“Slimy defense lawyer?” One corner of Mia’s mouth quirked. “You’ve been hanging around Doc too long.” She waved a hand and changed the subject. “But enough about Mom and Carter. Let’s talk about some good news, shall we?”
“You mean how P.J. Warren has given us not one buttwoamazing sex scenes in this edition?” His grin was purposefully salacious as he thought back to the evening before when Mia had read to him fromIn Darkness and Dreams. “Do we dare read on and hope for three?”
Before she could answer, he added, “Which reminds me, did you do like I asked and hit up Nurse Andre about when they’ll take out my catheter and whether or not it’s okay for a guy in my condition to get a blow job?”
Mia’s mouth flattened into a straight line. “You know I didn’t. And I swear ifyouask him, I’ll never show my face in this hospital again.”
“Spoilsport,” he complained.
“Pervert,” she came back.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Spiro!” She huffed her frustration. “Stop flirting with me. I’mtryingto give you some amazing news!”
He faked affront even though helovedhearing his name on her lips. He never tired of it. “How amazing can it be if it’s not about blow jobs?”
She tossed her hands in the air. “You aresucha guy.”
His grin was slow and lazy. “And yet you wouldn’t have me any other way.”
“Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not so sure about that.” And then, because she knew he wouldn’t give her an opening unless she took it, she plowed ahead with, “LT used the sat phone to call my cell while I was making the coffee run.”
“Coffee andhot chocolaterun,” he corrected. “You cruel and callous woman.”
“And guess what?” She blazed ahead as if he hadn’t spoken. “Alex and Mason found the cipher device! It still exists!” Her mouth screwed itself into a moue. “Well, they didn’t actually find it. But they found out who has it. It’s in the private collection of some wealthy Portuguese antiquities dealer. They’ve reached out to the man to try to get in to see it, and they’re waiting to hear back.” She clapped her hands. “Can you believe it?”
All he could do was shake his head. A hurricane of emotions swirled through him then. On the one hand, he was beyond happy. This was everything he and his partners had been working toward for so long. But on the other hand, being one step closer to finding the treasure meant that Mia was one step closer to leaving.
But does it have to be that way?he asked himself a little desperately.
Himself answered back with,No way to know until you ask.
Except it wasn’t a question that jumped out of his mouth. It was a statement.
“I love you.”
He wasn’t sure who was more surprised by his outburst, him or her.
Her. Definitely her, he decided a second later when her face blanched and the pulse beating in her throat went thready.
Fuck. So much for living up to your nickname. Romeo wasromantic.That was just...clumsy.
“Breathe, Mia,” he instructed quietly and watched her suck in a ragged breath. He opened his mouth to add, he wasn’t sure what, but she beat him to the punch.
“I love you too.”
He blinked, not quite believing his ears.
Hisheartbelieved them. And it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to burst with joy or fly out of his mouth on wings of happiness. Maybe both. Fly out of his mouth and then explode like a confetti cannon, leaving little paper hearts raining down around them.
He had to make sure the pain meds weren’t making him hallucinate. “You do?” he asked cautiously.
“Of course I do. You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met. The most amazingpersonI’ve ever met.” She shrugged. “How could Inotlove you?”
With every word out of her mouth, his elation grew. In fact, it was so big by the time she finished speaking that he would swear it took up all the space inside him, swelling in his chest and his throat. Which was why his voice was breathy when he said, “Okay, then. Let’s throw out our plans to stay forever single. Let’s see if two people who don’t have any idea how to make a relationship work can actually go the distance. Let’s give this...giveus...a chance. Let’s be each other’s ride-or-die. What do you say?”
As far as speeches went, it wasn’t great.Let’s be each other’s ride-or-die? Really? That was the best I could come up with?
