“No thanks needed. I protect the people I love. I’d do whatever I had to do to keep you safe.”
She’d known he’d cared about her, but hadn’t expected him to drop the L-word over waffles and bacon. Since he’d said it, she couldn’t think of a good reason not to admit the truth herself. “I love you too.”
She expected some sign of surprise. Instead he said, “I know.” Then he reached for his bacon again.
Was he giving her hard time, or had he known before she opened her mouth? “Really? And how did you figure it out?”
“Easy.” He shrugged, the gesture annoying her just the slightest bit. “You don’t hide your thoughts or feelings well.”
So, more or less, he was telling her she was easy to read too. She’d never thought of herself that way. Maybe she should start, and at the same time work on keeping her emotions under wraps.
“It’s not a bad trait,” he added. “Just means you’d never be able to deceive people the same way Kassidy or my father did. And you probably have a terrible poker face. I recommend staying away from Vegas.”
When he put it that way, it didn’t sound like much of a flaw. Placing both elbows on the granite countertop, she leaned forward. “And what am I thinking now?”
The smile he gave her sent her pulse racing and warmed her across the space separating them. “You want to take me upstairs and show me how much you love me.”
He’s not wrong.
***
Yeah, he’d known she loved him before she said anything. But he hadn’t realized how much hearing the words would affect him. When she told him, it’d been like receiving a shot of adrenaline. And he was still riding the high.
Next to him, Becca moved, propping herself up on her elbow. “Life’s crazy, isn’t it?” Slipping her hand onto his chest, she continued. “When we ran into each other at the café, I hadn’t thought much about you in years. And I had no idea what to expect before our picnic.”
“Not me.” He folded an arm under his head and readjusted the sheet near his waist. “I thought it’d be a one-and-done kind of day. We’d catch up then both go back to our own worlds.”
She frowned, and the fingers brushing against his skin stopped. “Before you say it, I know your thoughts from back then shouldn’t bother me. But they do.”
His experience in the relationship department was limited. Still, even he knew telling the person you loved and who at the moment happened to be lying next to you naked that you’d always hooked up with women simply to get laid was a bad idea. So he softened the truth the best he could. “Becca, it had nothing to do with you. I’ve never wanted or looked for the type of relationships you’ve had.”
She stared at him as if he’d grown a third arm. “Seriously? Never?”
“No. I liked being able to do what I wanted without considering or worrying about anyone else.”
“And now?”
You knew that one was coming. “I’ve got you.”
Epilogue
Four months later
Juggling her briefcase and the takeout bags from Cooper’s Smokehouse, she slid her key into the lock. Put up the wreath, she reminded herself again at the sight of the bare door. If she waited much longer to do it, the holidays would be over and gone.
She’d switched the interior lights on before getting out of her car, so rather than walking into a dark, empty house, she simply walked into an empty one. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be empty for long. After landing at the airport, Connor had sent her a text message, letting her know he’d be over once he had his luggage. Since the message had come over an hour ago, he should be here soon.
It’d been over a week since she saw him. One incredibly long week, and she hoped Elite Force didn’t send him away again anytime soon. Especially with the holidays around the corner.
She hadn’t asked him yet, but she hoped he’d come up to Connecticut with her for Christmas this month. Considering the way he’d avoided the area over the years, she wasn’t certain what kind of response she’d get when she brought up the subject. She planned on asking anyway. It wasn’t the only thing she intended to ask him tonight.
When he wasn’t away on an assignment, he spent more time at her house than his. To the point it didn’t make sense for him to own a place.
While his response to her first question remained a mystery, she was confident he’d agree to move in when she asked him her second.
Or perhaps I’ll ask him to move in first. Either way, she planned on showing him how much she’d missed him over the past several days.
As much as she hated when he left for days on end, she thoroughly enjoyed their reunions when he returned.
Her stomach growled as she set down the takeout bags. She’d missed lunch, and until now, the lack of food in hours hadn’t bothered her. However, her brain and stomach had taken notice of the delicious aromas filling the kitchen and decided a vocal protest was in order.
Maybe one piece of corn bread while I wait. She selected the smallest slice from the container and bit into the still-warm bread. The techno song she’d set as Graham’s ringtone recently erupted from her cell phone as she took a second bite.
Although never polite to answer with a mouthful of food, considering it was only her brother, she did it anyway. “Hey, Graham.”
“Have you seen the news?”
Not exactly the greeting she expected, especially from her always-polite brother. “Not today. And I only got home a few moments ago.” Even if she’d been home for hours, she probably wouldn’t have seen the news. It was Friday. She wanted to put the rest of the world aside until Monday morning. “What happened?”
Had there been something in the news about Kassidy again? Thankfully, over the past several weeks the story had died down, and the media had found other topics to report.
“Dale Fuller was attacked in prison.”
Even with round-the-clock prison guards, inmates attacked each other. And sometimes those attacks had deadly outcomes. “Seriously? When? What happened?”
“According to the news, it happened around noon today. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.”
Good. Guilt smacked her hard.
“And it couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” Graham added before she spoke again.
The fact that he shared her sentiments helped ease her conscience. “It sounds really terrible, but I have to agree.”
Across the house, she heard the door open. Finally. She’d given Connor a key two months ago. “I need to go, Connor’s here, but thanks for letting me know. I’ll call you soon.”
“Say hi to him for me. Are we still on for dinner next week?”
Connor entered the room and any guilt remaining vanished. “Yep. See you then.”
She barely got the phone down before he claimed her lips, ravishing her mouth and setting off tiny denotations throughout her body.
Pulling away, Connor removed the sandalwood hairpins holding her bun in place then ran his fingers through her hair. “I missed you.”
“Believe me, the feeling is mutual. And I don’t plan on letting you leave this house again until Monday.” She moved from his embrace and kicked off her shoes. “Have a seat and I’ll grab some beers so we can eat. There should be paper plates in the bag. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Cooper’s tonight?”
“Yep.” She set the drinks down while Connor removed the individual dishes from the large bag. “When you walked in, I was talking to Graham. He called to tell me former Congressman Fuller was attacked in prison.”
“Yeah, I heard.” He’d seen it on the news while waiting for his connecting flight to board, a flight that had been delayed by three hours, turning his layover into a five-hour headache. Later Ax called to give him the news. “I’m not surprised.”
Or disappointed. The guy had tried to kidnap Becca. In his opinion, prison time was too good for him.
“Guess I’m the only one who didn’t.”
“I was waiting for my flight out of Logan when it hit the news.” He grabbed the container of pulled pork and piled it onto his plate. He hadn’t had a decent meal all day. “Ax let me know too.”
“Did he know the man’s status?”
“When he called, Fuller had made it through surgery and had been moved to the intensive care unit. But that was right before I left Boston, so it might have changed.” The devil in him hoped it had, and not for the better.
Becca looked torn by his answer, and he didn’t need to ask to know why. “I guess that’s good.” She sipped her beer and then went back to eating.
She didn’t say another word for several minutes. He kept his trap shut too. He’d been with her long enough to recognize the signs. She was working through something in her head. When she was ready, she’d share. Until then he’d eat dinner, drink his beer, and enjoy her company.
“I want to talk to you about a couple things.” Becca set her fork down and focused on him.
Considering the seriousness of her expression and tone, he did the same. “Go for it.”
“Move in with me.” She slipped her hand over his, the slight physical contact amping up the sexual hunger already prowling through his body. “I love you and hate it when you’re not around. You spend more time here than at your place anyway.”
He’d considered asking her to move in with him but had decided against it. The commute from his place to her office every day would suck.
“You don’t have to give me an answer tonight. Whenever you’re ready.”
“Nothing to think about. Consider me your new roommate.”
The smile she sent him went straight to his heart.
“What else do you want to talk about?”
His question dimmed her smile. Bad sign.
“Both my parents have holiday parties planned this month. Mom and Robert have theirs scheduled for the nineteenth. Dad and Cecilia planned theirs for the twenty-third. I usually go to both.”
Ever since he spotted the first decorated Christmas tree, he’d been thinking about the upcoming holiday and gift ideas. It’d been years since he did any real celebrating or shopping. He hadn’t had anyone in his life he wanted to buy a present for until now.
The tip of her tongue ran across her bottom lip, distracting him from thoughts of holiday presents and reminding him of the ways she often pleasured him with her tongue. Once they finished this conversation, they were done talking for a while.
“I know you don’t go back to Greenwich much, Connor.”
Much? More like ever. The closest he’d gotten in years was Boston, and it was over 180 miles away from his hometown.
“And I understand why. Really, I do. But I’d love it if you came up with me. Even if it’s only for one of the parties. We don’t have to stay through Christmas.”
A night having screws jammed under his fingernails held more appeal than a party surrounded by the people he’d cut from his life, but he had more than himself to consider these days. Becca wasn’t talking about just any holiday parties. These were ones her family was throwing.
“I don’t remember the last time I went anywhere near town.” If he told her he couldn’t take the time off to travel, it would get him out of attending. In the months they’d been together, he’d never lied to her. He wouldn’t start tonight. “There’s not a person there I want to associate with.”
She sighed and slumped back against her chair. “I assumed you’d say no. It’s okay. I get it. I’ll go alone.”
“Back the ship up. If I never went back, I’d be fine. And if anyone else asked me to visit, hell, even if it was my mother, I’d say no. But you’re not anyone. If you want me to go, then I’ll go. I’ll talk to Ax about taking time off.”
“Really?”
“There’s not a single thing I wouldn’t do for you.” The smile his words earned him was worth the unpleasant visit staring him in the face. “Now, let’s finish eating so you can show me how appreciative you are.” He winked and reached for his fork again.
Pushing her chair back, Becca came around the table and grabbed his hand. “Why wait?”
No further invitation was required.
The End
About the Author
USA Today Best Selling author, Christina Tetreault started writing at the age of 10 on her grandmother's manual typewriter and never stopped. Born and raised in Lincoln, Rhode Island, she has lived in four of the six New England states since getting married in 2001. Today, she lives in New Hampshire with her husband, three daughters and two dogs. When she's am not driving her daughters around to their various activities or chasing around the dogs, she is working on a story or reading a romance novel. Currently, she has three series out, The Sherbrookes of Newport, Love on The North Shore and Elite Force Security. You can visit her website http://www.christinatetreault.com or follow her on Facebook to learn more about her characters and to track her progress on current writing projects.
Other Books By Christina
The Sherbrookes of Newport Series
*Loving The Billionaire, a novella
*The Teacher’s Billionaire
*The Billionaire Playboy
*The Billionaire Princess
*The Billionaire’s Best Friend
*Redeeming The Billionaire
*More Than A Billionaire
*Protecting The Billionaire
*Bidding On The Billionaire
*Falling For The Billionaire
*The Billionaire Next Door
*The Billionaire’s Homecoming
*The Billionaire’s Heart, coming soon
Love On The North Shore Series
+The Courage To Love
+Hometown Love
+The Playboy Next Door
+In His Kiss
+A Promise To Keep
Elite Force Security Series
^Born To Protect
Born To Protect Page 20