Stealing His Heart(61)
She snorted. “Probably Fluffy.”
“Well, then.” Jake scooped the tiny kitten under the belly and held him in the air with one hand. The kitten batted at him with a small paw. Jake rotated him, glaring the whole time. “Fluffy it is—even if he’s more of a killer than a fluff ball.”
She laughed and took him. He cuddled close to her chest and gave a tiny meow. “Looks pretty harmless to me.”
“Yeah. Sure,” he said, watching him warily. Fluffy stared right back at him without blinking. “I’ll grab the supplies out of my car, then we’ll do dinner.”
As he headed for the door, Tara sat and wrapped her arms around her knees. The kitten jumped off the couch, the bell on his collar jingling with each step, and followed Jake. It was funny that he remembered that night in the pet shop so well, because she did, too.
That was the night she realized she loved him, and that’s why she’d given herself to him. When she had walked away from that cat, part of her had felt like it was Jake she left behind. It might have taken a few years and a lot of separation, but she’d gotten everything she wanted. All her dreams had come true…
And then some.
Epilogue
Six months later
Tara slipped behind the wall, her breath held and her body completely still. She wasn’t supposed to be doing stuff like this anymore, but she had to get inside unnoticed. She couldn’t get caught sneaking in, or there would be hell to pay.
After studying the hallway for any sign of movement, she crept down the shadowy stretch of tight walls and glided into the empty office. She had approximately one hour before anyone came back and realized where she was.
And she couldn’t waste a single second.
Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed her phone and turned on the flashlight app. When he’d left the key behind, she couldn’t resist the urge to break into the agency and find out what he had hidden in his locked drawer. If she could locate it, test out the key, and open it, she would discover—
“Hello, sweetheart,” Jake said from somewhere in the shadows. “Looking for something?”
Tara jumped guiltily. “Uh…nope. Not at all.”
“Really?” he asked, his voice gritty.
She cocked her head. “Was this all a ploy to have a reason to punish me later?”
“Oh, you definitely earned one, but it’ll wait.”
Her heartbeat escalated. She loved his “punishments,” and he knew it. “But I didn’t do anything wrong.”
He switched on the light and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed and his brows up. “So you sneaked into my office when you knew I wasn’t here because—?”
“I knew you were here.”
He snorted. “You’re a horrible liar.”
“You tricked me again.”
He grinned. “Someone has to do it. You’ve been getting too cocky about your skill lately, with all these men fawning all over you.”
She propped her hip on the door. “Jealous of our coworkers?”
“You know I am.” He shoved off the wall and went behind his desk. “When it comes to you, I’m not the slightest bit reasonable. I’m the only one who gets to bring you home and make you come all night long. Only I know how those sweet lips feel wrapped around my— ”
“Shhh.” She flushed and peeked over her shoulder, but there was no denying the arousal his words brought to life inside her. Hearing him describe the way he felt when she went down on him made her want to drop to her knees in front of him. “Someone might hear you.”
He laughed. “We’re alone. I wouldn’t talk about you like that if we weren’t. You’re mine.”
“I noticed,” she said drily.
He shrugged. “So I’m possessive. It’s part of my package deal.”
“And I love every second of it.” She crossed the room. “Why did you trick me into coming here? Spill it.”
“What makes you think I wanted you in here?”
“You’ve been leaving me little hints all over the place for the last two weeks that something is in your desk. Something valuable and huge.” She sat down in the chair and crossed her legs. “Then, tonight, you supposedly go out on an assignment after ten at night, and leave the key on the nightstand table? You wanted me in here. Why?”
He motioned toward the desk. “Open it and find out.”
“Is this a trick?”
“Nope.”
She stood and came around to the other side. Watching him the whole time, she slid the key into the latch and pulled the drawer open. She bent down and squinted inside. Shaking her head, she turned back to him as she said, “Not a trick, huh? There’s nothing—” She broke off and covered her mouth. “Oh my God.”