were necessary. His training, his nature, his job wouldn’t allow him to say the words. But he could show her.
He looked down at her re laxed, happy face, her lashes lying in dark crescents on her smooth cheeks, lips lifted in a satisfied smile. Rolling her onto her back, he eased his way between her thighs. He couldn’t tell her, not until he could give her the truth of who he was, but he gave her what he could.
“This.” Resting his elbows on the pillow above her shoulders, he framed her face in his hands. “This is my heart. Right here.”
He kissed her, and then kissed her again, using his body to show her what he couldn’t say out loud.
“So, now that I’ve given you the intel and business is out of the way, how’s Liz?” Andy asked, sitting across from Ash at the coffee shop near the apartment.
A smile crept across Ash’s face. He couldn’t help it, and he certainly couldn’t stop. Crazy about the girl, he wanted to spend every spare minute he had—and those he didn’t—with her.
“She knocks me on my ass.” Did she ever. He turned himself inside out making love to her, until he was only a dry, desiccated husk. And then she touched him, and he went at her all over again. “God, Andy. I can’t keep my hands off her. These past few months… I feel like I’m addicted to everything about her. Even if we’re not screwing around, I just want to be with her. I mean, it’s like—What?”
Andy’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “You’re in love. Fucking hell. Asher is in love.”
“I…am.” He grinned and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I am.”
“Holy shit!” Andy hooted. “I never thought I’d see the day. Wait until I tell Lisa. She’s going to completely freak out.”
“You can’t tell Lisa.”
“The hell I can’t.”
“She’ll want to meet her and grill her, or at least ask all kinds of questions. Tell embarrassing stories. We can’t do that yet. I’m still undercover. Who knows what might come out? You can’t say anything.”
“I can tell her you’re in love with someone you met without giving away any details. No way in hell I’m not telling her this news. And Daniel. But you are undercover. Shit.” Andy sobered suddenly and grimaced. “How the hell do you handle that?”
“I’m handling just fine,” Ash said with an irritated bite to his tone. Lying to Liz sucked, but he’d never gamble with the op and the safety of the other team members or put all their time and hard work at risk. Lying was the only choice he had. “Already discussed and reported to Pete. This won’t have any bearing on the op. I’ll still do my job.”
“Don’t have any doubt about that,” Andy assured him. “Just wondered what you tell her. I mean, how do you guys talk? About yourself. You can’t tell her the truth. Can’t tell her who you really are.”
“Not yet, but I won’t be working this op forever. We’re pretty close to having enough evidence to take Rico’s group and hopefully one or two of his higher-ups into custody. Only have to balance this for a few more months—weeks, if we’re lucky. I’ve been UC on this going on eighteen months. Pete says it’s time to get me out. We can only risk confiscating shipments I clear so many times before things start looking suspicious. Already cutting it close.”
“True.”
“I’ll be able to tell her everything eventually. Have to do some major sucking up and groveling, but she’ll understand.”
“You think?”
Warmth suffused his chest. “She loves me. She honest to God does. She should be here any minute.”
And then he’d introduce Liz to his oldest friend. The whole traditional bringing the girlfriend to meet friends and family was something he wished he could do—take her home to meet his mom and dad. The girlfriend. The girl. The time would come, and he’d show her the real him, his roots and where he came from. He wanted to lay with her on one of the chairs on the back deck of his
He looked down at her re laxed, happy face, her lashes lying in dark crescents on her smooth cheeks, lips lifted in a satisfied smile. Rolling her onto her back, he eased his way between her thighs. He couldn’t tell her, not until he could give her the truth of who he was, but he gave her what he could.
“This.” Resting his elbows on the pillow above her shoulders, he framed her face in his hands. “This is my heart. Right here.”
He kissed her, and then kissed her again, using his body to show her what he couldn’t say out loud.
“So, now that I’ve given you the intel and business is out of the way, how’s Liz?” Andy asked, sitting across from Ash at the coffee shop near the apartment.
A smile crept across Ash’s face. He couldn’t help it, and he certainly couldn’t stop. Crazy about the girl, he wanted to spend every spare minute he had—and those he didn’t—with her.
“She knocks me on my ass.” Did she ever. He turned himself inside out making love to her, until he was only a dry, desiccated husk. And then she touched him, and he went at her all over again. “God, Andy. I can’t keep my hands off her. These past few months… I feel like I’m addicted to everything about her. Even if we’re not screwing around, I just want to be with her. I mean, it’s like—What?”
Andy’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “You’re in love. Fucking hell. Asher is in love.”
“I…am.” He grinned and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I am.”
“Holy shit!” Andy hooted. “I never thought I’d see the day. Wait until I tell Lisa. She’s going to completely freak out.”
“You can’t tell Lisa.”
“The hell I can’t.”
“She’ll want to meet her and grill her, or at least ask all kinds of questions. Tell embarrassing stories. We can’t do that yet. I’m still undercover. Who knows what might come out? You can’t say anything.”
“I can tell her you’re in love with someone you met without giving away any details. No way in hell I’m not telling her this news. And Daniel. But you are undercover. Shit.” Andy sobered suddenly and grimaced. “How the hell do you handle that?”
“I’m handling just fine,” Ash said with an irritated bite to his tone. Lying to Liz sucked, but he’d never gamble with the op and the safety of the other team members or put all their time and hard work at risk. Lying was the only choice he had. “Already discussed and reported to Pete. This won’t have any bearing on the op. I’ll still do my job.”
“Don’t have any doubt about that,” Andy assured him. “Just wondered what you tell her. I mean, how do you guys talk? About yourself. You can’t tell her the truth. Can’t tell her who you really are.”
“Not yet, but I won’t be working this op forever. We’re pretty close to having enough evidence to take Rico’s group and hopefully one or two of his higher-ups into custody. Only have to balance this for a few more months—weeks, if we’re lucky. I’ve been UC on this going on eighteen months. Pete says it’s time to get me out. We can only risk confiscating shipments I clear so many times before things start looking suspicious. Already cutting it close.”
“True.”
“I’ll be able to tell her everything eventually. Have to do some major sucking up and groveling, but she’ll understand.”
“You think?”
Warmth suffused his chest. “She loves me. She honest to God does. She should be here any minute.”
And then he’d introduce Liz to his oldest friend. The whole traditional bringing the girlfriend to meet friends and family was something he wished he could do—take her home to meet his mom and dad. The girlfriend. The girl. The time would come, and he’d show her the real him, his roots and where he came from. He wanted to lay with her on one of the chairs on the back deck of his
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