Crave (Talon Security #1)(49)

“We’ll see,” Sid muttered.

The moment we were alone inside the cavernous room, I sagged into Sid, feeling completely wrung out. “You did good, baby,” he murmured, kissing my temple.

“Thanks.” I looked over at him. “Is it over?” I asked hesitantly. It didn’t feel over, not to me.

He looked at me intently. “I’d love to say yes, babe, but something still doesn’t feel right. Especially if you felt like Ivanov and his guys were waiting on someone.”

“You believe me?” I replied with relief.

“Of course,” he replied without hesitation. “I’ll always believe you. That said, I feel a fuck of a lot better that Ivanov and his right-hand men are either dead or locked up.”

I nodded my agreement.

“Let me brief the team and then we’ll get outta here, okay?” he asked as we rose.

“I’ll go sit with Sarah,” I murmured.

“Sam.” My name on his lips said so much without saying much at all.

I turned to look up at him, watching the torment that brewed just beneath the surface.

“Fucking proud of you, baby.”

I smiled. “I’m getting that. I have to say, I’m pretty proud of me too.”

****

“You up for a quick stop on the way to Brad’s?” he surprised me by asking once we piled into his truck.

I wasn’t really, but I nodded anyway.

We drove in silence as I stared out the window, feeling like a shattered piece of glass held together by really strong duct tape. The cracks would always be there, but the result just might be more beautiful.

When we pulled up to a beautiful bungalow-style house, I looked over at Sid in confusion.

He turned to me, his eyes bright despite the dim light of the cab. “I know this might seem like fucked timing, but I thought maybe after tonight—maybe thinking about the future might be what you need.”

My eyes widened in understanding. “This is the house?”

He nodded. “The realtor agreed to meet us late. Is this okay? We don’t have to—”

“No, it sounds really good, actually,” I answered honestly, stepping down out of the truck and staring up at the house.

It was a darling gray bungalow with white trim. It had a beautiful rose garden in the front with a big porch I could just picture spending time on.

Sid came to stand beside me, grasping my hand and leading me toward the front door just as it opened.

“You must be Sam.”

I nodded, shaking the hand of the attractive older woman who smiled at me. “I’m Melissa Jones. I’ve been working with your husband.”

I looked up at Sid in surprise and he shrugged. Neither of us corrected her as we followed her inside.

The house was beautiful, with original hardwood floors and classic built-ins. It had three good-sized bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen was out of date, but the open concept had huge potential.

When we glimpsed the backyard through the darkness, I was surprised by how large a space it was.

“Do you like it?” Sid asked, watching me with a boyish eagerness that made me all the more besotted with him.

He really wanted me to like it, that much was clear.

“I love it,” I murmured. “It has to have a hell of a price tag though.” I looked at him worriedly. This size of a house in this neighborhood wouldn’t come cheap.

“It’s in the price range.” He shrugged casually. “It’s got great bones. The kitchen and bathrooms need some work, but it’s right down the street from Cade and it’s in a good school district.”

If I’d been drinking something, it would currently be splattered all over him, such was my shock. “You researched the school district?”

He grinned, splaying his hand over my flat belly and pulling me close. “Yours and mine, remember? Someday, at least.”

My heart melted. “I remember.”

“So what do you say?”

I looked around the beautiful house, feeling like it was home already. “I say… let’s do it.”

He blew out a relieved breath. “Good, because I already put in an offer.”





CHAPTER 19

The next morning, after the first normal night’s sleep I felt like I’d had in days, I actually felt like writing. It was a relief to sit on the floor with my notebook and guitar in the living room as beams of sunlight cascaded through the space. Trixie sat on the couch above me while Sid took calls upstairs.

“Babe!” Sid hollered from the makeshift office he’d created. Except for that very first night, he hadn’t slept in the room but had spent many an hour working there.

“What!” I hollered back.

“C’mere!”