“Is that right?”
“It is.”
“Well, then lie back, baby, and let me get to work.”
40
TOM
One week in, and we’re still no closer to putting this case to rest than we were when we got here. The stress is eating me alive, and the only thing that helps is losing myself in Kat every night.
And during the day when we can sneak something in.
I’ve tried to keep my time with her separate from the team, but it’s impossible when she’s the center of our case and my newly aligned world. No one has said anything yet aside from Royce, but that’s probably because they all figure he can get away with it because he’s my nephew.
And maybe that’s partially true.
But I’m proud of the team I’ve built. Proud of the men I get to work with each day and the family we’ve built inside Andrews International. I snort as my feet pound against the belt of the treadmill. Maybe I’m getting sappy in my old age or maybe I’ve just seen too much over the years to not appreciate what’s in front of me. It’s why I thought it would be harder to reconcile my decision to be with her, to cross every professional line I’ve held in my career.
But it’s not.
Kat Harrington is the one I didn’t know I was waiting for.
And I’m smart enough to know you don’t pass up the chance of a lifetime, and that’s what she is. She’s gorgeous and infuriating, brilliant and sweet, and I’ve never been so enamored with anyone like I am with her.
But I can’t tell her that—and not because I don’t want to.
But because she threw the notebook I gave her to write in at me this morning and stomped out of my office. Apparently she’s forgotten how to spell since she only writes on her computer andspell checkknows her better than she knows herself.
I rub my hand over my mouth to cover my smile as I remember the way she slammed her hands down on her hips and stomped for emphasis. I’d managed to keep my composure, but it wasn’t easy.
All that sass ignited a raging inferno in me, the need to fuck that attitude out of her almost more than I could bear.
But I was in the middle of a call with Grimm and Ozzy, the two of them chasing down leads, and while it helps to eliminate things, it hasn’t made the picture any clearer.
Which is how, instead of bending Kat over the counter again, I ended up on the treadmill in the garage. Usually I can tune everything out, disconnect and just go, my feet pounding down one after the other as steps turn into miles.
Except everything in my life seems to be shifting.
Priorities.
Motivations.
Goals for the future.
I’m not afraid of change, but I am wary of everything happening all at once, and more importantly I don’t want to scare Kat.
Because she’s part of it—a big part.
Funny how a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t wait to be back to work, and now all I want to do is be on vacation.
Once this is over I’ll take her anywhere she wants to go.
It’s that thought that plays on a loop in my head as the miles tick by, and now, all I need is a plan to get us there.
KAT
I’m practically crawlingout of my skin the moment Tom kisses my forehead and tells me he’s going to go work out in the garage. His presence is the only thing keeping me sane right now, and even though I knowhe’s not far, the loneliness comes back with a vengeance the moment he’s out of sight.
