Page 36 of No Going Back
He leaned on the doorjamb. “Yep.”
She threw up her hands, but her eyes were dancing. “You’re the worst.”
“That’s not what you said last night. Or this morning.”
A pretty flush covered her face. “Maybe I was just spouting nonsense in the heat of the moment.”
He stalked across the room and lifted her up so her legs wound around him.
She put her arms around his neck and laughed. “You’re cute when you’re riled up.”
“Cute?” Puppies were cute. Little kids. Pandas.
Branna kept laughing. “Cute. And sweet.”
He growled and leaned her back into the nearest wall. “I’ll show you exactly how not cute and not sweet I can be.”
Her face flushed further, and heat flashed in her eyes. His mouth crashed onto hers and the sparks that constantly flew between them ignited.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it. The world could wait.
From his spot in the sunbeam, Jabba jumped up and barked. He loped out of the room and down the stairs just as someone knocked on the door.
Sean leaned his head against Branna’s as she sighed. “To be continued.”
“Hope so.”
A glance at his phone showed it was Troy, and as they moved down the stairs, the front door opened. Piper carried Oreo in. Troy followed with another couple, all loaded down with packages and then he locked the door behind them and reset the security system. Even after almost a week, they weren’t taking chances.
Jabba circled Piper until she set Oreo on the floor. “Got over your nerves, did you? Go play, you two.”
The dogs went into their sniffing routine as they wandered into one of the living spaces on the main floor.
Branna had slowed behind him, so he took her hand while they descended the stairs. Until Prince Hawley was in jail, she’d be nervous about meeting new people. But Sean trusted Troy completely. If he’d brought these two here, they were safe people.
Troy’s eyes moved to Branna, and Sean saw the moment his friend realized she was stressed. “Hey Branna, Falcon. I’ve got some people I’d like you to meet.”
They moved down the stairs, and Troy continued. “Sean Falcone, Branna O’Dea, Aisling Gallagher, and Graham Buchanan. They’re from Midnight Lake. Graham is part of our Midnight Security team. He’s our expert at driving and anything mechanical and electrical. Aisling is a carpenter and expert at restoring old buildings.”
They all shook hands and did the usual greetings. “Let’s head back to the kitchen, and I’ll explain why I brought them out here. Also, we brought out some things that were delivered to Phail General for you.”
Sean thanked them and took Branna’s hand. She’d smiled and nodded her greetings but hadn’t spoken since the people had arrived.
Soon, they sat around the table with mugs of tea and cinnamon buns Piper had brought from Ginny Phail’s No Fail Diner.
Troy spoke again. “I trust the team from Midnight Lake one hundred percent. I’d trust all of them with my life and with Piper’s life. They’re some of the best people I know.”
Aisling’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Is there something wrong? Is that why we were doing the cloak and dagger routine?”
Troy laughed. “Straight to the point. Yes. But it’s not my story to tell.”
Beside him, Branna stiffened, but Troy didn’t look in her direction.
Troy continued. “Sean and Branna are here undercover, and it’s vital no one outside of our group hears their names or even a hint of strangers hanging out here.”
Both Aisling and Graham nodded. Graham smiled at Branna and then Sean. “No problem. We’ve been through some serious shit with our Midnight Lake team over the past year. We know exactly how important security is, and we’ll have your back if you need it.”
Aisling wrapped her hands around her mug. “We’re here for whatever you need. This team had my back when things got weird.”