She wrapped one of her legs over his, draped her arm around his chest, and rested her head on his shoulder. “A truth,” she offered.
“I’m ready.”
“You took him away. The feel of Savidge’s hands on me, the feel of the blade he used, it’s gone. That’s my truth right now.”
His heart stopped for a split second. “Good.”
Within minutes, she was asleep.
He felt something bounce on the bed and raised his head. The stray cat she’d let into his house sat at their feet, staring at him. “Stop looking at me. She’ll be awake soon, and she’ll find you something to eat.”
The cat continued to look at him.
“Seriously,” Jude complained. “Go away.”
Ella made a sound at being disturbed, and Jude held her tighter.
There was no telling where they’d be at emotionally when they both woke up, but right now, they were where they were supposed to be.
Chapter 16
The wind howling woke Ella. Or maybe it was the demons chasing her in her sleep. Whatever it was, she woke before Jude. They faced each other, only inches separating them, their legs tangled beneath the covers. She relished the feel of his hairy legs against her smooth ones, the heat of him seeping inside her cold soul, warming her.
Nina had once said that Jude was like a burly bear of a man—not attractive by any stretch of the imagination but sexy as hell. Ella had laughed at the comparison but frowned at her friend’s description of Jude as “not attractive.” To Ella, he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She knew his crooked nose and scars took away from any prettiness his face may have once promised, but his features were a gorgeous picture, giving insight into who Jude was before he ever said a word.
Of course Nina had also said Jude had the finest body she’d ever seen. Ella had been kinda pissed because that meant Nina had been looking at her man. Ella remembered Nina laughing at the expression on her face.
Ella hadn’t even realized she was possessive until she’d opened herself to the man sleeping in front of her. She’d seen him, met his gaze, and everything inside her had gone silent, accepting that she had just met the man who would own every piece of her.
She wasn’t fanciful. She’d grown up on the streets of Chicago, moving from one foster home to another, somehow managing to do well enough in school to skip a couple of grades, graduate from high school early, and go to college on a scholarship.
She’d gone to Stanford University on a full-ride scholarship, graduating with honors and a double major—in foreign languages and in international finance. She’d dabbled in computer programming and knew just enough to be dangerous. It was while at Stanford that she’d drawn the notice of the CIA. Her story was much like any of the other analysts she’d talked to. The CIA recruited heavily at colleges, though they did it quietly and hardly ever drew notice.
Ella had always known she was a throwaway person. She had no discernible history, had a certain set of skills valuable to the agency, and nobody would miss her if she left or disappeared.
Her memories of her parents were vague at best—a feeling of love, a memory of gardenias and cigar smoke, but that was all she had of them. She’d formed no lasting relationships in any of her foster homes or at school.
When she saw Jude, everything in her world had clicked into place. He became her home so fast she hadn’t even noticed the feeling of impending doom until the Piper approached her about a mission within a mission.
Ella had spent every day of the last year regretting that she hadn’t told Jude as soon as the Piper had come to her. But she’d been so afraid that Jude was in danger, and she was the only one who could prevent Dresden from going after him. She wanted to hate Noah Caine for manipulating her by using her love for Jude. She should hate him. She’d taken the Piper’s bait with barely any lure.
And she and Jude had both paid for it.
This man who’d taken her body yesterday—twice, and made her toes curl and her heart sing—was so precious to her.
And regardless of what Nina or anyone else thought, he was the most perfect-looking man in the history of men. She smiled at her musings.
When he slept, he was even more so. Something about sleep allowed his rough edges to smooth out. He looked younger than his thirty-two years and definitely not as burdened.
The shutters rattled against the wooden frame of the cabin, and Ella wondered how much longer she could burrow here, hiding from her responsibilities. Despite regretting that she’d taken this mission from the Piper, she had to finish it. The need to get Anna Beth Caine away from Dresden and safe was like a drumbeat in Ella’s skull.
Dresden had to be taken down from the inside, and that plan could now be in great peril. By her estimation, she’d been out of contact with him for two entire days. She needed that computer. Hell, she needed a satellite phone again. She needed to make contact with the Piper as well.
Ella eased from the bed, watching for any sign Jude had woken. Once she pulled her clothes on, she tied her hair up in a knot because her ponytail holder was somewhere on the floor and she didn’t have much time.
She made her way gingerly down the stairs, nearly falling when the cat came bounding down after her. Whose cat was it?
Ella had no idea, but the weather was too cold and snowy to let the animal back into the wild. She found a can of Vienna sausages in the pantry, opened it. She chopped the tiny sausages into bite-size portions for the cat and placed them on a saucer. The cat attacked the
