Page 45 of Innocent Salvation

“Good. Let’s go eat meatballs.”

“Ah yeah, my favourite.”

Bás put a heavy hand on Watchdog’s shoulder. “Not you, buddy. You have work to do, but I’ll have someone bring you some.”

“Make it an extra big bowl, I need my energy.”

“Can’t promise that, buddy. You know how it gets when Val makes meatballs.”

Snow’s lips tipped and she shook her head at her friends. They messed around but they worked damn hard and protected each other. But this fight was personal. She knew the team would have a plan in place, but she’d be gone before they did. She’d seen the guilt on Bein’s face every time she winced in pain from being shot saving Aoife, and she wouldn’t be able to handle it if something happened to one of them because she’d had the bad luck to be born to such a sick bitch.

Chapter 18

Sebastian watched Snow push the delicious meatballs around her plate with growing concern. He didn’t know what had happened, but someone had upset her, and the thought made him want to scour the earth until he found out who and annihilate them. Extreme perhaps but he found Snow brought out all his emotions in extremes, happy, angry, worried, all of it had an intensity where she was concerned.

Laying his hand on her thigh under the table, he squeezed gently to get her attention. She turned tired eyes toward him, her smile, the one he adored, in place but not reaching her eyes.

“You okay?”

“Of course. Just not very hungry.”

That was another tip-off. Snow could eat and eat well. She once told him she had the metabolism of a hummingbird, which had to consume its own body weight daily to stay alive.

Sebastian let it go, rubbing his thumb over her inner thigh in a gesture meant to comfort but where they were concerned it was only seconds before he could sense the sexual tension simmering between them. “Wanna get out of here?”

Snow nodded and he lifted Fleur off the long bench seat so she didn’t tangle her legs and they said good night to her team, who were so much more than that. Even in the short time he’d been there, he’d felt the bond between them all that moved way past work colleagues.

Bás had tried to explain it was because of how they lived in such isolation, cut off from the world a lot of the time that it was difficult to have normal relationships so the ones they formed were a lifeline. He guessed the secrecy made it that much harder too but hadn’t said so.

Sebastian still wasn’t entirely sure who they worked for, but he had a strong suspicion given everything he’d seen and heard. He knew that Shadow might not be conventional by any means, but they were essential to the security of the country and their missions, though probably highly grey in tone, weren’t carried out with anything other than good intentions and were sanctioned.

He’d also bet every single thing he owned that the government had no idea they existed any more than he had before now. As far as he was concerned that was a good thing as politicians were as bent as any of the crooks he’d sentenced in his courtroom.

Once they’d settled Fleur to sleep as they had every night since they got there, Snow telling her a story and him listening as rapt as his niece, he put the monitor on and took Snow’s hand, leading her next door.

He didn’t stop in the living area like they usually did but led her straight towards the gorgeous bathroom outfitted with a deep tub with jets on all sides. Letting her hand go, he ran the hot water and added some bubble bath before turning back to her.

“What ya doin’ there, judge?”

He cupped her shoulders, her body so delicate under his much larger frame and revelled at the strength inside her. She was the strongest woman he knew and to say he was head over heels in love with her was something that only a few short weeks ago he would’ve laughed at. Now he knew he’d die for her as she’d been willing to do for him, except hers had been part of her job. For him, it was because he couldn’t bear the thought of a world without her. “Just running us a bath. You look like you could do with some pampering.”

Snow grinned, her eyes twinkling for the first time since he’d kissed her goodbye that morning and they’d both gone about their days. He’d worked on the report and she’d done whatever it was she did. Fleur had fit in as if this was her home, flitting between them and the others, soaking up all the knowledge she could like a sponge. Snow smiled a lot but the twinkle in her eye was something he recognised now as just for him.

“I look that bad, huh?”

Sebastian frowned, his fingers tightening on her skin. “No, of course not. You’re breathtaking as usual but I sensed you were worried about something and clearly you aren’t going to divulge what, so I thought I’d try and help you relax.”

Her features softened and she reached up her arms going around his neck, so she was flush to his body. “You’re a good man, Judge Alexander.”

His dick twitched at the formal address, and he squeezed her ass. “If you knew what I was thinking right now you wouldn’t think so, Ms Goubert.”

Her head tilted to the side. “Oh yeah, and what is that?”

He nibbled her neck, loving the scent and feel of her against him as his dick strained for freedom. “How much I want to fuck you in that bathtub. Rub your clit slowly, tease you until you’re begging for release.”

Her breath hitched and he felt her body soften into him.

With a sensuous flirty smile, she licked up his neck, making him shiver. “What are you waiting for?”