Finally, when need threatened to have him backing her against a tree, he forced himself to break away. “I might’ve come to all this a little late, but don’t doubt that my feelings for you are just as strong, yeah? They’ll stand the test of time, no matter how hard that test is.” He took the hands that had slid down to his chest in a firm grip, grounding himself. “Which is why, when we go back tomorrow, I want you to come home with me. Stay with me, at least until we know what’s going to happen.” If he had his say, once he got her in his home, he would never let her leave, but there were too many things up in the air right now. At least he could give her—and himself—security until some of those questions were answered. “Please?”
Lyse gaped up at him, and he almost let a smug smile escape. He’d surprised her. He knew better than to let her see his satisfaction in that, though.
When she didn’t speak, he shook her hands a bit. “Lyse?”
Her name seemed to startle her out of whatever fog she’d dropped into. “Uh…yeah.” Her eyes widened. “Wait. You want me to live with you?”
“I want you to live with me.”
Those eyes went bigger, large and startled, dominating her face, but that meant he could see clearly when acceptance began to seep into them. “You want me to live with you,” she repeated, a bit dazed. And then, “Of course. Yes. You— Uh…absolutely, yes.”
He did grin then, scooping her into his arms for a kiss that sealed the deal and more, especially when her knees came up to grip his hips and settled her core against his cock as though they were a lock and key. A perfect fit. He’d never imagined anything could feel that right.
Tearing his mouth free, he buried it against her neck. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to be backing you against a tree out here,” he growled.
Lyse’s legs squeezed harder, allowing her to rub herself against his now straining erection. “I have no objections.”
He shifted his hands to her ass, grinding her even tighter against him. “Feck, woman.”
Lyse nuzzled the stubble along his throat, nipped his racing pulse. “I love it when you ‘feck.’”
That word on her lips sent fire deep into his gut. Within seconds he had her against the nearest tree, showing her just how good a feck could be.
Epilogue
“After speaking with the president and board of Global First, we’ve decided we won’t be pressing charges, Lyse,” Mark Alvarez told her.
Lyse staggered back, her knees banging into the chair behind her. She had no choice but to plop into the seat—it was either that or sprawl in undignified glory on the floor. Either way, her legs weren’t holding her up any longer. She’d embarrassed herself enough for one day, thank you very much. “You won’t?”
Mark had always been an intimidating man, but looming above her, a scowl marring his handsome face, his arms crossed over a chest that easily matched Fionn’s broad muscles, he was, honestly, terrifying. “We won’t.”
She swallowed hard, unsure how to respond. Unsure if saying the wrong thing would change his mind. Still… “I cost GF a lot of money; I’m more than aware of that. I don’t expect—”
“You shouldn’t expect anything,” he said, dark brows drawn down over his near-black eyes. “Replacing that wing of the hospital was, indeed, enormously expensive. I’m sure we can come up with ways for you to compensate us. Freelance work, for instance. A…gift…from you to us.”
Freelance. Because they would never willingly allow her access to their security again. She decided not to tell him she had access whether he was willing or not. Their new head of technology, Tucker, was good, but not as good as she was. “Of course.”
She could afford any gift Mark demanded, and she’d give it willingly, not only to make up for her mistakes, but because it meant not being away from Fionn. Not being locked up for the rest of her life.
“Lyse…” Mark planted his fists on his desk, looming over her. Intimidating her. “I understand why you did what you did. I know you felt like your choices were limited.” He didn’t mention Fionn, for which she was grateful. Nothing made her feel more naive, more…rash…than people pointing out that she’d blown up a multimillion-dollar building for love. “That doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed in you.”
Ouch.
“You came to us very young, straight out of intelligence training. You were bright, smarter than anyone I’d ever met, and I had high hopes that you’d be with Global First for the rest of your life. We certainly needed you. The fact that now, in light of everything, I can’t trust you to come back…” He shook his head. “Disappointed is putting it lightly.”
“I understand.” The words tried to clog in her throat, but she forced them out. She did understand, no matter how much it hurt. And she’d do anything Mark asked to make it right.
“I’ll have Tucker go over some protocols with you once we put them in place.” Protocols to keep her out of their system, she presumed. “After that, you’ll hear from us.”
The words were a clear dismissal. She stood, glad her legs would support her. She kept her hands at her sides, afraid Mark would refuse to shake one if she held it out. Fionn’s love had healed some of the “misfit” insecurities she’d carried for so long, but not all of them. Instead she dared to look him in the eyes, trying hard to convey all the things she couldn’t bring herself to say. “Thank you, sir.”
Mark’s nod was sharp. Without waiting for more of a reply,
