Page 36 of Double Take

“Sounds perfect.” After closing, she could run home, shower, put on some makeup, and try on a half dozen outfits before picking the first one.

“There’s one last thing I need to know,” he said.

“What’s that?”

“Your name.” He winked.

“Amity! Amity Landers.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amity Landers. I’m Marshall Clark.”

Chapter Thirteen

The sun was setting, a fire snapped and cracked in the fireplace, and a warm, soft woman—the love of his life—pillowed her head on his shoulder after a bout of mind-blowing sex. They’d sorted out the pottery—discovering more than half of it unbroken—and then returned to the cabin. After a power-bar meal, they’d pulled the bed closer to the fireplace, let simmering passion take over.

Faith sighed. “Life doesn’t get any better than this.”

Truth. “No, it doesn’t.” Bragg pressed his lips to her temple. If he could have moments like this for the rest of his life, that would make it better. He’d give anything to just live a normal life. “Being with you is a dream come true,” he said, inching as close to a full confession as he dared.

“That’s so sweet.” She kissed his shoulder.

Tell her.Sentiments denied expression burgeoned inside, seeking release, encouraged by a prescient whisper insisting he share his true feelingsnow, before it was too late.

However, revealing the depth of his emotion might be too much for her to handle. It might scare her rather than please her. And it wouldn’t change the outcome. What purpose would it serve to share his love and leave? Wouldn’t that be cruel?

Tell her.

It doesn’t need to be tonight.

Except, once they left the cabin, there would be distractions and interruptions—work, other people, vehicle repairs, daily life. They could squirrel away a few hours, go on dates, hump like bunnies, but it wouldn’t be like this. Just her and him, alone together.

“I first saw you on video,” he said. “Years ago.” Recently born from the gestation tank, Bragg had begun studying Hammond. The honesty and purity of her love for her husband had radiated from the vids like a blinding light. He longed for a woman who would love him like that. But soon, it wasn’t just any woman he longed for, buther.

Hammond hadn’t deserved her. That hadn’t been jealousy speaking—well, maybe a little—but more the knowledge her feelings weren’t returned. Just as apparent as Faith’s devotion was the fakeness of Hammond’s. His affection had been manufactured for show. He only acted the part of the doting husband.

Bragg suspected his progenitor didn’t have the capacity to care. It wasn’t in his psychological makeup.

“You saw me on video?”

“It was part of my tutoring. That’s when I fell in love with you.” The words spilled out of him in equal parts relief and consternation. He’d finally spoken the truth, but how would she receive it?

She rose up on an elbow to look at him. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. I don’t expect reciprocity. I wish I had more time, more options, but I don’t. However, being together isn’t a lark for me, a passing fling.

“Until this trip, I’d never taken leave time. Where would I go? What would I do? Then Marshall, my commanding officer, mentioned in passing you’d joined Cosmic Mates and had moved to Terra Nova, and I needed to see you before…before you did anything…drastic.”

She sat up and pressed a hand to her throat. “I remember you said Dark Ops kept tabs on me.” She sounded worried.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” She needed to be cautious, not afraid. “I’m sure you’re ranked low-priority.” He needed to keep it that way. “Moving here put you out of sight, out of mind.”

Yet, Marshall had known about the move. Had he taken it upon himself to check up on her, or had he just received some routine report?

“I felt a strong connection to you right from the start,” she said. “It didn’t take long before I realized you are nothing like Mark. I feel like…we are meant to be together.”

It wasn’t a declaration of love, but her words made his heart swell with bittersweet joy.

“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” she said.

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