We quickly packed up my essentials and headed out into fading light. Hope's car was parked around the corner and we dropped my things in the back. When she told me we needed to go all the way back to Duskwood, I insisted on driving as she'd already come so far solely to help me.
I took her hand across the center console; she accepted it with a smile on her face, and it felt as natural as breathing. She was even more beautiful than her picture, with delicate features and soft, glossy brown hair that had a natural wave to it. "I cannot believe I'm sitting next to you. I thought you were dead," I said quietly.
Tears glistened in her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry it had to be that way, but I'd put you in enough danger already when you set us free. For which I can never repay you."
"You don't need to repay me," I insisted. "I did what was right. But...how did you end up in Duskwood? Was that just a coincidence?"
Hope shook her head. "No. I read about you before I sent you that file. I needed to make certain I could trust you, so I know everything that the CIA knew." She paused, and I knew what that meant. Hope already knew who Hannah was to me, and why I was trying to find her. "When I got away, I knew that you would have to hide. So I tracked down your family and stayed here to protect them."
"You've been watching over Hannah and Lilly for me?" I asked in disbelief.
"Not so much with Lilly. She can be standoffish, as you know," she smirked. "It was the least I could do. Even if you never came back, I would stay here, and make sure they were safe. Are--are you upset?"
"Upset? How could I be--when you have done so much for me?" She smiled again, and I could not help but smile back. "Did you also know where I was all this time?" She giggled in confirmation, drawing a chuckle from me. "You are truly amazing. You definitely surpassed my capabilities long ago."
Hope's cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink at my compliment. "I don't know about that. However, I did help fill in some gaps in your security so that nobody else could see where you were. Until Lilly's little tantrum, that is," she sighed. "Speaking of the devil, she's reaching out to me for the first time. I suppose that's your doing?"
I nodded. "I asked her to make amends with you. Hope, aren't you concerned that the video will expose you as well?"
"No. They thought I was a failure, remember? I'm the least of their worries. Besides, I look very different from what I did as a teenager. And Hope is a very common name. And..." she frowned. "I hope you don't think I'm heartless, but I saw one of my classmates die. After escaping I went back in remotely and switched our files in the system, right down to DNA samples."
I was impressed with her levelheadedness at such a young age. However, she had always shown incredible maturity and intuitive wit. "That isn't heartless. That is survival and did no harm to someone who was already dead. What you've been through--I cannot fathom. And the woman you've become--I cannot help but feel drawn to you."
She squeezed my hand. "The feeling is mutual. Though I was always drawn to you, I knew you would never see me that way once you knew of our age difference."
I started to pull my hand away, feeling odd again, but she held tightly. "Does it bother you? I am several years older."
"I'm the same age now that you were when you risked everything to free dozens of captives and take down an illicit training program. I wish to prove to you that I have even a fraction of your maturity and courage when you were my age. If I can do that, then maybe you'll understand how a few years makes no difference to me." I glanced at her to find her watching me steadily. She must have seen my expression change, because she relaxed her grip on my hand, confident I would not take it from her grasp.
"I'd better respond to Lilly," she told me with a smile. "And then we can discuss more things." She held her phone and texted all with one hand, refusing to relinquish my touch. I did not mind at all. A few minutes later, she made a short, surprised noise.
"What is it?"
"Lilly has started a social media campaign called #IAmJake to obscure your true whereabouts. People from all over the world are posting, claiming to be you." She laughed. "I knew she was smart, I'm just glad she's finally using her intelligence for the forces of good. Oops, the others have caught on. They think that I did it. Well, I'll let Lilly decide how she wants to handle it."
She put her phone down and turned slightly in her seat. "May I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Why didn't you tell Hannah you're her brother?"
"I was working my way up to it. I wanted her to get to know me first, and it just felt so good to have found her, to have that sort of close connection." I cleared my throat.
"And then she fell in love with you, so you withdrew," Hope finished, saying what I was too embarrassed to admit.
I huffed. "Why am I not surprised that you knew?"
Hope looked down. "She still harbors some feelings for you. She talked about you, only to me, because her friends also are friends with Thomas."
"Ugh," I replied eloquently.
A smile tilted the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, it's awkward. It always was, listening to her talk about you with such fondness and knowing your connection. But I couldn't blame her. You don't realize how attractive you are, do you? Both physically and intellectually. You are the whole package, Jake."
I snorted in disbelief, then saw her face. "You're serious? I'm just an above-average programmer with remedial social skills."
"The fact that you see yourself that way makes you even more endearing. And don't even think of trying to knock yourself off the pedestal I've placed you on," she warned me, seemingly sensing my thoughts. "You risked your life to save mine and have lived with the consequences ever since. Selflessness is a rare quality in this world."
My heart felt full to bursting with the looks she was giving me. No one had ever seen me in this light, nor spoken to me this way. It was something I hadn't known I could miss because it never existed to me previously. But I feared I would miss it now if it were taken away. "You will make me too used to all of this positive attention," I mumbled, trying to extract my hand from hers again. This time, she let me but she didn't look happy about it.
"I know it must be hard for you to accept that someone cares for you after so much isolation," she responded softly. "So I will give you your space. But I promise you that you were never alone, and you never have to be again. I was always there in the background, and I can remain there if you don't want to have me close."
Her words touched me, but I still wavered. "I am unable to live in the open as you have been. They know my face, and as you said, they know where my family is. With Lilly's video, the vultures will start circling shortly, and I will have to flee again."
"And I have ideas about how to resolve that issue. But for now, you'll be safe where I'm taking you."
I could no longer resist taking her hand in mine again and was rewarded with a relieved smile. "I believe you."
When we stopped for gas, I filled the tank while Hope went to a cooler in the trunk. "I brought some snacks," she said shyly.
I pulled her against me, leaning down so my hood obscured both of our faces. I felt her soft breath against my face; it smelled of cinnamon, reminding me of how she tasted when I plunged my tongue into her mouth. I groaned in frustration, knowing I would get carried away if I kissed her again. "What are you doing to me?" I whispered.
"Something good?" she inquired. Her luminous eyes glittered, then her eyelids lowered to half-mast when she felt my hand caressing the bare skin at her waist. I hadn't even realized that I had wandered underneath her shirt. I yanked my arm away.
"I apologize. We should get back into the car before I forget where we are again." She smirked at me and sat back in the passenger seat.
"Would you like something to eat?" she offered. She opened the lid of the container. "What flavor would you like to try--carrot cake, chocolate coconut, or raspberry almond?"
I looked skeptically at the round things in the container. "What are those?"
"Energy balls," she replied, which did nothing to illuminate me. "They're just things like nuts or seeds mixed with seasonings and--" she huffed cutely. "Trust me, they're good, they supply fuel, and are much better for you than coffee." She quirked her lips up. "Let me guess--you're a chocolate fan. Try this one."
I was about to protest, but the pleading look on her face had me allowing her to pop the thing into my mouth. I chewed, and her face lit up when I made a surprised sound and smiled. "Good," I mumbled around the mouthful. "Where did you find such a thing?" I asked her after swallowing. I eyed the dish, wondering if she would give me another.
"I made them," she replied with a shrug. "Want to try a different one?" I nodded and accepted the next treat.
Raspberry flavor burst in my mouth. "This is better than candy," I replied. "Next?"
She threw her head back and laughed. It was the most beautiful thing I had seen thus far in my life, and I felt a lump in my throat. I quickly turned back toward the road to hide my emotions, taking a bite of food from her when she offered. "Oh," I said in surprise. "I did not realize this would taste so much like carrot cake. How can this be healthy?"
"There's only real food in these," she explained. "No processed sugar; only dates to sweeten them. Raw nuts, sulfur-free dried fruits, even fresh carrots in the carrot cake flavor."
"And then you bake them?" I was genuinely fascinated. Anything that tasted this good, I wanted to know more about. Aside from that, Hope looked so pleased with my interest.
"Nope. You just mix everything and then roll it into balls. That's why they're in a cooler; staying cold helps them keep their shape, and with the carrots, they can't sit out for too long at room temperature."
"Real food is complicated," I commented. "But very tasty." I looked dolefully at the container and then grinned when she lifted another to my lips. "Thank you."
"Anything for you," she responded bashfully. Her face was so sincere that I reached out to touch her cheek.
"Then I am incredibly lucky," I told her.
"I'm glad you think so," she replied while leaning against my palm, and I nearly smacked my face when I remembered she said this before.
"I cannot believe that I was jealous of myself," I muttered. "You were referring to me before, weren't you?"
She laughed. "Yes, of course, I meant you. You were jealous? I was just trying to give you a hint!"
"I was," I admitted. "Because I did not like to think of you admiring someone in such a way."
"Well, sorry, but that's precisely how I feel about you. I suppose you'll have to find a way to live with it," she teased.
"I suppose I will," I answered thoughtfully. We entered Duskwood, and Hope directed me to her house. She resided on a quiet street at the end of the road with the woods behind it. All the neighbors' houses were dark when we arrived. I maneuvered into the driveway and shut off the engine.
"Welcome to my home," she told me. We unpacked the car and I found myself standing in a small but tidy great room. I looked around and saw no sign of a desk. I wondered where she worked.
"Where would you like me to put these?" I asked. In one hand I held my bag full of personal items; in the other, was my bag with devices.
We walked down a short hallway past an open door, which was a bathroom. At the end of the hall was a bedroom. She indicated I could place my clothes bag on the dresser. Then we walked back to the hallway, where there was a sturdier-looking door with a keypad and a fingerprint scanner on it. "Let's get you scanned in," she told me.
"You-you're adding me to the lock?" I asked, surprised.
She looked back at me, equally surprised. "Jake. If I can't trust you, who can I trust? Besides, you need to get in and out of the room if I'm not here. The door has pneumatic hinges, so it will close automatically."
I set my bag down, allowed her to scan my thumb, and chose a PIN. Then she had me open the door to check that it worked. The second the door unlocked, I heard the familiar hum of a server room. I walked in, impressed, and raised my eyebrows at her in acknowledgment. "You taught me well," she told me.
"You even insulated the walls," I commented. I had not heard a sound from outside the room.
"And the bedroom is a Faraday cage, so I sleep like a baby. No buzz," she told me.
I nodded in understanding. After I destroyed the project, I'd done research on autism. Some people were hypersensitive to various sensory stimuli, including being able to hear buzzing or whining noises coming from electronics. "How do you handle it when you're in the room?" I queried.
She held up a pair of industrial-grade noise-canceling headphones. "Ah. Good choice."
"So, I was thinking...perhaps it's best if you use my login while you're here. We can mirror your laptop, or do a direct offline transfer of the data onto one of my terminals. But I think it's important to keep your digital signatures offline as much as possible."
"This is reasonable. I can start the data transfer tonight, and it should be complete by tomorrow." Hope set me up with an encryption key and I connected my laptop with a hard line to her terminal.
"Would you like something to eat?" she asked.
"If it tastes as good as those...energy balls, then, yes," I told her, putting my arm around her shoulder. I was beginning to feel very comfortable with this closeness. "You do not mind my touch?" This was another potential hypersensitivity among autistics.
She smiled up at me. "In general, I'm not a fan of people touching me. But I don't mind you at all." I leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss, making sure to restrain myself this time. She had offered food.
Back in the hallway, I looked around. "You only have one bedroom," I commented.
"Yes..." she answered slowly.
"I don't want to presume--"
"I would like you to sleep with me, Jake," Hope replied, her face open and full of emotion. "If you want to, that is."
"So very much," I rasped. My pulse kicked into overdrive as I discarded the notion of eating. I knew we were not talking about sleep. She took my hand and led me to the bedroom.
I held back. If awards were given for self-control, then I should receive one. I wanted to take her hard and fast, but she deserved my worship. I slowly and carefully undressed this intoxicating woman, exploring her with my hands while she let out quiet gasps. Her chest heaved, drawing my attention to her lovely breasts. I brought my mouth to her skin and tasted her, infatuated with the feel of her and her reaction to me. By the time she had no clothes left, my groin positively ached.
She pulled my shirt off and kissed her way down my torso. When she arrived at the scar from the bullet wound, she traced it with her fingers and looked at me questioningly. "Later," I pleaded, wanting to bring her focus back to the task at hand. She nodded and returned to her path toward my waist, teasing me with her tongue while she removed my pants and boxers. I hissed when I felt her warm mouth on my tip. "Hope--you don't have to--if you do this," I panted, "I won't be able to do what I want to you right now," I managed to choke out. She hummed with me still inside her mouth, and it was nearly my undoing. I let out the breath I'd been holding when she released me.
"What exactly would you like to do to me?" she asked. I gently laid her on the bed, running my fingers through her hair as I kissed her.
"I want to be inside you," I told her. "Do you want that, too?" I tensed while I waited.
"Yes," she responded. "I want you, Jake." She pulled me on top of her, and for several moments I just braced myself above her, memorizing her face while our bodies touched in the most intimate of places. Then I rubbed myself lightly against her wetness. My breathing became uneven and I stilled, trying to calm myself while kissing her. She threaded her hands into my hair and returned my kiss eagerly.
When I could wait no longer, I slid my shaft between her legs. She gasped and flexed as I entered partway, hindering my progress. I rested my forehead against hers, waiting for her to relax. I moved in a little deeper and her entire body arched up toward mine. "So sensitive," I murmured, feeling her pebbled nipples against my chest. Slightly further, I elicited a moan that made my cock twitch.
Finally, to the hilt. I nipped at her bottom lip and ran my fingers from the back of her knee to her thigh, then cupped her ass and squeezed gently. She excited me further with her responses. I pulled my pelvis back. Her hips tried to follow mine, and I smiled, looking down at her pleasure-glazed eyes. I pushed back in slowly, groaning at how I was torturing myself. But it was worth it to watch what I was doing to her. I was completely enthralled with her expression and the fact that I was responsible for it.
I continued my idolization of her, plying her with kisses, touches, and strokes within her tight wetness. I reveled in every sigh and moan that exited her mouth, every flutter of her lashes, and the little wrinkle between her eyebrows when I brushed against a particularly sensitive spot.
As she neared the peak of her pleasure, I realized something. This was more than desire, more than attraction. I wanted to protect her, care for her, and be with her every day. I craved her.
I was falling in love with her. "Hope," I whispered, kissing her face as my movement became more urgent. My feelings spurred me on, wanting to watch her come. She accepted what I gave her, lips parted, panting.
"Jake," she cried, gripping my shoulders. I watched her unravel, felt her muscles pulsating around me, and I let out a guttural noise as I spilled inside her. I drew it out for both of us, shuddering at the heightened sensations.
I kissed her desperately. "I am completely enchanted by you," I confessed, my throat dry with emotion.
She smiled up at me blissfully, studying me carefully. I noted, not for the first time, that she would only meet my eyes briefly, and then focus on another part of my face. I did not mind. I felt honored that she looked at me at all. "The feeling is mutual."