smitten

“shut up! you know that’s not what i mean.” laughing softly, she narrows her eyes at him, but his smile chips away at her resolve anyway. it makes her soften, and she almost wants to kick herself for it. she doesn’t know how to be this version of herself. someone who lets their walls down, let alone lets someone in. it’s never been safe to. people always give you a reason not to trust them in the end. they let you down, lie, betray you, or find some twisted way to hurt you. that’s just how it goes.

and she knows better than to let reed get too close. there’s something about him that feels too clean, too put together in a world where everyone else feels unraveled. like he always has an answer. maybe that’s what unsettles her or maybe it’s just her own insecurities talking. maybe it isn’t him at all. “a cabin in the mountains?” her nose wrinkles at the idea, though a smile tugs at her lips. goosebumps ripple along her back where his fingers trace her skin. “you look like the type to fish, actually. i can see it.” her head tilts slightly, her nose brushing along his skin as she shrugs. “i’m an open book.”

reed knows that the truth is going to break her heart. it's why he's been dragging his feet around her, around the real reason he'd happened into her life. and he's not prepared to be the reason that he beautiful smile goes way, nor is he certain that he has the resolve for it. it's why he's doing his damnedest to be his truest self in these moments, open himself up in way he never even deemed possible. his whole life is lying and subterfuge, and yet he wants nothing more than to be honest, open with blake. about his feelings, about why he's here, about who he really is, undercover agent for the cia.

" i know it's not what you meant. but you know why i'm here. money is too good to pass up. or at least it's why i started here, " reed admits with a chuckle, fingers still idly moving over soft skin that was alight in a glow after their sexual encounter. her brushing her nose against his skin is followed by his free hand moving to the side of her face, guiding her attention towards him so he could crane his neck and press a gentle kiss against her forehead. sweat still lingered on his lips, but something about hers was oddly sweet, a taste he couldn't deny. " what's that supposed to mean? what does someone who fishes look like? " reed asked, his tone playfully incredulous as he's more than happy to linger in her space.

“when i said that, i meant you could drop by anytime the sun was out. what message?” her brow lifts, confusion settling in because she doesn’t remember getting anything. she’d been glued to her phone all night, so it must’ve slipped through somehow. things with garrett always seemed to go like that. just missing each other in small, frustrating ways. he wasn’t like anyone tori had been with before, and honestly, that was part of the appeal. she was used to made men. mafia types who looked polished within an inch of their lives, all carrying the same quiet arrogance like a badge of honor.

it had gotten old, predictable. but her life didn’t exactly leave room for alternatives. no matter how hard she worked to separate herself from her family, how was she supposed to explain to some banker that her apartment came with built in security? two guys in suits, guns at their hips. that her family casually wined and dined city officials because every one of them owed her father something. and yet, none of it seemed to faze garrett. he moved through it all effortlessly, talking his way into any room. including this one like he belonged there. “you are ridiculous, you know that? always think you’re so smart… clever.” her tone is light, teasing but there’s a warmth behind it she doesn’t bother hiding. a smile tugs at her lips as her gaze drifts from his hair down to his mouth. pausing when she notices the cut there, half-healed.

eyes are glued to her like she was the last thing he would ever see and he doesn't pretend like there is anything than admiration and adoration in his gaze. garrett knows that he's completely on the hook with her and that his feelings are on his sleeve. he doesn't mind and tori doesn't seem to either. certainly makes things a great deal easier for him to feel comfortable. in her space, in her circle, in her life. the smile that adorned his features was filled with warmth as he looked across each part of her face; trimmed brow, button nose, supple lips. effortless beauty had a definition and her picture was next to it.

" i dropped by earlier while you were at work. told the doorman i'd be back later tonight and to tell you. guess he didn't. " a bit of an easy smirk stretched onto his face. " probably at the request of the two guys downstairs with the guns and the scowls. they probably didn't like having their asses handed to them. though one got lucky, " he explains, one hand coming up to motion to the cut on his lip as he moved further into her apartment, like he was unfamiliar with the space. like he hasn't snuck up to her place an more than a few occasions. eyes only leaving her for the brief silence before tori had his undivided attention again. " they tried to say there is no way you could possibly be interested in someone like me. "

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