Chapter Thirteen
Carson’s office door was half shut, light spilling across the hallway floor. Gabe rapped his knuckles once and stepped in when Carson looked up.
“Got a minute?” Gabe asked.
Carson gestured at the chair, and Gabe drifted to it. “How was the dinner date?”
Gabe couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over his face. “It was great. But why do I get the feeling I caught you in the middle of a thought?”
His boss drew his lips tighter across his teeth. “I just got off the phone with Oaks. He and the rest of my brothers are on their way home.”
“That’s great news.”
“It is.”
“Why do I hear a ‘but’ in there?”
“Colt was injured during one of the riots at the company.”
He sat forward. “Hell. Is he all right?”
“He got jumped by some crazy who thought they were fighting for justice, when all this could have been settled with a few meetings and a calm conversation. But the employees were determined to overthrow the company and now Colt’s got a concussion and a lot of bumps and bruises.”
“Shit. Hospital?”
“Released. We’re just glad it wasn’t Denver—you may know he was released from the military for too many head injuries.”
He nodded. “Heard the rumor. I bet Aspen’s going crazy with worry.”
Colt’s significant other was always kind whenever she visited the vets, and she often planned events for them with the utmost care—a task she loved doing since she was a travel concierge to the rich and famous.
Carson nodded. “I could barely keep her from getting in the car and going to him when she heard. But there’s no need—the whole team’s on their way home.”
“That’s a relief. And the job’s wrapped up? The company’s stable?”
“Yes. Colt wasn’t the only person injured in that mob, and a lot of the employees were taken to the hospital. After that, some union negotiator stepped in and put an end to it, the way it should have happened all along. I expect the team by morning.”
“Good.” Because Gabe was coming to request some time off to take care of business in Denver with Felicity.
Carson leaned forward. “And just so you know, none of this means I’m sidelining you.
Since you came back, you’ve been a hell of an asset.
And with the new training facility going live next quarter…
” His mouth wore a rare smile. “I could use a man with your background to help build it into an exceptional program. If you want in, the door’s open. ”
He’d been drifting for so damn long he almost didn’t recognize the feeling.
Belonging.
His throat was tight. “I’d like that.”
Carson gruffly cleared his throat, like he was emotional too. “Thought you might.”
But Gabe wasn’t here just to feel good about the day. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the key.
He pushed it across the desk to Carson. He picked it up. “Safe-deposit box?”
He nodded. “Before I tell you more, did you find anything on Henry Alder when you ran the background check?”
“Not a lot. You probably saw the printouts—things that can be found in any online search. His only living relative is a nephew.”
The will. The contents of a safe-deposit box would also be in the will.
“Henry hid this key in one of the books he sent Felicity. A book that had meaning between them—that started their friendship.”
“Go on.”
“He wanted Felicity to have the key to his safe-deposit box.”
“Any idea what’s in it?”
Gabe drew a deep breath. “That’s what we’re going to find out. We’re leaving for Denver. Now. If you can spare me.”
“You’re one of us now. Black Heart Security. If you want it, it’s yours. She’s already your first assignment.”
Gabe’s chest tightened with emotion. “I think she’s my forever assignment.”
Carson issued a chuckle. “We all saw that coming.”
They both stood, and Gabe rounded the desk to shake his boss’s hand. But Carson—and all the Malones—were more than his teammates. They were his new brotherhood.
Carson clapped him on the back. “Bring her home safe.”
When Gabe got outside, still reeling from everything, Felicity was already in the truck. Her bag was tucked neatly at her feet.
He knew her well enough to recognize her expression as a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
He climbed behind the wheel, and they hit the road.
The hours to Denver passed with conversation and spells of quiet as night closed in around them and the day caught up to her. She slept a little on and off. Each time she woke, she smiled at him in that sleepy way that made him forget the wreckage he carried.
While she slept, his mind went over the intel.
The break-ins, the nephew set to inherit everything…
everything except whatever was in that safe-deposit box.
But was this all connected? It was still possible it was someone just trying to drive Felicity out of that space or, though farfetched, the teens that the cops named as suspects.
Gabe kept a hand near Felicity’s thigh as he drove, his thumb brushing her every so often just to assure them both they were still together, still fighting for answers and the peace that he wasn’t giving up on for either of them.
When she opened her eyes to see the dark shapes of the mountains looming in the distance, she let out a small gasp of awe. “The skyline’s beautiful.”
“It is.” He wasn’t looking at the view.
She caught his stare on her and reached out to clasp his hand.
By the time they reached the Airbnb that Aspen set them up with last-minute, the sun was rising behind the peaks. The house was a quaint little bungalow with a cozy front porch featuring a swing.
Felicity stepped out of the truck, stretching as she did. He circled the front to stand at her side. “This is perfect.”
“Aspen is good.”
Inside, the place was small but comfortable. A bright quilt was draped over the back of the couch, and Felicity went straight to the stack of books on a side table.
He set their bags down, watching her ease into the space. She wasn’t trembling or lost. She wasn’t swallowed by fear. He was pleased to see her this relaxed, after all the trouble she’d been through.
She turned to him. “Gabe…”
He closed the gap between them, unable to stop touching her for very long. Threading his fingers into her silky hair, he searched her eyes. “What is it?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you.” She dropped her stare to his chest, then lifted it to meet his eyes again, as brave as ever. “What is this? What are we?” The last came out as a whisper.
He swallowed hard. “This is us finding out what’s in that safe-deposit box.”
“And what else? This pull between us…” Her eyes were two dusty blue gems as she searched his.
He rested a hand on her hip, tugging her a little closer. “This pull between us is more.”
She nodded. “But I thought you were just taking a little break from your sister’s place.”
He blinked at her.
“Honor told me.” Her voice faltered.
He swished his thumb lightly behind her ear. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind that you know my history. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me. But no. I…plan to stay on the Black Heart. Carson—he officially offered me a position on the team. He wants me to be part of the training facility.”
Her eyes widened. “Gabe, that’s huge. It’s so exciting!”
Her joy was contagious, and he kissed her with a quick stamp of his lips. “I’m honored to be part of the team. I don’t want to drift anymore. I want roots. I want purpose. I want to be part of Black Heart. But more importantly, I want you, bookshop.”
Her eyes swam with tears, and she made a noise in her throat.
He cupped the side of her neck gently. “I have feelings for you. Strong ones. And I’m done going slow when it comes to the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Under his palm, her pulse jumped. She stepped close, chest to his, and searched his face for reassurance he meant every word.
He gave it to her by tipping her chin up and lowering his mouth to hers.
The kiss began gentle—with a sigh of surrender—but the second she opened for him, everything inside him surged forward in a claiming.
Her fingers fisted in his shirt, yanking him in as the heat rose fast between them. Gabe angled his head, deepening the kiss and pouring every ounce of emotion into that caress, leaving no doubt, no distance he wasn’t willing to cross for her.
This was it.
The beginning of everything.
* * * * *
Felicity wasn’t sure when her back found the wall of the cozy love nest, only that Gabe’s body was warm against hers and his kiss was making her see stars.
He kissed like a man who’d been waiting patiently for this exact moment. When she parted her lips for him, his restraint broke.
He framed her face with his hands the way he would if he was cradling a figure made of spun glass. As if he couldn’t quite believe she let him touch her—or that he was worthy.
Or maybe she couldn’t believe she could have such a strong, amazing man who shared her love of books and the Black Heart Ranch, because her heart raced.
Gabe.
Her Gabe.
The realization struck her so hard her fingers curled into his shirt. She needed him closer. Now.
As if he heard her, he drew back just enough to search her eyes. His thumbs brushed her cheeks in a sweep as gentle as the sunrise. “You okay?”
His voice dipped low with a tenderness that melted her heart and molded it to the shape of him. It made her want to cry and smile and fall at the same time.
Only she was already falling.
“Better than okay.” She reached up to skim her fingers over his stubbled jaw, the carved lines familiar and warm and…home.
A fierce love uncoiled inside her, creating a sweet ache right in the middle of her chest.
Breathing hard, he lowered his forehead to hers. “I meant what I said, bookshop. About wanting you. About not walking away.”
A shiver of a deeper emotion wrapped in desire rippled through her.
“I feel the same.”
His breath caught. Suddenly the wall behind her wasn’t holding her up anymore—he was. He slid his hands down to her waist, anchoring her with every inch of his muscled body.
“You’re not afraid?”
She shook her head, nose brushing his lightly. “No. When I’m with you, I’m not afraid of anything. Not life or people trashing my shop or…love.”
His eyes darkened. “Bookshop…”
The nickname made another tremble move through her. And that reaction had names too.
Claimed.
Cherished.
She brought her lips to his, and took her time kissing him, each stroke a new trail of love branded across their lips. She answered his growl with a soft moan, slipping her hands around his neck and threading into the hair that curled at his collar.
He brushed his knuckles down her jaw, letting his fingers rest over her pounding pulse at the base of her throat. Her heartbeat raced under his touch.
“I love how you feel. How you look at me. I don’t think you know what you’re doing to me.”
Her chest tightened.
“Tell me.” The words barely came out as a rasp.
“You make me feel alive again.” His lips pressed down on hers in a slow, lingering kiss.
Her insides cracked open. “Gabe.” She scraped her fingers across his broad shoulders, taking in the hard planes that could shield and love her at the same time.
She dragged her hands down his chest, skipping over hard pecs and rippled abs. When she reached his fly, she didn’t stop. She settled a hand over his stiff cock.
He issued a low groan. “I’m holding on to my control by threads.”
“Don’t,” she whispered.
His eyes were dark and bright. Hardly a fraction of a heartbeat passed before he captured her mouth and an all-consuming kiss.
She lost herself in her lover and had no idea he’d moved her to the bedroom until she felt the mattress behind her knees.
“I love you.” She couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Gabe froze. His eyes burned into hers. “Say it again.”
She cupped his face, thumb brushing the corner of his mouth. “I love you.”
A sound escaped him—half relief, half wonder—and then he kissed her like the words broke him wide open. He tugged her closer, plundering her mouth. Between every sweeping pass, another word burst out.
“Felicity. I…love…you. God…I love you.”
Clothes weren’t an obstacle for a passion like theirs. In seconds, she lay bare beneath his naked body, with his mouth teasing all the sensitive spots on her throat, neck, breasts.
Then lower.
He stretched out between her thighs, stare unraveling her completely.
“You’re beautiful. And you’re mine…if you want to be.”
“I want to be.” She felt the truth of it low in her belly and much higher in her chest.
His eyes slipped shut, and he lowered his mouth to her pussy, his warm lips and tongue tormenting, then questing…then carrying her away on a scream of bliss.
Without any hurry, he settled over her, warm and protective, finding her mouth again.
The world faded as he filled her with his stiff length, burying in her innermost spot that pulsed around him.
His roughened groans turned to growls as he plunged inside her, hitching her thighs high around his waist to sink deeper, deeper. When her body could hang on no longer, she looked up into his eyes.
Together, they tipped off the edge of the cliff, diving into whispered I-love-yous and urgent kisses.
When the world faded to only their settled breaths, she knew this was the end of their loneliness and the first page of the rest of their lives.