Page 76 of Dare to Love Again

“Our owner/CEO is ex-military, as are most of us. Emphasis on the ex, lass, so don’t think I’ll be deployed come tomorrow.”

“Andrew was a Marine. That doesn’t help your case, sir. He had a hero gene in his DNA, and I suspect you do, too.”

“Protecting the innocent and standing up for what is right isn’t a bad thing, Esme. It’s something we should all strive to do.”

She looked down at her hands, unable to keep from remembering the last hero she’d held in her arms. “So, you were saying about this drug boss thing...”

“It fell into our laps when we learned one of our clients was in deep with a drug pipeline running from Mexico, through San Antonio, all the way to LA. The DEA here pieced things together and called Tony. That we were the last to know did not make Tony Rossi happy. We don’t operate dirty—whether it be with money, drugs, guns, or women. Therefore, we did what was necessary to shut down this client and make sure they did not implicate us in his dirty drug deals. Lo and behold, what was happening in San Antonio led us to Lopez here, something that made the Bureau ecstatic and the LAPD pissed as hell since he’d been slipping through their fingers for months.” He reached out, caught her hands in his, and squeezed them tight. “He’s locked down now, Esme, as is his crew. In a few weeks, when the papers quit droning on about it, we’ll be out of the spotlight and back to business as usual; designing security systems for multimillion-dollar celebrity homes and dealing with pop diva’s and pretty boy actors needing security for their next personal appearance or award ceremony.”

She looked up at him, uncertainty roiling in the pit of her stomach. “What about when Lopez gets out? Or, if they call out a hit on you through the Mexican Mafia?”

His brows slammed together, and his lips dipped, deepening his frown. “Who told you about them?”

“Mistress Latrice.”

Anger flickered in his eyes, but he replied gently, “As thanks for getting Lopez off their turf,La Emeis more likely to send me a gift basket than a hitman.”

“Who?”

“The M, aka the Mexican Mafia. In the gang world and LA drug trade, Lopez and his clan were small potatoes and more of a pain in the ass forLa Emethan competition.”

None of it sounded safe to her. She shook her head.

“What if the big one hits California?”

“What?” she asked, his question so random she wasn’t sure she’d heard him right.

“Or suppose some idiot blowing 4.0 gets behind the wheel and takes me out on the 401? I could keel over from eating too many Guerrilla Tacos chimichangas. I mentioned my obsession with the place, so believe me when I say it’s a considerable amount. But there’s always a chance I could live to the ripe old age of ninety-seven and die in my sleep as my grandad did.”

She closed her eyes, now understanding where he was going with this. It made sense. Had she lived so long in the cocoon she’d woven around herself that she couldn’t even try for a man as special as Finn?

He wouldn’t let her shut him out. “Look at me, lass.”

When she did, he was so close; all she could see were his beautiful green eyes.

“We can’t predict what will happen, baby. Only the big man knows that. So we have to live our lives taking every day as it comes like it could be our last, no holding back.”

She gazed back at him, the warm, melty feeling inside catching fire and becoming the heat of desire. Still, she’d never been one to gamble. Could she do so now?

“I’m not exactly a glass-half-full kind of person,” she told him uncertainly.

Smiling gently, he curled his hand behind her neck. “I get that,a stór. Lucky for you, I am.” He drew her even nearer until they were nose to nose and his words brushed over her lips. “Stick with me and you’ll be grabbing life by the horns and living like you were meant to.”

“Tenacious and stubborn,” she muttered, though with a rasp in her voice and a quickness to her breathing, her resolve all but evaporated.

“As the day is long. You gave me a taste of something special, and possessive dominant that I am, I’m keeping it for my own.”

He kissed her then, not gentle or sweet but hungry. With avid lips and a wickedly agile tongue, he claimed her, plain and simple, and took her breath away.

When he raised his head, she was clinging to him, her fingers somehow entwined in his hair without her knowledge.

“I’m taking you home to rest, lass. We’ll talk more afterward.”

“My car is here.”

“I’ll get one of my guys to drive it home for you.”

She stared up at him, wanting to be with him as much as she wanted to run away. But she’d felt worse in the twenty-four hours away from him than she had in a long while. Suddenly too tired to fight him, she relaxed in his hold.

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