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“Most dudes I know would feel a little emasculated by a woman controlling the booty call.”

“Are you going somewhere with this?” Amusement lined her words, but he was spinning her in circles.

He sighed and rolled onto his back, drawing her on top of him. “Trying to. I guess I suck at this shit.”

She lifted her thumb and forefinger and created an inch of space between them. “A little.”

He chortled. “All right. Christ. I love you, Gemma.”

Her heart restarted like a solar flare. She lifted her chin from his shoulder and stared into his eyes. Only a sliver of light shined through the window from the gap in the curtains, but it was enough for her to read the hesitancy in his face and the angst in his hazel orbs. His tongue nervously swept over his bottom lip.

“I was too scared to admit it to myself all these years, let alone to you,” he continued. “Being with you these last few days . . . I don’t know. I can’t go back to how things were.”

She threw her arms around his neck and pressed kisses to his jaw. Tears misted her eyes, stinging them. “I love you too, Dallas. And I don’t know how, but we’ll make this work. I promise.”

He tightened his arms around her, holding her to his chest as if he’d never let go. Warmth surrounded her, penetrating the soreness in her muscles and making her heart swell.

She and Dallas were so different. It’s what had kept them at arm’s length from each other all these years, but now, she couldn’t imagine taking another breath without him by her side.

And she wouldn’t.

EPILOGUE

Gemma sat on the balcony outside Dallas’s apartment. A pretty wall made of stained cedar enclosed the sides, ensuring privacy from the neighbors. The sun dipped low on the horizon, painting the city in a pinkish glow. The screen door opened and Dallas stepped outside.

“There you are,” she said, turning to look over her shoulder.

He bent and kissed her lips. “Sorry, I had to grab a few last-minute things. Everyone should be here soon.”

She crossed one knee over the other and accepted the drink Dallas passed her. “Did you remember the feta?”

He settled into the chair beside her. “’Course. It was on the list this time.”

She snickered. Domestic life had come fast and hard. Never in a million years had she pictured Dallas being the type of boyfriend who’d cook for his brothers, run last-minute errands, and remember her favorite bottle of wine.

But he was.

His dark, intimidating demeanor was still there but no longer visible to her. But that didn’t matter. At one point she’d been mega turned on by his callous exterior. Now, everything about him turned her on.

It’d been three months since their hellish days in Ecuador. Three months since she’d quit the CIA and three months since she’d almost been burned alive.

The process of getting out of Ecuador was a blur in her mind. Maybe it was shock, maybe her senses had been numbed by the over-the-counter meds she’d been popping for the burns on her feet, but she barely remembered getting on the private plane Cole had arranged.

The scar on her thigh from the bullet graze back in Cali and the blotchy scars on the tops of her feet and ankles were the only reminders that the nightmare had even happened. Calling her mom had been a nightmare on its own. Carla and Joe had been sick with worry—Gemma’s face had been all over the news in the States—but she’d quickly stifled their concerns by telling them her passport had been stolen.

Charlene hadn’t been pleased about her backing out of the agreement, but given that the CIA had basically left her for dead in the club, and what Silas had done to her, she had more than enough grounds to tell them where to go.

Life was drastically different now. No more keeping people at a distance. No more jetting off to random locations. No more hiding who she was. Since returning to Seattle, she’d gained more than just a best friend and lover. She’d also gained three girlfriends—Lexi, Tess, and Camryn—and three maybe-one-day brothers-in-law. Lexi was four months pregnant, and the joy of helping plan for a new baby was exciting for the whole family.

Dallas had insisted they both take a six-month hiatus from the pressure of careers and deciding what to do with their time, and it’d been the best decision she’d ever made. While she still had a lot of time to pick a life path, she was leaning toward online work.

Dallas’s career was still up in the air, and she wasn’t going to push the issue. As long as he didn’t continue with illegal operations, she was happy.

She took a sip of her chardonnay and the dry, almost-fruity taste filled her mouth. “Did Cole confirm?” She kept her tone even, but she already knew the answer.

Dallas took a sip of his wine as well then rested his glass on the armrest of his chair, the stem nestled in his fist. “He’s not coming.” He turned his attention to the view of the city. No remorse touched his voice.

“I’m not surprised. He misses most get-togethers you or your other brothers arrange.”

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