Page 47 of Covert Operation
“Two queens with an atrium view.” She rattles off the reservation details.
I continue smiling even though two beds are a little disappointing. “That sounds great.” I let Zeke continue ripping into whoever was supposed to book our hotel while I collect our keycards and the directions to our room. Once I have everything, I hook my arm through Zeke’s and drag him along with me.
He swings back to look behind us. “Where are we going?”
“To our room.” I hold up the envelope with the cards in it. “It’s got two beds. I think we’ll be fine.” And byfine, I mean struggling to remain composed knowing Zeke is right next to me all night.
“You can have the room. I’ll go find a chair or something.” Zeke’s scowl is even more pronounced than it was at the desk. I feel kind of bad for Isaac, because when we get back to Alaska, Zeke is going to give him hell.
“Absolutely not.” I practically drag him into the elevator. “We’re adults. I’m sure we will be just fine sharing a room.” There’s a perkiness in my voice I can’t control. It gives away my excitement over the whole situation, but luckily Zeke doesn’t seem to notice.
He’s too busy frowning. “I can stay at a different hotel.”
Maybe I’m not reading him as right as I thought I was. Maybe he genuinely doesn’t want to share a room with me, because he’s working really hard at finding an alternative.
“Is that really what you want to do?” The perkiness from earlier is replaced with hurt. Maybe a little offense.
And a lot of disappointment.
I was starting to think maybe Zeke genuinely enjoyed being around me the way I enjoy being around him. I thought any hesitancy he showed was due to his sense of honor and the respect he has for me. But maybe I’m wrong.
Zeke works his jaw from side to side, nostrils flaring. “No. What I wanted was for you to have your own space. Some fucking privacy.”
I relax a little, the excitement from earlier flaring back to life immediately. I was right. It’s not that Zeke doesn’t want to share a room with me. He wanted me to not have to share a room with him.
“Do you snore?” I stare at him, lifting my brows. “Talk in your sleep? Sleepwalk?”
“I don’t know what I do. I’m asleep.” A little of the way Zeke was when we first met creeps into his explanation. He’s a little more abrupt. More gruff. Grumpy.
And it makes me roll my eyes. “Even if you do, I’m sure it will be fine.” I turn to face the doors as we reach our floor. “I’ll just smash a pillow on your face until you quit.”
He huffs out a quiet laugh beside me as the elevator opens, and I smile to myself. I know Zeke thinks I’m delicate, and in a lot of ways I probably am. But I’m not fragile. I’m not going to break. If I was, it would have happened already. And, while I’m more cautious around men than I used to be, I’m not around him. Not even a little bit.
I follow the signs to our room, carrying my smaller bag as Zeke rolls both our suitcases behind him. When I reach the door, I hover the card over the keypad, wait for the lock to click open, and go inside.
“Holy crap.” I forget Zeke is behind me and let go of the door, going straight for the opposite side of the room. A small set of French doors lead out onto a freaking balcony that overlooks a giant atrium filled with tropical plants and waterfalls. It’s like being in a whole different world. I take a deep breath, sucking in the warm humid air as I close my eyes, letting the sound of rushing water soothe me.
“Do you like it?”
I smile, but don’t open my eyes. “I want to live here.”
“I don’t think full-time occupancy is an option, but I’m sure I could figure out a way for you to visit this place every now and then.” Zeke’s voice is low as it shifts from behind me to beside me. “Especially if Pierce ends up putting a second location in Nashville.”
That has my lids lifting, the wheels in my brain spinning as I look over the lush foliage. “Do you think he’ll need an office manager?”
Fairbanks has never felt like home, and maybe that’s because it’s not. Maybe no matter how much time and effort I put into decorating my house, it will never be what I want. What I need.
“You would move here?” Zeke studies me. “To Nashville?”
It’s cute that he clarified the city and not this specific hotel. “I don’t know. I was just thinking.” And now I can’t stop. Can’t get my brain to latch onto anything else.
Moving has much more appeal than I would have expected. I could choose a place I like. Have a fresh start. Find a house that is actually my style. But...
“Have you ever thought of leaving Alaska?” The question gives away a lot, but I think Zeke is pretty oblivious about certain things. Whether that’s by accident or willful blindness, I don’t know.
He slowly nods. “More than a few times, but I don’t know where I would go.” He rests one arm on the railing, taking a deep breath before offering the smallest peek into his life. “I don’t have any family, so it’s not like I could move closer to them. Work is all I’ve got, so leaving Alaska would mean leaving Alaskan Security—and everyone I know—to be alone.”
I chew my lower lip, wondering just how deep Zeke’s inability to consider what’s between us as anything more than friendship goes. Probably pretty darn deep, so I’m not afraid to ask, “What if Pierce opens an office here? Then you could move to Nashville too.”