Page 126 of Wild Mustang Security Firm

“They’re beautiful,” she said as the koi came to the surface. She followed him up to the cottage-style Dutch door that served as the entrance to his house.

If the tranquility and beauty of the exterior of his home had been a surprise, the interior was even more so. He had clad the walls in whitewashed shiplap. It was an open space with a large, sunny kitchen area at one end and an open staircase with several vertical pullouts, which led to what looked like a loft storage area. The middle area was designed as living/dining space, and the other end had an enclosed bath and a large, comfortable bed. There were windows all the way around.

“You were right. This is palatial compared to my place, but it’s beautiful in a casual way.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I wasn’t sure. You can tell a man lives here, but it’s almost as though you created it to share with a woman.”

“I did.”

“Who was she?” Finn asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“You,” he said simply. “I didn’t know your name or where you were, but I knew you were out there. I wanted you to be comfortable. Why don’t you strip down, hop into bed, and try to get some rest? If you want, you can grab one of my T-shirts in thecloset. I’ll get some paperwork done they’ll need. I can arrange to have your things moved over here from the hotel while we’re gone tomorrow.”

“All by myself in that great big bed?” She trailed her finger down his spine. “What if I’d rather do something other than rest?”

He laughed and brought her fingers up to kiss them.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I plan to give you plenty of that later on, but I need to get this paperwork done.”

“Maybe I’ll grab my camera and… wait, my camera is back in my hotel room.”

“You don’t need to be wandering around in this heat. Maybe you’ll just do what I tell you.”

“You do not get to tell me what to do.”

“Finn, I don’t want to argue. You’ve been under a lot of stress, and tomorrow isn’t going to be easy.”

“I thought you said Fariq could be trusted…”

“He can… as much as anyone in his line of work, but still the exchange isn’t until three, and the waiting can be hell. Could you just trust I know what I’m talking about?”

“It isn’t that I don’t trust you, or I don’t think you know what you’re doing, but I’ve been in war zones, too…”

“Yes, war zones but not in war. Unless I’m wrong, your weapon has been your camera, and you were kept clear of the most dangerous stuff. I was a SEAL. I was the dangerous stuff. Please, babe, for me. I won’t worry as much if I know you’re rested.”

“I’ll go lie down, but only because I am kind of tired. But I’m not promising to sleep.”

He leaned over and kissed her, his lips lingering longer than they would for a casual, dismissive kiss.

“Thank you.”

“Actually, would you mind if I took a shower?”

“Not at all. Towels are in there.”

Finn walked over to the bed and took off her clothes before going into the bathroom. It was small but more than adequate, dominated by an enormous shower stall with several showerheads. Figuring out how to turn them all on and adjust them took a minute, but when she stepped in and closed the glass door, she sighed with contentment—it was worth it.

Once she was clean and had washed her hair, she stepped out and smiled. Croft had turned back the bed, left her a bottle of water, and was absorbed in his work. The water was ice cold and felt wonderful going down her throat.

Finn slipped into the large, comfortable bed and stretched out, deciding to rest her eyes for just a moment but was quickly fast asleep.

Chapter

Nine

Finn woke wrapped in Croft’s arms. Snuggling against him, she smiled as his hand delved between her legs. She opened her eyes and could see it was no longer full light. Either the sun was going down or getting ready to come up.

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