Adrienne Giordano
Page 30
“You did do good.”
Billy put his hand up again. “Let me finish. I asked Vic if I could hang out down here between assignments and he agreed. Here is where I want to be. If I’m here, I’m close to you and that’s what I want. You understand me, you challenge me and you forgive my screw-ups.” He rested his hand on the truck. “I figured I’d need wheels if I was going to spend any substantial time here. I thought a truck would be good. Something I’ll be comfortable in.”
“Wait. You’re staying? In South Beach. Permanently?”
“Not exactly.”
Yep, here it comes. Whatever fly-by-night plan her free-spirited lover had. A plan, she would no doubt hate. “What exactly?”
“When I’m on an assignment, I’ll be gone. I can’t be here all the time.”
“Just when you have assignments? What about after that? Are you going to be bouncing around, coming back whenever it suits you while I sit around and wait? I can’t do that.”
“No. Between assignments, I’m here. All the time. And Vic is good about giving us down time.”
Should she even hope? Not without assurances. “Don’t mess with me on this, Billy. It’s important. I’ve been a weepy mess all day. I don’t want to get my hopes up and be disappointed. I have responsibilities and they don’t include sitting on my bed staring at your jeans in the middle of the work day.”
“You were staring at my jeans?”
God help her.
“Yes. I can’t be doing that.”
“What if I’m wearing them?”
“If it’s in the middle of my work day, it’s still not good.” She took a breath. “I could occasionally make an exception, though.”
“Kristen?”
“Yes?”
“Do I have a shot?”
“I’m standing here, aren’t I? Give me something to believe, Billy. That’s all I want.”
He leaned against the truck and she noticed the grayish circles under his eyes. For a man who could function on very little sleep, he looked tired. Exhausted even.
“Here goes,” he said. “I want my voice to be the one you hear right before you fall asleep at night. And the first one you hear in the morning. More than that, I want to take care of you. I can’t be here one hundred percent of the time, but I’ll always love you and be faithful. That I can do one hundred percent of the time.”
She stood, a bit stunned, totally immobile. At least her mouth wasn’t hanging open. He must have taken it for hesitation.
“Kris, I’m not asking for a lifetime commitment—yet. Even I’m not that nuts. We need time to get to know each other and learn all the day-to-day boring stuff. All I’m asking is for you to have faith in me. I won’t let you down. I promise. You know I always keep my promises.”
“Promise me you won’t break my heart.”
“No. With my job, that would be a lie, and I won’t lie to you. I can promise you I’ll work hard not to break your heart.”
She shook her head. “If you die on me, Billy Tripp, I’ll kill you.”
He grinned like the devil he was.
“M.H., when it comes to escaping death, I’m the luckiest bastard there is. In the last ten years I’ve been shot, I’ve been stabbed, and now I can add a gator attack to my credentials. I think there’s a reason I’m meant to be among the living and I think she’s standing right in front of me.”
That cracked it. Done deal. As crazy as he drove her, never had she experienced a man like this. One who made her laugh and enjoy life and taught her to be comfortable with her body. She held her hands up and he grabbed hold, entwining his fingers with hers.
“Today,” she said, “is one of those days I’d make an exception for you in the middle of my work day.”
“I have to leave on Friday. I’m at your disposal until then. And, by the way, you got a room in this shack for me?”
She stuck her bottom lip out. “Unfortunately, we’re booked.”
“Seriously?”
“Lucky for you, the general manager has a suite in this shack with a big bed. I think you’ll be comfortable in it.”
“A big bed? You naked?”
“Filter, Billy. Filter.”
He ran the back of his hand over her cheek and she leaned into it, letting the comfort of his teasing fill her.
“M.H., I keep telling you there are times when you don’t want me to filter. Now, show me to my suite.”
* * * * *
You can guard your heart, but there’s no protection from true love…
Don’t miss the first four titles in Adrienne Giordano’s Private Protectors series, available now:
Man Law
A Just Deception
Risking Trust
Negotiating Point (novella)
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About the Author
Adrienne Giordano writes romantic suspense and women’s fiction. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her workaholic husband, sports-obsessed son and Buddy the Wheaten Terrorist (Terrier). She is a cofounder of Romance University blog. For more information on Adrienne’s Private Protectors series please visit www.AdrienneGiordano.com. Adrienne can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AdrienneGiordanoAuthor and Twitter at twitter.com/AdriennGiordano.
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ISBN: 978-14268-9420-6
Copyright © 2012 by Adrienne Giordano-Maynard
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