Page 76 of No Mistakes
It may not be official, but I’ve claimed him, and I will do whatever it takes to protect that.
“Does this still count as morning sex even though it’s 9 a.m.? Because if yes. I think this might be my favourite way to start the day.” I ask, smiling as I feel his chest chuckle against me.
“I think it might be mine, too,” he whispers. I feel him pull away, looking at something on the floor. I follow his gaze, noticing my now-stained skirt. “Well, I guess Eva and I won’t be wearing skirts today.” I sigh, now wondering what I’m going to wear. “You could wear it; it will show everyone that you’re off limits,” he says. I turn to look at him, a smile on his face as he wiggles his eyebrows up and down. I slap his chest lightly, pushing myself off his lap. “Calm down, cowboy. We need to get this show on the road.”
I follow the smell of coffee, finding Eva, Gunnar, and Axel gathered in the kitchen, just like we did on the morning we left Providence. Ant and I agreed that it would be best to go down separately to stop any rise of suspicion. I hate the thought of keeping this secret, but for now it’s for the best; we can’t have anything risk the integrity of the buyer’s meeting.
“Is there a reason the kitchen is always the meeting place?” I ask, pouring myself a cup.
Flynn lifts a half-eaten bagel in the air. “Brain food,” he says, words muffled by a mouthful of carbs.
Axel raises his cup with a lazy smile. “Coffee.”
“Nowthat, I can agree with,” I say, moving to stand next to Eva, who’s leaning on the counter like she’s been there for hours.
She nudges her elbow into my arm, eyes scanning me head to toe.
“What happened to us wearing skirts?” she whispers, her gaze dropping to my less-than-flirty outfit, which consists of my black fitting jeans and a white crop top.
I feel my cheeks heat, and I tilt my head just enough for my hair to curtain my face, hoping it hides the pink blooming across my cheeks.
“Something… happened.”
Her brow arches, slow and knowing, and a smirk spreads across her face, like she’s just solved a mystery she wasn’t even supposed to be working on. “Happened… orhappened?”
I keep my eyes on my coffee, lips twitching. “Drink your caffeine, Eva.”
She hums under her breath, still smirking. “You still need to tell me what happened thefirsttime. But for now, I’ll wait.” Herhum of amusement fades when Carter walks in, followed by Ant, laptop tucked under his arm. My heart jumps at the sight of him, my body calling to his as he looks straight at me. He smiles at me, and I can’t help but smile back.
“We’ve got Benny’s location for the day. He’s at the bakery just as we suspected.” Carter says.
Ant sets the laptop up on the island. A map flashing across the screen.
Eva straightens, leaning forward on her elbows to get a better view. “Which bakery? There’s like three on this street.”
“Bakery on Webster Avenue. ‘Evolved.’” Carter says, at the same time that Ant zooms in. “Guy called Benny still runs it. He’s been around for years, talks more than he should. If anyone’s got whispers on the new players moving in, it’s him.”
Flynn leans back against the worktop, crossing his arms as he glances around the room. “What’s the plan?”
Axel looks towards Eva and me like he’s had this plan in mind since we mentioned we were going to do it, whether they liked it or not. “You two go in. Blend in as customers, scope the place, and see if Benny will talk. Gunnar will watch from the outside, keeping an eye out for anyone tailing or listening.”
“And if something goes wrong?” Flynn asks, his tone flat but heavy.
Gunnar grins. “Then I come inside and ruin someone’s day.”
Eva and I exchange a quick look. We’ve worked on enough jobs together to know we don’t need to talk through the details; we’ll adapt on the fly.
“Alright,” I say, grabbing the mug from the counter and finishing my coffee in one swallow. “Let’s go shopping for some overpriced pastries.”
CHAPTER 32
EVA
I’m halfwayto the front door when a hand closes gently around my wrist.
“Eva.”
I turn, finding Axel standing in the hallway, leaning against the doorframe like he’s been waiting for me to pass. His eyes drag over my face, searching for something, before dropping briefly to the bag slung across my body.
