“Fine,” he replies curtly. Swiveling around, he leaves the room, and I shut my eyes and pray for sleep.
As I slowly drift into unconsciousness, a rush of whispered words tickles my eardrums. “It’s almost time. Be ready.”
CHAPTER 4
The following day snails by in painstaking silent torture. Haydn and I sidestep each other in the apartment, going to great lengths to avoid one another. We’re both equally stubborn. As far as I’m concerned, he owes me an apology, and I refuse to speak to him until I get one.
It says a lot that I’m actually delighted to be heading into work on Monday morning. Haydn drives me in silence, and Jarod wordlessly greets me at the front entrance. Isolating my two strongest allies in one foul swoop is an unwanted accomplishment in itself. I risk a peek at Jarod as we travel in the elevator. Purposely ignoring me, he stares straight ahead. Yep, my day is definitely off to a great start.
Thankfully, the VP’s schedule is jam-packed, and I’ve no time to think of the many ways in which my life is falling apart. Unsure if Jarod is still on board with the plan to gain access to Sector Twenty, I’m determined to follow through on my end of the deal nonetheless. I get a small window of opportunity right before lunch. The VP has left to greet guests in the lobby, and I figure I have ten minutes max to snoop. I dash into his office and open the top drawer of his desk. I’ve seen him stow his personal disc here before, and I’m trusting he’s a creature of habit. All his passwords and personal data are logged on the device, and it should be a simple task to retrieve the info I need.
Bingo. The door glides open, unlocked as I’d anticipated. I install the disc and record the relevant details on a small strip of paper before extracting and replacing it. I’ve just plopped back down on my seat when the VP pokes his head around the door. My heart very nearly erupts from my chest.
“Sadie. Can you bring refreshments for six to meeting room B-nineteen, please?”
“Of course, sir.” I promptly put in my request for a vacation day on Friday and he obliges. Everything is slotting into place. I’ve followed through on my side of the bargain. Now Jarod needs to play his part.
Less than five minutes later, I knock on the meeting room door and enter. Fiery tingles rip up and down my body, and it takes considerable restraint to endure my stride across the room. Keeping my eyes dead ahead, I place the tray on top of the sideboard and start setting out the refreshments. My hands shake nervously.
“Sadie.” Logan calls out to me telepathically, and I can feel his eyes boring into my back.
Everything inside me quivers with anticipation. “How long are you here for?”
“A couple of hours at most. Don’t make any lunch plans. I’ll come get you when I’m finished here.”
I have to work hard to quell the heaving sob threatening to escape. I’ve never needed a person as much as I need Logan today. He has no idea how perfect his timing is.
“I’ll be waiting.” I finish unloading the tray and brace myself. Turning around, I straighten my spine and compose my features into a neutral, professional expression. All eyes fixate on me, but I’m only looking in one direction. When his ocean blue eyes latch on mine, the urge to throw myself into Logan’s embrace is almost overwhelming. Emotion clogs my throat. His heated gaze provokes my blood pressure, and my cheeks warm in response. It’s as if I’m looking on him for the first time. Electricity weaves an invisible path between us, and it’s hard to keep one foot steady in front of the other.
The king’s vulgar cough slices through our connection.
“Will that be all, sir?” I ask the VP, reluctantly tearing my gaze from Logan.
“Yes. Thank you, Sadie.” His amused grin grates on my nerves, but I plant my poker face on and hastily leave the room.
“See you soon, Angel.”
“It can’t be soon enough!”
The next ninety minutes shave a couple of years off my life. Seriously, I can think of nothing but the fact that I’ll be seeing Logan in the flesh soon. I’m as excited and anxious as I was those first few weeks in the Mock-Up Facility. I love that he continues to affect me so potently. Giddy with excitement and anticipation, I get next to no work done in the intervening period. I attempt to type up a report the VP requested, but I can’t concentrate, so I give up after a fruitless half hour of typing and re-typing.
I drop down to Jarod, informing him that I can’t meet him for lunch, while covertly slipping the piece of paper with the stolen logins into his curled fist. His gleeful half-smile is the only indication that we are still on track. Some of the stress seeps out of my system.
The VP strolls into the room a short while later, accompanied by Logan. I think I stop breathing. Though they are conversing, Logan doesn’t hesitate to reach out, plucking me into his side. It’s actually very unprofessional—on both our parts—but I’m powerless to halt my natural reaction. My arms snake around his midriff of their own accord, as he swathes his arm around my shoulders.
The VP smiles smugly and my body judders at his leering expression. “Ah, first love. I remember the feelings all too well.” He chuckles. “This young man tells me he intends to take you out to lunch, Sadie. Don’t worry if you’re a little late back. You’ve earned it.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“We’ll convene in due course.” He nods subtly at Logan. “Until then.” He shakes his hand and then strides to his office.
Once his door is shut, Logan draws me securely into his arms. “I’ve missed you so much,” he murmurs, nuzzling my hair.
I close my eyes and savor being back in his arms. Inhaling deeply, I ingest the clean, citrusy smell that is pure Logan. His welcoming warmth is like coming home after a long, arduous journey in the cold. The usual spark magnifies the air around us, and a feeling of contentment sweeps over me, blanketing all my worries and concerns. Everything has always felt so right when I’m with him. “I’ve missed you, too. So much it hurts.”
“Believe me, I know.” He tilts my chin up, and his beautiful blue eyes glow with love. He brings his lips to mine, pressing a tender kiss to my mouth. All dormant nerve endings resurrect in a nanosecond as my body recognizes its other half. I heave a contented sigh. “Being apart from you is the worst form of punishment there is,” he whispers. “I don’t think I can handle much more.”
“Then don’t. Be with me. Or take me with you.” I trail a finger along his bottom lip, and he opens his mouth, nipping the edge of my skin. Lust whips through me, igniting every cell, and I gasp, shocked at the strength of my body’s reaction.
He chuckles again. “I feel it too, babe. Our connection doesn’t make separation easy.”
“Nothing about life is easy right now.”
His expression turns serious as he contemplates my declaration. “You’re correct on that front.” He scratches the thin layer of stubble along his jawline. Tension bleeds into the air.
“Things are still bad?”
“You’ve no idea.” He looks away, shaking his head.
“Anything I can help with?”
He brings my hand to his mouth, brushing his lips over my knuckles. “Let’s not talk about any of that stuff. We don’t have much time, and I’d much rather hear all about you.” He joins our hands together and guides me toward the door. “I made a reservation. Let’s go.”
A chauffeur-driven Autovee brings us to one of the hottest restaurants in the city. Logan exits first, extending his hand to help me from the vehicle. A flash goes off in my face and I groan. Logan slings an arm around my waist and a delicious surge of happiness bubbles inside me. Quick-fire questions are leveled our way from a rambunctious media crowd assembled on the sidewalk. Two Saven bodyguards in full regal attire swiftly usher us into the building. The muscles in my back are like concrete boulders by the time we take our seats.
A waitress places menus on the table as she pretends not to stare at Logan. I narrowly avoid rolling my eyes.
The bodyguards plant themselves in front of our table, f
acing frontward. They’re a formidable wall, and though I should be grateful for their presence, I’m uncomfortable and intimidated at the same time.
“Damned parasites,” Logan seethes, reclaiming my attention. “Are they still entrenched outside your building?”
“Yeah. I generally only venture out on foot once a week. I can’t handle any more than that.”
“I’m sorry you have to deal with that. But it won’t be forever.” He reaches over the table and takes my hand. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”
A hot flush steals over my cheeks. “Thank you. You’re every bit as hot as I recall.”
Throwing back his head, he laughs loudly. “Now that we’ve gotten the mutual admiration out of the way, tell me what’s going on with you.”
“Not a hell of a lot,” I lie. “Life is fairly boring.” I almost snort at that statement. “Work is interesting, and my training is going well, but I’m going stir-crazy cooped up in that apartment.”
He has the graciousness to look ashamed. “It’s a necessary precaution.”
“Hhm.” I’d plead my case but I don’t want to argue with him. Not today. Haydn and I can work out a new arrangement, and Logan doesn’t need to be any the wiser. I tell myself it’s less stressful for him this way, though I acknowledge how delusional my thought process is. “How much longer do you think you’ll be away?”
He tips back in his seat, running a hand through his jet-black hair. “I honestly don’t know. One way or another, I think things with the Amaretti will be resolved in the next couple of weeks. Then we have a few more stops on the roadshow, and my father is insisting that I make an appearance on Saven. I’ve been gone far too long, apparently.”
The waitress returns and we briskly place our orders.
I bite down hard on my lip. I don’t want to appear selfish or needy, but I’m supposed to be his Eterno intended, and it appears I’m relegated to the bottom of the slush pile. Refusing to go there, I bring up the other hot topic instead. “What about stopping the plans for the underwater colonies? They are moving things forward. We have to do something.”
“I thought we’d agreed we weren’t going to talk about this stuff?”
“They took my sister and brother!” I hiss in a low tone.
“What?” Alarm builds behind his eyes, and I’m pleased at his visceral reaction. He wasn’t aware of it. “The president gave me his word.”
“I guess his word doesn’t count for much.” I rub an aching spot between my eyes.
“Leave that with me. I’ll fix it.”
“How? When?” I lean forward earnestly.
“I’ll speak to the VP when we get back. Commissioner Williams is in charge of the facility, and he’s tight with him. Try not to worry.” He takes my hand again. “I won’t let them come to any harm.”
The waitress sets our plates down with a flirtatious smile. She stares blatantly at Logan through a thick set of fluttering lashes. I might as well be invisible. I glare at her, my claws sharpened and at the ready. Logan blanks her and that goes some way toward appeasing me. The dark-haired guard with the striking green eyes regards me suspiciously, and I’m tempted to flip him off. Disappointed, the waitress retreats, and the guards resume position.
“What if it’s too late?” I whisper the question at the root of my anxiety.
His expression is aggrieved. “I … let’s hope it’s not.” That’s not very comforting, but I can’t ask any more of him. “So, what’s the VP like to work for?” He raises a fork to his mouth, deliberately switching the subject.
“He’s very professional, and incredibly busy, and I’m learning loads.” I place my silverware down. “Do you think he requested me for the position solely because I’m your girlfriend?” I ask in all seriousness. I’m still pondering exactly why I was singled out.
Logan frowns a little. “He requested you for your brilliance, and because you were the best candidate for the job.” He reaches over, capturing my hand in his.
“You genuinely believe that?” I’m hugely skeptical.
“One hundred percent.”
I don’t share his belief, but I’m not going to argue with him over it. His unflinching loyalty is doing funny things to my insides. Whether I believe it or not, he does, and he’ll never understand how much that means to me. A frown lingers on his face. “Why the frown?”
His thumb circles the back of my hand, shooting tingles up and down my arm. I squirm in my seat. “Girlfriend.” He enunciates the word. “I don’t like that term. It doesn’t even begin to convey how important you are to me. How much I love you.”
I reach out and clasp his other hand in mine. He promptly laces our fingers together. The dark-haired guard—the one who looked at me warily earlier—pierces me with a sly, menacing look over his shoulder that screams his intent. He doesn’t like me or trust me, and he sure as hell doesn’t like listening to Logan professing how much he cares. I shudder involuntarily.
“Do they have to follow you everywhere?” I silently ask.
“Pretty much. Once we’re Eterno connected, you’ll be assigned your own bodyguard twenty-four-seven.”
I sit ramrod straight. “You’re not serious?”
A concentrated groove indents his forehead. “Deadly. You’ll be a Saven princess, Sadie, and that comes with all the regular protections and perks.”
A sick feeling swarms my stomach. “Like what?”
“In addition to a bodyguard, you’ll be appointed a personal maid, your own chef, stylist, dressmaker, physician, and—”
I cut him off dead, aghast at the thoughts of my own entourage. “I get the picture.” I look sideways, hoping to deflect the rising panic from reaching my face. “I’ll be expected to live full time on Saven?”
“Yes, though you’ll accompany me on certain political trips and events, and we will, of course, come back to Earth so you can meet up with your friends.”
His fingers brush my chin as he tilts my head so we’re eye to eye. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but it won’t happen for some time. Remember, we have to identify a way of safely bonding without risk to you. When that happens, all that matters is that we’ll be together, forever.”
“Of course, I want that with you. But everything else?” I drag my lip in between my teeth. “It sounds like I’ll be trading one cage for another.”
Logan sucks in a sharp gasp. Not attempting to hide his hurt expression, he peers at me with blatant concern. I don’t offer any words of comfort for there are none. I don’t know if I can do this. If I want to do this. I want to be with him, so, so much, but all that other stuff?
I don’t want that.
I never imagined that love could be so complicated and come with so many conditions.
The rest of lunch passes by in strained conversation. Logan’s wounded look does nothing to diminish my guilty conscience, but I’m not sorry I was honest. It seems I have a lot more to think about.
Before I know it, we are back at Government Buildings, imminent separation on the horizon. Logan sticks his head into the VP’s office, but he’s on a call. He motions for him to wait outside. Sitting down on the couch, Logan lures me into his lap, and I readily yield. I cling to him and these last precious moments. “I have something for you.” He wrests a square black velvet-covered box from his pocket and places it in my palm. “Open it.”
I pop the lid and gasp. Gently grasping the double heart pendant, I lift it out of the box and examine it more closely. Two interconnecting diamond-studded hearts rest at the bottom of a delicate silver chain. Turning it over, I notice our initials engraved on the back, and my heart surges with happiness. It’s the most exquisite thing I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I can’t believe he bought it for me. “You don’t like it?” Worry lines dot his brow.
“No,” I admit, watching as the curves in his forehead hollow out. “I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you so much.” I enfold myself around him like an octopus. Emotion brims in my chest, threatening to
overflow. Say it. Tell him you love him. But the words stubbornly refuse to come out.
“Consider it an early birthday present,” he says, as his fingers explore my hair.
I ease back a little, a puzzled expression on my face. “My birthday is like five weeks away.”
His expression is pained once more. “I’m aware of that fact, but I don’t know if I’ll be around to see you on the day.”
“Oh. I see.” Some of the euphoria dissipates. “Well, thank you for being so thoughtful to think ahead. I truly love it.” I unlock the clasp.
“Let me.” He takes it from me, and I scrunch my hair up while he fastens it around my neck. “It also serves a dual purpose.”
“Oh?” I intone, completely flustered, as his fingers skim the surface of my skin, eliciting a flurry of delicious tingles.
“There’s a microchip embedded in the casing that triggers a bomb mechanism once activated.”
I jerk around. “Why would you give me something like that?”
“Why do you think?” He pins me with one of his trademark special looks. “It’s for your protection.”
I snort. “I hardly think it’s safe to be walking around with a bomb strapped around my neck. What if I accidentally set it off?”
He sniggers as his fingers brush the pendant where it rests in the hollow above my clavicle. I suck in a husky moan. “You can’t. You have to moisten it with your saliva to activate it. It’s programmed to your DNA so no one else can use it against you. Once it’s activated, you need to secure it to something solid, and then you’ll have thirty seconds to get out of there before she blows.”
“Trust you to give me a romantic gift that doubles as protection. Obsessive much?” His possessiveness is borderline creepy but weirdly heartwarming too. I’ve never had anyone care this much about me before.
“When it comes to you, one hundred percent. And don’t expect an apology. Your safety will always come first.” He moves my hair to the side and sweeps his lips against my neck. I moan vociferously. Spinning me around with Olympic-worthy speed, he crashes his mouth to mine, and we lose ourselves in the most absorbing kiss. Our tongues meet, probing, exploring, welcoming, and everything else fades into the background. All the secrets and lies. All my worries and concerns. When we’re together like this, I have all the proof I need to know this is what’s right for me. He’s right for me. Somehow, we will sort through all the crap.
Saven Disclosure (The Saven Series Book 2) Page 6