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Something about that simple gesture has my insides squeezing, like she’s hugging me from the inside out. It makes me more determined to break through her walls—I want to know everything about this woman, to let her know I cherish her as she does me regardless of her past. But that will only happen once I’ve earned her complete trust.
Maybe it’s a rash decision since our relationship is in its adolescents. Still, I let my walls down, let her see the vulnerable parts of me that no one else sees. “Coming home is all the better when I’m coming home to you.”
Opal pulls her head back to look at me, rapidly blinking tears away. “Do you mean that?”
Tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, I cup her cheek. “Yes, Gorgeous. You’re my home.”
Sniffling, she leans forward, pressing her lips against mine. “You’re mine too.”
If that doesn’t melt a man’s heart into a puddle, then he never had one.
CHAPTERTWENTY
GAUGE
February 2020
Work has been a bitch since wrapping up the Seattle child recovery assignment. For the last two months, we’ve been booked solid with recon and security projects. A mercenary gig will pop up on our radar soon enough, taking me overseas for an extended period.
A packed schedule leaves little time to spend with my woman. Saint that she is, Opal has repeatedly told me she understands the importance of my job and is content with whatever time I can invest with her. Still, she deserves more than a few hours here and there. She deserves a trip with me.
Atlas approved my time off. All I need is to come up with a vacation plan.
Wooing is not my thing. But Opal… she deserves it. Sadly, I have no fucking clue what I’m doing.
My brothers and I are stuck in a van conducting surveillance on a potential sex traffic ring being run out of a seedy motel east of Amarillo, Texas. In the last five days, we’ve been running this stakeout, nothing remotely hinting at the accusations has come to light. Our crew is nothing but thorough in our work—we’ll finish out the week as planned before going back to government security to report our findings.
Damn.I could really use a cup of joe to keep me awake, but drinking a diuretic is not a smooth move when you’re doing surveillance. My caffeine addiction will have to wait.
To pass the time, I throw ideas at Atlas to see what sticks. “What about renting a little cabin in the woods? Opal and I could go shed hunting. Maybe do a little ice fishing.”
“Sounds like a fucking blast,” Atlas offers, his eyes trained on the motel. “If I had a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, I’d sign us up for that vacation.”
“I don’t know, man,” Chase says behind me, overhearing our conversation. “Is that the kind of thing chicks dig? I mean, yeah, some would. But would Opal enjoy those activities?”
I scratch my head. Chase has a point. What I know about Opal’s interest typically revolves around experimenting in a kitchen. Would she be up for my suggestion?
Atlas shrugs his huge shoulders. “Your guess is as good as ours. But I can tell you who would have an idea.” He nods his head at Punk snoring in the backseat.
Of the four of us, Punk is the only one who has been in a long-term committed relationship in the past. Punk is a pain in my ass most of the time, but he understands a woman’s needs better than the rest of our motley crew. Hell, he even loves most of that girly shit, too.
I turn and slap his knee. “Wake up, piss ant.”
Punk frowns in his sleep. “Five more minutes, mom,” he mumbles, adjusting to rest his head against Chase’s shoulder.
His best friend chuckles, shoving Punk upright. “Dude, your expertise is being summoned.”
Punk groans, but opens his blue eyes. “When isn’t my know-how in demand?”
I resist rolling my eyes. It would do me no good to insult his cocky ass before I get his two cents. “I’m taking Opal away to a cabin in the woods. Will she or won’t she like shed hunting and ice fishing?”
Punk looks at me, his mouth hanging ajar. His eyes swivel between the three of us. “Are all of you for real? You thought this was a solid plan?”
“I questioned it,” Chase pipes up smugly.
I’m still not sure I understand. “So…not an option?”
“Fuck no, it’s not an option. No wonder you came to me,” Punk quips, shaking his head. “Look, it’s simple. You want to engage Opal with activities that will appeal to both of you. What does she like?”
