“In what way?”
“She’s been married and divorced four times. Over the years, she’s had dozens of boyfriends, some serious, some not. She believes in love so much so that she’s open to finding it again and again. But she chooses men who aren’t right for her.” Talking so openly made her tremble.
Sin didn’t miss that. He covered her with the blanket. “You don’t have to talk about this if you’re uncomfortable.” Then, he rolled onto his back and patted his chest. “Will you let me hold you?”
She lay on him and he tucked her close. “I keep my heart walled off because I’m afraid I’ll make a bad decision and end up like her. On an endless hunt for a man.”
He stroked her back, kissed the top of her head. “I see.”
“There’s a reason Hannah considers me more of a mom than a sister. My mom was so focused on finding love that we weren’t always a priority. She lived for the weekend. Sometimes she’d leave us on Friday and we wouldn’t see her again until Sunday night.” Shifting on the bed, she stared into his eyes. “My mom was either high on love or drowning in tears for days. When a relationship ended, she’d plummet. In some ways, it was easier when she wasn’t there. I don’t want to paint a picture of a woman who didn’t love us or provide for us, because she did. But the emotional rollercoasters affected Hannah and me.” She paused. “I just wanted you to know where I’m coming from.”
Beneath the linens, he held her hand, stroked her skin. By confessing her fear, she was giving him a glimpse beneath her prickly surface. She was giving him an easy out. All he had to do was take it.
“Thank you for confiding in me,” he began. “I don’t want you to change. I like you because you’re you. I love that you’re independent and career minded. I want to fit into your life, not rule it. I want you to fit into mine, but not try to change me.”
Her wildly beating heart calmed down a little. “Thank you for saying that.”
“What does your gut say?”
Pausing, she studied him. His kind eyes encouraged her to speak the truth.Tell him.She froze.Go on. Do it.“It says I’m falling in love with you.” She felt so exposed she couldn’t breathe.
He tipped her chin up, kissed her. “I’m falling in love with you, too. And we’re going to enjoy every amazing minute of it.”
Though her heart pounded like a jackhammer all over again, the love in his eyes empowered her. “No fighting this?”
“Hell, no. We never do anything half-assed.”
“Being this vulnerable terrifies me, but I’m going to face my fears.” She kissed him. “I’m all in.”
“So am I.” His confident smile made her feel like she was floating on air.
Sin’s phone buzzed with an incoming text, but he ignored it.
“You should check. It might be Alexandra.”
They watched the unedited version of Rava’s interview before Sin forwarded it to the FBI Director and to someone in his address book named Z. Though curious, she stayed silent.
“It’s finished, and no longer your problem.”
“Thank you…” She stared into his eyes. “Those words sound hollow given what you’ve done for me.” Shifting, she lay on him, and when her lips met his, they shared a smile. A ripple of excitement floated down to her toes.
“I don’t want to ruin the mood with work, but—” he began.
“Totally okay.” She kissed him again. “All this love stuff overwhelms me.”
“How ‘bout we discuss next steps once the interview airs?”
“Great idea.”
“I’m prepared to make a formal statement to the press, if that’s what you want.”
“Absolutely.”
“I expect you’ll be reinstated pretty quickly and the focus of their investigation will shift to Birdie.”
Pushing off him, she leaned up on her elbow. “I would agree. But in the past two weeks, I’ve received a total of two emails from work. One from HR reiterating the reason I was placed on A.L. The second from my boss letting me know an investigative team has been tasked with reviewing my case, but it’ll be another month or two before he’ll know anything.” She paused. “They may never have found Rava and it would have been my word against Birdie’s. We already know how that would have played out. Working together,wegot it done.”
“Are you telling me you’d like to work for Develin & Associates?”
