Page 81 of Daddy Down Under

Truer words had never been spoken.

“Do you two need a moment?” I said dryly.

They both laughed, but then we all grew serious again.

“He’s right,” Oliver said. “You do need to press charges.”

“I know, but it means heading back to New York.”

Ocean simply nodded, his jaw set with determination. “When do we leave?”

The “we” hit me hard, filling me with equal parts love and dread. “Ocean, I can’t ask you to?—”

“You’re not asking. I’m telling. We’re in this together.”

I felt my resolve crumbling, torn between my need for Ocean and my instinct to protect him from the shitstorm that was about to hit. “It’s going to get ugly.”

Ocean’s lips quirked into a small smile. “Good thing I look hot in battle armor.”

In that moment, looking into those eyes that held all the wild beauty of the sea, I felt a surge of gratitude and love so powerful it almost brought me to my knees. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“Must’ve been one hell of a good deed in a past life,” Ocean quipped, then grew serious. “We’ve got this, baby boy. Together.”

“Oh my god…” Oliver fanned himself. “That totally made me tear up. You two are so precious together.”

Oops. I’d completely forgotten about him. And Ocean had called me baby boy. Had Oliver picked up on it?

“But we’re not leaving before you find out what Preston told Garrett Krause,” Ocean said.

My head turned sharply toward him. “What?”

“They liked you, Cash. He’s only met them, what, once? He may have told lies, but if you explain the situation, don’t you think they’ll take your word over his? And who knows, he might’ve told them something that’s easy to refute with hard evidence.”

“But what if they don’t believe me?” I sounded weak, even to my own ears.

“You’re Cashell goddamn Sullivan,” Oliver snapped. “You don’t take no for an answer.”

Jesus, between the two of them, I had no choice but to agree. But they were right. My instinct had always been to run when it came to Preston, but it was time to stop that.

“You’re right. It’s time I quit playing defense. Preston wants a fight? He’s got one.”

Ocean’s eyes lit up, a fierce pride evident in his gaze. He surprised me with a searing kiss, his lips hot and insistent against mine. When we finally broke apart, both breathless, he fixed me with that intense gaze that never failed to make my heart race. “Show that bastard what you’re made of.”

“Good,” Oliver said. “I’ll arrange the flights for you while you clear that up. Call me when you’re done.”

He ended the call.

Ocean smiled at me. “I like him.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course you would. He’s as bossy as you are.”

“He is, which tells me that’s exactly what you want and need, even if you don’t always want to admit it.”

I was so not responding to that. Instead, I found Garrett’s number in my contacts and took a deep breath, a momentary flutter of nervousness in my stomach. But Ocean’s steady presence beside me bolstered my resolve. I hit dial.

The line rang once, twice, before Garrett’s gruff voice answered, “Cash? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. How are you feeling?”

Right. He thought I was sick. Or did he? “We both know I wasn’t sick when I walked out,” I said softly.

---