Page 197 of Operation: Defiance

“This place has two.” He’s crouched by one of the side tables, and looks up, at me, brows drawn together. “If you want your own⁠—“

“No. I want…you. With me, I mean.”

Relief softens his gaze, while I’m left untethered by the heat flooding my cheeks. “It’s the first door,” he says. “If you want to check it out.”

Music spills from the sound bar over the fireplace, soft and familiar and unobtrusive. Just a steady, calm background I can sync my heartbeat to.

The comforter is fluffier. The towels too. And unlike the apartment we just left, it doesn’t smell like Asher. Or…anything.

The room tilts a few degrees as I take off my coat and sink down onto the bed. “You’re still here,” I whisper. “Nothing’s changed but the room.”

Water runs in the kitchen. A few minutes later, the scents of citrus and chamomile reach me. Tea. The same tea he’s made me for days now.

It’s enough my shoulders finally drop. Enough for me to set the new toiletry bag on the bathroom counter, then make my way back to the main room.

“Tea’s ready,” Asher says, bringing one of the mugs to the coffee table. “I still need to grab the cooler from the trunk, but it doesn’t have to be now.”

“You can go. I’m…settling. Tea will help.” I sit, running my hand over the nap of the couch cushion. It’s softer than the fabric at the Seattle apartment. Everything is softer here. The warmth from the mug seeps through my fingers, up my arm, and into my core.

“I won’t be more than five minutes. The door locks automatically, and the remote for the TV is right next to you.”

The quiet click doesn’t spike anything. Being alone…that’s harder. Still, once the familiar notes of Law & Order’s opening credits roll, I know I’ll be okay.