“Ok, well, you two can get set up in the—in the guest bedroom,” Donovan said. “There’s no balcony or anything, so I trust you to be who you say you are for now.”
“I recognize her too,” Maya said.
“Sometimes the enemy is right beside you,” Donovan said, with a smirk as he looked at me. “I’m kidding, of course. But I will need to see your ID once I’m dressed.”
I nodded to that. I wondered just how much Jinksy had been trying to tell us. I bet that gentle giant was pissed—but not pissed enough to send someone to check on us.
18. DONOVAN
I hated surprises, especially when they went against everything I’d planned for. This job was supposed to be a quick babysitting gig, butoh no, someone had to go and want to run around town making a noise to let people know they were here. And now, there was a lawyer talking about a meeting. That was not on the cards, I didn’t know anything about what they were doing, and that had me on edge.
In the quiet of Maya’s bedroom, I changed into my suit. Most of it was creased but, a good five minutes in the shower with the heat cranked up real nice got some steam to work its magic. It wasn’t a tip I learned on my own, this was something Artemis had taught me—something about how pretentious everyone was at college forcing people to wear suits at events.
Art snuck up behind me, his hands around my chest and down to my waist.
“Don’t you dare go for my gun,” I whispered.
“How did you know it was me?” he asked.
I turned and leaned in to sniff him. “You’ve got a smell.”
“I don’t smell,” he said, scoffing. “Take it back, right now.”
Now I was the one rolling my eyes “No, you don’t smell, you’ve got a smell. It’s you, and if it had been anyone else, I’m sure they would’ve made a sound. So, props to you for getting to me.”
Art took my tie and wrapped it around my popped collar, waiting for it. “Listen,” he said, pouting. “You’ve got to be nicer to people. Especially if we’re becoming this power couple.”
“We’re a couple again?” I asked, watching as he got to work on the tie.
“Mentally, we’ve always been a couple,” he said, batting those big lashes at me. “But you’ve just not seen it the same way. Since you abandoned me.”
I laughed. “I already told you, I didn’t abandon you.”
“Yeah, you say that, but look what happened.”
I planted my lips on his forehead, resting them there as I pulled him in gently with a hug. “I knew people were watching out for you, and I can only blame them for some of the paths they pushed you down.” It was obvious now that Mercy had used the raw rage inside Artemis to get him to do work for her—and probably for free too.
Art slumped his head on my shoulder, giving up on the tie. “You shouldn’t wear these stupid things anyway,” he said. “Just because there’s some fancy lawyer out there.”
“I’m not doing it for the lawyer, I’m doing it for the organization we represent, and who are paying us a whole lot of money to just stand around looking professional,” I told him, staring into his gorgeous eyes. “Now, come on, pretty boy, show me what those hands can do.”
He took the ends of the tie and pretended to strangle me. I played along, falling to my knees in front of him—my entire body thumping against the tile, and the room shaking.
“Oh, you’re kneeling in front of me,” he giggled. “What do I owe the pleasure?”
My chin on his belly, ruffling the top of his shirt as I looked at him from this angle. “Don’t get it twisted, baby, I’m on my knees, but I’m still in control.”
Art grabbed my head with both hands, pretending to stimulate oral sex. I chopped a hand at the back of his knee, forcing him to come down, and he did, right on top of me until we were now laid on the floor from it.
“I missed us,” he said, holding my hand as we staring at the tiled bathroom ceiling, the warm orange spotlights wereglowing on us like crazy. “You know, theuswho went from hotel to hotel, theusthat broke beds, and theuswho were happy.”
I didn’t mind that being on the floor was creasing my shirt now. “I missed us too, but more than anything, I missed you.”
“Don’t get all soppy on me now,” he giggled.
Wrestling him into a hold, I was on top and holding both his arms tight across his chest. “I’m not soppy,” I said. “I’m just trying to put down what I was picking up from you.”
“Green,” he said, biting the edge of his tongue playfully.
