Lafayette, Louisiana
* * *
Nick smiled as he exited his truck and approached the blonde at the door who never failed to steal his breath.
“Well?” Sasha asked, toying with the sparkling pendant around her neck.
After she had wasted Walter Clifford—an act labeled self-defense—a slew of dirty cops, along with a few corrupt lawyers and a judge or two, had been exposed and convicted. Nick had insisted he and Sasha look forward together, not back. So he’d replaced the key Mike had sent her before his death with a diamond heart. He loved this woman, and he damn sure wanted her to remember that every moment of every day.
“You asking if I played nicely with the other boys and girls?” he teased as they headed into the house.
“Maybe I should ask if they played nicely with you.” She thrust a hand on her curvaceous hip. “I still can’t believe you wore that on your first day at S.I. Industries.”
“What?” He looked down. A drawing of the Grim Reaper splashed across his chest with a caption that read I Love My Job. “This is my fancy T-shirt.”
“Nick…” she chided softly.
“Hey, I warned Javier and Xander that I wasn’t a corporate guy. Besides, when they saw the shirt, they laughed.”
She shook her head at him, but her adoring smile was all he saw. “So…good day?”
“Yeah. S.I. Industries will always have security challenges. That reality goes hand in hand with technology and defense contracting. This job will be a challenge and I’m going to enjoy the hell out of it. I’m just glad my predecessor decided to retire.” Nick felt sure the Santiago brothers had helped the man along with a fat paycheck, but since the guy had moved to Grand Cayman Nick didn’t feel too sorry for him.
“That’s fantastic.” Sasha hugged him. “I knew this would be the right career move for you.”
“Totally,” he assured. “Now, how about a kiss from my beautiful wife?”
A sweet pink crawled up her cheeks and her smile turned come hither as she sidled closer and stood on her tiptoes, eyes closed, lips parted. She didn’t have to invite him twice.
Nick dove in and plundered her lips, dragging her against him with a groan so she could feel just how much he had missed her today.
“Hmm… How about more than a kiss from my beautiful wife?” he breathed against her lips.
She grinned. “I gave you a hot sendoff this morning.”
“That was so twelve hours ago.” He winked.
“You’re insatiable…” She tried to sound chiding, but her smug smile negated her tone.
“I prefer to think of myself as being too in love to get enough.”
“Me, too,” she whispered.
“Mommy.” Harper came skipping into the room, baby doll in hand. “Daddy Nick!”
With a sigh of regret, Sasha gave him a last lingering peck then backed away just as Harper launched herself into his arms.
He caught the little imp and hugged her tight. “Hi, pumpkin. How was preschool today?”
“Fun.” She hugged him tight. “Missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” He kissed the crown of her little blond curls.
“Hungry?” Sasha asked the girl.
“Yesth.” She wriggled out of Nick’s arms, distracted by her toys on the living room floor.
“Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” Sasha told her daughter, then turned and made her way into the kitchen. “I need to set the table.”
