Page 200 of Bossy Hero

“When this is behind us, I’m gonna retire. And I want us to be together permanently. However that looks to you. Marriage or no marriage. Living here in Florida or anywhere else you want. Traveling or staying home every night. Banana bread deliveries all over town or long walks on the beach. I don’t give a damn what we do as long as we do it together. Every day for the rest of our lives.”

A host of emotions swirl behind her eyes at once, coming too fast for me to pick them all up. “But you?—”

“No buts. I only want to give you peace, safety, and happiness from here on out. And I can’t do that with my attention split the way it’s been. Besides, considering the way my team loves to step into shit they shouldn’t, it’s only a matter of time before something else sucks us back into danger. And I don’t want that for you. Or for us.”

Her gaze falls to my chest, and she worries her bottom lip. “Alan, I don’t know. That’s a lot to... um...”

I might be pushing her a bit too hard, but it’s only fair to give her complete honesty. “You don’t have to answer now, Maddie. But I’m ready for this. And something tells me you are too.”

She smooths her hands over my pecs. “I can’t think about that right now. It sounds lovely, but it’s a bit much to process with all this danger surrounding us.” The tiny shakes of her head get more ardent, and her smile gets faker. “Let’s put a pin in it.”

Her walls go up right in front of me. Fucking hell, even her body language stiffens like she’s being cast in stone.

She pushes off my lap and zips her blouse up as far as it can go. With a plastic smile affixed to her face, she says, “We should get ready for dinner. Since Lettie was kind enough to cook for us, it would be rude to be late.”

Instead of waiting for me to leave with her like she normally would, she pats her hair down and edges toward the door. “I’ll see you down in the break room. I’m going to use the restroom to clean up.”

And she’s gone.

I bend over, bracing my forearms on my knees. A haggard sigh leaves me, the air scraping my lungs on the way out.

Fuck.

What I said to her didn’t feel like too much. Not before the words came out and not while they were coming out. And they still don’t feel like too much now.

What the hell is she so afraid of?

Two steps forward, three steps back.

When I enterthe break room, it’s emptier than I expected. Normally, at this time of night, the troops gather to see what Maddie’s made. I suppose Lettie’s cooking doesn’t have the same draw. That’s a crying shame because it smells delicious. Italian, if my nose is to be trusted.

My eyes land on Maddie and Lettie, who are whispering beside the fridge.

“What’s cooking?” I announce, injecting some brightness into my tone despite feeling anything but.

“Lettie’s amazing lasagna,” Tomer answers.

I meet his eyes, pumping my brows in silent question.

He laughs under his breath, catching my implied musing. “Yes, I mean it. She’s a good cook.”

The table is only set for four, so I ask, “Is it just us tonight?”

“Yeah. Lettie wanted a quiet dinner, so she told the others to fend for themselves. They were ordering takeout when I left them downstairs.”

Maddie and Lettie stay huddled in the corner, occasionally peeking at me and Tomer.

Shaking it off, I pull out a chair beside Tomer. “What’s with them?”

“Not sure. But don’t be surprised if they ask us for something.”

I cock a brow at him. “What makes you say that?”

“She was extremely frisky and not even a little bratty before we came upstairs, and the latter only happens when—” His face blanches halfway through his explanation, and he chokes back the rest. “Never mind.”

“Next time, cut yourself off sooner.”

“I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear about that. Can’t think when I’m this dehydrated.” He puts his head down, literally flopping it to the table. “Fuck. I’m done talking for the night.”

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