Page 73 of Most Wanted

I tap my chin, thinking about it. So many delicious decisions. "Depends. Which sounds hotter: public sex or me in a ball gag?"

He thrusts against me and groans. "I don't want to get arrested this weekend, so ball gag it is."

“Aww, baby. You're such a romantic."

* * *

Thane

Hanging up the phone, I walk back into the bathroom. I wrap Ronan’s sated and freshly showered body in a warm robe, then lead him out to the deck, where I’ve got a fire going.

Touching the red lines at the corners of his lips, I grumble. “I don’t like that this new gag leaves marks on your face.”

He kisses my fingertips and rolls his eyes. “I like the feel of the bigger ball in my mouth, baby. I don’t mind it if I get a little marked up in the process.”

“Well, I do. I’m at least going to find you a different strap,” I say, handing him a cup of his favorite tea.

“You spoil me.”

I’ll willingly spoil him for the rest of his life. He snuggles into me, sipping his tea while we watch the sunset. After a moment, he turns to me. “I forgot to ask—who called while I was in the shower?”

I grimace. “That was DB.”

Elegant fingers make their way through my beard, which needs to be trimmed. I rub my cheek into the palm of his hand, stressed out about this new wrinkle DB just dropped into my lap.

“He coming down for the next meeting?”

It’s a valid question; DB used to come down in person for every team meeting. However, that’s not practical now that our ops calendar is filling up and his legitimate business has taken off. Cybersecurity is a big deal, and the way he pairs it with physical security means he has requests coming in from all corners. However, that’s not the only reason he’s avoiding Austin.

“No. In fact, he’s scaling back his responsibilities with the Guardians.”

“He already talked about only coming in once a month. Is he scaling back even further than that?”

“Yes. The call was actually about whether or not I would like to officially lead the Austin crew. He and I will still consult on ops, and he still has to sign off, but otherwise the team is mine. And he’s only taking half of his cut going forward.”

His little squeal still floors me, and the kiss on my cheek might have me undoing his robe on the open deck if he’s not careful.

“Seriously, baby, I’m so proud of you. You’ve already been doing it for the last several months, and it just makes sense. But how doyoufeel about it? Is this a good thing?”

“I love these guys,” I say, meaning every word. “I have no problem with leading this crew, and they have clearly done well, even with DB’s minimized presence.”

“Then why don’t you sound more excited?”

“I don’t like the reason why he’s staying away. I think he’s being foolish, and I think he’s hurting Odd, and I think he’s telling himself a lie that’s slowly destroying both of them.”

One of the things I love about living with Ronan is that there are details I can’t or won’t talk about, and he never pushes.

Today he simply pats my face. “I know you’re in a tough spot, sweetie. But if there’s anything I learned from loving you, it’s that, when its real, love is patient. Love will wait for them, I’m sure of it. But you know what? We don’t have to talk about them. I’m sitting here with you, in my favorite spot on the planet. I’m well-used, well-loved, and I can’t think of a better place to be.”

“Me neither, Ro,” I say, pausing to kiss him as though I haven’t spent all day doing the same. “Me neither.”

I push back the stray hairs from his forehead, dazzled by the sunlight in his eyes. I might not know where this team is going in the future, but I know where I’m going with this man in my arms.

* * *