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“I had my thoughts to keep my mind busy—and the caffeine to keep me awake.”
He pulled around to the back of the cabin, and Claire pressed her palm against the car window. “We just left here this afternoon, and I feel like it was a lifetime ago.”
“Hamid’s lifetime.”
The cloud layer had cleared and the sun was poised to make its full ascent. The snow sprinkled on the tree tops sparkled under the early morning rays.
She crunched up the pathway to the back door behind Mike. What now? It was too early to contact anyone. Mike had already called Jack to fill him in on Hamid and Hamid’s last words, and the gulf had widened between her and Mike.
All she wanted to do right now was curl up and get warm, on the inside as well as the outside.
Mike ushered her inside the cabin and turned up the furnace. “Let’s warm this place up.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
“Are you hungry?”
“I can’t even...” She covered her eyes with one hand. “No.”
“What happened to Hamid—not your fault, Claire.”
“I—I...” Was that what he thought, that she still blamed herself? That had been her immediate response when Hamid collapsed on the table in front of her, but she’d long ago given up feeling guilt for the horror that seemed to dog her steps.
But the concern in Mike’s eyes? Addictive.
“I just can’t help feeling that if we’d never contacted him, he’d be alive right now.”
“I don’t think so.” Mike took her by the shoulders. “They had him pegged for the fall guy long before you posted that message on the board. I don’t think they even knew he was meeting us last night.”
“That makes sense, but it still hurts.” She drove a fist against her chest. “It hurts here.”
And she meant every word. Hamid had been her protégé. In a way, he’d been her lifeline after Shane lost his life in the most brutal way. Even now that she knew Hamid had been holding out on her, she mourned his death.
Mike’s grip on her shoulders softened. “You have dark circles under your eyes. You need some sleep.”
She needed him, but her seduction skills were rusty, and dark circles beneath her eyes wouldn’t cut it.
“I’d like to take a warm bath first. I’m just so chilled.” Again, no lie.
“Good idea.” He pointed at the kitchen. “Do you want me to make you some hot tea while you run the bathwater?”
“That would be perfect.”
They brushed past each other, her on her way to the bathroom and he on his way to the kitchen.
Once inside the claustrophobic bathroom, she spun the faucets on the tub. Unfortunately, the keepers of the safe houses hadn’t thought to stock bubble bath or scented candles.
She shed her clothing and almost felt as if she was casting off the past five years of her life, a celibate life paying homage to the memory of a dead husband, a husband who’d never put her first.
The steam from the tub curled up in welcome invitation. She cracked open the bathroom door and then stepped into the bathtub, sinking into its warm embrace.
Stretching her legs out, she braced her toes against the porcelain at the end of the tub, bending her knees slightly. She shimmied her shoulders beneath the lapping water and cupped handfuls of it, splashing her thighs.
The tap on the door set the butterfly wings to fluttering in her belly. It had been a long time since she’d seduced a man.
“I’m in the tub.”
“Are you warming up? I have your tea.”
“I feel like I’m melting.” She turned off the water by gripping the faucets with her toes. “You can come in with the tea.”
He pushed open the door and froze as his gaze collided with hers. “Sorry. I thought you’d have the shower curtain drawn.”
“It was a little too claustrophobic for me.”
“Okay.” Keeping his gaze trained at the ceiling, Mike shuffled into the bathroom, holding the cup of tea in front of him. “Just warn me if I’m going to trip over the toilet or something.”
“You’re good, just a few more steps. It’s not like the bathroom is cavernous.” She sat up in the tub, the water sluicing off her body, and held out both hands to accept the tea.
