Chapter 11 #2
“It might be okay with you, but it’s not okay with me. Would you think badly of me if I said I want… more?” She hardly dared whisper the words.
“I’d never think badly of you, fy nghariad.”
She gave a nervous, slightly self-conscious laugh. “It was so much easier when you annoyed me just by breathing.”
His body shook with low, controlled laughter. “Tell me about it. You’re preaching to the choir here.”
“Does that mean I don’t annoy you anymore?” The need to know outweighed the nerves associated with asking the question.
He remained quiet for a moment or two, then dropped a comment she could identify with only too well. “I’m not sure you ever really did.”
And the least she could do was let him know they had that in common. “You, too, huh? So, what happens now? I mean, I think we both just agreed there’s something going on here.”
“I carry on keeping you safe. Tay, that has to be the priority for the time being. Doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy getting to know one another at the same time, though.”
Encouraging.
“Sounds good,” she agreed. “I’d be interested to know how you define ‘getting to know one another,’ though.”
“Ah. You want to have your wicked way with me.”
He didn’t sound as if he was opposed to the idea. She decided to have a little fun. “Did I say that?” she challenged, just because she could.
“You implied it,” he countered.
“No. You inferred it,” she insisted.
Rhys raised his hands in surrender. “What can I say? I’m a man.”
Now there was an argument she could get behind. “Happy to agree with that statement.”
“Good. And as a man, I would like to add, of course I want to make love to a beautiful woman. And for the avoidance of doubt, that’s you, fy nghariad.”
Taylor’s cheeks flamed. With her face pressed against his shoulder, at least he couldn’t see how much she wanted it.
How much she wanted him.
“For now, though,” he continued, “I believe we need to get back to the original topic of conversation.”
He was right, of course. Taylor felt a flicker of guilt for letting the discussion wander so far away from the initial subject. “Okay. What do we do next?”
“What would you like to do?”
Realistically, it depended on what was feasible; at worst, Rhys could only say no and tell her it was a bad idea. For Taylor, however, it was the only real option. “Talk to Pops. We know where he is now—I need to go see him, find out what’s really going on.”
>>>>><<<
Taylor slapped a hand over her mouth. As stunned as Rhys appeared to be by what she’d just blurted out, it was nothing compared to how mortified she was herself. What in the name of all that was chocolate was her stupid brain thinking, and why was her mouth going along for the ride?
Slowly, she lowered her hand. “It was a joke. Can we forget what I just said? Please?”
“People say a lot of things they don’t mean when they’re under stress,” he allowed generously. “Don’t worry about it.”
Easier said than done. Despite his reassurance to the contrary, she was absolutely carrying that worry with her to the grave. For the sake of outward appearances, though, she’d style it out. “So… we’re going to Las Vegas.”
Rhys nodded. “If you’re sure you want to go?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I need to know if he’s still Pops, or if he’s turned into a stranger.”
The idea that he could have changed so much was beyond belief. He was her father, for heaven’s sake. Still, the treacherous whisper of doubt remained.
“Then we’re going to Las Vegas. But I have one condition,” Rhys added.
His stern tone told her that, whatever the condition was, it wasn’t up for negotiation. “Which is?” she asked warily.
“You do exactly as we say, when we say it—no questions. We don’t know the circumstances or conditions of your father’s situation, and we might have to make a rapid exit.
If that happens, I need you to promise you’ll follow orders without question, whether they come from me, Wolf, or any of his team. Will you give me your word, Tay?”
Her initial knee-jerk reaction had been to object, but as Rhys laid down the rules, she could appreciate the sense they made. After all, every one of these men had years of training, years of experience from being deployed in hostile territory, years of dealing with far worse situations.
They’d know what to do if her father wasn’t alone.