So I wanted to thank you all so much for your support and reviews! It's an amazing feeling knowing people enjoy reading my stuff! So, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Brad: ahem... well this chapter gets steamy
Me: Oh yeah it does * giggles*
Brad: shouldn't you warn your readers? Lime alert? Avert virgin eyes if necessary?
Me: My readers are welcome to tell me if they felt uncomfortable or if they want more limes/lemons. This story is open to suggestions!
Brad: I want more…
Me: Good to know.
Chapter 7
Cammie POV
"For the last time, Cammie: I'm fine," said Liz. She lay in the hospital bed eating green Jello. I ignored her and continued to fluff her pillows and straighten her blankets.
"Are you thirsty? I could get you some water? Or sasaparilla! I know how much you love that!" I said. I fiddled with her tubes making sure they weren't tangled.
"Cammie, would you just stop?" said Liz exasperated. I ignored her.
"I could get you more Jello, or I can bring your favorite ice cream." I checked her charts to make sure she all was well. "We should increase your opioid intervals to once every three hours. Despite your 'I'm fine' façade, I can tell you're in pain. Also, I want you moved to a more expensive room—one that overlooks the river. And I want you to have goose-feather pillows. They'll be more comfortable than these hospital pillows." I made a disgusted face as I pinched the cotton pillows.
"Cammie, it's not your fault," said Liz quietly. I looked out the large windows. This room had a lovely view of the parking lot. Before Liz could say anything else, her doctor walked in. Liz smiled at him, and to my surprise, he blushed. I watched their exchange with curiosity.
"Well, Lizzie, your recovery is coming along just fine." Lizzie? "You're one tough woman." Liz smiled again. I cleared my throat, breaking whatever moment was going on between them. The doctor looked over at me, startled. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Right, then. I'm going to check your sutures," he said.
"Don't the nurses usually do that," I asked. I crossed my arms.
"Well, yes. But, as a doctor I'm equally qualified to check the wound site."
"Do you personally check allof your patients?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
"Cammie…" said Liz with a warning tone. The doctor looked between us and shifted back and forth.
"Should I come back later?" He asked. My phone rang.
"No, I'll be right back." I gave Liz a meaningful look and left the room. I brought the phone to my ear.
"Yeah?"
"So, I've been going through your records trying to find the body that Father wants so badly."
"Zach, I told you: stop worrying about it," I sighed. Of course Zach wasn't going to drop it.
"Yeah, and I said I'd stop worrying about it when I didn't think my fiancé was in danger anymore," he replied.
"You're being overprotective," I pointed out.
"So, sue me, Gallagher girl. I want to protect the woman I love." My skin tingled, and I couldn't help the giddiness that ran through me. I loved the principle behind Zach's overprotectiveness. It was endearing that he loved me so much that he couldn't bare anything happening to me.
But, at the same time, I was a certified badass. I was not a damsel who needed protection. I was the type of girl who'd reach down your throat and squeeze your heart until you begged for my mercy. And I didn't need Zach's protection.
Since Zach was the paragon for stubbornness, I knew I couldn't get him off the mission. But I could distract him until I solved the problem myself.
"Baby," I purred. "Why don't we take the night off and do something that'll get our hearts pumping?"
"Like what?" I heard the smile in his voice.
"One of the technicians just developed apparently inescapable handcuffs…" I lingered a moment, letting Zach's mind run wild.
"Well I guess we'll have to see how good they really are," came Zach's reply.
"I'll see you tonight, baby."
"Mhmm can't wait."
We hung up and for a moment I forgot what my actual objective was. All I could think of was Zach's fingers making fiery trails along my skin, and his hot breath on my neck. I shivered. I needed to focus. I had until tonight to find what body Father wanted so badly and why. I decided to reign in some support.
After saying goodbye to Liz and Dr. McFlirty, I headed toward my car. I left the hospital parking lot and headed toward Bex's house. Including Macey in my plans briefly crossed my mind, but I thought better of it. Last time I talked to her she went on for two hours about the catering menu.
"For the ceremony we're going to have salmon en croute with lobster bisque."
"Yeah, but Zach is allergic to seafood," I reminded her.
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
"Well I'd like my fiancé to be able to eat…"
"And then for desert I was thinking Sultan's Golden Cake. The desert takes 72 hours to prepare and has apricots and pears soaked in Jamaican rum for two years. It's topped with caramel, black truffles, and a golden leaf."
"I hate pears," I said.
"But you like rum," Macey pointed out. She had a point…
As the memory ended, I was in front of Bex's door. I walked in not bothering to knock. I loved Bex's apartment. Everything from the jewel-toned fabrics draped loosely over the walls to the intricate tilework that grouped together in vibrant geometric patterns. It all reminded me of being in some desert oasis. It was both exotic and peaceful.
I took off my shoes and grabbed an Evian from the stainless refrigerator. I followed the sounds of grunts into the living room where Bex was doing bicycle crunches.
"Hey, Cams," said Bex between pants. She stood up and started doing jumping jacks. "I just came back from a 10-mile run. Just a little light jogging for the day."
I nodded and drank some water. I worked out that morning—kickboxing with Zach and then my usual 15-mile run. Bex stopped jumping, and I tossed her my water. She gratefully took a swig, and then sat cross-legged in her cheetah-print armchair.
"What's up?"
"So, I wasn't exactly honest about my abduction," I said. I didn't tell anybody expect Zach about Father or what he wanted from me. When I told Zach he completely freaked out, and I didn't want anyone else to worry.
"Of course you bloody weren't." Bex rolled her eyes. "Why wouldn't you lie to your best friend?" she said sarcastically. "I mean goddamn, Cammie. This guy shot two of our highly trained assassins." She started ranting in Arabic about how I wasn't being a good friend. I sighed.
"The guy who kidnapped me was Ridgewell Hawks." Bex shut up. Her brown eyes widened.
"Wasn't he Father's second in command?" asked Bex. I nodded.
Bex was the only other person in the world who knew this fact. I wasn't supposed to know this. No one was supposed to know who Father was or his associates. I stumbled upon Ridgewell's name a while undercover in Comoros. I was assigned to kill a very important commander who was selling nuclear codes.
It was my hardest mission. Not only was he an impossible target, but also I was sent into one of the most hostile regions in the world. I was able to complete my mission but not without acquiring several injuries and almost blowing my cover.
I always felt weird about that mission. Some things just didn't add up. While I was about to kill my target he mentioned something about Father's agency not being what I thought it was. That's when I first heard the name Ridgewell Hawkes. At the time I thought the man was bluffing to save himself. But now I'm not so sure.
"You remember that mission in Comoros?" I asked.
"The one you never talk about?"
"Yeah. Well isn't it a coincidence that right after I came back from the trip Father tried to kill me?"
"He didn't try to kill you because of the mission, Cammie. He tried to kill you because he found out you had relations with the enemy: Mother agency," stated Bex as if it was obvious.
"But what if that was just a cover? I mean isn't that what we're best at? Subterfuge? What if my target was telling the truth about Father agency? What if Father really does have a secret motive? And that's why he tried to have me killed?" Bex looked at me skeptically.
"Cam, I know things have been stressful for you. I mean you're planning a wedding, you're running an assassin agency, and some guy got the jump on you. But, subterfuge? Dead bodies? Secret motives? It sounds like something out of a James Bond movie."
I scowled. Of all people I thought Bex at least would have taken this seriously.
"So, you're not going to help me?" I asked. Bex's lips pulled into a smirk.
"Are you kidding me? I love James Bond."
After I told her everything Ridgewell said, we spent the rest of the afternoon discussing our mission. I had a feeling that the body Ridgewell was after was the commander in Comoros. Since that seemed like our best lead, we made a plan to take the jet that night to collect the body.
"Why do you think he wants the body?" asked Bex as I was putting on my shoes to leave.
"I have no idea," I said truthfully. This whole thing was crazy. What was so important about a decayed body? But that wasn't important at the moment. Sneaking out past Zach was my main priority. He wouldn't want me to go without him. And I didn't want him there. He'd be too distracted trying to keep me safe. That reminded me.
"Bex, do you have those prototype titanium cuffs?" Bex raised her eyebrow.
"Why do you need those?"
"Uh, no reason…" Bex smirked as she grabbed the cuffs from her person.
"Why don't you bring Zach along? He could be useful. He's a damn good spy," she said.
I didn't answer her. If I were honest with myself, I'd admit Ridgewell's statement got to me.
Love isn't strength. It's a bind that controls you, constricting your strength until you're powerless.
I loved Zach. I couldn't help it. I wanted to see his eyes, touch his skin, feel his lips against mine. I loved him so much it scared me shitless. And if he was there, I'd be worried about him just as much as he'd be worried about me.
Could I be both a mindless killing machine and a woman in love?
I shook my head. I couldn't deal with my existential crisis at the moment. I left Bex's apartment and headed toward mine.
I made my way to the top floor. When the elevator opened an overwhelming smell of vanilla hit me. I breathed in deeply and stepped into the penthouse that was overrun with candles. The penthouse was lit in a romantic glow.
I stifled my smile and followed a rose petal path to the living room. Zach was nowhere to be seen, but two glasses of wine sat on the table. I saw him sneak up behind me in the reflection of the window. He slipped his arms around my waist, enveloping me. I inhaled his scent: a warm mixture of cologne and leather.
He started kissing my neck, and I almost melted. The mixture of his hot breath and rough chin made me want to forget about my mission. He lightly bit the sensitive part between above my collarbone and I moaned softly. He responded by spinning me around and pressing his lips against mine. He pushed me against the glass window, pressing his hips into mine, locking us into place.
I ran my hands through his hair, tugging slightly. I knew it drove him crazy. His hands moved at a torturous pace, slowly moving from my cheek to my neck and down my waist. He found the exposed skin between my shirt and pants and placed his hot hands against my aching flesh.
He pulled my shirt off in one quick motion. His soon followed, and I pressed my flush skin against his. I moaned into his mouth, and I heard a growl in the back of his throat. He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me into my bedroom. That's when I remembered what I was supposed to do.
He set me on the bed. I pulled him down and crawled on top of him. He squeezed my thighs. I tried to concentrate on my objective. I began kissing his neck, slowly letting my lips linger. His breathing got heavy, and his fingers dug into my ass as if he was trying to restrain himself.
I grabbed one of his arms and pulled it over his head. I swiftly grabbed the handcuffs from my pocket and cuffed him to the bedpost.
"Sorry, baby," I whispered into his ear. I slowly got off of him. He looked at me. The lust in his eyes was replaced with confusion. He tugged on his chain.
"Cammie, what are you doing?" he asked sternly. I looked at him pleadingly, willing him to understand.
"There's something I have to do tonight, and I couldn't have you getting in my way," I said.
"So, you're chaining me to the bed? With sex handcuffs!" he growled yanking on the chain.
"Ummm." I bit my lip. He raised his eyebrows in indignation as realization dawned on him.
"These are the prototype titanium cuffs?" he huffed in outrage. "Cameron Ann Morgan, let me out of these cuffs right now." I couldn't help the smile that was forming. He was shirtless on the bed, one arm handcuffed to the bedpost. "Don't you dare laugh at me. I will find a way out, and when I do I'm coming after you."
"Ooh I'm scared," I mocked.
"I have yet to find a lock I couldn't pick," he said shaking the cuffs for emphasis. I saw the self-satisfied smirk on his face and mentally breathed a sigh of relief. He was mad, but this wouldn't ruin our relationship. I walked out the door. "Oh, and Gallagher girl?" I peeked my head back in.
"Yeah, baby?"
"Don't think you're going to get away with this. When I get out, I swear to God, I'm going to find you and be a part of whatever you're trying to keep me away from. And I'm going to ignore this emasculating event. Why? Because I fucking love you. And if you want to be with me, you're going to have to get used to how I do things. So I'll be seeing you very soon."
Review! I love reading your comments!
