He stills my hands. “Honey, I have plenty of money.” He pauses. “You know who my father is, don’t you?”
I frown. “Your father? No... Should I?”
He laughs. “Well, I’m sure you know who he is, you just didn’t realize he was my father.”
“Who is it?” I’m curious as I kick off my shoes and put our food on the kitchen table.
“Andy Ross, the lead singer for Poison Tyrants.”
“The 80s hair band?” I chuckle. “How did I not know this?”
“I don’t know, but not only do I have a trust fund, I’ve been making a lot of money the last twelve years or so, with almost no expenses because I don’t even own a car. Eighty percent of my salary goes into savings.”
I wrinkle my nose. “You don’t have a…car? A home? Not even an efficiency apartment or something?”
“Nope. I have a storage space in Los Angeles, where my dad and stepmom live, where I keep my Harley. I drive it like twice a year. I have some furniture and a handful of mementos, but that’s it. When I’m traveling for the agency, it’s all on their dime. When I’m in the U.S., I stay with a handful of friends. I have good friends in L.A. and Vegas, as well as Monte Carlo and Limaj. Those are the four places I go when I’m not working.”
“Well, now you have a place to stay in Cologne as well,” I say, turning to get a couple of plates and utensils.
He comes up behind me and slides his arms around my waist. “I’m really looking forward to coming for a visit that has nothing to do with stalkers.”
“Me too.” I turn to him and playfully hand him the plates. “Set the table.”
We dig into our food and I look up when I finally slow down. “Are we really going on some fancy river cruise while your friends handle my stalker?”
“If you want to. It’s a small room, that’s all they had available, but it has two twin beds, so you don’t have to worry about me taking advantage of you.”
“That’s pretty far down on the list of things I’m worried about,” I tell him.
He blows out a breath. “You’re making it tough to stay gentlemanly.”
“Whose idea is that?” I ask, taking another bite of food. “Certainly not mine.”
“Honey, I don’t want to start something I may not be able to finish.”
“That seems to be a common theme with you, but I’m not a twenty-one-year-old virgin anymore, Ace. I’m a grown woman perfectly capable of making adult decisions like whether or not I want to have sex with a man I like.”
He smiles at me. “I have to focus on keeping you safe, and getting you naked would be a huge distraction. Once this stalker thing is over, though, you can distract me all you want.”
“Promises, promises.” I’m not sure what else to say, so I focused on cleaning up. I don’t want to wait until this was over to get naked and I have to find a way to convince him of that.
Chapter 13
Ace
After our late lunch, I thought Shannon would take a nap, but she comes up with half a dozen things she needs to do to get ready to be away for a week, and by the time she does all of them, it’s dinnertime. She’s dragging, though, and by six thirty she’s fast asleep on the couch, her head on my lap as we watch something on TV. As much as I want to sleep beside her, this is safer for both of us. Making love to her is a fantasy, and while I’m not nervous per se, I’m oddly reluctant.
There’s something special about her, and this crazy thing between us, and it’s starting to blur the line between personal, professional, and emotional. All three of those things apply to this situation, but I have to remember who I am and what I do. My life takes me on dangerous missions all over the world.
I’ve come close to dying more times than I can count, and that isn’t what I want for her. Even if she says she’s okay with it, sitting home, waiting and wondering when and if I’m coming back to her is no kind of life for anyone, especially not Shannon. Adding kids to the equation would make it even worse.
It’s kind of crazy to even be thinking about things like kids, especially with where I am in life, but Shannon is the woman I’d make those kinds of sacrifices for if the timing was right. Hell, I already have a foot out the door with the agency, so maybe this is the kick in the ass I need.
I just don’t know for sure if I’m ready to walk away from the only thing I’ve ever done. Could I give it up for a woman? A family? Every minute I spend with her makes me think so, but what if I’m wrong? What if I’m not the kind of guy who settles down and I fuck everything up for both of us?
“We should go into the bedroom,” she murmurs sleepily. “It’s a lot more comfortable.”
“You go ahead,” I say gently.
