My insides were warm as I removed the robe and got under the covers. Zeke joined me, wrapping himself around me from behind and nuzzling the back of my neck. His hand rested on my stomach and I could hear the soft whisper of his breath. My mind was fuzzy with pleasure, and I was so blissed out from our shower together and from being held in a way I’d only ever dreamed of that I fell asleep quickly.
As I drifted into dreams, I could have sworn I heard him murmur, “I love you, Fiona Ryan.”
FIONA
This time,when I woke, Zeke was still spooning me. A smile stole across my face. Who would have ever guessed that the badass super-spy was a secret snuggler? I pressed back against him, enjoying the heat of his body and the peaceful rhythm of his breaths. And was that an erection?
“Stop moving,” Zeke grumbled. “You’re too sexy. My poor cock can only take so much.”
My smile widened. Was he utterly ridiculous? Yes. But I loved it.
I wiggled against him slowly and purposefully. “All right, woman,” he growled. “You asked for it.”
He rolled me over and pinned me beneath him. I beamed up, not in the slightest bit concerned about dealing with whatever consequences he had in mind.
An hour later and freshly showered, we made breakfast together. I’d need to make a run to the shop since I didn’t have much here, but at least the coffee was divine. As was the way Zeke smiled across the kitchen counter at me, as if we’d been doing this forever. An ache of longing filled my chest. I wanted that with him so badly. Years of waking up and making sweet morning love, followed by breakfast and tackling the day together. It felt good to have someone on my team. Someone to laugh with, and who I knew would tease me mercilessly when the opportunity arose but would also be my staunchest, most stalwart defender.
“Are you going sappy on me?” he asked, the soft look in his eyes telling me that I wasn’t the only one affected by this.
I rolled my eyes but didn’t call him out on it.
When we walked into the office soon after, I wasn’t surprised by the attention I received. I’d been expecting it. But I hadn’t expected the way Stephanie from the front desk ran across the foyer as soon as we left the elevator and hugged me tightly, or the way nearly every person we passed stopped to let me know they were happy for me—or to express outrage and disbelief at what I’d been through. My smile grew steadily as we made our way closer to my desk outside Ronan’s office. I’d thought he’d be waiting, so I frowned when I had to knock on his office door.
“Come in!”
I opened the door and peeked in. My jaw dropped. The conference table was covered with food, and people were squeezed into every corner of the room. I spotted Willow and Sage near the front, right before Sage launched herself at me and wrapped me in an embrace. Willow joined her.
“We’re so glad you’re okay,” Sage said.
“Thank you,” I choked out, hardly able to speak past the emotion lodged in my throat. My vision blurred as I looked around, seeing Kade standing behind Sage, Ronan near his desk, and each member of the team who’d been our backup squeezed into the space—many of them already munching on snacks.
My gaze fell on Terry, one of the guys on Kade’s team. He was leaning against the wall, one arm looped through a crutch, with a moon boot on his foot. “What happened?”
He winced. “I had a disagreement with a car.”
I gasped. “I’m so sorry!”
Kade had mentioned someone being hit, but he’d said the injuries were minor, so I hadn’t given it much thought.
“It’s just a sprain.” Terry grinned. “It means I get to sit on my ass for a couple of weeks while it heals.”
“Let me know if you need any help.”
“I will.” He smiled, his teeth white against his darker skin.
“But if you just want someone to play nurse, find your own woman,” Zeke warned. “This one is taken.”
“Ooh.”
I didn’t hear who said it, but several faces turned toward Ronan—no doubt to see how he’d react to his assistant dating his business partner.
He sighed. “I’m with an employee myself, so I don’t know what kind of reaction you guys expected of me.”
There was scattered laughter and the tension lifted.
I did the rounds, talking to each person who’d been kindenough to be here for me, and exchanging hugs with a few of them. I thanked everyone who’d helped and indulged in a slice of delicious cake that Kade’s mom had made. At one point, someone handed me a glass of sparkling wine, and I sipped, enjoying the fizz and tang. Once the office had emptied of everyone other than the directors and their partners, I flopped onto a chair.
“Thank you all,” I said. “This was really lovely.”
