Page 94 of Direct Action

Chloe’s hand went to my shoulder, her fingers curled in, and she squeezed. “No, honey. No threats. She was antagonistic but not aggressive. And she didn’t explain why she thought it was her turn, she was just adamant it was. She was also clear in her opinion of Cynthia, which pissed me off. So I thought it best to end the conversation before I threatened her.”

“After Aiden delivers Beck’s watches, I’ll have him go by Cynthia’s condo and look around,” Pete said.

“Look around?” Chloe asked. “You mean like break in?”

Gavin didn’t outright answer, yet what he said was confirmation. “A little B and E is exactly what Aiden needs. He’s getting antsy being stateside.”

Aiden antsy was never a good thing. Him bored meant he’d go looking for trouble, and sometimes that trouble came in the form of finding an underground fight. Other times it could mean him taking off to Joshua Tree or Moab to free-climb with no one there to watch over him. He was restless on a good day. Edgy most days. And sometimes when it got to be too much, downright tetchy. The it being the things he’d seen. The other, arguably larger it was the abuse he’d endured growing up. The man needed his mind occupied at all times or the demons of his past encroached.

“I’ll handle Aiden,” Pete announced, pushing away from the table. When he was on his feet, his gaze landed on Chloe. “It might not seem like a big deal to you, but for us, you taking over the office work is a huge help. Having someone we trust to watch over the bar while we’re gone is bigger. I hope you get this isn’t a handout, and when this is over, we can make this permanent.” Then his gaze came to me. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

With that, Pete left.

“Fallon’s on Poppy tonight,” Gavin told me. “I’ll be at home with Chloe.”

“Did he finish running the plates?” I asked.

“Yep. None were registered to a Dex or any variation of the name. Tonight, I’ll run the names while you’re out.” Gavin transferred his attention to Chloe. “You wanna learn how to run a background check?”

Chloe’s face lit up.

“I absolutely want to learn how to run a background check.”

Her excitement didn’t bode well for me. I’d watched this happen twice before with Jack and Mason. Catarina and Calista ran roughshod over their men—not backing down when the danger ramped up. However, both of those women were trained. Chloe was not, and she’d already proven to be stubborn. Given the opportunity to wedge herself further into the investigation—or worse, push her way into future operations—she’d jump at the chance.

I was totally fucked.

“Thanks, buddy,” I grumbled.

Gavin smiled and nabbed his keys and tablet off the table. “I’m gonna go out and check the floor.” When he was at the door, he turned back. “Don’t forget Grace needs her schedule changed.”

Shit, with Beck calling in his brief and Chloe coming back after she’d been approached by Naomi, I’d forgotten about Grace.

“Is everything okay with Grace?” Chloe asked with wide eyes full of concern.

It would seem I’d forgotten something else. Or maybe I didn’t forget; maybe I thought I understood the depth of Chloe’s care and concern for those around her but what I knew didn’t scratch the surface.

“Yeah. She’s added a behavioral science class to her class load, so she needs her schedule adjusted to Mondays and Thursdays off this semester, and Wednesday nights if we can swing it.”

“Can you swing it?”

“If we can’t, we’ll hire a new hostess to cover the shifts.”

Her eyes warmed when she asked, “Just like that?”

I liked that look so much, and since we were alone, I shoved my chair back, leaned deep, and tagged her hand. With a tug she lurched forward. She stopped her fall with a hand planted on my chest. I used her being off balance to my advantage and twisted her so she landed on my lap.

When I had her settled, I told her, “This isn’t the first time she’s asked, and we’ve made it clear school’s important and we’ll work around her schedule. So, yeah, just like that.”

Chloe’s hand came up to cup my jaw, and her thumb grazed my bottom lip. The touch was featherlight, tender. So were eyes as she watched her thumb. “That’s cool of you.”

It wouldn’t be me shifting the schedule around, putting an ad out if need be, doing interviews, and hiring someone. I didn’t remind her that was now her job. Instead, I allowed myself a moment to soak in her touch, the soft look, the way she felt sitting in my lap and thought—finally. After all this time, wanting her exactly where she was, fighting against it, and all of that behind us, we were finally exploring what had been simmering between us, which meant I now had options available to me. Options I’d waited a long fucking time to have. Therefore when I was done committing to memory how good it felt to be on the receiving end of all that was Chloe, my hand wrapped around the back of her neck to pull her close. My head tipped back just as her mouth got close, but I stopped short of kissing her when she murmured, “Thank you.”

“For what, baby?” I asked.

“For doing what I was too scared to do. Which means I’m now sitting in your lap, living out a hot-boss fantasy I never thought I’d get in real life,” she teased.

I felt that tease in my dick, but I felt the whispered softness someplace else. That meant when I finally took her mouth, I did it smiling, with my heart fully engaged. Further, it meant while sitting in my office with Chloe finally on my lap, her hand still resting on my jaw, I experienced something for the first time in my life—the beauty of a kiss.