Page 67 of Fully Loaded

“What happened with the formula?”

“The Center for Disease Control confiscated it.”

A sound in the doorway snapped his attention to Dani. She lifted her chin in question, her hip propped against the door. He mouthed Rhett’s name and her skin paled. He crossed the bathroom and pulled her into his side, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“Thanks for the update. Dani will be relieved to hear the news,” he said, more for her benefit than Rhett’s.

“Take it easy and say hi to Dani for me.” They disconnected and Brock placed his phone back on the counter.

“What did he say?” Dani pressed her belly to his groin and circled her arms around his waist. Her usually smiling lips were pulled down into an uneasy frown. He drifted his hands down her bare arms and filled her in on Rhett’s findings.

The fearful glint in her eyes faded and she dropped her forehead to his chest. “I can’t believe how badly I needed to hear that. I hope Dr. Lafontaine rots in jail for what she did to you and her assistant’s friend.”

“Oh, I don’t think she’ll see the light of day for a long time. Terrorism isn’t taken lightly.”

She brushed her lips over his chest and batted her eyelashes at him. “So, where do we go from here?”

He squinted and glanced at the ceiling, feigning uncertainty. “Well, I was thinking we could go to the bed.” He lowered his lips to hers. Her mouth responded with fire and her body sprang to attention in his arms. He groaned as her tongue danced over his.

She pulled away and he nipped her lip. “Don’t tease me. You know I’ll pay you back.”

She laughed. “Easy, cowboy. You need to heal.”

“Sex is the best medicine.”

“Mmm. That it is. But I need some answers from you first.”

“About?” He didn’t hide the hesitancy that crept up the back of his throat.

“Us. About us.” Her voice fell low on the second sentence and his chest fluttered at the reluctance.

He rocked her in his arms and mulled over his words. She raised her eyebrows expectantly. “I know you’ve been staying here so you can take care of me, but having you here just feels right. Stay. We’ll figure everything else out later.”

Her eyes shone, and she tucked her bottom lip under her front teeth. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. If you want, I mean.”

“I want nothing more.” She looked away and then back at his face. “What about your operation? The team you have hijacking the trucks of goods?”

“I called it off today. I gave the guys the things I have locked in storage, so we could part ways peacefully.” He shrugged. “I’m officially your honest, average Joe.”

She tossed back her hair and grinned. God, he loved seeing that smile. Carefree, easy . . . Christ, he’d known her since he was sixteen and he’d never seen that kind of serenity on her face. Once, he’d questioned if he deserved someone like Dani. But now, knowing he could light that spark in her eyes, hell yeah, he did. They were perfect for each other.

“I wouldn’t say you’re an average Joe. You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you creating your fitness-apparel line.”

“Luckily I’ve got enough money to keep us afloat for a while. At least until your event-planning business takes off.” He winked and she bounced on her toes.

“Oh, I forgot! The reason I came in here is to tell you I just got my first contract. Rhett’s call derailed me.”

He hugged her and pressed a kiss to her hair. “Congratulations, honey. We’ll order takeout and celebrate tonight.”

She squeezed his waist. “I love you.”

His heart expanded and he stroked the fine hairs away from her cheeks. Hearing those words and having the freedom to say them to her whenever he wanted—he’d never felt so liberated. “I love you too, babe. More than you’ll ever know.”

She took his hand and led him from the bathroom to the bed. They tumbled onto the bedspread, everything else forgotten.

Epilogue