Chapter 47
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
NATE
“I never want to leave this spot.”
“You sure know how to stroke a guy’s ego.” My eyes flutter open to a sight I want to see every morning for the rest of my life. Mackenzie’s long auburn hair lays in a wild mess as those green eyes lock onto mine from her side of the bed. I smile at the thought. We’ve been here one night, and she already claims a particular side.
“I’m pretty sure you stroke mine enough.”
“I just like stroking you.”
“You do, huh?”
“Oh, yeah.” As if to prove my point, I run my palm along the curves of her frame. Her soft, smooth skin is so damn inviting. No matter how hard I try, I can’t keep from touching her.
Her eyelids close, and she mewls. The sound travels straight to my already hard cock.
“I could get used to this.”
“Same.”
Her eyes reopen, filled with something deeper than lust. “Thank you for going after my brother. I never got a chance to thank you properly.”
“You don’t need to. I’d do anything for you.” I’m dead serious when I say that. This woman makes me want to walk through flames to be near her.
“Still, you didn’t have to take that risk. I wouldn’t think Jordan would harm you, but I didn’t think he’d steal from me either.”
“Trust me. I’ve been in worse situations.”
She slaps her hand over her face. “God, I know. Sometimes I forget you’re a soldier. What made you go after him?”
“It wasn’t right what he did. You’re working your ass off, and for him to take what belongs to you and the kids . . . no way. I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. When Detective Stubbs told me the corporation’s name was Plymouth Rolling Rock, I knew it sounded familiar. But it didn’t connect until your mom mentioned your dad would be paroled. My dad was almost transferred to the Rolling Rock penitentiary. I knew he was responsible after discovering your brother’s car was a Plymouth.”
“What sucks is the small withdrawals he made help fund his car repairs.” Sadness coats her features. “Isn’t that nice? I paid for my own robbery. I feel like a damn fool.”
“You’re anything but a fool.”
“I feel like it, though—especially how I handled you.” A tear slides down her cheek. I rub the back of my finger against her cheek to wipe it away. Her gaze locks with mine. “When I told the detectives about your computer access, I never truly believed you’d steal from me.”
I slide my hand to her face and tuck the unruly strands behind her ear. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me that you know I fully trust you.”
“Thank you.” Her words make my heart swell, and I know I’m not supposed to be anywhere else but here with her. “You know, I came so close to leaving town initially. You seemed like you had everything together, and I thought you were set financially. But the truth is I was fighting my attraction to you.”
“Little did you know how destitute I was.”
“Not until you told me. I wasn’t going to let your brother get away with it. Nor would I depend on some other jurisdiction to handle the investigation.”
“What happened? I shouldn’t be surprised you have a hero complex, Ranger Boy—or Superman?”
“Please, no. I’m anything but that.” This is what I love about her. She can still make light of a heavy situation. She’s truly remarkable. “Do you really want to hear the details?”
“I think I need to.”
“Okay, but you won’t be impressed after I tell you what happened. This had to be the lamest sting operation ever recorded.”
“I’m surprisingly okay with that. If something had happened to you, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
“Everything turned out fine. All I did was sit outside the prison and wait for your brother to show up. It wasn’t too long after he arrived that your dad walked out. Your brother tried to hug him, but your dad waved him off.”
She huffs. “Typical. He never was one to show affection.”
“Once they got into the car, I followed them to an apartment where they laid low. A few hours later, they came out carrying suitcases. I followed them until they broke the parameter for parole, and I called it in. I also called Stubbs. I tailed them until the cops took them down.”
She blinks back another round of tears. “Thank you.”
“I’m afraid you’re stuck with me, Grace.”
The corners of her mouth lift to a grin. “And I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’m glad, but I know something else that makes you happy.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.” I move on top of her and press our bodies together. I’ll never get used to the way her naked body feels beneath me. “I seem to recall a certain maneuver you liked last night.”
“Encore?”
I don’t try to stop the smirk. “Anytime. I’m all yours.”