I sighed. “I'm not worried.”
“You are.”
His hand found mine. His hold was warm, comforting.
“Thank you for today,milaya. You really wrote me a letter.”
“I’m a writer. What you expect?” I asked with a shrug.
He shrugged back. “Maybe a watch.”
“You have watches.”
“A nice lil’ tricked out truck.”
“You have trucks, baby.”
“A Blackhawk helicopter.”
I kissed my teeth. “Boy! You absolutelynotgetting a helicopter!”
He chuckled. “What you gave me was better than any of that,malyshka. You let me know I’m doing my most important job right.”
The sincerity in his voice made my heart flutter. The letter had affected him. I knew it had. He’d been quiet after reading it, like he was thinking hard.
“You’re welcome.”
His thumb brushed my knuckles. “Best birthday I’ve had,” he said softly.
I laughed. “Even better than the year Sergei probably bought you a small country?”
“He never bought me a country.”
“A city, then.”
He smiled. “Maybe.”
I shook my head.Rich people. He leaned over and kissed my forehead gently.
Then, he opened his door. A fresh wave of nerves rushed through me.Lord. I suddenly wasn’t sure about any of this to come. All night, I'd focused on the past, but the gift in the house... it was about the future.
We walked into the house together. The lights I’d left on earlier created a warm glow in the entryway. Everything looked normal, exactly like I planned. Targen kicked off his shoes and started toward the kitchen. I grabbed his wrist. He stopped, looked down at my hand, then at me.
“One more thing,” I whispered.
His eyes narrowed immediately. “There's more?”
I nodded. “There is.”
“Theory, baby, you didn't have to--”
“Come upstairs,” I interrupted.
His eyebrow lifted. “Oh, yeah? Let me get some water first. We gon' need it--”
“Mind out of the gutter, perv,” I muttered.
But his words had cut through the anxiety building in my chest. I led him upstairs, down the hallway, past our bedroom. I stopped outside one of the guest rooms. It looked completely ordinary from the outside. Targen glanced at the door, then at me. A slow smile spread over his face.
