Page 31 of Finally

Topher breathed out a ragged laugh. “Agreed. You see who it is, and I’ll go let Charlie out. I’m sure she’s pacing by now.”

“Do we have to?” I whined playfully.

“Don’t worry. I’m not done with you yet.” He gave me a gentle push and I lifted off him.

I watched him as he slid out of bed, my mouth watering at the sight of all that smooth golden skin. His boxer briefs cupped the curves of his ass perfectly as he walked away, and he tossed me a saucy little grin over his shoulder before walking out of the room.

I was still grinning as I picked up my phone, checked the screen, and swiped to answer it. “Hey, Micah. What’s up?”

“Hey! Why do you sound chipper?” he asked suspiciously.

“What do you mean? I’m always chipper.”

Micah laughed loudly. “Greg, you are many things. Intelligent, strong, hard-working to name a few. But chipper? No, I’d never say you were that.”

I laughed too because I knew it was true. At least it had been. Waking up with Topher, seeing his face first thing in the morning had left me feeling lighter, happier than I had felt in years. It was the way I used to feel when I knew I was going to see him at school that day, only better because now, I knew that he was feeling the same way about me.

“I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe it’s all the fresh air out here.”

“Mhmm. Or maybe it has to do with a certain candidate for governor?” he replied.

My breath caught in my throat and I swallowed hard, hoping this wasn’t going to be a problem. There was no use denying it, Micah was much too astute. “Look, Micah—”

“I’m not upset, if that’s what you’re worried about. I could see something was happening between you two at the wedding and I’d be a hypocrite if I told you not to get involved with a client, but…”

“There’s always a but,” I murmured.

“But…he is a client. You were hired to watch over him because he’s in a dangerous situation. Someone already broke into his house and attacked his best friend. Are you sure you can handle it if something happens to him?”

“I won’t let anything happen to him,” I answered vehemently.

“I’m not questioning that. You’re damn good at your job and I know you’d never let anything happen to any of your clients if you could help it. But I also know, probably better than most, that things aren’t always in our control,” Micah reminded me.

I immediately felt bad for snapping at him. He was only trying to look out for me because he knew what it was like to feel completely powerless. Micah had gone through hell when Landon had been kidnapped. He’d been insane with worry and ready to set the world on fire in order to find the man he loved. Landon had almost died that night, and probably would have if Micah hadn’t saved him.

“I don’t want to see you go through that kind of pain, Greg. Maybe it would be better to keep your distance, at least until the threat passes. Josh and Carlos are back from their assignment and can take over if you need it,” Micah suggested.

“Let me ask you something. If you’d known then what was going to happen, would you have stayed away from Landon?”

“Hell no,” Micah said without giving it a second to think about it.

“That’s what I thought. Look, I know you’re just worried about me and I appreciate it. You’re a great friend but I’m not walking away. Whatever Topher needs, whenever he needs it, I want to be the one to give it to him,” I insisted.

Micah must have realized that he wasn’t going to get me to budge because he sighed through the phone. “Okay, I get it. Just promise me you’ll watch your own back and call me the second you need anything,” he said sternly.

I let out the breath I’d been holding and smiled. “I promise.” We talked for several more minutes and I was just hanging up when the door slid open and Topher peeked his head in. Seeing I was off the phone, he walked in carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. I smiled at him as he handed me one.

“Thank you. I could get used to this,” I teased.

“I could too. I like seeing a sexy man in my bed wearing nothing but a sheet and a smile.” He flashed me a wicked grin that made my toes curl.

“Technically, I’m still wearing my underwear too,” I reminded him with a grin.

“Hmm, maybe we should do something about that,” he murmured, then before I could determine if he was serious or not, he switched subjects. “Who was on the phone?”

“It was Micah. The police found a few good fingerprints in your house, but they weren’t able to find a match to any of them in their database. Their equipment is often outdated though, so Micah’s going to ask a buddy of his to run it through his system. In the meantime, he’s added more cameras around the perimeter of your house and is going to have Josh and Carlos stationed nearby. They won’t be in the house, but somewhere close, keeping an eye out in case this asshole decides he wants to try breaking in again.” Seeing Topher’s confused look, I explained.

“Josh and Carlos are two other friends who work with me. They were on assignment together, so they weren’t able to go to the wedding. That’s why you haven’t met them yet. I’ll introduce you to them when we get back.”

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