Chapter 250
729 Words
Cordelia dressed, did her makeup, smoothed her hair so that it fell sleek and shiny down her back. Then she went out to see her husband.
He’d slept next door in one of the other four bedrooms; he also had an ensuite and she’d heard the water running about an hour earlier. He’d told her that he was going to go for a run every morning at around seven o’clock, so if she ever woke up to find him gone, she wasn’t to panic. Seeing as it was going on nine o’clock now, she figured he’d had his run and showered and was probably already on the laptop and working.
She wandered downstairs, following the smell of coffee and frying bacon. She paused in the doorway, observing Hunter.
He was in jeans and a t-shirt, and he made them both look incredibly good. That body made everything look good, of course, but Cordelia loved seeing him all laid-back and casual. It was such a stark contrast to his hard face, his rippling muscles, and it reminded her that somewhere inside that unforgiving body there was a gentle, tender man.
He turned now, spotted her lurking. “Hey, hon. Mornin’.”
“Good morning.” Following his lead and assuming character, she came over and gave him a light peck on the lips. He responded, more enthusiastically than she’d expected, and her heart jumped. She stepped back quickly, tried to stay calm.
“It smells good,” she said. “Thanks for making breakfast.”
He shrugged. “I was up.”
She moved to the coffee machine. Sure, she was on the hunt for caffeine, but she was also trying to get away from that tempting mouth. “Yeah, I was wiped out from the drive yesterday.”
He nodded, watched her pour a fragrant cup of coffee. “I figured… that’s why I let you sleep.”
“Yeah, normally I’d have been up around seven to do some yoga.”
“Yoga?”
“I took it up just recently,” she said as she poured milk into her cup of salvation. “It relaxes me like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Hmmmm.” He blinked as images of her all bent over and sweaty came to mind; he pictured her arched back, her neck fully extended, her legs spread and strong. Christ, yoga was f*****g sexy, when you thought about. Then again, he could find Cordelia sharpening a pencil hot and dirty – and he actually had done and more than once, at the office.
“So,” she said brightly. “What are we doing today?”
Wrenching his mind away from naked yoga, he started to plate up the bacon. “Well, when the sun goes down, we check out the place for the meet.”
“We have an address now?”
“Yeah. I got the e-mail this morning.” He nodded over at his laptop. “And the meeting has now been moved to tomorrow.”
Cordelia jumped a bit. “What? They moved it up a day? Why?”
Hunter shrugged. “To keep us on our toes.”
“Well, it’s working.” She sucked in a deep breath and ran shaking hands through her hair. “Why am I so rattled all the time?”
“Because.” He set the plate of bacon, fried mushrooms and omelet in front of her, trying to modify his harsh tone. “We’re dealing with disgusting human beings, sweetheart. Most people will never come across kidnappers in the whole of their lives, and here we are, actively seeking them out. It’s wrong and goes against all basic humanity. Taking kids away from their parents and selling them? It’s – despicable.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “OK, so. Today we run through scenarios to prep for tomorrow. Right?”
“Uh-huh.” He joined her at the island with his own plate. “Q and A, over and over, until we’ve got it down pat. Alright?”
“Yes.” She dug into her food, knowing that she’d need her strength for this. Jack, Dallas and Griff had already put them through the paces back in Denver, but there was no such thing as being ready enough for this kind of meeting. “We practice until we’re perfect.”
- Writer
