“Options, Dean. That’s what I need.” I stared out the windshield while touching my lips to hide the movements. Just in case someone really was watching. “I have to put a protection detail on my mom and sister.”
“Definitely.”
I would talk to Brynn this afternoon, and she could set it up. “But aside from that, how do I keep my family safe and also stay in this?”
“We make the bad guysthinkyou gave up. That we both did. Make them believe their scare tactics worked. While we go underground.”
“Ideas on how to do that?”
“You move in with me.”
Ugh. Really? “Move in? For how long?”
“As long as it takes.”
My pulse raced. Just this morning, the thought of spending another hour in that house with him seemed intolerable. Now I was supposed to live there?
With that tempting naked body of his?
“Wouldn’t that be more suspicious?” I asked. “We both showed up to question Donny Phelan. If we’re together all the time, they’ll think we’re still investigating.”
“Not if we give them another explanation for you being with me. We already told Phelan yesterday that we’re dating.”
“But we’renot.”
“So, we just have to make them believe it.”
“You cannot be suggesting what I think you’re suggesting.”
He turned toward me, his blue eyes full of intensity and unreadable things. His broad shoulders leaned closer. His body moving into my space.
And then, he kissed me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Dean
I was so goingto hell for this.
My lips brushed against Keira’s the way I’d imagined so many times. She made a tiny sound, a whimper, tilting her head. Which just made me press closer. My hand cupped her cheek as the bow of her upper lip fit perfectly against my lower one.
I knew exactly what I was doing. Knew she couldn’t shove me away, in case someone was watching.
Fuck, her mouth was every bit as perfect as I’d imagined. I knew I should stop, but my tongue flicked out for a forbidden fraction of a second to taste her.
Then, reluctantly, I pulled back, and her eyelashes fluttered.
“What wasthat?” she hissed.
“Our excuse for you moving in with me. I’m worried about your safety, so I’m insisting, as your boyfriend, that you live with me.”
“You have got to be kidding me.No.”
“You wanted ideas. Options. This is what I’ve got.”
“Well, it’s stupid,” she spit out. “Think about it. We’d have to telleveryonewe’re together. That we’re…” She gestured between us. “Romantically involved.”
I tapped my fingers on the driver’s side door. Did I know what I was doing? Not really. But I’d do anything to protect Keira. Help her.
