Page 72 of Operation Protector
With an obvious effort at cheer, Ali said, “I think I’ll ask Liz if she can go with me to pick up Ziggy at Laney’s shop.”
“Grace would like that.”
He tried to put some enthusiasm in his voice but failed. Right now he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day and all of tonight right here in his bed with her. And a whole lot of the nights after that.
But instead he was facing a yawning, empty hole.
“You sound…” Her words trailed off, but he knew what she meant.
“Yeah. Can’t wait to get back to where you have to do everything, or Foxworth does. While I sit around and do nothing.”
“Nothing but stay out of the mother’s way, for Grace’s sake.”
He let out an exasperated breath. “I know.”
“And I know it’s totally unlike you to be a bystander when something critical is happening, and probably close to impossible when Grace is involved. But you’ve got one of the biggest forces around backing you up now, precisely so that you don’t have to fight this battle alone.”
He stared at her for a long, silent moment. Then, softly, as softly as he had whispered her name when he had been buried to the hilt inside her, he said, “With you on my side, I can fight anything. Even her.”
She gave him a smile that made him want to pull her right back down on these sheets and start over. But he knew she was right, they had to get moving. His girl would be home soon.
They hastened through a process that went surprisingly well, as if they’d already learned how to coordinate. He gathered up what he’d actually wanted to stop here for—he’d never expected it to end up like this, never even hoped—and looked over at her. She glanced at the book in his hand, the one he’d been in the middle of when all this started, and the copies of legal papers Quinn had advised him to bring so they could turn them over to Gavin.
“Do me a favor?” she asked, her gaze locking on his now.
He wanted to say “Anything,” and would have meant it, but he couldn’t seem to get even the single word out. So he just waited.
“Grab that box of condoms, too.”
She was out the door and headed back to her car, leaving him standing there barely able to breathe.
He was still processing as they headed back to Foxworth. His brain seemed to be careening in a dozen directions at once. Trying to analyze the implications of her wanting those condoms available. That there would be hours while Grace was in school when they could be together. That she would have to come to him, which made him nervous and oddly revved up at the same time. And which would also require explaining to the Foxworths, should they happen to walk in on them in his generously loaned living quarters.
He was still working on that last one when they arrived. The Foxworths’ SUV was parked in its usual spot, making Colby remember the note Ali had left for them. Somebody’s brain was working, at least. Cutter raced out the door to meet them—he still boggled a bit at the trust they gave that dog—before they were even fully parked.
Oddly, the dog skidded to a halt about a yard away from them instead of romping up demanding the usual pets and scratching behind his right ear. He stood looking at them, with his head tilted as if questioningly. As if he somehow knew or sensed something had…changed.
Okay, now you’re buying into that alien-in-a-dog-suit thing Liam talked about, Kendrick.
And then Cutter covered those last few feet at a trot, head and ears up, tail wagging. As if whatever had made him stop in the first place had now met with his approval.
“That dog,” Colby muttered.
Hayley wasn’t far behind her dog. When she reached them Cutter had turned to face her, but sat down between him and Ali. His tail was wagging again, vigorously, and he had what Colby had to call a grin on his face.
Hayley stopped almost where Cutter had, and studied them for a moment almost as the clever animal had.
“Well, well,” she said quietly. She shifted her gaze to her dog. “Another win, huh?”
Cutter let out a soft woof that sounded almost self-satisfied. And Colby was thrown back to that day when Hayley had explained about Cutter’s most unexpected gift, that of simply knowing when two people belonged together. And when his gaze met Hayley’s steady one, he knew she’d had the same thought. He rarely blushed, but he could feel his ears getting warm, and was very glad he’d stuffed that box of condoms deep inside his jacket pocket.
“Told ya,” she said with a grin. Thankfully, before he had to try and explain that to Ali, Hayley went on. “Nice selection,” she said, looking at the plants and the small tree in the back of Ali’s car. “I gather the greenhouse install went well?”
“Perfectly,” Ali answered before he could shrug and say his usual “Okay.”
“Excellent,” Hayley said, then glanced at her watch. Before she could speak, Ali responded to the action.
“I know. I need to get moving if we’re going to be there by the time Grace gets home.”
