“What’s that smile for?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
I shrugged.
“Nope. No, no, no. Emil…”
“What?” I laughed at her pout.
“We can’t have sex for a few more weeks.”
I laughed harder, trying to be quiet and not wake up Carina sleeping in her bassinet. “I’m not allowed to smile at you without it having to mean I want to make love to you?”
“I don’t know.” She furrowed her brow. “Are you able to do that?”
I kissed her. “I wouldn’t ever jeopardize your health or comfort. The doctor said six weeks, and that’s final.” I held my hands up to show that I wasn’t going to try anything funny.
“Five weeks and two days,” she corrected with a sexy grin. “But who’s counting?”
“Hmm-mmm,” I murmured. “Who’s counting?” I kissed her tenderly, loving how she sighed against me again. “I was smiling because I was thinking about how lucky I am to have you, how lucky my family is to have you, too.”
“That’s funny. It amazes me every day that I’m fortunate to have ever found you.”
“Well, you did suck at staying on my tail.”
She mocked a gasp. “No. I just hated the possibility of meeting my match. Youaresneaky and stealthy.”
I recalled that fascination with her that started from noticing her watching me at the airports.
“But youaremine. You’re my match, Sadie. As partners, as my little agent, as my good—” I frowned, glancing at Carina.
“Yeah, it sounds different now, doesn’t it?” she joked with a little laugh.
“You are my good girl,” I told her. I cringed.
“Andsheis also your good girl.”
“It’s in a different context.”
She nodded. “Of course. But… yeah…”
“Hmm. Then maybe I should think of another endearment for you.” I kissed her slowly, but she whined lightly when she pushed me back. “ You’re my bad boy,” she teased. “Five weeks, remember?”
“And two days.”
She snuggled up against me again.
“I have met my match in you,” I told her, determined to get through this moment to the end. “And I would love it if you might want to help me tell the rest of the world that we are a match that will never break.”
Reaching down to my pocket, I slowly sought the ring box I’d picked up from Alexsei earlier that day. He’d gone out to pick it up from the jeweler I’d called to have it custom made.
“You’re my match, Sadie. The agent who failed to capture her target.”
She rolled her eyes at my teasing, but the smile on her lips didn’t disappear.
“How about you be my wife, too?”
“Oh, sonow, you’ll let me capture you and keep you?” She grinned.
“You already did.” The first sassy look she gave me, and I was hers. That initial thrill of playing cat-and-mouse with her sealed my addiction to wanting more of her. More of her in my life. Now with her as an official consultant and the mother of my child, I wanted to have all of her in my life.
