“You don’t see this in the city much.”
“No, you don’t.”
A sense of peace—a rightness with the world that he hadn’t felt since before losing Olin—settled into Evan’s soul. “I’m always reminded of God when I do. And when I jump out of planes or rappel or even approach a bomb. But tonight. After everything. Minutes from death. It reminds me He’s infinite when life is finite. We don’t ever know from one minute to the next what will happen.” He tightened his arms around her and inhaled a deep breath. “We have to embrace every minute of every day.”
Kiley turned in his arms and looked him in the eyes. “I am so thankful you don’t diffuse bombs for a living anymore. I didn’t like you being the one to do it today. Not one bit.”
“Agent Dawson,” Eisenhower called from the shadows at the end of the walkway.
She shot out of Evan’s arms.
“Yes, sir!” she yelled.
“You’re needed inside.”
“Be right there.” She looked back at Evan, and he could see she planned to leave him behind and go back inside.
“Eisenhower’s a real taskmaster,” Evan said.
“Yeah, but he’s fair and a great boss. I respect him tremendously.” She started to leave.
“Good to know,” he called after her.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Why’s that?”
“He offered me a job in D.C.”
She spun. “He what?”
“He said he sat on the advisory board for a JTTF there, and they’d recently had an opening come up. Said I’d be perfect for the job.”
“And what did you tell him?” She took a few steps closer to him.
“That I thought it’s colder in D.C. than in Seattle.”
She swatted her hand in his direction. “Seriously?”
“Seriously, I did tell him that. And also that my moving to D.C. was totally up to you.”
She gaped at him. “You didn’t.”
He nearly laughed at her comical expression, but although he was making light of this to save his pride if she rejected him, he was dead serious. “I did. Thought it would be good for him to know we’re a thingbeforeI took the job than after.”
“And are we?” She bit her lip, her eyes alight with questions. “A thing, I mean?”
“You better believe we are,” he said adamantly, letting a slow, daring smile slide across his face, ensuring she knew how he felt.
She grabbed his shirt and tugged him close, her eyes warm and sumptuous, urging him even closer.
He peered over her shoulder at Eisenhower, who was still standing at the end of the walkway.
Evan didn’t care if Eisenhower or even an entire cadre of FBI agents waited. He had to get this out now or burst. “I love you, Kiley.”
Her mouth formed a smallOof surprise before she whispered a soft breath that fanned his face. “And I love you too. So much. I—”
He tugged her into his arms and kissed her hard, his lips sealing anything else she planned to say. He gripped her tight against his body and deepened the kiss. Holding. Clinging. Never planning to come up for air again.
CHAPTER 32
