His eyes widened, and then one corner of his mouth lifted just slightly as he straightened from the doorway. “I don’t know. What does a spy do when she gets cold?”
She walked over to stand toe-to-toe with him. Her hands reached for the open flaps of his vest, smoothing over them even though they didn’t need smoothing. When they reached his waistline, her fingers reached out to touch his abdominal muscles, which jumped at her first touch.
“She goes undercover.”
Blue eyes sparkling, he grinned, lighting up his whole face. “That’s a terrible joke, little spy.”
“I learned from the master.”
“Did you now?”
“Mm-hmm.”
They stood, face-to-face, not speaking, but something was passing between them just the same.
“I saw your friend came to see you.”
Of course he did. He saw everything from the booth.
“He did.”
“You handed him something.”
She nodded. “I did.”
“You decided to give him all the information you had. That’s why you locked yourself away this past week.”
“Yes, I did. Glennon Thompson is officially a closed case.” She stared into his eyes. “Do you trust me, Triumph?”
His expression was wary but hopeful. “You’ve never asked me to trust you before. It’s always the other way around.”
“I know.”
“I trust you, Glennon. With every fiber of my being.”
She smiled. “Then hold out your hands.”
He held them out in front of him, the backs facing upward. Gently, she turned them over so they were palms-up, then she placed hers atop his. She didn’t thread their fingers together or even try to hold onto them. Just laid hers palm-to-palm with his.
He looked down at their hands.
She didn’t move. Just stood there, watching his reactions. Would he understand that in this single act, she gave him the only thing he wanted?
Her submission.
She gave him permission to help her. To raise her up. To help carry the load. To be everything to him and allow him to be everything to her. To tear down the walls she would try to put up when things got difficult. To feel what she needed to feel, knowing he would be beside her. To be with her every step of the way.
And in return, she would do the same for him by allowing him to lead.
CONSENT
Triumph
His knees felt weak,and he heard a tremor in his hope-filled voice as he asked, “Are you sure?”
Her gaze into his eyes never wavered. “I’m sure.”
He paused for only a moment before sliding his palms from beneath hers, then curling one around the nape of her neck and guiding her to the elevator.
