On The Hunt
Page 12
Julian glanced at Theo, and he shrugged. “Fine by us.”
Piper sat up. She took a deep breath, then gave him a shaky smile. “I have so much I want to say to you. To all of you.”
He laced his fingers with hers and gave a squeeze. “Whatever it is, you can tell us.”
“We have to make this work,” she blurted then covered her mouth. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. What I mean is, I want this to work out.”
“Being partners, sure. You got it. I think we make a great team when we’re not all trying to prove something or pulling against one another.” He went for the acceptable answer. He kept himself from imagining the other. Love and her were two separate things. If he had to accept her as his friend, he’d do it.
“No, I think you misunderstood me.” She licked her lips and gave Julian a nervous glance. “I love you, Heath. I love all three of you. I know we’re in this weird thing…” She motioned to all four of them. “And then everything in White Chapel.”
“Wait.” He stopped her. “You love me?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“I’d kiss you, but I kind of can’t move, plus I am sure I smell pretty ripe right now.” His heart tripped a beat. She loved him.
Piper laughed, then leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips. “You smell like hospital.”
“Good to know.” He breathed a little easier. “Wow.”
“I tried to tell you so many times. Julian and Theo both told me I should pull you aside and just put it all out there. But, every time I tried to, our wires got crossed. We were there trying to solve a case, and I’d broach a subject and things…well, the Victorian Era is not the place to be figuring this stuff out.” She cupped his cheek. “Then, when I saw you lying on that bed, I thought I lost you.”
“Don’t let her shit you, Heath. She scared the hell out of us too,” Theo stated, crossing his arms.
He cocked his head. “What did you do?”
“What we thought was just a cut, turned out to be a stabbing. She was bleeding worse than she said, and when we questioned her… she didn’t say anything.”
Julian sat forward. “She passed out on us when we were heading home. Knocked ten years off both of our lives.”
“What the fuck, Piper?” He couldn’t believe what the guys were saying. After everything, she still risked her life for his.
“I had to get you all home. I caused this mess. I had to fix it, even if you hated me.” She shrugged and turned from him.
“Hate you?” He blew out a breath. “Not even. I was trying to figure out a way to not mess up your thing.”
“There’s no thing without you.” She poked him in the middle of the chest. “Which leads me to why we’re also here tonight.”
“Oh?”
“I have some rules,” Piper stated.
“Fire away,” he said, still amazed she said yes.
“We do everything together. If we have an issue, we work it out as a unit.”
He nodded.
“When we have a problem, we don’t let it stew. We get it out in the open, and we work on it together. If I’ve learned anything on this little mission-gone-wrong, it’s that half-truths and brooding only get us into trouble.” She had a point.
“Even you?” He quirked a brow.
“Yes,” she admitted. “Even me. I realized, seeing you broken, I had a hand in your predicament. So yes, I promise to say something.”
He grinned. “What else?”
“In two weeks, we’re going to announce our next case, and I think you’re going to like it.”
If he could have sat up a little straighter, he would have. She had him, now all she had to do was reel him in. “What’s the next case?”
“D.B Cooper.” The megawatt smile she graced him with, seized him by the nuts.
“Seriously?” He’d always been fascinated with the case. How the man could board the plane, hijack it, and then get away with money. D.B. Cooper left no trace of himself and seemingly disappeared into thin air, which was kind of ironic, now that he thought about it.
“Yes! We already have the orders, and you have time to get better.”
He didn’t know what to say. It was all happening so fast. “Wow.”
“Which leaves us with another question,” Theo said, leaning against his hospital bed.
“What?”
“Are you all in? Our relationship. Business. Time travel, all of it. Because if you’re not, we’ll say goodbye now, and you’ll never have to see us again.” Damn, leave it to Theo to be blunt and to the point.
“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate. He loved Piper. He loved his job, and he was freaking good at it too. No way in hell he’d walk away from them.
“Mr. Jacobs?” His nurse appeared at the door once more. “Visiting hours are over.”
“Already?” Piper pushed off the bed. “We’ll be back tomorrow. We still have another case to solve.” She blew him a kiss and winked. “Think about me.”
“Of course.”
He fist bumped each of the guys on their way out. “Take care of her.”
“Always,” Theo replied.
“Glad you’re with us man,” Julian added.
“I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”
About TL Reeve
TL Reeve, a bestselling, multi-published author with Cobblestone Press, Decadent Publishing, Evernight Publishing, and Loose-Id, was born out of a love of family and a bond that became unbreakable. Living in Alabama, TL misses Los Angeles, and will one-day return to the beaches of Southern California to ride the waves at Huntington Beach. When not writing something hot and sexy, TL can be found curled up with a good book, or working on homework with a cute little pixie.
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About Michele Ryan
Michele Ryan is a new author with Decadent Publishing. She embraced her creative passion and with fellow author TL Reeve, they co-authored two books together. Michele has also published her first solo novella with Decadent. A lifelong resident of the state of New Jersey, along with her husband and three children, who she refers to as her hobbits. When Michele is not plotting or writing, she can be found either volunteering at her children’s school or reading.
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