Page 119 of Total Exposure

He shrugs. “Asshole had it coming. I’m not really a creepy spy, Evangeline—“

“I know that,” I say, cutting him off. “Jordan told me all that stuff too. You’re an investigator, right?”

He nods. “I do watch people, that part’s true. I expose them, just like I did you. But it was never my intention to hurt anyone.”

“You didn’t hurt me, Ixion. You saved me.”

“No,” he says. “That was all you, Miss Rolaine. You were always the one with the plan. I just supported you.”

“It’s what I needed,” I say.

“Me too.”

“And now… now what?”

He swallows hard, like this question makes him very nervous. “Tell me what you want. And I’ll give it to you.”

“No,” I say. “I’ve taken more than my share in this lifetime. I want to give you something.”

He laughs.

“I’m serious, Ixion. Tell me what you want.”

He sighs now. A long breath of air escapes him. Like he’s getting rid of things. Like he’s considering my question. And finally, after many long seconds of silence, he says, “I just want you. No games. No cameras. No lies. Just you.”

I walk towards him. He opens his arms and embraces me. Kisses me on the head, then the cheek, then the lips.

Our kiss is brand new.

And when we step out of my dressing room door our life together is brand new too.

Totally exposed for who we really are underneath all the fear, and regret, and mistakes.

And ready to live with it.

Epilogue - Jordan

“So listen,” Chella says. “I have an interesting job for you.”

We’re sitting in her tea room, having tea, of course, just catching up after the shitstorm called Augustine blew through town and upended everything about my life. She’s still here, still not talking to me after I admitted it was me, not Ixion, who filmed her and sent the footage to Alexander all those years ago.

Still driving me fuckin’ nuts.

Augustine already knew. Alexander told her the truth after they got married. But hearing those words from my own mouth… well, that’s something completely different.

So I’ve been in a funk ever since I came clean, and Chella, annoyingly perceptive person that she is, picked up on it. I can only imagine that’s why I was invited to tea today.

“Does Smith know you’re doing this?” I ask her.

“Smith,” she huffs as she rubs her very pregnant belly. Chella is the most adorable pregnant woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. “He’s all about helping people. You know that.”

“So he doesn’t know,” I say.

“I mean, look,” Chella says. “I can’t help it if he’s too busy to really pick up what I’m throwing down, right? I tell him all kinds of things, Jordan. Everything I do, I report at dinner.” She opens her hands, palms up. “I am an open book.”

I laugh. “So Smith hears what Smith wants to hear? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Exactly,” she beams. “Like, I told him I have this friend who might like to spice up her life.” I raise an eyebrow at that. “And she’s looking for a game, OK?”