Page 66 of Second Chance Savior

I glanced at her again just as she licked her lips.

I’d had my tongue in her mouth. She’d sucked on it like it was…Ungh. My groan was a low rumble, hopefully too low for her to hear.

“With your level of confidence, you would’ve made an excellent politician,” she said.

“Nah, I’ve never liked the public eye. You know me. I’d rather be the guy in the shadows.” Which was just another reminder of how different our lives were.

She rubbed her eyes. “And now your face is plastered all over the news because of me.”

“Stop thinking about that.”

“Avoiding reality? That’s a good strategy for you?”

“When it’s something I can’t change at the moment? Yep. I bury it.” Or I tried to, anyway. Sometimes I failed. Spectacularly. “Reality is what I say it is.”

She chuckled. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Believe me, I know.”

Do not think about how soft her lips were. Don’t think about her mouth or the sexy little sounds she made when I pushed my tongue inside.Or other places I’d like to put my tongue.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Eventually, the dense forest opened into a narrow valley. Lush green grass grew along an oxbow creek, with tree-covered mountains rising in the distance. I turned at a wooden marker, then followed the winding drive to where my cabin sat beneath tall pines.

“This is it.” I pulled the 4Runner behind the structure and put it in park. Charlie pushed open her door and jumped out.

I joined her a moment later. She had her eyes closed, face turned up, breathing in. “Smells like home. Exactly what I needed.”

Me too, I thought.

Smiling, I led her to the cabin. “I’ll show you inside. Not as comfortable as your parents’ place. It’s, uh, on the small side.” The electronic keypad beeped as I entered the code.

The cabin was a rectangle with a bump-out for the entrance and a tiny bathroom. The main room had a kitchen on one side, where I’d converted half of the cabinets into storage for electronics, weapons, other miscellaneous gear. The other half of the room was the sleeping area.

“Small is right,” she said, staring at the single bed. It wasn’t a huge bed, either. Full size at the most. “We’re sharing that?”

“We could take turns. Sleep in shifts. My sleep schedule is all over the place anyway.” Otherwise, the two of us were going to beverycozy in there. A thought I shouldn’t be entertaining given what had happened in the car. “I bought this place to be a bolt-hole, in case shit ever went south for me in Hartley.”

“Just in case? Is that a paranoid CIA thing?”

“Probably. Makes me feel better, though. Trace and I are working on a network of safe houses for the Protectors, but this one is just for me. Of course I’ll share with my friends if they get desperate enough to need it, but that hasn’t been necessary yet. I usually sneak out here once a month and spend a day or two.”

Charlie glanced at the bookshelf, which I’d filled with an assortment of personal stuff. Paperbacks, framed photos of me and my SEAL buddies, a couple decks of playing cards.Some souvenirs I’d brought back from various parts of the world.

My friends in Hartley would probably be surprised to see this collection, considering the fact that my apartment on Main Street was spartan by comparison. I was a private guy. Especially since I knew how easy it was to spy on someone, break inside their secret life.

I didn’t come to this cabin often, but I liked knowing that no one would have this glimpse into who I was unless I chose to share it.

I felt a new thrill of pleasure that Charlie was here.

“Speaking of my friends,” I said, “I should get in touch.”

I set up my computer and logged onto the secure server using my satellite connection. Charlie disappeared into the bathroom. She had to feel drained. But the best thing I could do for her was work my contacts.

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