“I had a talk with Ry and Wills, and they’re good with this. You’ll use this desk often, and I want you to have something of hers.”
I blink up at him for a minute and then find myself frowning.
“Question.”
“Shoot, baby.”
“Come with me,” I reply, leading him out of the room and up the stairs to his office, where I see that he has the same view as the one downstairs. He’s facing the mountains. But then I glance around, and I remember the confidentiality involved with his work, and I realize that he’ll tell me no, and that I should be grateful for what I have. “You know what? Never mind.”
“What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?”
“Well, I was going to ask you if there was room in here for the desk, so I could work with you, but you have to deal with a lot of super-secret stuff, and probably don’t want me listening in—”
“I’ll move it today.”
Surprised, I take a step back and feel my cheeks heat. “I know I can’t be privy to—”
“Nothing I do is off limits to you. Not anymore. I don’t need a high security clearance to train new men. If I need to take a call that might be sensitive, I can leave the room for it. If you want to work in here with me, I’ll make it happen. I just didn’t want to distract you from your art.”
I lick my lips and look around again, taking in the big space in front of the windows.
“I love what you gave me downstairs,” I tell him, “and I’m so grateful. But given a choice, I’d rather be with you.”
His face softens. “Then you’ll be with me, baby. Ryker and I will move the desk up today.”
I jump into his arms, wrap my legs around his waist, and kiss him. “Let’s go take a shower.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lena
“I swear, I won’t talk to her for longer than the ten minutes. If it makes you feel better, it’ll benineminutes.”
Gideon’s tense, his face tight, his hands in fists. I can see that he doesn’t want me to make this phone call, but damn it, it’s herbirthday, and I’m her best friend. I want to talk to her.
“I’ll be nearby,” he says grimly. “I have to keep an eye on the time, and—”
“I don’t mind if you listen,” I assure him. “I don’t have any secrets.”
“Fuck,” he whispers and paces away, and then comes back to me and frames my face so gently, it almost brings tears to my eyes. “I don’t want to risk you. You’re too damn precious, Rebel.”
“Hey, you’re not risking me. It’s going to be okay. You can scramble the call, and I’ll follow the rules to a T.” I kiss his lips softly and rub my nose over his, desperately trying to reassure him. “She might not answer, you know. Especially if it shows up as an unknown number or something, she could send it to voicemail, and then I’ll just wish her a happy birthday, and that’s that.”
“I’m not going to get that lucky.” He shakes his head mournfully. “But it seems I can’t tell you no, so against my better judgment, herewe go. You’ll use this phone on my desk, and you’ll wait for me to give you the signal before you dial. You know her number, right?”
“She’s had the same number since we were fourteen. I know it.”
He nods, and we sit at the desk. He hits some keys on his laptop, and then he picks up the receiver and passes it to me.
“Go ahead and dial,” he says.
I quickly tap out the number and put it on speaker, so he can hear everything. I really don’t have anything at all to hide from him. If she says something stupid, that’s on her.
And it’s entirely possible.
On the third ring, Chelsea picks up.
“Hello?”
