Page 24 of Keeping Her Secrets

“Ash.”

He twisted and offered her a breath-taking smile that made her heart pound. He paced slowly towards her, hands loose at his sides, looking every inch a tier-one operator, and her body responded to all the power in him.

“Ready to go?” he asked, but his eyes said so much more.

“Yeah, all set.”

Ash extended his hand to the woman who’d joined them on the patio. “Nice to meet you, Senator Craven. I’ve left my number with your head of security in case you need it.”

“Thank you.” Craven was all Senator again now, and Mustique was glad; it helped her get her emotions under control.

She and Ash rushed to the car in silence, and the sun was beginning to dip into the late afternoon.

“Home?”

The way he said that resonated with her, and she wished, not for the first time lately, that she had a real home. Not a house or apartment, but the feeling of home, similar to how she felt around Meg and Daniel and Roz and Kanan. A safe place to be herself, to relax and not always be under scrutiny. “I don’t know where that is,” she said softly, and he gripped her hand tightly as he drove through the gates.

“You’ll find it; you just have to stop running.”

His words wound through her as she went over every detail of the conversation with Kate Craven and the precious moment she’d shared with Leonie after so many years. Fourteen and a half years of nothing and then twenty seconds of everything. “If I stop running, it’ll hurt too much,” she whispered, and he squeezed the hand he still held and brought it to his lips, dropping a light kiss there that made her ache for him.

They arrivedat the safe house, and she headed straight for the camera feeds on the second floor to check the place was secure. Once she was satisfied they were safe, she returned to the living room. Ash was on the phone with Jake, getting an update on Moody and finding out what Trident had learned about the shooter and his involvement. He paced as spoke, his eyes continually flitting to her, and she wondered what he was thinking. Absently, she began rolling her Shuriken stars between her fingers, something she did when she was stressed.

Ash hung up a few minutes later and approached with a sexy grin. “You look kinda hot with those but also slightly terrifying.”

“Only slightly terrifying?” She tilted her head as she took him in. He was all muscle and sinew, not an ounce of fat on him, and she wondered how it would feel to have all that as hers.

“Very terrifying. You handle knives with an ease and precision I’ve never seen before. But I know you won’t hurt me.”

“How do you know?”

Ash moved and grasped the wrist with the star in it and placed it against his heart. “Because you like me.”

Mustique snorted out a laugh. “Oh, I do, do I?”

“Yeah and I feel the same way about you, too, and sooner or later you’re going to realize we’re spectacular together and give in.”

“How can you like me? You hardly know me.” She skirted the statement about her liking him because it was true, and she wasn’t ready to admit it yet.

“I know you’re strong. I know you care about people but don’t want them to see it. I know you would die for those you love, and I know you’re hurting right now.”

Her heart hammered at all the truths this man could see, the scariest being he could see her pain. “You don’t know my favorite color or band?”

“I know what matters, the rest is superficial, but if I had to guess I would say green is your favorite color as it reminds you of home and your favorite band is—” He stopped and looked up and left as if thinking and then smiled. “You don’t have one, but your favorite genre is rock.” Mustique scrunched up her nose at his bang on assessment. “I’m right, aren’t I?” His chuckle was warm and coursed through her, giving the cold places in her heart warmth.

“Don’t be smug.” She pulled away and stowed the star in the unique holster on her leg that looked like a pocket. He was getting so close to the heart of her, and she wasn’t sure she could fight him anymore.

“Why don’t you grab a bath, and I’ll cook us something?” he asked as he moved toward the kitchen and stuck his head in the fridge.

He hadn’t mentioned Leonie, and she prayed he hadn’t seen the connection between them as Kate Craven had. Maybe she’d been lucky, and he hadn’t noticed. “You cook?”

“Yes, smart ass, I cook. Now go take a bath and relax for a little while. Then we can eat and plan our next move. Jake is sending some information over to a secure laptop and email account.”

“How’s Moody?” She should have asked sooner.

“Out of surgery, and it looks like he’s going to make it. Nick is staying at the hospital with him and Lois, in case someone tries to kill him again.”

“That’s good.”