Page 37 of Rescued By the Operative

I lift my shirt to show him, because he’s going to strip me if I don’t.

“What happened?” Jake says, his nostrils flaring.

“I’m fine.”

He peels the bandage back.

“Not infected. But you have stitches.”

“Yep,” I say weakly.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

“Yes. No.” Then the waterworks start. “I don’t know.”

Whatever is going on with me, I need to let it out.

The next thing I know, Jake is spooned up behind me.

“Let it out.”

I just cry. I’m not in any severe pain. I’m simply so exhausted, I don’t know what to do with myself.

When I have nothing left to cry about, Jake asks, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t go back there.”

“You mean the compound or the shit hole in town?” He says in a joking tone.

“I just need to feel better,” I say. “These people are horrible. They do such horrible things.”

“I know. We’re going to stop them.”

“I don’t know how.”

“We’ll start by killing whoever did this to you. And I’ll do it with a smile on my face,” he says.

I can’t tell if he’s joking, but a laugh comes out of me.

Sleep takes over me again, and I let it, safe in the arms of a man I’m definitely not falling in love with.

Chapter Sixteen

Jake

I try not to fall asleep.

But Blondie is so warm next to me. Cuddling with her is the best I’ve felt in a long time. I feel our connection, and we fit so well together. And I feel a certain satisfaction in taking care of her, and in the fact that she reached out to me.

When I wake up a few hours later, Blondie has regained her strength.

I know this because she’s on top of me, pinning me to the bed.

“Is this OK?”

“Blondie, you do not need to ask permission from me. Ever.”

She’s getting frustrated with my belt, and I cover her hand with mine.