Finally (15 page)

“I thought I knew you well enough to guess what your ideal vacation would be, given that we’d already had Ireland and Spain at fi rst, Australia for our offi cial honeymoon, then St. Barts last year. I fi gured I’d crank it up a notch, but damn, if we peaked last year, I’m screwed.”

“I will never speak to you again if you don’t tell me right 121

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now!”

It was fun getting her wound up so tight. “I thought you might like to see Italy. Florence, Venice, Rome, and a few places in between?”

“Oh, Italy! Absolutely perfect. Austy’s told me so much about it. I’ve been dying to go.”

I bit my lip, bursting to tell her. “Yeah? Your best friend kindled your appetite for the old country, did she?”

“You know she did, and she’s only been twice.”

“She mentioned that. She also mentioned that if you don’t stick to the larger cities, you’ll need a little Italian to get by.

How’s your Italian, Blue?”

“Since Aust moved away, it’s gotten really rusty. We should pick up a conversational book before we leave.”

“We could, or we could just take Austy at her word.” Her brow furrowed and my smile widened. “She said we’d need a little Italian. I thought, hey, I know a little Italian, and she just happens to be my partner’s best friend. So, while I was asking her all about where to visit in Italy, I told her to get a couple of weeks off and come with us.”

“What?! You didn’t, Jess? Oh, that’s, oh, did she say yes?”

Lauren was practically vibrating in my lap. “She did, didn’t she?

Austy and Elise are coming with us? Oh, Jess, I was wrong. This is my ideal, thank you, thank you.” She squeezed me so hard I had trouble breathing.

“Anything for you, Blue, and I miss her, too. Plus, Elise is awesome. We’ll have such a good time together. They can head back to Ireland with us to pick up your parents and travel back together. It’ll be fun, right?”

“Perfect. I love you so much. You need to kiss me now,”

she demanded. I felt my heart expand. I loved when she got all demanding. “Kiss me like you did the fi rst time you ever kissed me.”

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Imagining Reality

I smiled up at her, remembering that fi rst time, remembering how she’d straddled my lap just like she was right now, and when our lips met, I knew then. I knew that she was it. She’d be my undoing. My close friend, my college mate, my buddy. One taste of her and I was done. She had me, completely and forever, like I’d never even allowed myself to think I could be had. “You kissed me. You keep forgetting that.”

“Don’t start with me, young lady.” She loved emphasizing our two-year age difference. “I was innocently telling you about how I never wanted to date again and you attacked me.”

“I did not. You artfully seduced me from the wine, to the sympathetic ear, to the play on my senses. You drew me out, and I didn’t have a hope of resisting you. You kissed me.”

“Delude yourself all you want, darling, but I wasn’t as tipsy as you. I remember everything.” The way her voice dipped had tingles shooting up my spine.

“How’d you end up in my lap then, huh? How’d that happen if you weren’t trying to seduce me,” I shot back.

“You reached for me, and well, you just looked so sexy. I knew you were going to kiss me, so I had to get the upper hand.”

“Oh, you’ve had the upper hand the entire time we’ve been together, and you know it.”

“I know,” she smiled, trying for smug, and I loved it because she didn’t mean a word of it. I meant it, but she thought she was teasing.

“You do know it. You could tell me that I had to go stay with Des and Skye for a week and I’d do it. I wouldn’t even question it. If it made you happy, I’d do it.” I watched my words light up her eyes. “Anything for my brave one.” I slid my fi ngers onto her engagement ring, which I’d had inscribed to remind her of when she’d fi rst told me that she was in love with me.

“I can’t believe how romantic you are sometimes.”

“Never before you, Laur.” I gripped her hand. “Speaking of 123

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which, I wanted to get you something to remind you of one of the happiest days of my life.” I leaned over and reached into the side table, pulling out a fl at jewelry box.

Her eyes widened. “What did you do? And how did you keep that hidden?”

“You never look in the obvious places, my dear. Open it.”

Her long fi ngers cradled the box and nudged open the lid. A wide smile came across her face as she looked at the fl at disc of two rose gold circles surrounding one of platinum. A matching piece to her wedding ring. Mine was the opposite, platinum surrounding rose gold. She fi ngered the nickel sized disc, then fl ipped it over, obviously surprised to see that I’d had it inscribed.

“Oh, Jessie, you remembered,” she whispered, reading the inscription: For showing me how to be.

“Of course I remember.” I took the necklace from her fi ngers and fastened it around her neck. The disc rested dead center of her sternum, the rose gold chain and surrounding circles of the pendant looked lovely against the freckles on her skin.

“I love you. Did I happen to say that already? I don’t like repeating myself, you know.”

“I’d listen to that all day.” I brushed my lips against her neck.

“Jessamine,” she whispered with a hint of longing and that irresistible demanding tone that she only used in the most non-annoying way.

“Hmm?” I tracked my lips down her neck.

“Don’t make me ask,” she warned, regaining her senses.

“Oh? You need something?” I teased, reaching up to cup her breasts as further distraction.

“Jess!”

I chuckled, low and throaty, loving that I’d gotten her to the point of wanting to throw me down and have her way with me or throttle me. I leaned back to make sure I could see those beautiful turquoise eyes. “I love you, Lauren. I love everything about you, 124

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everything. I love your skin, your freckles, your eyes, your nose, your breasts, your long legs, your hair, your lips, your perfect rear end, your fl at little tummy, the soft skin on your inner thighs.

Did I mention your fi ngers and hands and what they do to me and for me? Or your laugh? I love your laugh. My day gets better every time I hear it. I love every bit of you. Or do you want to hear how much I love how smart you are, how you kick ass in court, how you make everyone happy around you, how good you are to your friends, what a great boss you are, how you spend so much time making sure that I get whatever I want. How I look forward to you waking up in the morning, stretching exactly like your cat before your turn to cuddle against me for a few minutes, not letting either of us move no matter how much of a hurry we might be in? Was that what you wanted to hear? That I have no idea how I didn’t jump you the second I met you or how I managed to keep my hands off your sexy self for eleven years before I fi nally came to my senses and saw how perfect you are?

That I can’t imagine a life without you? That I don’t want to think about missing even one night without falling asleep with you?”

Tears formed in her eyes, making my chest fi ll with so much love. “You are so amazing, Jessie, and mine, you know.” She always thought of this as a tease, but I loved the sound of it.

“I am yours, Lauren. Completely, and I love it. I love how that makes me feel. I love that I belong with you and to you, and I love when you tell me I’m yours.”

“Good,” she said simply. “I love you, and I’ve got to have you, right now. It’s been four days because who knew you’d be a prude with a kid in the house?” she teased, fi ngering the fl ush that formed on my cheeks. “We’ll have to work on that if we decide to adopt one of our own. Now stop making me want to cry and tell you how much I love you. We’re making love, and I’m not going to make it all the way to the bedroom.”

“No need. No kids, remember?” I fl uttered my eyebrows, 125

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encouraging her. “Take me right here. I love when you get all aggressive, Blue. Make me yours again.”

126

Austy’s Epilogue

The sound of a key shoving into one of the deadbolts nearly had me shrieking with excitement. Hastily, I dropped the last of the trimmed fl ower stems into the vase. Before Elise could unlock the second deadbolt, I was twisting it and throwing the door open, so excited to see her again.

“Austine,” she breathed out, her expression the match of mine.

My heart slowed like time was stopping as I took in the sight of my spouse arriving home from a three-week investigative trip.

“Cara mia,” I whispered and stepped into her arms. “I missed you so much.”

“Me, too, sweetheart. I didn’t think this trip would ever end.”

She tightened her grip on me. The beat of her heart pounded against my sternum, lulling me into a now familiar state of rapture.

“I don’t want to let go of you, but we have to get you inside.”

I pulled back slightly only to have her lean forward and capture my lips in a kiss that had me forgetting where we were and what year it was, for that matter.

“I love the way you kiss,” she murmured against my lips when she broke the lip lock.

I couldn’t stop the smile. After four years together, she shouldn’t still be complimenting me on my kisses. It was one of 127

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the millions of things I loved so much about her. “I love that sexy smile, cara. Come inside and tell me how your trip went.”

She pulled me with her to the couch. “I’m glad to be home.”

I took my favorite place in the V of her legs and leaned my side against her. “Tell me how it went. You caught the pedophile on Wednesday. Did you need to hang around to wrap up paperwork?”

Her green eyes searched mine, a smile playing at her lips. “I was called in for an interview.”

I squinted as if looking for more information with that bit of news. She hadn’t mentioned this on any of our nightly phone calls. “They needed help with another interrogation?”

“No, they were interviewing me for a new position.”

I shifted more to look directly at her. “What kind of position?”

“Cyber crimes, a new division specifi cally targeting child predators.”

“Elise, that’s perfect for you.” I felt relief pour over me.

“I know you’ve been a little restless, spending so much time investigating and testifying on computer crimes.”

“I enjoy being able to work with you, sweetheart,” she hastily added. Her arms squeezed me tighter.

“I know that, but you’re so good at stopping those sickos.

You took this job so that Scott would have a stable environment to fi nish high school, but he’s in college now. You need to focus on what makes you happy.”

“I love you, Austy. You’re so good to me.”

“I’m crazy about you, Elise, more in love every day.” I closed the space between us to kiss her tempting lips. Nothing equaled the feel of her soft mouth sliding against mine. Stopping the kiss short before we got carried away, I asked excitedly, “Tell me about the job. Did it just come about?”

“My AD mentioned it a couple months ago, but I didn’t think it was anything other than a way for him to keep my interest.

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You know he loves dangling things that we all wish would come about.” She rolled her eyes. Both of us thought her AD would benefi t from a month-long management seminar.

“But now they’re a go?” I crossed my fi ngers and waved them in front of her face. “Is it all that you’d hoped?”

She broke into a wide smile, eyes following my crossed fi ngers. “And more.”

When nothing else came, I growled, “Do I have to kiss it out of you?”

“Please do.” Her laughter was catching. “Special Agent in Charge.”

I blinked. “What?”

“The position, Special Agent in Charge of the new division.”

My breath left me in an excited huff. “That’s a promotion!

Elise?!”

“Yep.”

“Oh, cara, that’s wonderful. I’m so proud of you. They want you, right? You got the job?”

“If I accept, then it’s mine, yes.”

“If? This is what you want, isn’t it? You should have been in charge of the Seattle fi eld offi ce years ago. Now you won’t have to deal with all the general fi eld agents. You can just focus on what you do best. You’re saying yes, right?”

“I told them I had to talk to you fi rst.”

My heart did a little two-step. I dug being part of a couple. I never thought it would make me feel so full. “That’s so sweet, but you know you don’t need to talk to me about career moves. Do what makes you happy.”

“No one could have a better partner than I have.” She leaned her forehead against mine.

“Other than me, you mean.” My comment sparked another private smile.

“I do need to talk to you, though.” She pulled back and took 129

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a deep breath. “The position isn’t in Seattle, and I won’t move without you.”

I felt my mouth pop open. I’d just moved, well, nearly fi ve years ago, but it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my adult life. Moving sucked. I was such a creature of habit. I was fi nally settled in my home and my job. I didn’t want to think about another move.

“I know that some marriages can make it without the partners living together, but I don’t want that for us.” Her fi ngers gripped my face, pulling my attention away from the dread I was feeling.

“Do you?”

“God, no. We’re married. We stay together.” My panic breathing exercises kicked into gear. I hadn’t used them in years.

It helped to clear my mind, letting me focus on the worried eyes looking at me. I loved her. Everything was clear. “We stay together. This is a huge opportunity for you, not to mention how much safer the country will be with you in charge of this thing. I can work for any prosecutor if there isn’t a U.S. Attorney’s offi ce nearby.”

“You’d do that? You’re on target to be made chief in a year.

You could really give up your career path here to…”

“Be with you? Yes, Elise, yes. You are the most important thing in my life. If you can be happier and feel less frustrated in another position, I don’t care if it’s in Antarctica. I’ll follow you anywhere.”

“Really?” Her green eyes shimmered. “Oh, Austy, I feel the same way about you. It’s why I told them I had to talk to you. If you wanted to stay here, I’d stay and it wouldn’t be a hardship at all. You know I love Seattle. This has been my home for over fi fteen years. I have great friends here, and I adore this loft.”