’s arranging for someone to pack up my stuff and will ship it to me once I find a place of my own.”
“If you need any help, let me know. A few of our contractors rent places near the office.”
“Thanks. Alec sent me a list of places to look at the other day.”
“Oh, good.”
I slowly open my eyes, feeling a tad more at ease after talking to Luke. I doubt he realizes it, but he managed to do what my dad would do when I got like this. He distracted me just enough to keep my mind off of all the worst possible things that could go wrong. I take a deep breath and look around the large, crowded plane. All too quickly though I turn my focus back to the man sitting next to me.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yeah, sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
“I hate enclosed spaces.”
“Me too,” he admits.
“Really? How is this not driving you crazy?”
“Oh, it is,” He laughs. “I just hide it well. Before we even sat down, I knew where every exit was, where the bathrooms were, and even how many staff were working the flight today.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.” He smiles sadly. “Sometimes doing little things like that helps.”
“I just try to avoid it at all costs.”
“There’s that too.” We both laugh. “But I learned while serving that avoidance isn’t always an option. So, I found small ways to manage, without drawing attention to how crazy it was driving me at the time.”
“I was better at it…before, I mean.”
“What was college like for you?”
“Difficult.” I smile remembering the look on my dad’s face when I received my degree. “I graduated high school at seventeen, started college immediately afterward and finished with a double major in just three years—”
“Damn.”
“It was my way of dealing with the anxiety that would threaten to strand me. I threw myself into my school work until nothing else mattered.”
“I’m ashamed to admit, but I don’t remember your majors from your resume.”
“Criminal justice and computer technology. I also have a bunch of certifications and additional trainings in various programs that I took afterward.”
We spend the next couple of hours talking, which surprisingly helps keep my mind off the fact that we’re trapped in this incredible large, but enclosed space with a couple hundred strangers. We’ve spent the last few days working closely together, but sometimes it felt… odd. I don’t know how else to describe it. We would talk, but nothing like this. For the first time, the conversation just sort of flows between us.
I find myself wanting to know more about Luke. What does he do outside of work? Does he have a wife? A girlfriend? Or does he go home alone each night like I do? I want to ask him what else bothers him other than enclosed spaces. But, I don’t ask any of the questions running through my head. Instead, I remind myself that he’s my boss.
“Do you need to call and let anyone know that you’ve arrived safely?” he asks as walk through the busy airport. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relieved to be in a crowded place as I am right now. I may not yet be able to walk outside, but we’re getting closer and closer to being able to do just that.
“Uh…no.”
“I wasn’t sure if you had someone back in Virginia that would want to know you. It just seemed like a good time since once we get to the resort we’ll need to act like a couple.”
“No.” I stop and look at him surprised. “There isn’t anyone in Virginia; you and Alec are the only ones I know there.”
“Oh.”
“My dad is…was my only family, so there’s no one to call in San Diego either.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine.”
I quickly walk away, essentially ending the conversation. I hate how pathetic I sound; that it’s not enough that my new boss has realized that I’m a little more crazy than he thought I was but now I have to admit that I literally have no one in this world. This job, this is all I have.
We quickly find the shuttle and the driver once we step outside, joining three other couples inside the cool van before we’re whisked away from the busy airport. They are talking quietly with each other, giving the impression they know each other. Meanwhile, Luke and I sit quietly next to each other. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but at some point he must have taken my hand in his. I glance over at him, trying to catch his attention to see if he’s aware of that he’s holding my hand. He’s alternating between watching the other couples and looking out the window.
When I notice the guy across from us staring at me, I move closer to Luke on instinct. He doesn’t say anything, instead gently squeezing my hand immediately reassuring me. How is it something as simple as his touch can make me feel better? Especially given that we barely know each other?
Thankfully, it’s only a few minutes later when we arrive at the resort. The van parks in front of a large stone building, with the words Sunset Beach proudly displayed on it. As soon as I step out of the van, the warmth hits me full-force. I take a moment to breathe in deeply, smiling when I vaguely catch the smell of the ocean. I didn’t love living in San Diego, but I loved going to the beach.
“Mr. Smith, Ms. Jones, would you like assistance to your room?” The bellhop greets us only a few minutes after we arrive.
“No, we’re fine.” Luke quickly takes the offered key. “Thank you.”
“Ms. Jones?” I repeat as soon as we’re in the elevator.
“Alec must have come up with a new alias for you. I’ve been Smith a few dozen times already,” he explains. “It’s easier to remember a new last name than a first one. If someone calls you by your cover name, you might not turn around, but if someone calls you by your real name, you’ll immediately respond. Unless absolutely necessary, we try to use our agent’s first names when they go under.”
“That’s right, I remember reading that in Jose’s notes.”
“This is us.” He quickly opens the door and steps back to allow me to enter first. I’m immediately relieved when I find two double beds in the room, having barely had a chance to worry how things would have worked if there had only been one bed. Is it wrong that part of me was wishing we would have had to share a bed tonight?
“I’ll get everything set up and see how secure their servers are here.” I quickly toss my bag onto the bed closest to the small table that I decide will make a decent t
emporary work space. Meanwhile, Luke steps outside on the balcony to call Alec.
The room is larger than I expected based on the pictures online. In addition to the two double beds, there is a large attached bathroom and even a small sitting area. While my computer starts up, I walk over to the large windows, taking a moment to look towards the beach which is just barely visible from our room. Below is a large in-ground pool with what appears to be a swim up bar. At any other time this would be an ideal place for a romantic vacation. But for the next few days, it will be a job for us.
“So… Mrs. Thompson clammed up when Alec questioned her about Davidson,” Luke announces when he returns from the balcony.
“So, there is something there.”
“Yeah, but she’s not talking. She tried saying he was just an old friend, but he could tell she was lying.”
“Interesting.”
“I told him that you would look them further. Maybe find out if there’s something going on between them?”
“Yup, that’s on my to do list. I’m logging into their servers right now, but once that’s finished I can start on that.”
Chapter 15
Luke
“Wow,” I gasp when Emily walks out of the bathroom.
“Is it too much?”
“No. It’s…perfect.”
“I figured what I usually wear to work isn’t exactly something that would help us blend in here, so I ran to the store last night and grabbed something a little different.”
A little different? Damn…
She’s wearing a gorgeous, navy blue wrap dress that is somehow both casual and dressy. The top hugs her curves, showing off the cleavage that until now was only ever hinted. The dress fans out below her hips, ending several inches above her knees. Her legs seem to go on forever! Plus, the blue in the dress seems to make her eyes sparkle even brighter. I doubt she has any idea just how incredibly stunning she looks right now.
“I just need to slip on my sandals and I’ll be ready to go.”
I nearly groan out loud when she bends over to grab her shoes from in front of the dresser, giving me a perfect view of her ass. By the blush on her face I either didn’t hide the groan or she caught me staring. I quickly look away, but I’m sure it’s far too late.
“Ready?” I clear my throat and ask.
“Yup.” She grabs a small purse off her bed.
The moment we leave the room, she grabs my hand, holding it tightly. I have to remind myself that she’s only doing it for show, that this is all part of our cover. But the moment she looks up at me, I forget all of that. I have to force myself to look away, because if I don’t I’m bound to give into what I think she’s asking me for.
“Where to?” she glances away, a small sign that makes me wonder if perhaps I’m not the only who’s having trouble remembering that we’re working.
“I figure we’ll walk around, see what’s here and then maybe grab some lunch?”
“Sounds good.”
The resort is quiet, despite the large number of guests registered here this week. There’s definitely a split between couples and families staying here, and as much as I hate to admit it, the more we walk around, the more I realize that Alec was right. Emily and I definitely blend in more than I would have by myself.
For the next few hours, we walk around the resort, stopping to eat and grab some drinks every so often. The resort is fairly large, so it’s nearly impossible to cover all the areas. We stop by several swimming pools and playgrounds along the way. We finally head back to our room when the sun starts to set, having no luck in finding Jack or the kids.
“We should head to the beach tomorrow. Most kids love the water right?”
“I guess.” I shrug. “We’ll head there in the morning, though they weren’t at any of the pools we checked out today.”
“They could have been on an excursion or something today. I think we should check out the beach and maybe the pools again tomorrow.”
The next two days we do just that, we spend time alternating between the various pools and beaches at the resort. Unfortunately, there are several, which means we can’t be certain that they’re not at one of them while we’re at a different one. In the morning and at night, before we go to bed, we continue trying to find the connection between the Thompson’s and the consulting firm. It’s beginning to feel like a lost cause, like this trip was for nothing.
“I think I’m going to check out the band on the beach tonight.”
“You think they might be there?”
“Not the kids, but maybe Jack. He could have someone watching them in the room, or maybe he leaves them alone once they fall asleep. I don’t know. We’ve checked everywhere else,” I shrug.
“True.”
“Did you want to go or are you still trying to find something?”
“I should probably stay here and work on this, but two sets of eyes might be better, especially since it’ll be dark. I’ll work on this when we get back.”
“It might be late.”
“It’s okay.”
I noticed she doesn’t sleep much. I thought I had a rough time sleeping, but she sleeps even less than I do. The last few mornings, no matter what time I wake up, she’s already up and working. I’ve tried to tell her that she doesn’t need to start so early, but she always makes an excuse as to why she can’t sleep.
“Let me go change and we can go,” she says.
A few minutes later, she comes out of the bathroom wearing another outfit that I swear is designed to drive me crazy. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to see her every day in the pant suits she wears to the office, now that I know the curves she’s hiding underneath them. Tonight’s dress, though… fuck it’s either the best or the worst ones she’s ever worn. The red dress isn’t as tight as the others, but it’s the plunging neckline that has my dick twitching.
“You’re killing me,” I whisper when we step out of the room.
“What?”
“The dress. You’re killing me. Do you have any idea how sexy you look in it?” I know I shouldn’t say things like this to her, but here it’s so easy to forget that she’s technically working for me. Over the last couple of days, I’ve been slowly giving into the urge to touch her. I find myself reaching for her whenever she’s near, almost as if I need to touch her.
“Oh… I…”
“As your boss, well, one of them, it’s entirely inappropriate for me to say that, but…you need to know, you look sexy as hell right now.”
“Um…thanks?”
With my hand on her back, I lead her down to the beach where the band has already started playing. It’s pretty busy, despite the show just starting. As she assumed, the beach is fairly dark making it nearly impossible to get a good view of everyone here tonight. I lead Emily over to the bar, where we both order a drink. We stay there for some time, both of us searching the crowd, trying to see if Jack’s here.
“You okay with going out there a little more?” I ask, remembering her telling me during the interview how much she hates crowds.
“Yeah.” She takes my hand in hers, squeezing it tightly before stepping towards me.
Without letting go of her hand, I wrap my arm around her back and slowly lead her into the crowd. I know this has to be uncomfortable for her, but I can’t see shit from the bar. If she said she’d rather not go into the crowd, I would have suggested she stay there and wait for me. I would have ignored the strong pull to stay with her, to make sure no one bothers her that I can’t seem to escape.
“Turn around,” I ask quietly when I finally find a small spot in the crowd.
She quickly turns around, leaving only a very small space between us. I take her hands, guiding them up to my neck before I wrap my arms around her waist.
“Let me know if you see him.” My lips are close to her ear though I doubt anyone could hear us over the loud noise anyway. “Pretend that we’re dancing to this shitty music.”
“It’s pretty bad.” S
he steps closer to me before laughing.
With her pressed up against me like this, it makes it very difficult to concentrate on anything else. I’ve gone undercover plenty of times since we started Dark Water Security, even with a similar cover to get close to someone, but I’ve never wanted to cross that line with an employee…until now. The thought has never entered my mind when on an assignment before. But being here with Emily…fuck, I can’t think about anything else.
“I don’t see anyone that looks like him.” I swear her warm breath against my skin goes straight to my dick. I force my attention back to the crowd, reminding myself of the kids we’re here to bring home. The kids who need to be kept safe from the man who beat their mother.
“Me either.” I admit in disappointment.
“Let’s try moving somewhere else,” she suggests.
“Yeah.”
She pulls back slightly, but I don’t let go of her… not yet. Our eyes meet and I swear her breath hitches; I tell myself to walk away, to focus on the mission, to think about something else. But the moment her tongue darts out to lick her lips, I lose the battle. She surprises me again by slowly leaning into me, until her lips are hovering over mine. I close the final distance between us, groaning when our lips finally meet.
The kiss is anything but soft and sweet like I would expect from Emily; instead it’s full of heat and desire. She boldly slips her tongue into my mouth and I swear I nearly lose the ability to think straight. Wrapping my arms tighter around her, I tug her against me, momentarily forgetting where we are and the reason we’re even here in the first place. She’s moving against me, whether still dancing to the crappy music or for another reason, I don’t know. All I do know is that I love the way she feels against me. I fight the urge to take her back to the room, strip her naked and feast on the beautiful body that’s been driving me mad these last two days.
“Fuck.” Someone bumps into her, nearly causing her to fall, and effectively ending our kiss. Thankfully, because I’m holding onto her, she doesn’t end up on her ass in the sand.
When she pulls back, I can’t place the look in her eyes. I don’t know if it’s regret or embarrassment or something entirely different, but she’s not looking at me like she was right before we kissed. She slowly lowers her arms from around my neck and steps back; I have to fight the urge not to pull her back to where she was only moments ago. Instead, I follow her lead, not needing to make her feel any more uncomfortable than she already does just from being out here tonight.
Luke (Dark Water Security Series Book 1) Page 10
