Page 48 of Hustle

“Very remote, too,” I add, just a note of wicked promise edging into my voice.

She leans in for another kiss, and then pulls back to regard me with those piercing gray eyes. “I take it this isn’t your first time to Nova Scotia?”

My eyes cut toward her beautiful face, then down to her mouth. Out of habit, I hesitate, but let it go. I can open up, just a little bit, with Evi. “The stories are true. I stole Murph’s car senior year for a getaway, and Nova Scotia has been one of my favorite destinations ever since.”

I couldn’t wait to share it with her. We’re going to enjoy everything from the best hotels in Halifax to the windblown beaches of Cape Breton.

Naked. Oh, yes.

I stroke her soft hair, taking her all in. Evi was right that it’s never going to be easy with us. But who needs easy when you could have Evi, just as she is?

We kiss for a few moments before unloading her bags. I go to grab her luggage, but she presses Hank’s carrier into my hands.

“I need my two favorite men to get along,” she says, as Hank makes a noise that sounds more like a cow than a cat.

“Hmph,” I grunt, shifting the cat into one hand and taking the roller bag with the other. “I hope you’ve told him that too.”

She nods, looking back at me coyly. “I did. I think it’s the start of a beautiful relationship.”

I know what she means.

Epilogue - Evi - Three Years Later

The icy cold is settling into Boston, but it’s that beautiful time of year where the snow’s still a powdery optimistic white and holiday lights twinkle on the trees.

And up here in the penthouse, wrapped in a huge fuzzy blanket with Hank snoring on the back of the expensive sofa he claimed long ago, I feel at peace.

Mostly. Something I never expected to feel.

Glancing at the clock, I slide the book of art I’ve been thumbing through back onto the coffee table and grab my phone. It’s getting late, and I should probably think about ordering something for dinner.

Thai? Sushi?

A text from Seamus, received a few minutes before, forecasts his arrival seconds before the key turns in the lock.

Familiar sounds. Door unlocking, door opening, door locks sliding closed behind him. The Doyles take their security seriously.

Even now.

His keys hit the dish where he stores them, and there’s a click of his phone sliding into its docking station by the door. That’s the rule – you can work long hours. But when you’re home, I get you all to myself.

Even if it’s just for a few hours. Delicious, delicious hours.

“Evi?”

There’s a note of something in Seamus’ voice that has me freezing at the edge of the sofa, where I’m poised to stand. It’s a little off, like he’s nervous.

Seamus is rarely, if ever, nervous.

“In here,” I say softly, staying where I am.

He walks into the room, immediately filling up the space. Damn. That man can fill out a suit, and his dark grey suit and dark shirt mold to muscles in a way that has me contemplating skipping dinner and going straight for dessert.

Our eyes meet, and that anxious look melts into a warm smile.

“Are you free this evening?”

I walk over to where he’s standing and start to pull him toward the bedroom.

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