Page 63 of Eyes in the Shadows

He winks. “It’s under my pillow.”

I swat at him as he darts in for a kiss, laughing as he skillfully collects my wrists and holds me still to kiss me properly. Then he strides out of the room and I’m left to catch my breath. He’s such a whirlwind.

As I get started with dinner, I reflect on how strange today was. My life is so suddenly, so drastically different. I had a few moments where panic clawed at my throat—after my workout, when I’d seen the steam bath in the basement, and finding a gun in one of Mac’s drawers when putting my clothes away—thatreminded me this isn’t just some vacation or honeymoon. Those kinds of triggers are probably going to stick with me for a little while, too.

Once the covered dish is in the oven, I wander down the hallway in the direction I always see Wesley coming from. Most of the doors in the hallway are open, except one. I knock, and wait until I hear, “Yeah?”

Wesley looks up, then does a double take in surprise. “Oh, hello Eleanor. Is everything all right?”

I let my eyes wander for a few seconds, stunned by the sight of so much tech I don’t even recognize. What on earth is that box in the corner, lighting up with rainbow colors? “Uh, yeah… everything is fine. I wanted to come find you because I’ve been thinking about ways to win over Captain Hulk,” I say, returning my focus to Wesley.

At that, he sits back in his chair, crosses his arms, and regards me thoughtfully. “Oh? Do tell.”

“I actually think Dimitri is coming around to me. He almost likes me, I can tell.”

“Don’t take it too personally. He doesn’t particularly like me, either,” Wesley briefly leans forward to retrieve the energy drink off his desk and take a sip. “Actually, I’m not sure he likes anyone.”

I grin. “Well, if this works, I’ll share credit with you. Because I have an idea, but I need your help.”

His smile is conspiratorial now. “What do you need?”

“About 15 minutes with an internet connection—supervised, of course—and access to your grocery delivery service.”

He smiles cheekily, then rubs his hands together. “This is going to be good.”

23

Mac

This is some of my favorite shit.

My update for the team is fuck all. Another day spent in the comfort of a cramped sedan, mostly watching people access their units who aren’t storing military-grade weaponry. Even the guard fell asleep. I saw a guy go into a unit that was full of mannequins and blow-up dolls, and one older lady added a particularly creepy stuffed fox on a plank of wood to her collection.

After checking in with Dimitri and Wes, Eleanor and I sit down at the table to have dinner together, like a real couple. And even though whatever casserole thing she made is amazing and eating sitting next to her is exactly where I want to be, it still feels like an eternity until I can get her back upstairs. Especially with the added layer of torture, sitting there, knowing she’s bare under those leggings. Luckily, Wes takes dish duty.

We pass the first floor and I see that Dimitri’s door is closed, his light is out, and I can hear the faint, uniform sound of his white noise machine. Her ass swings in my face as she climbs the second set of stairs, and it reminds me of something… a bookmarked incognito tab I watched on her phone.

I grin. This is going to be fun.

“Darlin’, wait a second,” I say. She pauses about halfway up the stairs, turning slightly to face me.

I slide my hands into her hair and cup her head to kiss her. Just a few light touches, a brush of my lips, and then a tightening of my hold in her hair, and she’s gasping, grasping the sides of my shirt in her fists and her chest is heaving against mine. My girl does like it a little rough, more hardcore than vanilla. And she really likes being told what to do.

“I figured out how you can earn back those panties. If you still want them back.”

She swallows, and nods. The innocence shining in her eyes is almost too cute to spoil. Almost.

“Take off your clothes. Right here, right now.” Her eyes widen, but I’m not done. “And crawl the rest of the way to the bedroom.”

“W-what?” it’s barely above a whisper, her tone both scandalized and hopelessly intrigued. “But Dimitri, and Wesley—”

“You’d better crawl quickly, then,” I say, grinning. If we hear Wesley coming, we’ll have time to get out of his sight. Dimitri is in for the night.

I watch her weigh the decision, glancing around and then up at the hallway that’s just lit due to our disturbance on the stairs. She bites her lip, presses her legs together, looks back at me, and nods with a little smile of excitement. With quick, shaking fingers, she pulls her sweatshirt up and unhooks her bra, handing each to me, then drops her leggings and steps out.

“I’ll get them.” I tell her when she goes to stoop for the pants, then I gesture forward with my chin. “Hands and knees, darlin’. Crawl.”

Her eyes don’t leave mine as she sinks to her knees, falling onto the step above where she’s standing. She keeps her back arched and takes a second to orient her movements, then makes her way steadily up, step by step.

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