Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 39250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
I’d grab my bag later.
I stalked toward the entrance, cursing the reflective glass of the building. A safety measure, of course, but I wanted to see Kiera. And get a look at the families. I knew junior Quinn had a senior Quinn or several here. The new operator was the nephew. I’d worked extensively with Darius over the years, a fair amount with Ryan too. Operator Kelley probably had family present too. Some were more open with their parents and siblings than others. I’d sure as hell never had family set foot in there. My folks knew somewhat what I did for a living, but the details would just make Ma worry.
Some twenty people, Kiera had reported.
I was gonna shut them all out.
Something fluttered and tightened in my chest as I reached the revolving door, and I could finally see inside. The reunions had started. Sure enough, Darius was here, and he’d brought his hubby. They were waiting for the nephew. But in the meantime, they were talking to Emerson and Danny. Ortiz had family here. A big family. Operator Kelley had returned from Europe and was presumably waiting for his kid brother, who was right behind me. One of them better choose an alias, ’cause we’d had this issue when Beckett and his big brother had worked together.
Where are you, hellcat?
I was through.
“Pilot!” Kiera’s voice echoed above the din, and I spotted her scurrying from the back with a big smile on her face.
The fucking relief. Jesus Christ. Tension faded in my shoulders, nerves knotted in my stomach, and Beckett should see the grin on my mug, because that was unlike me.
I met up with her halfway without my even making the decision, and then she jumped into my arms as she’d promised, arms locked around my neck, legs wrapped around my hips. God-fucking-damn. I hugged her tightly and buried my face against her neck.
“You’re finally home.”
I’m finally home.
“You smell so damn good.” I kissed my way up to her jaw, then got her lips. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too—so, so much.” She pressed herself impossibly close and kissed me deeply.
Just like that, the world disappeared. The greetings and congratulations faded. The movement ceased.
“And I’ll have you for five weeks now?” she asked to make sure.
“Mm, but the next gig is just three days.” I helped her back to the floor but kept her close. Across the street, where our bed waited, had never felt so far away.
“Then your six-month training program—close by,” she said.
I nodded and cupped her face in my hands. “Correct.” I was gonna train drone pilots, and I was actually looking forward to it. “You’re not getting rid of me.”
She smiled into the next kiss, and I shivered as I felt her fingertips along the back of my neck.
“Good,” she whispered, “because I have plans for us. Starting tonight. Wanna hear?”
The lust in her voice probably wasn’t a good idea for me, but fuck it. Let’s hear it. I grabbed her by her hips and pulled her flush to me.
“As long as it involves us getting rid of our clothes,” I murmured.
“That’s number one and four on the agenda,” she said. “First, a shower and some serious stress relief. I’ll assist you in there, of course. Second, a big juicy steak with a baked potato and absolutely no garnish. And while we eat—in comfy clothes—we get cracking on a new puzzle. A thousand pieces—and you know what’s on it? Six sudoku designs. So once the puzzle is complete, we have the sudokus to solve too.”
I didn’t know what made my head spin more, the fact that she was the most perfect woman alive, or the mind-numbing task of sorting those puzzle pieces. Because what were we looking at here, white background and black numbers?
“And then…we go to bed.” She trailed her fingers up my chest. “I think you know what happens there.”
I smirked faintly. “Well, you told me about the blue rubbers you bought, so I assume we’re living out some weird Smurf fetish you have.”
She started laughing and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth when she realized how easily sound echoed in the lobby.
I grinned and dipped down to kiss her cheek. “Hey, I’m not kink-shaming. We’ll Smurf it up for a while, and then we can circle back to my new breeding fantasy in a bit.”
She choked on the next laugh, and she peered up at me with a mix of stunned surprise and sizzling heat. Oh, she liked the sound of that, didn’t she?
“Um, b-breeding fantasy?”
“Yeah…” I brushed my lips along her jaw. “That’s when I fuck you into next week and keep your tight little pussy full of my come.”
At least, that was what I’d thought of each time I’d rubbed one out in the shower in Ecuador.
“Jesus, James,” she exhaled. “Uh, when can we get out of here?”