TWENTY-TWO
Decima
I endedup throwing myself into another workout, pushing the muscles in my arms and legs to the limit, until the tension inside me faded again. Every now and then, my mind flashed to the other release I’d gotten not long ago, to the way Talon’s hands had held my body and his hips had thrust into me, and my panties dampened all over again. I pushed myself harder.
I’d learned something from him, something about myself and what my body was capable of that I hadn’t known. That was the important part. It wasn’t as if I could pursue any kind of relationship with him, not that he seemed likely to want that. He was a cop, and I killed people on a regular basis. Also, he and his friends had essentially kidnapped me, even if I’d sort of allowed them to the last time.
But I couldn’t say I had any regrets about the interlude we’d shared. If nothing else, it’d give me plenty of fodder when I took matters into my own hands in the future.
When I was done, feeling looser than I had in ages, I ducked into the bathroom, because I could definitely use a shower too. I lingered there for longer than usual, scrubbing all the sweat from my skin and working a lather through my hair. The soap I grabbed had a bit of Talon’s tang to its scent—it must have been his. There was a weird intimacy to having it wrapped around me alongside the water streaming over my body.
When I’d dried off and dressed in a fresh pair of clothes—Steffie had run my discarded outfits through the laundry like she did for the guys, which I couldn’t complain about—I stepped into the main room to find that all four of the men were now home.
They’d gathered around Julius’s small table next to the whiteboard, and the man in charge was pointing out a few details in a sketch he’d made that looked roughly like the layout of a building. He had several army figures set out on the table. He motioned to them, moving a few, knocking one over, and the other men nodded. Blaze tapped away on the laptop he had balanced against his lean chest, his expression unusually serious.
They were up to something, making plans—I could taste it in the energy in the atmosphere as well as their body language. But other than a quick glance Garrison and then Julius shot my way, they didn’t acknowledge me. They didn’t intend to loop me in on this particular plan.
I could pretend I hadn’t realized that, though. I ambled over with an air of casual curiosity. “What are you all up to, tucked away in the corner like this?”
“Discussing business,” Julius said in that commanding tone of his. “Why don’t you relax in your room until it’s dinner time?”
I folded my arms over my chest. “If it’s about the massacre at Anna’s house, it involves me too. I want to know what’s going on.”
“It’s got nothing to do with your friend,” he said, but his expression was so impervious I couldn’t tell whether I should believe him.
They’d all fallen silent, waiting for me to leave. Talon looked at me briefly with no sign he even remembered how tightly we’d been entwined a couple of hours ago. What would his colleagues have thought of him if they’d known?
I didn’t have any interest in throwing him under the bus, though. That’d just destroy any chance there was of getting a second opportunity to enjoy the intense pleasures he could offer. Still, the thought of going back into the exercise room where the smell of sweat and him still hung in the air made my skin itch.
“I’ll just go hang out on the sofa,” I said, turning away, thinking I might get a chance to spy on them like I had before, but Julius cleared his throat.
“No, I think it’s better if we have the room completely to ourselves.”
Damn it. I held back a frown, not wanting him to realize how much I’d been counting on learning more about their mysterious mission.
Glancing around, I realized that I might be able to turn this into a different sort of opportunity. “Fine. Can I go up to the roof instead? I’d rather get some fresh air if you’re going to insist on me being out of your way.”
Julius’s gaze followed mine in a moment of contemplation. I braced myself for a refusal, but he nodded. “I don’t see how that could hurt anything.”
He didn’t think I had a hope in hell of escaping the apartment that way, he meant. We’d see about that. It’d be far from the first time someone had underestimated me.
I followed Julius as he strode to the locked door. He typed the code into the numeric lock quickly, angling his body to prevent me from seeing the numbers, and I made a show of not caring anyway. If they were going to let me go up on my own, I didn’t need to sneak up there. I just needed to figure out what I’d do once I had the whole outdoor space at my disposal.
The door opened with a click. Julius pushed it wide and gestured to the stairwell. “I’ll leave it unlocked so you can get back in when you’re ready.”
A small act of generosity. I gave him a similarly small smile. As I marched up the stairs, I felt his eyes on my back until the door thumped shut behind me.
Emerging onto the rooftop deck, I simply stood there for a few moments, looking at the bright blue sky and sucking in the fresh afternoon air. I hadn’t been lying when I’d said I enjoyed it. Another thing to add to my list for Blaze. Air made me happy.
How pathetic was that?
But then, I hadn’t gotten to savor the outside air very often. I’d stayed in my rooms in the household for days at a time in between missions or the occasional outdoor training session. My section of the mansion hadn’t even had windows. The household had wanted to ensure no one could possibly find out I was living there, their secret weapon. The secrecy protected both them and me.
It made sense. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy this sort-of freedom while I had it, right?
The solitude was nice too. Other than when I’d been in one bedroom or another, this was the first time I’d been totally, blissfully alone since the moment the men had surrounded me after I’d crashed the car.
It probably wouldn’t last. How long did I have before one of them came to check on me or tell me to get back downstairs?