She smiled to herself. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d looked forward to sleeping—forcing herself to rest had been a daily struggle since her captivity. But she wanted Mark with her. Mark soothed her mind in a way she couldn’t fully explain. Almost as if her deepest subconscious knew he would keep her safe and let her relax.
He boarded the plane, and his eyes found her immediately.
No matter what I have to do… If you need me, I will get you out or die trying.
What he’d said to her in the bus… The words had been bouncing around in her head ever since. She kept waiting for them to terrify her, but they didn’t. The opposite.
At the same time, thinking about the future, she didn’t know how it would work. Her limitations weren’t exactly conducive to a relationship or a family. How would he feel about that? How wouldshefeel about that?
She pulled her thoughts back from that path, not having the energy to fully probe all of those questions.
Mark went over to stand by Ian. “Is there anything we need to know? Otherwise, I think Jenna getting some rest is the best thing we can do for this operation. She’ll be working nonstop once we get to San Diego.”
“Agreed,” Ian said. “Just FYI, newest robot is female. She’s already stable and recovering, thanks to Jenna’s info.”
That was one thing, at least. Joaquin hadn’t changed the tail yet, so this victim would live.
“I will focus on memory recovery.” She hated how scratchy her voice still sounded and how weak her limbs felt even now, hours later. “We’re getting to her earlier in the process, so hopefully some of her memories will be recoverable.”
Ian nodded. “You’ll have a lab and access to everything you need. But yes, get rest now.”
She walked back to the furthermost seats, which reclined flat. She sighed as she was able to stretch out.
Mark sat down next to her but didn’t recline his connected seat.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” she asked. She wanted him sleeping beside her.
“I want to, but if I do what I really want—which is wrap you in my arms so both of us get better rest—Ian’s going to know about us. I want to make sure that’s okay.”
“I’m too tired to care,” she said, reaching over and taking his hand. “And…I don’t care if Ian knows.”
She didn’t know how things would play out for her and Mark long-term, but right now, she wanted him beside her.
He nodded and reclined his chair also, in essence making their seats into a bed. He immediately tucked her into his side, allowing her legs to tangle with his. His arm rested across her stomach, mouth just above her ear where he could kiss her hair, and Jenna felt him smile. “Does this mean I’m the Rick O’Connell to your Evie, little librarian?”
Jenna couldn’t keep the smile off her face at the mention of her favorite movie. “Let’s see. A brash, shoots-first-and-asks-questions-later, protects-her-at-all-costs-even-against-herself hero? Seems about right.”
“Do I need to build you a library for you to knock over?”
Her heart skipped a beat, and her stomach curled with both nerves and desire. “If I had a real library, I definitely wouldn’t want to knock it down.”
Mark rubbed his thumb back and forth along her hip, and as the plane began to rumble down the runway, the lights dimmed, and she relaxed into him. “I want you to try to sleep,” he said gently. “But I also want to know what your perfect library looks like.”
“Oh God.” She turned on her side, facing him, and closed her eyes. There was a temptation to just say she wanted a library like the one fromBeauty and the Beast, and that was partially true, but she was never going to live in a castle, so it wasn’t exactly practical. “I want it to be at least two stories, with all built-in shelves. Dark wood. I need a spiral staircase to go along with the regular staircase and those sliding ladders that roll along the shelves. A fireplace, big comfy chairs with a lot of pillows, and…” She hesitated, knowing the last bit was probably going to make him sad. It made her sad too. “And windows so I can see outside even if I can’t go outside.”
Mark’s hands tightened on her body, an acknowledgment of her statement without telling her it would be okay or that eventually she would be able to go outside.
Neither of them knew that for sure. In the same way Mark’s body was slowly betraying him, Jenna’s mind was already betraying her. This wasn’t something simple exposure therapy would help. Clearly, if she could only be outside for a minute before she vomited up her guts.
“That sounds beautiful,” he said quietly.
Just being near him was helping her relax, and the overload of what happened had made her tired enough that she was starting to get drowsy, but she still wanted to hear him. “Do you have a dream…something? Office?”
“Well,” he said. “I’ve had to think a lot about what I’m going to do once I can’t work for Ian anymore. I’m already doing some architectural work for Linear Tactical and I enjoy it, so maybe I’ll lean in that direction.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“If I did, I would need an office and a drafting space. And I’d like it to be warm tones. Maybe dark woods like your library or a cherry. Bright lights to make sure I can see, and some nice windows for the natural light.” He moved one of his hands up to stroke her hair slowly.