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Chapter 20
It didn’t take long for Laila to reach room seventeen. The door was unlocked and she opened it and stepped inside. Closed the door behind her and engaged the lock.
Laila moved into the room, her gaze scanning the small space. It was probably three times the size of a dormitory room, with a tiny kitchen against one wall, a double bed against the opposite wall, and a small living area with two chairs and a table. Two closets framed the door.
It wasn’t much, but it was a luxury suite compared to her hut in Al Kamen. She opened the bathroom door and sighed when she saw the shower. Definitely a five-star accommodation.
Shedding her clothes, she stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As the warm water streamed down on her, she leaned against the cool tile wall. Her legs wobbled as tension drained from them. And tears rolled down her cheeks as she took deep, shuddering breaths.
She and Jase were safe, along with Dev and Cody. And her families were being processed to leave Afghanistan. She pressed her hands to her face and let the tears spill through her fingers. Exhaustion finally hit, and she sank to the floor when her legs refused to hold her up.
A long time later, Laila stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. In Al Kamen, she’d learned to live with only the barest of necessities. After several months of sponge baths and awkwardly washing her hair using a pitcher to pour water over her head, this shower and towel were precious gifts.
She looked in the cabinet beneath the sink and found a hair dryer, something she hadn’t seen since moving to Al Kamen. Smiling, she used it to dry her hair, then found her brands of face cream and sunscreen in the cabinet. Mel had been thorough, and Laila appreciated her effort. She’d tell Mel tomorrow how grateful she was.
As she opened the drawers of the small dresser, she found several pairs of underwear. A stack of tee shirts. Two sweaters. And jeans.
She took them out of the drawer and sighed. She’d missed wearing jeans. Missed the sexy, confident way they made her feel. Smiling, she set them on the bed and chose underwear and a tee shirt. Simple clothing, but so different from the Afghani-acceptable garments she’d worn in Al Kamen. There, she’d tried to blend in. Tried to honor the Afghani customs and clothing, and she was glad she had. It had made her transition in the village easier.
But she was damn glad to have familiar clothes back.
Dressed, she paced the small room. It was the middle of the day, and even though she was exhausted, she was still flying high with adrenaline after their successful trip. She wouldn’t be able to sleep. Didn’t want to call her family and friends back in the states.
She needed Jase. Needed to act on the desire that had been humming beneath the surface since she’d met him as her training agent. Having him be the one who’d found her in that cave had only ramped up that need.
She wanted proof that she was alive. That she’d survived.
A small voice whispered in her ear. Jase. You want Jase. You need Jase.
That voice tempted her with what she shouldn’t have. Jase had been upfront about not wanting anything serious. He’d been straight with her -- the military was his life, and he was happy with that decision. There was no future for them as a couple.
He’d also told her, though, that he’d never been so attracted to a woman in his life. And in spite of knowing he wasn’t in this for the long haul, she was equally attracted to him.
In the middle of danger, fear and tension, she and Jase had connected. It wasn’t insta-love, but it was definitely insta-attraction. Insta-lust. Her pheromones and Jase’s had twined around each other immediately. It was as if they both knew the steps to the same complicated dance and followed them together, without talking about the steps. Or even practicing.
What did she want right now?
Jase. She wanted to rip off his clothes and taste every inch of him. Have him taste every inch of her.
Was that smart? Probably not. In a few days, she’d head back to Madison, shouldering the responsibility for helping resettle the thirteen people she and Jase had brought to Kabul. Jase? He’d probably leave Afghanistan, too, but it wouldn’t be to settle down in Madison, Wisconsin. He’d probably end up in some other dangerous part of the world, doing what he was so good at doing. Running operations for the CIA. Rescuing people in danger. Resolving difficult situations.
He’d go on more ops like the one that had rescued her. Save more people. There was a very good chance that, once she left, she’d never see him again.
She’d regret that, but she still wanted him. In spite of the divergent paths they’d take, she wanted a few days and nights with him. All the way to Kabul in that box truck, need had pulsed between them. Their attraction hadn’t disappeared with familiarity. Instead, after spending a couple of days and nights together, the need was stronger than ever.
She’d never been interested in casual flings. But she’d make an exception for Jase.
Smoothing her suddenly damp hands down her thighs, she removed the key from its hook by the door and shoved it in her pocket. Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped into the hall. Made sure her door was locked, then hurried down to room 15.
She stood outside his door for a long moment, willing away the butterflies in her stomach. When she was pretty sure she could face him and tell him she wanted him without acting like a complete idiot, she knocked softly on his door.
Hearing no movement in the room, she raised her hand to knock again. Before her knuckles contacted the steel of the door, it opened and Jase stood in front of her, wearing only a towel around his waist.
“Laila,” he said, his gaze sweeping over her, caressing every inch of her skin. “Come on in.”
For a moment, her confidence wavered. He hadn’t grabbed her immediately. Hugged her against his body. But she wasn’t going to lose her nerve now.
As his eyes darkened, she studied him. He’d shaved, losing the dark scruff he’d acquired by the end of the trip. His golden-brown eyes glittered like pieces of amber. The dark blond hair she wanted to feel beneath her fingers was wet, and a drop of water rolled down his chest.
