Read Desire Unmatched: 4 (Coded for Love) for Free Online Page A

position, bare feet against the wall, knees at a
ninety-degree angle. With elbows cocked and arms behind his head, he started
his sit-ups. He’d stopped counting reps a few days ago. What was the point?
There was nothing else to do other than push his body until his abs told him to
quit.
    The smell of freshly baking bread seeped in the space
between the glass and caulk of the window. What was it today? Croissants? Baguette?
The bakery down the street was an element of the torture his captors hadn’t
taken into account, but it would likely be his breaking point. The French knew
their boulangeries . And yeah, he was in France somewhere. The smell of
baking baguette was a dead giveaway, as were the French words penetrating the
barred window. Not Paris. Marseille, if he had to stake money on it.
    Sweat blossomed on his skin as his muscles greeted the
familiar and welcome pull of strain. He could do this all day. Had been doing
it all day. Yet he was losing patience with Paulson. He’d only seen Paulson one
more time four days ago. There’d been another communication that Paulson was
close to getting them out. He wasn’t sure he believed it anymore, but he didn’t
have many alternatives.
    He was shoeless, cashless, weaponless and friendless in a
foreign country. And any other kind of less he could dream up. If there was an
opportunity to take out his guard and escape, he hadn’t found it yet. He would.
Then he’d be stateside and back with Emma. A grunt escaped on his latest
stomach crunch and he took it as a sign to roll to his stomach and start in on
the push-ups.
    Once in position he noted his fingernails were getting long
thanks to the lack of clippers. Maybe he could claw his way out. Something
resembling a smile crossed his lips. It was his first glimpse at humor since
his capture.
    His arms easily pushed his planked form up and down while
his bare toes held his lower half. His feet had healed significantly during
captivity. That was the good news. The bad news was his mental health. If he
didn’t get out of this one-room jail cell and get some fresh air soon, he was
going to go insane. He knew he was going insane because he was fantasizing
about a future with Emma, which could never happen. He had to escape.
Yesterday.
    * * * * *
    University of Maryland
     
    Emma shifted in her front-row seat of Intro to Biology and
tried to take notes. She was one of the few students using an old-fashioned pen
and notepad. For one, she preferred it and two, she didn’t have a laptop. She
knew the Program probably had one to spare, but she didn’t want to ask. She was
beholden enough as it was.
    They were already covering most of her tuition. She had
written several IOU notes, but she suspected they’d be missing if she
ever tried to repay.
    It was her last class of the day and her mouth kept
stretching into yawns. She’d barely slept last night. Or the night before, or
the night before that. Ever since Xander had been taken, really. It was as if
something deep in her psyche knew her match was in grave danger. Until she knew
Xander was safe, she couldn’t feel safe either.
    She and Shep had argued long and hard about having a guard
tail her on the college campus. She’d refused, arguing that she held less value
than an enhanced soldier, and it wasn’t worth having one on her all day. Shep
had reluctantly agreed, just as she’d reluctantly agreed there was little she
could do to help with the Xander search. Shep had men scouring the world. They
were trained and she was not. They had resources and she had none. He’d
promised her if they had a clue on Xander’s location, they’d bring her there to
get a lock. Apparently, she’d have that ability.
    Suddenly her neck tightened and her eyes widened as the
professor in front of her clicked his visual Powerpoint presentation to a photo
that had her waking up and paying attention. It was a photo of the Program
campus. Her current residence. Her head swiveled around as she looked