Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Orion’s gaze bores into me. There’s a storm there—anger, confusion, and something deeper. “Why did you leave the safe house that day?” he asks, voice raw. “You could’ve—” He breaks off, grimacing. “You did end up in danger.” He winces again. “Is it because you overheard me on the phone?”
I look away, shame burning my cheeks. The white sheets beneath my fingers feel cold. “Orion, I—I can’t…”
He inhales, nostrils flaring. “Briar, please. Just tell me.”
My jaw clenches. Tears sting behind my eyelids again, and for a moment, I consider lying. But this is Orion—if anyone deserves the truth, it’s him. I raise my eyes to meet his, my voice trembling. “I overheard you on the phone with Dean. You told him…” I swallow, “that you had no feelings for me.”
His face falls with my words, darkening his expression. “I’m so sorry you heard that.”
I nod, a shaky breath escaping. “You said… you didn’t care about me. That I was just a job. It hurt. So I left. I thought I was just complicating things. Also, I saw the picture of Jason at the zoo, and thought…” my words fall away.
Orion’s hands curl into fists. Slowly, he lifts one hand to brush against my arm, as if he needs the contact. “I never meant it,” he says, voice trembling with anger—anger at himself, maybe. “That was a lie I fed Dean so he wouldn’t pull me off your watch. There’s a rule against getting close to a client. I was worried he’d see how I felt and reassign me.”
My heart thuds. “You… lied to him so you could stay with me?”
His face contorts with frustration. “Briar, I’m sorry. I never wanted you to overhear that. I told Dean I didn’t care so he wouldn’t question my judgment, wouldn’t split us up. But I do care. More than I should.”
Tears slip down my cheeks, but this time they carry a fragile mix of relief and lingering hurt. “Why wouldn’t you just tell me that?”
He grimaces, shifting slightly. The monitors beep in protest as he moves. “Because I was trying to do my job—protect you. I didn’t want you thinking I was crossing a line. And I sure as hell didn’t want Dean to reassign me.”
A shaky laugh escapes my lips, half-sob, half-disbelief. All this heartbreak because of some twisted sense of duty.
Orion’s hand slides further up my arm, thumb brushing away my tears. “You scared the hell out of me,” he mutters, eyes searching mine. “When you left, and then you got taken… I nearly lost my mind. And then they shot me, and I—I couldn’t protect you.”
I press my hand over his, my throat tight with emotion. “I was so afraid you’d died,” I admit, voice breaking. “Every night, I couldn’t sleep, wondering if I’d made the worst mistake of my life by walking out.”
His jaw sets. “Don’t blame yourself. If I’d told you the truth from the start…” He trails off, pain flickering in his eyes. “Look, I don’t know what happens next, but you have to believe me: I never meant those words. I’ve had feelings for you from the moment I realized you were more than just a client.”
My breath hitches. If my heart could leap out of my chest, it would. Orion’s gaze is so intense, so raw, that for a second I can’t speak. Finally, I manage, “I believe you.”
He exhales, relief flashing across his face. Slowly, he tugs at my hand until it rests over the sheet, atop his. The tension in the room eases, replaced by an unspoken promise hovering between us. Even with IV lines and hospital beeps, even with his bandaged side and the fear that Russians are still lurking, there’s a sense of rightness in this moment.
Careful not to jostle his injury, I lean forward, pressing my forehead against his. He smells like antiseptic and faintly of the cologne he always wears, the one that lulled me into security every time he held me. A soft whimper escapes me, half relief, half heartache, but Orion’s other arm circles around my shoulders, pulling me close.
We sit like that, hearts pounding in tandem, as the chaos of the outside world remains at bay. Eventually, he shifts, wincing at the pain, but he keeps me near. His breath ghosts across my cheek.
“There’s still danger,” he murmurs, “still Russians out there. Jason… I want to keep you safe, but I need you to trust me. Never doubt me again, all right? No matter what you overhear me say.”
My lips quiver with a watery smile. “I won’t. Next time, I’ll ask you straight up.”
A faint chuckle rumbles in his chest. Then he winces, a reminder that he’s not out of the woods yet. We both know our problems haven’t magically vanished. Jason’s still at large, the Russians aren’t fully dealt with, and Orion’s stuck in a hospital bed for who knows how long. But for the first time, I’m not lost in confusion over where we stand.