Body of Trust - Jeannine Colette Page 0,63

settle into as he washes and I dry. I clean the counters, and he wipes the coffee table down.

When everything is put away, I’m restless from the nap I took.

He must be, too, because he sits down on the couch and turns on the TV. His arm is on the back of the couch as he looks over and beckons me with his finger.

I go in and curl into his side.

“Wait,” he says, popping off the cushions and walking down the hall. When he returns, it’s with a crocheted quilt in his hands and a smile on his face. “We’re missing something.”

He settles back into his spot and lays the blanket over us before putting his arm around me and pulling me into him.

I look at the blanket, which is baby blue and white and looks like something my great-grandmother would have made. “Did you get this at an estate sale too?”

“My grandmother made this when I was born. I took it from my parents’ house when I went back for the painting.”

He kisses the top of my head and turns on a comedy for us to watch. As I lie here, buried into his side, I finally admit to myself that I’m falling in love with Jesse Davenport.

Chapter Seventeen

As I drive up the highway toward I-84, I’m a little less nervous than I thought I’d be. I think it’s because after the most drama-filled days of my life, yesterday was so boring that it was delightful.

I woke up with Jesse, and we both dressed for the day. He drove me to work with a kiss on the cheek good-bye, and I did my job.

It was hard to look at DeLuca, knowing he, too, was part of this scheme. I can’t tell him what I know because that would implicate Jesse and endanger everyone around us. So, I stayed in my cubicle, typing away until five o’clock.

I usually stay at work later, but I didn’t think it was wise to stay too late and risk being there alone. Plus, it was Friday, and everyone starts pouring out around that time.

Jesse drove me straight to Villa Russo, where he was expected for his shift at the bar. I asked Sienna to meet me for a drink, as we always do, and she did. I laughed, and she eyed Jesse, desperately asking me for details but I told her the bar wasn’t a place to have such a conversation.

That didn’t stop her from making Jesse blush every chance she got.

My mother and Gia showed up for dinner, and we were joined by Sienna and Uncle Enzo. He didn’t say anything, but I had a feeling Dad had told him to keep an eye on me.

Regardless, I appreciated his silence, as he didn’t tell my mother a word about my safety. Especially since she kept rattling off about my father being let out of the hospital. A thought that makes us all wary.

After dinner, Sienna sat at the bar with me, knowing I needed a reason to stay while I waited for Jesse to finish his shift.

It was late when we finally made it back to Jesse’s house. We made love in the shower and then watched reruns of a late-night talk show until we both fell asleep on the couch.

After such a relaxing and normal evening, it’s crazy to have this shaking feeling as I drive upstate. Today is the day I commit a federal crime and try to save my family.

I look in my rearview mirror, expecting to see Jesse’s white car but it’s not there.

This morning, he taped a wire to my chest. It’s much smaller than what they show in the movies, but it’s itchy, and if I twist the wrong way, the tape pulls at my skin, and it’s uncomfortable.

The back of my neck is coated with sweat, so I blast the air conditioner. I need to stay focused and not pass out from panic. I think of something calming, like Jesse’s kiss just before I got in the car. He kissed me hard and reiterated that he would be with me the whole time even if I can’t see him. I nodded and then hugged him, breathing in his scent and committing it to memory.

“I got you,” he said as he stared at my face like it would be the last time.

I know he didn’t mean for his look to appear that way, but it did.

It’s amazing to think that this special agent has a secret world