10
Roscoe
Lisben finally came around after I explained that Mason and Stewart’s local contacts alone would be beneficial.
So we had a plan. Representative Carter was speaking at a charity event being held on the ship, and he had agreed to meet with me. That made Lisben and Stewart’s captain happy.
Stewart was my date. He looked gorgeous in a blue suitcoat that matched his eyes. As I danced with Stewart, I let myself dream of a life with him. He needed time after everything his ex had done, and I’d willingly give him anything he needed. My focus for so long had been avenging my friend and partner’s death. This was the first time since Jack died that I’d even considered doing something for myself.
Bruuuum. Bruuuum. Stewart rolled his eyes. But ignoring them only made it worse. He checked his phone. “Unbelievable.“
He showed me his screen.
Capt. Jessup
Stewart, you need to be in the meeting with Carter.
Mason
Roscoe has to meet with Carter alone.
Capt. Jessup
I don’t trust the FBI.
Mason
Who wants to tell her?
Capt. Jessup
Stop being an ass.
Capt. Jessup
I’m not talking about Stewart.
I chuckled and kissed Stewart. “After I meet with Carter and debrief our teams, I want you all to myself.”
“Great plan, except…“
He bit his lip and gave me a shy smile. Which of course meant I needed to kiss him again.
“Except?”
“How about we have our own debriefing and report to our teams tomorrow?”
I grinned. “Best plan ever.”
My phone chirped several times. I sighed and checked my messages.
SSA Lisben
Jessup keeps messaging me about including Agent Janes in your talk with Carter. What do you think?
I quickly typed out my reply.
Roscoe
No. He thinks Stewart’s my boyfriend.
SSA Lisben
Isn’t he? [Laughing emoji]
I stared at the screen, then at the man I definitely hoped was my boyfriend. “I blame you.”
Which earned me a grin and a sweet kiss, making me forget all about annoying supervisors.
My meeting with Representative Carter started off politely enough and ended with a threat. He supplied me with a list of possible applicants to recruit and reiterated the confidential nature of his request. I assured him all precautions would be taken.
“I hope so, Roscoe. For your sake.”
A chill ran down my spine. Thank God I’d kept Stewart out of this.
Stewart and I quickly updated our respective teams and promised a more thorough debriefing at a future date. As soon as we reached my cabin, Stewart pushed me onto the bed and straddled me. His confidence was off-the-charts sexy.
“Stewart, sweetheart—oh fuck—“
My brain shorted out as he yanked my shirt open and buried his face in my chest. I threaded my fingers through his hair, needing to gain some control when he latched onto a nipple. Confident. Greedy. Taking what he wanted. Fucking hell. I didn’t recognize the sounds I was making.
“I want you. And not just this. I want to know everything about you. Your family—”
“Just my meemaw. She raised me.“
I blinked at the hot pressure behind my eyes. “I haven’t seen her since…”
“Going undercover?”
I nodded.
“Maybe we can go see her together.”
I kissed him fiercely. It was too soon to say the words, but I could show Stewart how much I loved him.
Stewart responded to every kiss, every touch with such passion and pureness that something inside me broke apart. When we finally came together, it was sweet, honest, and real.
While Stewart slept, my brain tried to adjust to my new reality.
The FBI had extensive safety training. Everything from hand-to-hand combat to weapons to handling hostage negotiations. But for the last few years, everything about my life had been a lie. I’d felt anything but safe.
I pulled Stewart closer, and he let out a cute little snore. Nothing was settled yet. The investigation was still ongoing. But Stewart gave me something the FBI couldn’t.
A safe place to be myself.