“So it’ll be over soon, then?” She sounded as hopeful as he felt.
“Two more days, and Gordan Crawford will be behind bars, where he belongs.”
He’d already be there, but the guy hadn’t made it this far by being stupid. Crawford never crossed a line without making sure there wasn’t a direct trail leading back to him.
He was smart, but Coulter was smarter. Two days was all he needed, and after that?—
I’ll finally be done.
No more lies or sneaking around. No more cover stories or aliases to keep straight. He’d be himself again. Just Coulter Morgan. A man who lived in Charlotte, along with his brother and all of his friends.
And Alex.
He couldn’t forget the sexy artist if he tried. And Coulter had tried. Countless times, actually, but it never seemed to work. Now he understood why.
She’s mine.
Alex belonged to him, whether she realized it yet or not. And once this final job with the CIA was behind him, Coulter was going to make his intentions known.
He wanted a future with her. The forever kind, like the one his brother and Avery had found. Just like Bones and Evie, Apollo and Nicki, and, as shocking as it still was, Digger and Shadow.
Apart from their fearless leader, Rafe, the entire Tac-Ops team was living out their own happily ever after. And while he’d spent years fighting it, Coulter had finally accepted his fate.
Alexandria Webb was his future. He wouldn’t settle for anything less. But right now, she was also his present.
Coulter pushed himself up from the couch with a slight groan.
“Where are you going?” Alex also stood.
He gave his body a dramatic shake. “Just being near that guy makes me feel super gross. I’m thinking a nice, long shower might help.”
“Oh, yeah?” She sent him a knowing smirk.
“For sure. And you should probably take one, too. I mean, we wouldn’t want you walking around with any of his cooties.”
Alex chuckled, clearly picking up on his not-so-subtle hint for her to join him. “We definitely wouldn’t want that.”
“And we should probably shower together.”
“To conserve water?”
“Exactly.” His lips spread into a wide smile. “It’s like you can read my mind.”
“Hmm . . .” Alex tilted her head as she started to walk away. Pulling her shirt off and letting it fall to the floor, she said, “I wonder if you can read mine.”
Coulter followed the trail of clothes down the hall, removing his own as he went. An hour later, as they lay beneath the covers of her bed, they both agreed.
The long shower definitely helped.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Thanks again, Mr. Winchester.” Alex gave the man at the door a parting wave. “I hope your wife enjoys her gift, and please be sure to tell her I said happy birthday.”
“I will. And thankyou.” The man with red hair and freckles sent her a pointed look. “Darci’s been eyeing this painting for months, so I know she’s going to love it.”
“And you’re going to win some major brownie points in the process?”
The man stopped near the door with a knowing smirk. “Why do you think I bought it?”
