He smiled. “I’m not sure I would’ve gotten this far in life without you. Thank you for being here for me.”
I brushed a kiss to his cheek and inhaled the wonderful scent of his cologne. “Any time, any place. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Wick said and rested his forehead against mine.
“Boss!” Albion sounded less refined than usual as he excitedly called to us from the doorway. His smile dug dimples into his cheeks and made him look younger. “You gotta see this. I think Xadrian took some completed project plans with him.”
We rushed back in, and Albion held up his laptop like it was a prize catch in a fishing tournament.
Bedford clapped his hands. “Good. Theft we can do something about! I can have that boy in front of a judge in under a week, if we can get some solid evidence. I happen to know the local prosecutor hates white-collar criminals.”
Wick scrubbed his hands over his face as he stared around the room. “Should I be happy or even more angry?”
I hugged him and the tension drained out of his body as he leaned into my arms. “Both is fine. We’ll fix this together. I promise.”
EPILOGUE
MAURICE
Thunder crackedin the sky outside of Sew Much Better than the Rest, Indy Yves’ tailor shop. I had my laptop open on the coffee table in front of the tan leather couch where I sat, and as I glanced up, Wick walked out from the back in the final suit Indy was checking over. The breath leaked out of me as he stepped up on the small podium in front of the mirrors. The outfit was to be worn for Christmas events, and I loved the deep pine green that made Wick’s gray eyes look even more vibrant than usual when he glanced over and grinned at me.
“What do you think, darlin’?” Wick asked, smoothing down the lapels on the jacket.
“I love it.”
“Yay!” Indy danced around as he checked over the suit. I had no clue what he was looking for, but he got very close to Wick to inspect his work, and I had no doubt his attention was solely for the clothing. “These measurements were good. Sometimes I still need to make final adjustments before I make deliveries, but I must’ve been very focused that night.” He fluttered his eyelashes at Wick. “I wonder why.” They laughed, and even I had to snicker over the way he’d flirted that first evening. Now that I’d been with Wick for a while I was less worried he would go somewhere else, and it felt good to be so confident in our relationship.
Indy looked fantastic, as usual, in a pink shirt and white shorts topped with a cute straw hat. It was dark out and we were inside, so the headwear was only a fashion choice. Jewelry glittered in a line at his throat.
“What are those gemstones on your necklace?” I called over.
Indy touched the chain and bracelet he wore while staring at them in the mirror like maybe he’d forgotten what he had on. “Oh! Pink rubies, honey. They were a gift for my birthday.”
“Oh, do tell. From who?” Wick asked.
Indy flicked Wick’s wrist. “My mother. We’re not all lucky in love.” He rolled his eyes but didn’t seem anything other than happy for us.
The bags Indy had laid out on the couch at my side and across the coffee table near my computer were interesting and comprised of different designs and fabrics, and I stared at them, trying to think about how to begin an article detailing the artistic flourishes. “These are really great, Indy. I like the masculine appeal. I’m going to need to take a bunch of pictures, though. I just don’t know how to talk about them.” I shrugged helplessly.
“That’s fine,” he called over, stepping down off the small podium. He crossed his arms and glared at the bags. “I hope they don’t turn out to be a waste of time. It’s so hard to get American men to dig into the bag craze, but how useful are they? Very.” He pointed at me, then went back to critically assessing Wick from a distance. “You are going to be stunning, sir. Stealing hearts. Dominating board rooms. I love it—and Maurice is so lucky.” He winked at me.
I flushed, heat crawling up from under my collar to take over my face. “I am.”
“And you’re a lucky dog, too,” he said, hopping back over to Wick like a hyper bunny to smack him on the arm.
“Don’t I know it?” Wick smiled at me.
I shook my head as my entire body heated. I still hadn’t learned how to take a compliment and probably never would. It helped that I knew Wick meant every word that came out of his mouth.
A fork of lightning flashed and lit up the wide front window. Indy let out a small shriek, then cleared his throat and laughed. “Damn it. I’m not usually this bad.” He waved his hand in front of his face. “And it’s late for you to be driving home in this stinker of a storm.” As if conjured by his words, the sky opened and sheets of rain dumped on the street outside, sending people who’d been walking along racing toward their destinations.
“Somehow we never get here during regular business hours,” I said, turning my attention back to Wick. He smirked at me, looking damned good and knowing it.
“Can I wear this suit out?” Wick asked.
Indy whirled around to stare at him. “Yes, sure. You paid. I’ll deliver the rest to your home.” He sent a look in my direction. “Far be it from me to ruin a good time.”
Wick chuckled and stepped down off the podium, then put his shoes on before casually strolling toward me. “I think Maurice likes this one.”
