Page 104 of Until the End

“I’ll see you Wednesday and then—”

A floorboard creaked under her foot. His voice stopped.

Emily stopped too, her pulse pounding.

“I have to go,” he said.

Oh God. He’d heard her sneaking around outside his office.

Fear ran liquid through her veins. She blinked. Everything was a slow-motion blur.

Her first instinct was to run back to the bed. Hide under the covers, pretend to be asleep.

But this was Sanborn, not one of the monsters from her past. He was caring, warm, the best listener, treated her as if she were special. She didn’t need to hide from him.

Besides, the second he touched her, felt her pulse, heard her breathing, he’d know.

Hell, he already knew.

She stayed rooted in place.

The door swung open. He closed the phone in his hand, slipped it into the pocket of the athletic pants he wore.

“What are you doing?” His face was fixed, expressionless, his voice soft and striking like the clap of far-off thunder.

There was a hiccup of silence as she tasted the accusation.

“I…I couldn’t sleep.” Her heart was in her throat, squeezing. “Who is Ashley?”

“I’m sorry?” The look of confusion on his face was so genuine, so intense, she doubted herself.

You stupid cunt. Her ex’s voice whispered in her ears, the echo of the words making her knees grow weak.

But she had heard him.

Emily took a deep breath, shoving the past back in her mental lockbox. “I know you were talking to someone named Ashley. If there’s someone else,” she said, finding her strength and standing her ground, “if you’re not happy with me, you can tell me.” Her rib cage tightened like a vise. “You have to tell me.” Her tone rose, taking a hysterical cadence. “I can handle the truth, whatever it is. Just don’t lie to me.”

“Shh, shh.” He stepped into the hall and rubbed her shoulders. “I was on the phone with a colleague from the CIA. Conrad Ashley. I need his support with something important.” He kissed her forehead with a soft brush of his lips and wrapped her in his arms, steering her to the bedroom. “There is no one else. On my life, I swear it was work. I’m a one-woman kind of guy.” Sitting her down on the bed, he held her gaze and lowered to one knee in front of her. “I will never cheat on you. Never hurt you. Never take you for granted. I’ll always protect you.”

Her muscles loosened in relief. She gave a sad smile at how ridiculous she’d been, jumping to conclusions using paranoia as a springboard. Sanborn had shown her, time and time again, she was safe with him. Even now, when he should be furious, he was patient and dignified. She prayed she hadn’t ruined things.

It had taken him so long to open up and let her spend the night, only for her to creep around outside his office, eavesdropping and violating his trust. What was next, rifling through his things, picking locked drawers, following him—inducing a self-fulfilling prophecy?

“I’m sorry.” The tremble in her body spilled over in her voice.

“It’s okay.” He kissed both her hands. “I know the hell you’ve been through and I only want to make you happy.”

This was her first bona fide healthy relationship. It was going so well, better than she’d hoped until—

Stupid cunt.

Emily silenced the devil’s voice in her mind. “I want to make you happy too.” She hung her head, sick with disappointment at her self-sabotage. She was doing exactly what her therapist had warned against. “I’m sorry.”

He nudged her chin up with a knuckle, meeting her eyes with the kindest, most compassionate look. “You never have to apologize with me.” Stroking her hair, he gave her lips a quick kiss. “But I do need you to understand me. If I’m in the office, it means I’m working. I need you to respect my privacy and my space.”

Shame burned her cheeks.

“It’s not easy for me to let people in,” he said. “The one thing I value above anything else, anything, is loyalty. Without that, we don’t have a future.”