"Definitely bedroom," she agreed, though she made no move to separate from him.
They made it as far as the hallway before Oliver pushed her against the wall, his mouth finding that spot on her neck that made her knees weak while his hands finished the work of removing her shirt. Heather tugged at his t-shirt, desperate to feel skin against skin, to eliminate every barrier between them.
"God, you're perfect," Oliver murmured, his lips tracing a path from her collarbone to the lace edge of her bra. "So fucking perfect."
"Bedroom," Heather managed, though her resolve was weakening as Oliver's hands found the clasp of her bra. "We should—"
"We should," he agreed, but instead of moving toward the bedroom, he lifted her against the wall, her legs wrapping around his waist as he kissed her with renewed intensity.
They eventually made it to the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind them as they stumbled through the doorway in a tangle of urgent hands and desperate mouths. When Oliver finally laid her down on the bed, his weight settling over her like a promise, Heather felt complete in a way that had nothing to do with physical pleasure and everything to do with emotional connection.
"I love you," she said against his lips as he moved inside her, the words spilling out with each careful thrust.
"Be sure. Be certain. Be mine."
"I'm yours," she promised, and meant it with every fiber of her being.
Later, as they lay tangled together in the aftermath, while Charlie's soft snoring drifted from the living room, Heather felt the kind of contentment she'd never experienced before.
"So," Oliver said, his voice full of satisfaction and exhaustion, "living together officially now. What's our next milestone?"
"Next milestone?" Heather tilted her head to look at him, noting the way the moonlight caught the sharp line of his cheekbone.
"I'm a planner. I like to know what we're building toward."
Heather considered the question, thinking about the house key now sitting on their nightstand, the integration of their daily routines, the way Charlie had seamlessly claimed space in her previously solitary life.
"How about we start with making it through your first road trip without me panicking about network security?" she suggested. "Then maybe we can discuss long-term planning."
"Deal," Oliver agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Though for the record, I'm already planning long-term. Hasbeen since that first night you trusted me enough to fall asleep in my arms."
"What kind of long-term planning?"
"The kind that involves Charlie having a backyard to play in. And maybe a ring that matches your eyes. And definitely a wedding where all my teammates can embarrass themselves trying to give speeches."
Heather's breath caught at the casual way he'd outlined a future that sounded impossibly perfect. "You've given this a lot of thought."
"I've given you a lot of thought. Every day since I met you." Oliver's voice carried the kind of certainty that made her chest tight with emotion. "I know it's fast, and I know we've got logistics to figure out, but I want everything with you. All of it."
"Everything?"
"Everything. The house, the ring, the embarrassing teammates giving speeches at our wedding. I want to wake up next to you and argue about optimal line combinations over breakfast."
"That sounds perfect."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Though I reserve the right to be correct about line combinations."
Oliver's laugh was warm and genuine, the sound of someone who'd found exactly what he'd been searching for without knowing he was looking. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
As they settled into sleep, Heather realized that everything she'd thought she wanted from life, career success, professional recognition, the satisfaction of solving complex problems, paled in comparison to this feeling of being completely known and unconditionally loved.
The conspiracy that had threatened to destroy them had instead brought them together. Travis was facing federalcharges, Kai was back in prison where he belonged, and the team had emerged stronger than ever. But more importantly, she'd found something she hadn't even known she was looking for, a partner who saw all of her, accepted all of her, and loved all of her.
And that, Heather thought as sleep finally claimed her, was the real victory.
Epilogue