The thought of getting to keep him close warmed me, my heart doing cartwheels in response.
“Don’t you have your own place you want to go back to now that your assignment is over?”
He squeezed my hand. “I live in Chicago, so no, I’m in no rush to get back to my place.”
My heart stuttered to a stop and then lay down in defeat. How did he think we would make this work? Had I been wrong to think he wanted us to be together? Was I once again acting like a lovesick fool and reading the signals wrong?
“Oh, okay. I didn’t know.”
“I quit the FBI today,” he said, holding my hand tighter.
I sat up, bringing our faces close together. The dim night-light coming in from the hallway was enough to make out the clear-cut lines of his face and his firm and sensual lips.
But I couldn’t read his expression. He almost looked like he was holding his breath.
“Why?” I asked.
He brushed his thumb across the back of my hand. “It was time. I’ve known for a while that I had to get out. You can only do that sort of work for so long before it drags you down. My work used to be my life, my passion. But my priorities have changed.”
I lifted my arm, putting my hand on his cheek, the need to comfort him all-consuming. My next words came out stuttered. “Does that… does it mean… I mean, are you going to… stay?”
“All I care about is in this small town. Why would I go back to my life before you walked in?”
“Lie down with me?” I asked, shuffling to the middle of the bed and pulling the blanket back.
He didn’t hesitate to take off his shoes and lie down on his side, facing me. He laced his fingers through mine and rested our clasped hands between our bodies.
“I know there’s a chance you won’t forgive me. But I’m not willing to give up. If I have to prove to you for the rest of my life that you can trust me, I will,” he said.
Tears stung my eyes, and I shuffled closer, smothering his last words with my lips. He responded with slow kisses in return, stealing my breath, the undeniable magnetism between us pulling us together.
When we broke apart, I buried my face in his throat, and he wrapped his arms around me.
“I love you,” I murmured against his skin.
“I love you too,” he rasped against my hair, his voice overflowing with emotion.
I fell asleep cocooned in the safety of his arms, his drugging scent surrounding me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Are we really going to a biker party?” Malena asked, eyes wide, taking in the compound. “I can’t believe you talked me into this. I’m not sure it’s good for business to be seen with a bunch of bikers.”
Grim messaged me this morning, asking if I wanted to come to a party. I’d missed the guys and would take any excuse to see them, even if it was for a party at the compound. I wasn’t exactly the partying type, despite them thinking otherwise.
Sebastian had spent all week at my house and, true to his word, made sure I knew how much I meant to him. From flowers—the non-creepy kind—to dinners in the backyard, he’d pulled out all the stops.
He was gone during the day but still drove me to Pepper’s when I had a shift. He stayed with me when I stood outside the door, holding me tight and letting me do my thing without judgment. Last time, I only had to count to thirty-four before my legs agreed to carry me inside.
I knew he didn’t like what he saw by his taut expression and the intense way he watched me. But just having him there made everything so much better.
He picked me up again after my shift, driving me back home.
Luca and Lena were having a sleepover at Malena’s house tonight. Her parents were watching them, something they did occasionally. The kids loved it, and I felt safe leaving them there.
I couldn’t remember the last time Malena and I went out together. So when Grim messaged me, I immediately asked her to come along. It took a little convincing, but she eventually gave in.
“You told them I’m coming too, right? They’re not going to throw me out?” she asked, still staring at the brightly lit building. People were milling around outside, and the music was loud even from where we were standing in the street.
