The Billionaire Op - Lori Ryan Page 0,68

I’ve been in touch with Burke’s supervisor. He wants us to go ahead with the meeting with Burke,” Mike said.

Chad cursed under his breath. “Okay. Set it up.”

“I want you to go in with a decoy. I’ve got an undercover agent we can pass off as Jennie, but I want you to be there to fill in any details or answer any questions she may not have answers to. I’ve briefed her on everything Jennie saw and heard and she’ll be ready to go by the time we meet, but I want you there as backup.”

Chad hesitated. If he was at the meeting, he couldn’t be with Jennie. He couldn’t be by her side, keeping her safe. But, he also knew they’d never be able to stop running if he didn’t flush out Bandon and anyone else who was helping Bandon.

Chad’s eyes caught Jennie’s and he knew she couldn’t keep living on the run. No one, other than him and Mike, Burke’s supervisor and the attorney assigned to the case would know she was here and security in his building was tight. He decided he could leave her here safely.

Mike and Chad chose a time and location for the following day. With any luck, they’d draw Bandon out of hiding, prove Burke was guilty of leaking information —at the very least—and most likely of accepting bribes that could have the case tied up without Jennie’s testimony, by the following day.

Jennie watched Chad talk on the phone and tried to make sense of the emotions swirling around in her head and her heart. This was only the second time she had slept in his arms, despite the fact that they’d lived together for a month.

The first time, in Florida, Jennie had been hiding from her feelings. Today, she still couldn’t say she was completely open to her feelings for Chad, but she was a lot more open to them than she had been a few days earlier.

She was beginning to accept how much she cared for him. He’d been her friend for so long. Her support in so many ways. He protected her. He cared for her without question whenever she needed him.

But there was more than that. He made her feel special. Cherished. He made her laugh and he held her when she cried. So many men would have walked away from her a long time ago, considering what she’d put him through. She knew it would never have crossed Chad’s mind to do that.

Chad hung up the phone and turned to Jennie. Before she could speak, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her slowly, deeply. Jennie felt herself relax into him. He felt so...right. But a small part of Jennie still panicked at what that might mean.

Chad pulled back. “You okay?”

Jennie nodded, forcing herself to breathe deeply. She needed to put the past behind her and let herself see where things could go with Chad. She owed herself that. More than that, she owed Chad that much.

“I’m good. Hungry,” she said, patting her tummy. As if on cue, her stomach growled.

With a laugh, he stood and put his hand out to pull Jennie up with him.

If she weren’t pregnant and very much in need of food, the sight of Chad without anything on would have sent her tumbling right back into bed. She would never get over the sight of him like that.

Jennie thought she could spend hours learning every inch of his body, exploring every muscle, memorizing each taut line and every scar from his days in the military.

“Keep looking at me like that and we’re not getting food any time soon,” Chad said, eyes ablaze as they took her in.

“Sorry, baby needs food,” she answered, with one hand on her stomach again.

He dropped a kiss to her mouth then pulled on a pair of boxers and a shirt.

“Why don’t you get dressed? I’ll see if there’s anything to eat in the kitchen. There won’t be anything fresh but I might have some frozen bread I can toast to tide us over.”

Jennie’s repertoire of foods she could eat was still a bit limited. They walked down the hall together with Chad breaking off to turn toward the kitchen and Jennie heading into the guest room to get her clothes. She pulled on a sundress then sat staring at her purse for a few minutes. She knew what she needed to do. She just needed a minute to build up the courage to take the next step.

She