Page 91 of Never the Same

I stopped by his hammock, and his eyes flashed open when I tried to climb in with him. He shifted his headphones around his neck, setting aside his work phone they were attached to, and helped me up.

Still clutching his phone, I buried my face against his chest, and he sheltered me in his arms. I was grateful the hammock could hold our combined weight.

I knew he wouldn’t want me to say anything. No pity or apologies. But what this man needed was a hug and to never be hurt again. I had every intention of guarding his heart far better than I was supposed to guard sacred secrets and priceless artifacts.

“I got you,” he said into my ear, and the fact he was reassuring me when it should have been the other way around broke me.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed as we remained like this, but his heartbeat in my ear while being in his strong arms helped calm me down.

I tipped my chin up, peering at him. I had applied a little makeup before the flight, but I assumed since my eyes weren’t burning, my products were top tier and I wasn’t a total disaster. “What were you listening to?”

“My DGU playlist.”

I definitely wanted to listen to that at some point. I rolled my lips inward, fighting another ugly cry, when an idea suddenly hit me.

I attempted to sit upright, nearly flipping the hammock, but we both had fast reflexes and managed to save ourselves from falling.

Once we were stable, I unlocked his phone and held it out. “Act like you like me for a second,” I teased, sniffling.

Instead of focusing on the camera, he looked at me, a slow smile spreading across his lips, and I took the photo.

“There we go. RTBH. A new folder.” I moved photos into it. Pictures from Alex’s wedding, Ryder’s as well, and several images of Ranger. Lastly, I saved the selfie I took of us there.

“RTBH?” He took the phone from me and began swiping through the saved images.

“Reasons to be happy.” I rested my hand on his chest and angled my head, hoping he’d slant his mouth over mine for a quick kiss despite where we were.

He bent his head forward and kissed me. Zero hesitation.

“Not to be presumptuous,” I whispered in post-kiss bliss, a little lightheaded from the calming effect he had on me, “but I’m hoping I can be less of a pain in your ass and someone who makes you happy instead, someone who belongs in this new folder.”

His lips stretched into a wicked grin that woke up other parts of me, moving me from sad to something else entirely.

He discreetly pinched my butt. “You can be both. Make me happy and be a pain in my ass.” With his free hand, he held my cheek, directing my face close to his again, on the verge of another kiss. “Because you know damn well it turns me on when you give me a hard time.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Reed

German–Switzerland border

We pulled off the autobahn in our convoy of blacked-out SUVs, following a winding road skirting vineyards and forests. The Rhine River was nearby, the Alps in view.

Hollis held my hand between our seats, and I quietly laced our fingers together as we passed a sign for Schaffhausen, making our way to the sliver of land between Switzerland and Germany—to the neutral territory where The Sapphire was located.

With the time difference, it was now Wednesday morning. It was quiet out here as we entered no-man’s-land.

The Sapphire’s concierge escort service was intense; they were more like guardian angels. We had two armed former military men in the front seat and a Reaper drone overhead capable of intercepting and neutralizing possible threats.

We were also boxed in with Ryder and Alex in the front vehicle and another two-man team of security personnel in the SUV behind us. We were about as safe as we could be as we approached the hotel.

“What’s the deal with this place? I know Carter and that League guy, Sebastian, own it, but why is it so safe? Why would my paranoid brother be willing to come here?” It was the first time Hollis had mentioned anything related to the operation since we’d left my house.

She also hadn’t brought up what she’d read and seen on my phone, which I appreciated. We’d need to talk about it eventually, and I could fill in a few details, but now didn’t feel like the right time.

Her thoughtful gesture to create a new photo folder had been what I never knew I needed. It also scared the hell out of me, if I was being honest, because there were no guarantees for our future. And if I ever had to open that folder and she was no longer in my life, so help me . . .

But I couldn’t let myself think like that. I had to stop with the pessimistic shit if this was going to work like I prayed it would.