Page 55 of The Only Reason (The Trident Trilogy 2)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Millie

In-Flight

Virginia Beach to Islamabad

2020

I wake up with Mason’s scent in my nose. I had a dream about him, so I think it’s probably just in my mind until I realize someone covered me with a coat and put something under my head. I lift my head up slightly to see the gray fleece he was wearing earlier now folded up like a pillow. I look around to see if anyone’s watching before I bury my head in it and take a deep breath. That’s definitely where the scent is coming from. It smells like him—musky, sweaty, and a little bit like vanilla. I take another breath. I want to go back to sleep with my face buried in it.

“So are you finally awake?” Unfortunately, it’s not Mason’s voice.

I look up to see Alex standing above me. I sit up quickly and shake my head to get my focus back. “Yeah. How long have I been asleep?”

“Like five hours. I’ve never seen you sleep like that. You used to be such a light sleeper when we were together.”

“Are we almost there?”

“A few more hours,” he says, pulling the coat off me. He holds his hand out to help me stand up. “You should probably get dressed pretty soon.”

I look down at myself. “I am dressed.”

“I mean dressed like a bride on her honeymoon and less like a CIA agent,” he says, leading me to the restrooms. I pull my hand away from his. “When we land, I’m going to be holding your hand, kissing you—doing what newlyweds do. You need to start getting into your role.”

“We haven’t landed yet.” I narrow my eyes. I’m just starting to realize what’s going to happen over the next few days. It’s unsettling. I try to brush it off. “I brought a few changes of clothes, but they’re all pretty much like this,” I say, gesturing at my outfit.

“Yeah. I figured.” He holds up a garment bag. “The agency bought you some vacation-like clothes. I knew you wouldn’t have time to think about that.”

I stare at him for a second. “Do you really think this is necessary?”

“Yeah, I do. You need to trust me. You’ve never been in the field like this. You need to completely transform yourself into my wife in the next hour or so. There’s a shalwar kameez in there and head scarves. There’s some Western clothes, too. Hope they fit you. I was going off memory.” He smiles at me. “I’ll give you some privacy so you can change.”

When he walks out of sight, I unzip the bag. It’s full of beautiful, colorful clothes. I don’t want any of them. I’m starting to think George was right when he told me my disposition was much too overt to ever work in the field. Unfortunately, I don’t have much choice in the matter right now. I dig through the bag and choose a light green, silk sweater and black slacks. They fit perfectly. I find black pumps with a heel higher than I’ve ever worn in my life. I throw them on and wrap a multicolored, fringy scarf around my neck. I splash some water on my face and put my hair back in a conservative knot. There are no mirrors on the plane, so I’m just going to have to guess I look the part.

I walk around the corner and run smack into Mason. He almost knocks me off my four-inch heels. He grabs my shoulders to steady me.

“Wow,” he says, pushing me back a little to look at me. “This is a new look for you.”

“I’m supposed to look like a wife. I don’t even know what that means,” I say, shaking my head. “Do I look completely idiotic?”

“No,” he says, giving my body a quick scan. “Not at all. You look beautiful. And tall. Why are you so tall?”

I lift my foot as he looks down. “I’m going to last about an hour in these.”

“I’m going to place money on less than that,” he says, laughing. “Hey, come over here for a second.”

He nods toward a bench.

“What’s up?” I say, sitting down next to him.

“I want to apologize for snapping at you earlier. I was mad you tried to call my team off the mission, but I didn’t mean any of that other stuff. Of course we’re still together. You know that, right?”

“I think I do,” I say slowly. “I hope I do.”

“This is harder than I thought. I’ve never had a problem separating personal from professional—partially because I didn’t have much of a personal life before. But now, with the way I feel about you, it’s almost impossible. This is new for me.”

“It’s new for me, too. I asked for another team because I knew I couldn’t focus as well if you were on the mission.”

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