Page 112 of Pieces of Ash

“She drugged you.”

He nods. “And cleaned out my safe. My money. My passport. My weapon. My badge. My phone. My laptop. And most importantly, a printout of the VP’s itinerary. Where he was staying, where he was going, who he was meeting with. Everything.”

“Oh god.”

“Yeah. When I woke up a few hours later and realized what had happened, I ran down the hall and banged on Javi’s door. Magdalena’s friend had cleaned out his wallet, but not his safe, which he’d kept locked while she was in his room. I had to…I had to tell him what happened. Oh my god, that was bad. He was pissed. Like, he couldn’t believe it, and…”

“And what?”

“They had to cancel the vice president’s visit to Colombia.” He pauses, then adds, “I was sent home on a commercial flight. When I got to DC, I was fired.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, my heart breaking for him. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“I was stupid. I was so stupid to think that she was some foundling waif who needed my help. I mean, how could I be so goddamned stupid? And of course, it got out that Secret Service agents were sleeping with prostitutes at a hotel paid for by theAmerican taxpayers. Guys like Javi and Mark—I mean, they had big careers, you know?—were put on probation. The head of the agency was replaced. A lot of shit went down. But it all started with me.”

“You’renotstupid,” I say, reaching up to cup his cheeks. He doesn’t look at me, his long eyelashes shielding his eyes from my view. “Julian, look at me. Please.”

When he looks up, his expression is grim. Sad. Hurt. Ashamed.

“I killed my dream, Ash. In one night, I killed it.”

My eyes water as I shake my head. “No, you didn’t.Shekilled it. You were just trying to be kind.”

He blinks, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he drops my eyes. “Doesn’t matter. I lost my job. I embarrassed the agency. I can never show my face in Washington again.”

“It wasn’t on my list of places to visit anyway,” I say, leaning forward and pressing my lips to his. I kiss his lips, then the tip of his nose, the lids of his eyes, and his forehead. “And besides, if you hadn’t been here, who would keep me safe? Who would protect me? Who would save my life?”

He lifts his head, and his eyes meet mine. His expression is inscrutable, and I think about what I’ve just said, how selfish it was.

“Not that…not that protecting me is worth losing your job. I didn’t mean that. I didn’t mean to say that…”

He reaches for me, lifting me onto his lap. His towel has come loose, and as he moves me, mine slips away as well. I lean forward, then settle back onto him, sliding my body onto his waiting erection and whimpering softly as I am impaled to the hilt.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs, his breath shallow and quick. “For the first time…since it happened…I’m glad.”

I place my hands on his shoulders and arch my back, sliding against him as he clutches my hips.

“Thank you…for telling me,” I say as he thrusts up, his throbbing sex filling me to bursting.

“Thank you…for giving me a chance…to keep you safe,” he says, panting between his words, his eyes holding mine with blistering intensity.

“Thank you…thank you…thank you…” I murmur in a whispered litany. I close my eyes and hang on as he hammers into my body, his hot, silken skin mating with mine.

I feel the building passion between us, the gathering, the hot, sweet culmination of our union quickening until I am barely hanging on, and when he leans forward, razing my throat with his teeth, I realize that he’s been saying a litany of his own.

“Ashley…Ashley…Ashley…” He whispers my name with reverence, like it is a holy word, like it is sacred, like it is his only prayer.

We orgasm together this time, and after the wave of pleasure crashes over us, leaving us clinging to each other in the soft glow of firelight, replete and exhausted, Julian rests his head on my shoulder.

Holding me tightly against him, he whispers,

“Ashley…you’re safe.”

And deep in my heart, where I am falling in love with him, I know that it’s true.

Yes, I am.

I am safe with you.