Page 109 of Whisper

When she takes me into her mouth, when she demonstrates the depth of her devotion and the completeness of her surrender, the fantasy becomes reality in ways that transcend mere physical satisfaction.

This is who we are. Who we’ve always been, even before we met.

The gladiator and his prize.

The conqueror and the conquered.

The man who commands and the woman whoserves.

The man who loves and the woman who loves him back.

Afterward, we lie tangled together on the bed, her head on my chest, my fingers threading through her auburn hair. The bronze leather armor lies discarded on the floor, but the feeling lingers—the rightness of us, the completeness I never knew I was missing until I found her.

“Cooper?” she whispers against my skin.

“Yeah.”

“Phase Two is still out there. Phoenix is planning something we don’t understand.”

I press a kiss to the top of her head, breathing in the vanilla scent that’s become home to me. “Tomorrow, we’ll figure it out. Tonight, you’re exactly where you belong.”

“Where’s that?”

“Here. With me. Always.” I tighten my arms around her, marveling at how the mouthy professor who could never shut up became the love of my life. “I love you, Eliza. More than I thought possible.”

She lifts her head to look at me, green eyes bright with tears I hope are happy ones. “I love you too.”

The words settle between us like a promise, like a vow that transcends mission parameters and operational necessity. Whatever Phoenix brings, whatever Phase Two means, this is real. This is permanent.

Outside our windows, Seattle sleeps peacefully, unaware of the storm brewing in the shadows. But here, in our bed, with Eliza’s love warming me from the inside out and her trust absolute in my arms, I feel something I haven’t felt in years.

Hope.

Whatever Phoenix brings, whatever Phase Two means, we’ll face it together. The brilliant linguist who cracked their financial empire and the operator who would die before letting anyone hurt her.

Tomorrow, the war continues.

Tonight, we have each other.

And that’s enough.