Crave (Talon Security #1)(50)

“Bossy,” I huffed with a smile as I set aside my guitar. Trixie jumped down from the couch and followed me upstairs. “You beckoned?” I quipped, finding him seated at the small desk against the far wall.

He spun around, his gaze sweeping over me. “Have I told you today that you’re gorgeous?”

I blushed. “Not today, no.”

“Well you are,” he murmured. “Come here.” He gestured for me to sit on the edge of the unused bed.

“Is this an official meeting?” I asked, only half joking. He’d never called me up here.

“Sort of,” he admitted. He leaned toward me his forearms resting on his muscular thighs. “Look. I know Piper’s wedding is really important to you. Me and the guys have done a lot of digging into the state of play with the Russians, and I’ve had a lot of conversations with Ryker.”

I listened with bated breath having no idea where this would go.

“Long and short is, we can go.”

I clapped my hands together, bouncing up and down.

He held up a hand. “I have a few conditions. Despite the feds thinking this is all over, I don’t necessarily agree. Though we can’t find any intelligence on a further threat, I’m not confident enough you’re not at risk. And until we can find someone at the Fed we trust, we still have the diamond, which in my mind, keeps you in harm's way. So, we’ll drive. We’ll take one of Talon’s Suburbans. That way we can take the weapons I want to without hassle.”

That seemed like an easy enough thing to agree on. It also meant we could take our instruments without having to deal with checking them with the airline. I nodded readily.

“I want to take one of the guys for backup—Declan’s agreed. There will also be room for Caden and Danny if they want to ride with us.”

“And Trixie?” I ventured. Brad still hadn’t committed to when he’d be back, which reminded me I needed to call him, again.

“And Trixie,” he agreed before his expression turned more serious. “I’m not ready to let my guard down here, Sam. I’m okay traveling to Hawthorne, especially knowing I’ll have Declan and Ryker’s guys to back me up, but I’m not going to loosen up on your security. Not now.” He paused before continuing. “That means you don’t go anywhere alone. That means I’m not taking any contracts—not until I feel 100 percent certain you’ll be all right.”

I couldn’t stand the formality a moment longer and crawled into his lap, wrapping my arms around him. “I get it, babe. I’m just sorry this is still going on. I don’t want it to affect your job.”

He gave my waist a gentle squeeze. “The way I look at it, it just gives me an excuse to spend every minute with you, which is what I want to do anyway.”

“I’ve been spoiled to get all this time with you,” I replied with a sigh.

“Wish it would have been under different circumstances,” he muttered. “But sweetheart, even when shit goes back to normal, when I’m gone for periods of time or in training, you’ll always be the most important thing in my world—always.”

I stared back at him with wide eyes, knowing that “always” could be taken in the very literal sense.

“For me too—I mean, you will be,” I blathered. “I’m still getting used to this whole reciprocation thing.” I blushed.

“Well, now that we got that out of the way, I have some good news.”

I looked at him questioningly.

“They accepted our offer.”

“Oh, my God!” I squealed in excitement, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Holy shit!”

He chuckled at my exuberance and wrapped his arms around me. “The buyers wanted an expedited escrow. We close in fifteen days. I’ll need a few days to install security, but we should be able to move in less than three weeks. Which means you really have to talk to Brad. I want to move into our new place, start our lives there.”

I grinned. “Me too. I’ll call him again,” I promised, biting my lip as I looked toward Trixie.

“What is it?” he asked gently.

“I just didn’t expect to get so attached to her. I want him to commit to a date when he’s coming back, but I’m not looking forward to leaving her,” I murmured.

“I know, sweetheart. I’ll miss her too. We can get a dog if you want,” he offered. “Though maybe something a bit bigger, so I feel better about leaving you.”

I looked back at him. “You mean you don’t think Trixie makes a good guard dog?” I demanded in mock surprise.

He chuckled.