Neva shudders the moment she steps out of the car, arms wrapped around herself as pine-scented wind pricks against her face.
Misted hills and shadowed woods surround them, a rustic lodge with glowing windows draped in red rambling roses rising into view.
Warmth brushes against her,
rough fingers threading through hers as Neva turns to meet Rhett's eyes.
He brushes her curls away from her face. "We should head in."
She nods, a faint smile touching her lips.
Ace, the tall, blue-eyed man, lets out a whistle as he steps ahead, his hands tucked inside his jeans pocket.
He's dressed only in a simple blue T-shirt,
and she realizes his jacket is still draped around her shoulders.
A chorus of soft bell chimes greets them as the hush of the lobby unfolds before them.
Neva pulls off the damp leather jacket, folding it neatly and offering it to Rhett. "Can you give it back to him?"
He nods, taking the jacket from her.
The entrance bell chimes once more as Hunter,
the tanned, tattooed man, steps inside.
Hunter meets her eyes and bows his head in greeting.
Neva returns the gesture, a smile forming on her lips when Rhett slides an arm around her waist, pulling her close against him.
She glances at him,
tilting her head at the flicker of possesiveness in his chocolate eyes.
Her heart flutters at the sudden urge to kiss him.
Her fiancé can be so... adorable sometimes.
Ace and Sky approach with the room keys fetched from the man behind the counter.
Sky places one of the keys into her hand. "This is yours."
"Thank you," Neva says, noticing the number 12 carved into the metal key.
"We move at seven." Rhett's voice is low and firm. "Secure the route, the passports, and keep this contained."
Ace crosses his arms. "Have we ever failed you, Boss?"
Rhett says nothing as he takes her hand and leads her toward the stairs.
He stops midway and glances back at the three people assembled in the lobby.
"Your jacket." He tosses it toward Ace, who catches it effortlessly.
Ace lifts his jacket with a sly smile.
Muted voices drift through the thin wooden walls as they walk down the narrow corridor illuminated by crystal lanterns.
This seems like a recurring movie scene.
Her heart quickens, a bitter lump rising in her throat at the thought of what might soon be revealed.
With a quiet turn of the key beneath his hand, the door opens to a room larger than the one they had sheltered in for the night.
"Take a shower first," he says from behind her as she walks into the room.
"I'll order something warm for us."
He sets the keys on the nightstand while she lingers at the foot of the bed.
She hugs herself as he steps closer, her thoughts churning into a gale of curiosity, fear, and doubt.
His hands cradle her face as he kisses her.
Her knees weaken beneath the warmth of him, slowly undoing the tight coil in her stomach left behind by impossible events and near-death escapes.
Oh Father.. they nearly died today.
Her fingers tighten against his shirt, her body heating as he pulls her flush against him.
A soft gasp escapes her as his warmth explores her mouth hungrily, his spirit winding around hers in a euphoric fire of losing herself and learning him.
He pulls away just long enough to sweep her into his arms and lower her onto the mattress.
Her breath breaks as she looks up through blurred vision, meeting the darkened intensity of his gaze as he hovers over her.
Her arms hook around his neck as he crashes his mouth against hers once more.
Feverish, she pushes against his chest as breathlessness burns through her lungs.
His lips trail slow, deep kisses along her jaw and down her neck,
teeth grazing her collarbone.
Her breath hitches as his rough hand slips inside her damp sweater,
burning against her skin.
"Wait..." The word slips out in a whisper, barely realized through the haze of her fraying mind.
A low chuckle rumbles from him as he settles beside her,
burying his face into the crook of her neck while he draws in a slow breath.
"You can't escape answering me," she murmurs,
her gaze wandering toward the closed window veiled in cream-colored curtains.
His arm tightens around her waist. "I thought I lost you."
Her hand rests over his arm, her thumb stroking lightly against him.
"Who are they, Rhett?" she asks softly.
After a brief silence, he murmurs, "My colleagues."
Her throat closes, yet she forces herself to ask, "Colleagues as in what?"
He sighs, his breath warm against her.
"They are agents for EIS. Field operatives, to be exact."
"And you lead them." Her voice is barely air, the words not truly a question.
"Yes," he replies. "Most missions."
Her heart sinks into the pit of her stomach. "You lied to me."
He remains quiet.
His presence against her slowly fades from her senses, her chest tightening as realization dawns on her.
He would have carried the secret with him even after their marriage, had she not been kidnapped.
No wonder he got her back so fast.
And those business trips.
What a fool she has been.
What a fool—
"What else have you lied to me about?" she whispers.
"Angel," he says softly.
Her voice breaks, tears blurring her vision. "I would've married into a lie."
He stiffens against her.
She holds back her tears, staring instead at the lace patterns on the curtains. She should have known better than to trust him.
And marriage… after barely three months of knowing each other.
His fingers slip beneath her chin as he tilts her face toward his.
His jaw hardens. "My job might've been a lie," he says.
"But other than that, it's anything but a lie."
Her lips tremble, her lungs burning with the same lack of air as when she had drowned in the freezing water just hours before.
"Did you… did you want me just for a cover?" The words taste bitter,
dreadfully bitter, in her mouth.
A frown creases his brow. "Where did that come from?"
She turns away, tears slipping down her temple as she absently glances toward the window again,
toward the grieving cream-colored curtains.
"Look at me." His face hovers above hers as he forces her to meet his gaze. She tries to pull away, but his hold on her jaw stays firm.
"I thought you were different," she whispers, numbness spreading through her even as a mountain crushes her chest.
"You regret it, then," he says quietly. "Are you going to leave me?"
Words don't escape her.
His gaze is shadowed with hurt.
"You lied to me," she says.
He just looks at her for a moment. "I've only hidden my identity as an agent. Just that."
He pauses. "I'm sorry.''
She turns onto her side, curling into herself.
She can forgive everything, but the thought of—
Her mouth turns acrid with bitterness. Her fists tighten against her racing heart. "Have you been with other women before?"
The world pauses as he remains silent.
Deny it. Deny it. Deny it.
"What?" he says.
"You know me—" She swallows hard. "Yet you… you didn't even think to…" She trails off, tears falling. "You lied to me."
His hand slides around her shoulder, turning her toward him.
"What are you talking about?" he asks, confusion breaking across his face.
"You think I've been—" His voice soften. "Is that why you're so upset?"
Then, a faint smile curls at his lips. "Are you jealous?"
"Get away from me!" She shoves against his chest,
but his fingers clamp around her wrist.
"I won't let you be angry with me for something so harmless," he says, his grip tightening as she resists him.
She glares at him. Something so harmless. Harmless.
She couldn't be more wrong about him.
It's as if she doesn't even know him anymore, like he has been nothing but a mirage, an illusion.
His lips brush against her cheek as a whimper escapes her. "Relax, Angel."
It feels as if she's falling out the window, the ground surging up to shatter her, to kill her.
"I didn't lie," he murmurs.
She can't trust him. Can't—
He taps her nose lightly.
"You shouldn't worry about being compared to other women."
Fool. She has been such a fool—
"I didn't associate with women before you," he says. "Not like that. Not even for work."
She glances at him, yet, it feels as if she isn't fully in her own body.
"My father was an agent as well." He pulls her up to sit with him. "Even after my mother's death, he stayed loyal to her."
Maybe it's all in her head. Maybe this moment doesn't even exist anyway.
"He believed true love only comes once." A faint smile softens his face.
She wants to make sense of his words. Of him. Of them.
Yet, she's wrapped in a heavy, dark storm cloud, coiling tighter and tighter around her.
He rests his forehead against hers. "You are so much more to me than you realize."
Tears burn anew as she closes her eyes, nausea clawing up her throat.
His hand caresses her cheek as he presses a soft kiss to her lips.
"I love you," he whispers. "And I'm sorry."
Her hands slide up his shoulders as she pushes him away.
"I… I need to be alone." She tries to get up, but he grabs her waist and pulls her onto his lap.
"Don't leave me,'' he whispers into her neck. "Please… don't give up on me."
She leans into him despite herself, her heart still so heavy beneath the labyrinth that is her fiancé.
How… how is she supposed to trust him again?