“It’s not like that.”
“From the kiss he just laid on you, I’d say it’s exactly like that.”
“No, I mean I didn’t bring him here.”
Lanie stepped in front of me, cocking her head to the side. “Tell me you didn’t run.”
“I could, but I’d be lying.”
“I’m here if you wanna talk.”
Warmth spread through my belly. I’d built this team of agents to resemble something I’d been missing most of my life; a family. What I’d found instead was a bond thicker than blood.
Separately we were strong. Together we were unbreakable.
“Thanks. I might take you up on that.”
For the next hour, my agents—including Nelson, who joined us a short while later—began rapid-firing questions at Finn; some personal, some professional. If he was bothered by the intrusiveness of their interrogation, he didn’t let on. He answered each one without pause.
“Can you think of anyone who’d benefit from seeing this project fail?” Koen asked.
“There are two other companies who are currently researching the same technology,” Finn answered. “As far as I know, neither one has come anywhere close to accomplishing what we have.”
“We’ll need the names of those companies,” Noah responded, tapping his pen against the table.
“I’ll also need a full list of your employees to do a deep dive into their backgrounds. Even the ones who aren’t working on this project,” Nelson added.
“You’ll have complete access to whatever you want. Joel Masterson, my head of security, is expecting your call.”
“There’s one other thing you should all be aware of.” My shoulders tensed as Finn shifted his gaze to me. “Both the lab and my office are being permanently relocated.”
Somehow I knew before I even asked the question. “Where?”
“Huntington.”
Finn
I braced as the word left my mouth, hoping for the best possible outcome while preparing for the worst. Then I saw it; a flicker of relief flashed across her features. It happened so quickly, if I hadn’t been paying close attention I never would have seen it.
Exposing my true intentions this early in the game was a risk far greater than any I’d ever taken before, but there’d been no alternative. Somehow Waverly got it in her head that what we started in Curaçao was short term, when in actuality it was only the beginning of our marathon; a never-ending marathon if I had my way.
“How soon is thismove?”
Waverly crossed her arms over her chest. The move pushed her breasts slightly higher in her V-neck blouse, exposing more than a hint of cleavage. I swallowed down the desire to rip off my suit jacket and drape it around her shoulders.
“Immediately.”
Questions were hurled at me from the rest of the agents, yet my girl didn’t utter another word. Not one damn syllable. I expected her to question my motives or even my sanity. What I didn’t expect was her silence. It was completely unnerving.
As we were standing outside of her office a short while later, her embargo on speaking finally lifted.
“What are you doing, Finn?”
“I’m not sure I understand your question.”
“Don’t play coy. You know exactly what I’m asking. Huntington never would’ve made the top ten list of cities to move your company to.”
“Two weeks ago, you’d have been right.” Slipping my arm around her waist, I tugged her close. Her scent alone had my cock thickening in my pants. It was intoxicating; whispers of coconut mixed with a citrusy undertone which reminded me of our time on the beach. “Since then my priorities have shifted.”
