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“I think I’d like that. TheHousewivesare really growing on me. And I can live with your bras as long as they’re never on your body.”
She put her hand on my head, as if checking for a fever. “Are you serious? You’re strapped to a gurney and hooked up to a morphine drip.”
“Don’t care. We almost died tonight. I’m done wasting time. I’m in love with you, and I want you and your mess and your smiles and your bad taste in TV forever.”
Her eyes softened and welled with tears. “I don’t know what to say to you right now.”
“Kiss me. We’ll work it all out later.” And I meant it. After escaping murderous drug dealers and getting shot in the ass, the details didn’t seem particularly significant.
“There’s a lot to work out. You have a hole in your ass, for God’s sake.”
“It’s fixable. These wonderful EMTs told me it just grazed me. They bandaged me up, and the hospital will do the rest. A gunshot didn’t take me out, but having to live a single day without you might.”
“As much as I want to argue with you right now, I feel the same way.”
Epilogue
Parker
2 Months Later…
“Do you want another drink?” Paz asked, sitting up on this teak lounge chair.
I lowered my sunglasses to ogle him a little.Fuck, he’s hot. He didn’t spend nearly enough time shirtless in Maine. I’d have to institute some requirements when we got home.
“We should move here,” I said, leaning back again and scanning the white sand and turquoise water. “Then you wouldn’t ever have to wear a shirt again.”
He hopped up and stretched before heading to the back of our private cabana, where a full bar was set up, as well as a phone we could use for special requests.
His ass, recovered from the bullet, looked especially round and delectable in his green swim trunks.
“You should be topless too,” he said, biting his lip. “It’s only fair.”
I rolled my eyes. But how could I possibly deny him? I reached back and unhooked my bikini top and let it fall to the ground.
“Much better.”
He poured another glass of champagne for me and then sat at the end of my chair. A light breeze blew through our cabana, ruffling his hair and making this moment even more perfect.
“You’re spoiling me,” I said, holding out an arm and using it to pan our private stretch of beach behind the luxury villa. I had never been to the Bahamas before, but Paz insisted on a vacation. So I had happily let him plan it. But never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be at the Four Seasons with my own private beach.
Here, in our little slice of paradise, we could get away from the snow and the wilderness and all the drama.
Since the raid of the Heberts’ facility, it had been nonstop. Interviews with police and prosecutors almost daily. I had turned over the records from the investigation as well as my phone, but every day, I received calls asking for confirmation of certain details.
There had been over a dozen arrests, and thousands of pounds of drugs were seized. Thankfully, a few of the henchmen were talking. With any luck, the feds were closing in on more arrests soon. If I knew one thing about narcotics trafficking, it was that there was always a bigger fish, always another player in the mix.
And all my cop instincts were telling me there was more to this story. Mitch Hebert, while an evil motherfucker, wasn’t smart enough to put together a sophisticated international drug trafficking ring. He had even mentioned “management” several times. Hopefully, he’d squeal and the feds would be able to move on who was really in charge. But I had seen this go sideways so many times.
Deep down, I knew better than to assume the problems had all been solved. Richard had been questioned and released. They’d determined, apparently, that he hadn’t been involved in any of this. But my doubts persisted. There was something happening with him, and I wasn’t convinced he was clean. Especially after seeing Norman’s reaction when I mentioned his name.
And then there was the matter of Henri’s accident. It was nagging at me, burrowing deep in my brain. If Stinger hadn’t been there, then who tampered with his brakes? Thank God the accident hadn’t been fatal, but it so easily could have been.
Paz tipped my chin up, bringing my attention back to his handsome face and this surreal experience. “I’m selfish,” he said. “I booked this place because we have total privacy. You can be naked all the time.”
“Maybe I want to be naked all the time.”
He took the flute out of my hand and set it on the table. Then he was kissing me again, pushing me back against the chair. “I’m glad we finally agree.”
