Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 58752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
“She decides when she’s done.”
“She was nearly caught in an explosion,” he stated, as if I hadn’t been the one who disarmed both fucking devices.
“I fucking noticed.”
“She needs to be with her family,” he argued, lowering his arm as his brows drew together.
Tamsin came around my side before I could say more. “I need to make sure my crew is accounted for and tell Ghost what belongs in that field. I’m staying.”
He looked from her to me, clearly unhappy with both the decision and the fact that I had left it in her hands. “At least stay outside the perimeter. I’ll organize the crew and start the equipment list.”
“I already told them not to touch anything,” she replied. “Have everyone remain together until we know the field is clear. And make sure no one leaves without giving the Black Crowns their contact information.”
A faint line appeared between his brows, but he nodded. “Fine. I’ll take care of it.”
He turned reluctantly and headed back toward the employees. People shifted toward him as he approached, confirming that his position made him the natural center of the company response. I watched long enough to see him begin gathering the crew, then returned my attention to the field and the woman beside me.
Tamsin let out a slow breath and looked up at me. Her expression carried equal parts gratitude and exasperation, which was already becoming my favorite combination on her face.
“My only condition for you staying is that you are always where I can see you, clear?”
Tamsin rolled her eyes. “Ghost—”
“Gavin.”
Surprise flashed across her features as she blinked up at me. “What?”
I lowered my voice and let my thumb trace once along the curve of her waist. “Call me Gavin, pretty girl.”
The name belonged to my family and my woman only. Hearing it in her soft voice suddenly felt necessary, but I wasn’t sure she truly understood the deep meaning behind giving her permission to use it.
Another wash of pink climbed beneath her freckles as she cleared her throat. “Um. Okay. Gavin, I already have a family and an entire company full of people watching me, right?”
My smile stayed easy even as the sound of my name from her mouth made my cock push harder against my zipper.
“They can watch,” I acknowledged. “I’m the one keeping you.”
The possessiveness in the statement made her breath catch exactly the way I wanted. Her pupils widened, color deepened over her cheeks, and her lips parted as if an argument had formed but lost its nerve before reaching her tongue. I had pushed exactly far enough, so I turned my attention back to the field before the need to taste her mouth overruled the job waiting for me.
My hand remained at her back as I guided her toward the protected edge of the staging area. She came with me, still quiet, but the warmth of her body stayed tucked against my side and told me she had not been spooked into retreating. The field might still be hiding threats, but Tamsin was already where I intended to keep her—within reach, involved, and learning that my unreasonable streak had no plans to improve.
4
TAMSIN
Istood close enough to Gavin that his hand easily slid to the small of my back every time someone drifted near. Although he smiled often, I now understood that didn’t mean he wasn’t taking this situation seriously. He could drop it in a blink, and he was the only one out of everyone here who’d caught things that I had missed. Which impressed me, much to my irritation.
But I couldn’t give more thought to the intensity of my reaction to him at the moment because my parents were barreling toward us.
“I was terrified you’d been hurt, Tamsin.”
My mom’s voice broke before she finished saying my name. She was on me a moment later, her arms locked around my back hard enough to make it hard to breathe.
When she finally let go, my dad took my face in both hands and pressed a kiss to my forehead. Then he stepped back to check for any injuries. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I promise. And the crew is too. Everyone’s been accounted for.”
“Good.” His chest expanded on a sigh of relief. “But I’m still worried.”
I felt Gavin shift behind me, hyperaware of how close he stood even though he hadn’t said anything yet.
“How come?” I asked.
Dad’s mouth flattened into a thin line. “Your signature was on the final safety approval.”
“It was,” I whispered.
“I know you followed procedure, just like always. But I’m afraid some people will be more interested in finding a scapegoat than the actual facts.”
It didn’t matter that I’d adhered to every rule and regulation, ticking off all the check boxes and then going over everything again just to be safe. I still felt so guilty because I had authorized the display. The rack had failed on my line, and people could have been seriously hurt or killed.