Page 55 of S.O.S. Mizzay

“Right. Because I’m that good, and got us off quickly,” he preened. “Now. Back to business. Unless you want me to tickle you mercilessly, you’ll tell me what I know I deserve to hear.”

Andy couldn’t help but laugh again. “Cobble? Are you forgetting thatyou’rethe ticklish one of the two of us?” She sent a hand toward his abdomen, but he sucked it in quickly, keeping it away from her questing fingers.

“Now, now. Let’s not get pedantic here,” he cautioned, sliding away an inch or two on the mattress out of caution. “I think we’re straying from the subject.”

Andy’s joy could no longer be contained.

She gave in. Because she wanted to.

“You’re right, Cobble,” she told him, and this time her touch went to his face, where she stroked his lovely, bristly cheek. “Idolove you. I’ve loved you for a long time. Probably since before all this started and I was just your infatuated LT.”

Damn.It feltsogood to get that off her chest. Andy blinked a few times to settle, then leaned in and placed a reverent kiss on Cobble’s smiling lips.

“But I promise, from here on out there’ll be no more holding back,” she assured him, her voice going uncustomarily soft. “If we only have these last few days together, I want total honesty between us.”

“Now, now,” he soothed, stroking her side gently from armpit to hip. “Let’s not get maudlin. Everything is going to work out perfectly.”

She placed a finger on his mouth and shook her head. “Don’t say that. You’ll jinx things.”

“You’re not superstitious,” Cobble retorted with a grunt. “But I get it. For your peace of mind, I won’t put any bad juju out there. How about we skip right over any more mention of our upcoming sting, and concentrate on what our lives will be like a few months down the road?”

Andy could handle that. She nodded.

He stared over her shoulder and got a dreamy look on his face, if that was a thing with someone who appeared so rugged.

“You’ll introduce me to Rory, who’s going to love me.”

Andy snorted. Cobble ignored her.

“Then I’ll have to meet all your friends at SOS, and your two previous bosses. All your colleagues will think I’m so awesome they’ll immediately offer me a job,” he teased. “And as soon as I’m earning a decent paycheck, we’ll buy a house, settle down, and get married.”

“Married?” she marveled, loving his stream of consciousness. “You aren’t…asking, are you?”

Cobble shook his head. “Not yet. Not until the mission-that-shall-not-be-named is behind us.”

Andy sighed, but she’d made the rules, so she couldn’t fault him.

“What else?” she asked.

“Well, of course we’ll be having a slew of kids,” he stated audaciously.

“A slew, huh?” Andy snickered, but she could picture it. Shehadpictured it, many times over the past few years. But that still seemed like a far-off dream.

More pragmatically, she reviewed what else he’d said. A house. A job.

Andy had no doubt that Cobble would be a welcome asset at SOS, and Del wouldn’t dare say no to her if she asked him to hire Cobble. Not that Cobble needed fluffing. He was exactly the type of hire Del was always looking for.

And as for buying a home together?Yes, to that.

Neither she nor Cobble were hurting for money. For fourteen years Cobble had worked and saved without having to pay for his safe houses. Chuck had been socking it away for his cousin all along. She knew Cobble had enough for morethan a healthy downpayment. And she was no slouch. With her assets and his combined, they might not even have to take out a mortgage. It was a heady thought for someone who’d always pinched pennies and taken care of herself.

“Maybe two, but we’ll see,” Cobble amended with a wink, bringing her head back around to the “slew of children” comment he’d made, before he poked her again.

“And now, my sweet girl, say those special words once more. Then we can go heat up some of that Chinese food.”

Yup.Cobble’s stomach had been doing a rolling growl for the past ten minutes, and far be it from her to let her man starve.

Besides, the words felt good, finally allowed to fly from her mouth.

---