Page 60 of Into the Shadows

“Anything that comes my way. I can share my preferences as I get a feel for the job.”

“Sounds like the perfect gig.”

“I think it might be. It’s hard to believe it just landed in my lap.”

I scoff. “Your reputation is what got you this job. I have no doubt your superiors wanted you to thrive outside of your unit. That’s the only reason they’d recommend you.”

Teddy looks down at his lap. A pleased smile ticks up the side of his mouth. Could he be any cuter?

“When are you coming home?” I demand.

His confident demeanor comes back in full force. “Miss me?”

“You know I do.”

“Good. I miss you, too. I fly out tomorrow evening.”

“That’s fast. I thought you had to stay for two more days.”

“I did too, but Jackson took one look at me and said, ‘Yeah, you’ll be fine.’”

I laugh. “He just wanted to meet you in person?”

“Pretty much. While he accepts recommendations, he told me he’d never hire someone until he could look them in the eye. I also met his wife, Thia. She’s a spitfire, just like you. I have no doubt the two of you would gang up on us.”

“I hope I get to meet her one day.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Teddy tells me more about his day with the team. If he hadn’t told me he wanted to come home, I’d be afraid he would stay. It sounds like he really likes them. It reminds me that he needs friends here to support him. While my friends have welcomed him with open arms, he needs people of his own.

He did have lunch with Noah without any prompting from me. While Noah is closer to us in age, he’s more like a young uncle than anything else. I could see him and Teddy becoming friends, which would make me inordinately happy.

Could our future really be coming together this easily?

I refuse to question it. All that path leads to is worry and heartbreak.

Chapter 34

Teddy

“Fuck, I missed you,” I groan against Lottie’s mouth.

She grins, yanking me by my T-shirt toward my bedroom. “Good.”

I wrap my arm around her waist to carry her the last few feet to my bed. I’ve been thinking about getting her right here since I landed at the airport in Greensboro. She picked me up wearing a tight cropped tank top and leggings, and it took every ounce of effort I had not to rip it off her immediately.

In fact…I do just that. The seams of her leggings pop at the aggression. Lottie gasps, her eyes growing wide as she lies in the middle of my bed.

“You’ve been naked under there this entire time?”

She smirks. “I thought it would save us some time.”

I pounce on her, making her squeal. “You’ll be the death of me, you know that?”

“I sure hope not. I’d miss you too much.” Her soft tone spears me right in the chest. Lottie lifts my shirt over my head and tosses it to the ground. I do the same to her tank, grinning down at her when I see she’s not wearing a bra either.

I dip my head to pull her full tit into my mouth. Myfingers pluck at her other nipple until she’s squirming under me. Lottie’s fingers spread through my hair, her nails scratching at my scalp. She doesn’t direct me, just holds me close so I won’t leave her. I have no plans of doing anything of the sort.

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