“I know he’s here. Cut the shit, Banks.”
A grin spread across my face until it physically hurt where I still had bruises. My Blaze was storming the castle walls, and from what I could make out, she was looking for me. I walked farther down the hall but did it slowly so I could catch as much of their conversation—definitely a loose interpretation—as possible before being discovered.
“Just calm down,” Elijah said.
Poor guy. I wanted to feel a tad sorrier for him, but the chance to witness my Blaze in action without being her actual target…well, that was something special indeed. Selfishly, I went for savoring as many minutes of it as I could.
“Seriously, Rio. Right now. You’ve got to breathe, woman.”
I pushed my lips together to keep from snorting in delight. Christ, he really had no idea who he was messing with.
“Don’t tell me what to do! You’re a liar, Elijah Banks. I don’t take orders from anyone, especially liars.”
A seething grunt leaked from his locked teeth. “Okay, I don’t appreciate—”
“Just save it,” Rio spat. “I don’t care what you do or don’t appreciate. I know he’s here, damn it. I tracked the phone he’s using. Either go get him, or I’ll start yelling for him. Believe me, he’ll hear me. Your neighbors probably will too.”
She’d make good on that threat. Fortunately, Elijah seemed to comprehend that too. Very fortunately, so did I—and I didn’t want to test her willingness about it anymore.
With steady steps, I emerged into the living room. The front door was about twenty feet away, and now we had a clear path to each other.
“Oh my God. Grant!” She dropped whatever she’d been holding—it looked like some sort of purse or bag—and started toward me. At first, she was slow and hesitant about it. She walked so carefully. No, it was really more of a stumble. But she gained speed as she neared. Lots of speed.
By the time she reached me and I swept her up in my arms, she had some good momentum behind her, and she nearly knocked me to the floor.
All I could do was bury my face in her neck and inhale over and over like there was a short supply of oxygen and I was trying to store up for all future breaths.
“God damn, I’ve missed you, Blaze. So much.”
I leaned back to look at her, only then realizing that I’d swept her completely off the ground. I grinned, feeling as mighty as a Titan, but I bent forward to set her back on the floor.
Her arms were surprisingly strong as she gripped me tighter around the neck.
“Don’t you dare put me down, mister. Not yet.” That last part came out in a shaky whisper, but then she found strength in her intention again. “Not ever.”
I raised a brow playfully, and shit, it felt so good to be lighthearted about something. “Ever?”
“Never.” With a solemn chin dip, she declared it to be.
And so it was.
Elijah cleared his throat, making us both turn to glare at him.
“Way to ruin a moment, man.”
“Really? You’re going there?” he volleyed. “Christ. All that sap is going to be hard to get off my floor, and I just had these redone.” He scuffed the slate tile with his sock-covered toe.
“Yeah, I noticed when I got here the other day,” I countered. “Wait, was that yesterday? No. Two days ago? Shit, I’m clueless. I don’t even know what day of the week it is. Regardless, floors look good.”
I walked over to my friend with my hand outstretched, and he took it. We did our usual combination of shakes and ended it with a brotherly hug.
“Thank you. For everything. I’ll get the clothes back to you.”
“Pfffft. Don’t stress about it. I’m not going to,” Elijah said.
“Do you stress about anything? Ever?” I teased.
“Nope. Not really.” He chuckled and held the door open for Rio and me.
Once we were outside Elijah’s gate, I stopped abruptly and turned to the incredible woman clutching my hand. Rio looked up and quickly shielded her eyes from the early morning sun, until I stepped one foot to the side and blocked the glare for her with my stance. I would throw my body into oncoming traffic if it meant making her day—a moment—easier for her.
“What is it?” she asked with genuine concern. “Did you forget something inside? Are you feeling okay?”
I threw my head back and laughed. It was a relief, easing some of the tension on the smile that was so big it hurt. “Do you have any idea how happy I am to see you this morning?” I circled her waist, reveling in how she truly felt like a radiant fire after the dark forest in which I’d been trapped for so damn long. “Do you know how happy I am that you came here for me?”
Her eyes sparkled with tiny gold flecks. Her chin jogged up at the same time as her gorgeous lips. “So…I’ll make you a deal, Tree.”
“Name it.”
Her pout was so full and sleek that I barely remembered she was propositioning me. My God, with that kind of an expression, she could’ve asked if I’d help her rob a bank, and I’d have been her eager accomplice.
“Don’t you want to hear the stakes?”
“Nope.” I thought of myself robbing a bank. It was still feeling like a hell of a lot of fun. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“Hmmm, in that case…” she said, now throwing in a devilish tilt to her glossy lips. “I was thinking we probably should get a bigger car. I think Kendall is a little too small for someone your height. And the plumbing in the bungalow is really acting up. I was thinking about putting it on the market, but I’m not sure it will pass inspection. And—”
While she recited the wish list, we were power walking toward her car. Her frenetic energy was buzzing all around her, nearly at an all-time high. I didn’t stop her. It was all too addicting. Too magnificent and familiar and beautiful. And absolutely perfect—until suddenly she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and nearly pulled my arm from its socket.
“Shit, baby. A little warning if you’re going to stop, yeah?”
“I was waiting for you to interrupt me!”
I shook my head. “Why?”
“Oh, Tree.” As she pushed against me and pressed a hand to my face, a salty wind blew some of her cute spikes against her own cheeks. “I would never expect any of it from you.”
I took a second, searching her face. Those sweet, full contours were better than my first sips of water after getting off the helicopter with Elijah. “But why not?”
She gave me a solid double take. “I was teasing you, Grant. None of that was what I was really going to say!”
“But don’t you know I’d give you the world if you asked for it? And what were you really going to say?”
“You’re ridiculous.” She batted my cheek but was still grinning.
“Pretty sure that’s not an answer. How is that ridiculous?”
She dropped her hand, though not far. With her slender fingers planted on my chest, she whooshed out determined air from her own. Damn it. I knew this move well. It was her one-size-fits-all for feeling overwhelmed, whether it was a slew of last-minute lunch orders or a string of my uncomfortable questions when she was on a yacht with nowhere to hide.