Free Waiting for Him by Samantha Cole

her to say no, but they would both be better off if she said yes.
    She glanced out the window of the plane. “Yes. Sort of. I told them I had a family emergency.” At his raised eyebrow, she shrugged. “It was all I could think of at the time. Anyway, even though no one ever came out and told Jeremy I was in witness protection, he’s very astute and I’m sure he figured it out. He just told me to keep in touch and to call him if I needed anything. I should call him later to let him know I’m still alive.”
    “Good idea. Use your pre-paid phone, since they’re very hard to trace. Then we’ll throw it away and get a new one. Ask him if anyone suspicious has been snooping around asking about you.”
    Kat nodded and tapped his hand with her left foot. It was a blatant hint to give it the same treatment he was giving her other one. He chuckled and swapped them. “Better?”
    “Yes, much.” She groaned as he worked his thumbs deeper. “I can’t remember the last time I had a foot massage. I used to get them all the time when I treated myself to pedicures, but it’s been a while.”
    He was glad it was a professional service where she had gotten the massages, and not from a boyfriend. A pang of jealousy at her dating some guy hit him in the gut and he forced himself not to question her about other men. Who she dated was none of his business.
    Glancing down at her lap, he eyed the book she’d been reading, and… oh, fuck …it was Leather & Lace, by Kristen Anders, soon-to-be Kristen Sawyer, Devon’s wife. While Boomer hadn’t read the whole thing, he’d flipped through and read the steamy sex scenes after Devon mentioned how hot they were. It was fucking hot porn in written format, plain and simple. It also involved BDSM and he was shocked Kat was reading it. Did she just like reading about the lifestyle or was she into it? And if she wasn’t, would she be interested in trying it? Did she fantasize about a man doing to her the things Master Xavier did to his submissive in the book?
    He shifted uncomfortably and shoved his thoughts back where they belonged—in the gutter. She was a job and an old friend, nothing more. You might as well give up trying to convince yourself buddy, because it’s not working.
    “Prepare for landing.” CC’s voice came over the intercom and Jake’s eyes flew open. That was the thing about being in special ops—you got used to catnaps and waking up completely refreshed.
    Boomer swung Kat’s feet to the ground so she could sit up and put her seatbelt on. He then strapped his own around his waist. They would be on the ground and in their waiting car within fifteen minutes. After he had the plane refueled, CC would get a room at the closest motel for the night, so he would be nearby if they needed him. Meanwhile, Boomer, Kat and Jake would head into the Norfolk residential area where the two childhood friends used to live. There was a Best Western near the bank they needed. From what Boomer had been able to access online it was the ideal motel for them. There were plenty of escape routes if things went south.
    Next to him, Kat visibly shuddered.
    “You okay?”
    She gave him a tiny smile. “Yeah, I think so. It just hit me. I haven’t been here since I was seventeen with a bright and happy future ahead of me.”
    Boomer reached over and squeezed her hand because he couldn’t think of anything to say which didn’t sound cliché. He just hoped, when this was all over, she did have a happy life in her future, even if it wasn’t with him.
    * * *
    As Jake let himself into the adjoining room to the left, Kat followed Boomer into their motel room. He tossed his duffel bag on the bed closest to the door and gestured for her to take the other one. It wasn’t even one in the afternoon yet, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl under the covers and take a nap.
    He must have seen the look of longing on her face before he turned to unlock the go-between door connecting the two rooms.