Chapter 4 Pot Meet Kettle #2
Then he kissed me. It wasn’t the same slow, toe-curling kiss he’d given me at my door last night.
This one was hard and quick; a public claiming that I didn’t exactly hate.
Normally, I’d be flushed with embarrassment, but as he slowly pulled away, the only thing I felt was peace.
He quieted the chaos in my head. Fuck, I was in so much trouble.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Finn spoke against my lips.
“Morning.”
A throat clearing snapped me out of my Finn-induced haze. I stepped back, putting space between us.
“I’m Special Agent Duncan Palmer.” Duncan held out his hand from my other side. Finn took it.
“Finnian O’Lachlan.”
My second-in-command commenced introductions, giving me a few seconds to breathe, but my reprieve didn’t last long.
“Most people bring a T-shirt or a shot glass home from vacation as a souvenir, Waverly.” Lanie knocked her elbow against my forearm. “You brought a whole damn person. I’m impressed.”
“It’s not like that.”
“From the kiss he just laid on you, I’d say it’s exactly like that.”
“No, I mean I didn’t bring him here.”
Lanie stepped in front of me, cocking her head to the side. “Tell me you didn’t run.”
“I could, but I’d be lying.”
“I’m here if you wanna talk.”
Warmth spread through my belly. I’d built this team of agents to resemble something I’d been missing most of my life; a family. What I’d found instead was a bond thicker than blood.
Separately we were strong. Together we were unbreakable.
“Thanks. I might take you up on that.”
For the next hour, my agents—including Nelson, who joined us a short while later—began rapid-firing questions at Finn; some personal, some professional. If he was bothered by the intrusiveness of their interrogation, he didn’t let on. He answered each one without pause.
“Can you think of anyone who’d benefit from seeing this project fail?” Koen asked.
“There are two other companies who are currently researching the same technology,” Finn answered. “As far as I know, neither one has come anywhere close to accomplishing what we have.”
“We’ll need the names of those companies,” Noah responded, tapping his pen against the table.
“I’ll also need a full list of your employees to do a deep dive into their backgrounds. Even the ones who aren’t working on this project,” Nelson added.
“You’ll have complete access to whatever you want. Joel Masterson, my head of security, is expecting your call.”
“There’s one other thing you should all be aware of.” My shoulders tensed as Finn shifted his gaze to me. “Both the lab and my office are being permanently relocated.”
Somehow I knew before I even asked the question. “Where?”
“Huntington.”
Finn
I braced as the word left my mouth, hoping for the best possible outcome while preparing for the worst. Then I saw it; a flicker of relief flashed across her features. It happened so quickly, if I hadn’t been paying close attention I never would have seen it.
Exposing my true intentions this early in the game was a risk far greater than any I’d ever taken before, but there’d been no alternative.
Somehow Waverly got it in her head that what we started in Curacao was short term, when in actuality it was only the beginning of our marathon; a never-ending marathon if I had my way.
“How soon is this move?”
Waverly crossed her arms over her chest. The move pushed her breasts slightly higher in her V-neck blouse, exposing more than a hint of cleavage. I swallowed down the desire to rip off my suit jacket and drape it around her shoulders.
“Immediately.”
Questions were hurled at me from the rest of the agents, yet my girl didn’t utter another word. Not one damn syllable. I expected her to question my motives or even my sanity. What I didn’t expect was her silence. It was completely unnerving.
As we were standing outside of her office a short while later, her embargo on speaking finally lifted.
“What are you doing, Finn?”
“I’m not sure I understand your question.”
“Don’t play coy. You know exactly what I’m asking. Huntington never would’ve made the top ten list of cities to move your company to.”
“Two weeks ago, you’d have been right.” Slipping my arm around her waist, I tugged her close.
Her scent alone had my cock thickening in my pants.
It was intoxicating; whispers of coconut mixed with a citrusy undertone which reminded me of our time on the beach.
“Since then my priorities have shifted.”
“Finn, you can’t—”
I cut off her protest with a kiss. I’d meant for it to be quick—a distraction—but I couldn’t seem to pull away.
Licking across the seam of her lips, she opened on a moan and I surged inside.
She tasted like coffee and sin, an enticing combination.
Our tongues swirled in a wicked dance while the world around us faded into the background.
My hand dropped to her ass at the same time a driver honked his horn down the street.
Slowly, our surroundings came back into focus.
“Holy shit,” Waverly uttered breathlessly.
Dark clouds blotted out the sun and thunder rumbled in the distance.
The sound had the crowds of people on the sidewalk picking up their pace, determined to reach their destination before the first drop fell from the sky.
Still, I didn’t move. Even as my feisty agent pressed against my chest in order to put distance between us, I held firm.
“Finn.” She frowned.
“We’re starting something special here, beautiful,” I kissed the corner of her downturned mouth. “We can’t build a future if I’m five hundred eighty-three miles away.”
“That’s my point exactly. Moving five hundred eighty-three miles is a bit extreme. Don’t you see that?”
“All I see is you.”
“Sap.” She rolled her emerald eyes.
“I’ve been called worse. Nothing will change my mind.”
“Did I mention hardheaded?”
“Pot meet kettle.” I lifted a brow. “As much as I’d love to stay here and argue with you for the rest of the day, I’m meeting a realtor in twenty minutes.”
“So this is really happening.” She wiggled in my arms. This time, I reluctantly let her go, fisting my hands at my sides when she took a step back.
“Short of you telling me to kick rocks, it is. Even then, I wouldn’t give you up without a helluva fight.”
“Okay.”
There it was. Acceptance, of sorts. With one word, she eased my mind marginally, but I wasn’t delusional. Neither the move, nor our relationship would be a cakewalk. With that in mind, I’d never steered away from an honest days’ work and I wasn’t about to start now.
“Okay?”
“For now,” she huffed. “Be careful today.”
Now wasn’t the time to bring up the fact Wes would be arriving sometime today. I’d keep that little morsel of information to myself a while longer.
“I will.” Closing the gap, I kissed her again. “See you tonight.”
Without giving her a chance to question me, I sprinted down the steps and climbed behind the wheel of my SUV. Flipping through my texts, I entered the address Noreen sent at the crack of dawn into the navigation system, then pulled away from the curb.
Seventeen minutes later, I arrived at my destination just as a light rain began to fall. There were no other cars in the small side lot, which meant I’d beat the realtor. Grabbing an umbrella, I stepped out, walking around to the front of the building to assess the surrounding area.
The neighborhood reminded me of New York, minus the congestion and noise.
Tall buildings—though not quite skyscrapers—littered both sides of the streets.
Some were commercial properties, like the one I was there to look at, while others were residential.
In between was a healthy mix of restaurants and small mom-and-pop-type businesses.
“Mr. O’Lachlan?” a male voice called out.
I spun around to face a man who looked to be about my age, maybe a few years younger. He was casually dressed in khaki pants, a dark blue button-down with no tie, and a pair of nondescript brown loafers.
“That’s me.”
“I’m Lewis Harper, from Harper and Sons Realty.” He held out his hand.
“Finnian O’Lachlan.”
You could tell a lot about a person from the way they shook a hand. His was firm and brief; professional to the core. I liked that.
“Shall we?”
I followed Lewis to the entrance, where after fitting a key into a lock on the security panel, the large glass doors slid open.
“Currently, there are two settings for the door,” he said as we entered the lobby area. “One is fully motion-sensored, the other allows for biometric access only.”
Joel would have a conniption about the first, possibly even the second. He was every bit the control freak Noreen accused him of being at times. Undoubtedly, he’d want whichever one of his guys was manning the front desk to have absolute power over who got in the building.
“The previous owners were into research and development,” Lewis pointed out. “The first two floors each have the workspace your assistant inquired about.”
“How many floors in total?”
“Five, which includes a separate executive apartment on the top level. We’ll start our tour there and work our way down.”
An hour later, I knew it was fate. The building was move-in ready and even more perfect than the space we rented in New York; cheaper too. My accountant would be pleased.
“How motivated are the sellers?” I asked when we returned to the lobby.
“Extremely. This property has been stagnant for well over six months. What are you thinking?”
“The ask is three-point-five, correct?” He nodded. “Offer two-point-nine, all cash, seven-day close. If they counter, you’re authorized to come up to three-one, same terms.”
“Consider it done.”
We shook hands then parted ways. I had no doubt the man would bust his ass to get the deal done quickly. Money was a helluva motivator, and Lewis was looking at a hefty commission for his efforts.