Page 111 of Wicked Intention

The words hit him like a punch, driving the air from his lungs. When he had enough oxygen to talk again, he said, “You never had to mold yourself for me. Who you are is enough.”

Her side-eyed glance told Finn she didn’t believe him. All this time, he’d thought he was the most fucked-up person in their relationship, but he wasn’t. Zo was.

He hadn’t told her how he felt about her because he’d been waiting for her to say the words. Finn hadn’t wanted to risk himself. But Zo couldn’t say it first because she didn’t believe she was worth loving. She thought she had to make herself be the woman she thought he wanted. Shit, her parents had messed her up.

The crazy thing was how similar they were. Growing up, he’d morphed himself to fit in with his newest family, and she’d molded her behavior to meet expectations. He shook his head. Crazy was putting it mildly.

If he hadn’t heard the sound of helicopter rotors, Finn would have drawn her to a halt and hugged her tightly. No one needed to be loved more than Zofia Parker.

“We’re headed to the helicopter?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“You’re shipping me off?”

“We talked about this. I need you safe in the States. You promised me no farther south than Nicaragua, remember?”

“Nicaragua. I swear.” Her lips curved slightly. “I can’t wait to see what Archer says when I tell him I can’t take a job.”

Griff and Ski met them before they reached the clearing. “Better move,” Griff said. “The copter is about to head out.”

“We’re moving,” Finn said. He hustled Zo just outside of the range of the rotors and wrapped his arms around her. She hung on, lifting her face, and he met her halfway, kissing her as if the world was ending.

Maybe it was.

At least the world as he believed it to be.

A tap on his shoulder ended the embrace. The captain pointed to the copter and scowled, his message clear. Finn nodded.

Crouching, he escorted her to the door of the helicopter and put her on board, buckling her in himself. “Stay safe,” she shouted at him to be heard over the sound of the rotors. “And get word to me somehow when you can.”

She’d rightly guessed that he wouldn’t be texting her to check-in. In fact, it might be months before he got to talk to her again.

He squeezed her hand, and taking a step back, said, “I love you, loquita.”

Chapter Forty-Two

Trujillo, Puerto Jardin

2 Weeks Later

THE MERC BAR was crowded and smoke-filled. Finn had been damn lucky to get a seat when he’d arrived, but it wasn’t his first choice. It wasn’t even in the top five. The scarred wooden table rocked every time he put his beer bottle down. At least it had a partial wall behind it, and he’d shifted his chair to take full advantage of it.

His idea that it would be exciting to work covert ops one final time had faded quickly, and all he wanted to do was get this mission over with and go home to his woman. Two weeks since Zo had boarded that copter. It felt like an eternity.

At least she was in LA—his captain had verified her safe arrival—but Finn wanted to talk to her. And he couldn’t. He had a phone now, a temporary one supplied by his team, but he didn’t want her number tied to this mobile. Just in case.

He could pick up another, but because the Puerto Jardinese government continued to look for him, he’d have to buyit through some underground market. It meant he’d have to trust that the device would actually work and that no one was monitoring keystrokes or conversations or pinging the GPS and tracking him. It was a risk he couldn’t afford.

Telling Zo he loved her seconds before she left wasn’t the bravest move he’d ever made. He’d thought it would be easier. The problem now was wondering what her response would have been. Would she have said the words to him? Would she have donned a sympathetic look and said, you know I like you, but…?

He swiped a hand over his mouth. Zo had to love him back. She wouldn’t have let him move in with her if she didn’t. He’d told Ski that not discussing it meant she couldn’t say no, but if there was one woman he could trust to speak her mind, it was his loquita. If she hadn’t wanted him there, his ass would have been out the door.

What if it’s only the sex?

Finn scowled and shook his head. He couldn’t let his thoughts circle like this for the months it took to wrap up this operation. He’d make himself insane if he did.

He spotted Griff when he enteredEl Taller. His teammate scanned the room, located Finn, and headed to the bar to get his own beer. By the time he sprawled into the chair across from him, it was twenty minutes past their meeting time. “You’re late,” Finn said tersely. Check-ins, when there was nothing to report, were a fucking waste of energy.

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