Page 106 of Disarming Caine

And if I knew anything about Samantha Caine, it was that fact which scared her more than chasing down the man who nearly killed us twice.

I smoothed her hair as her head sank against my neck. “Is this what life with you would be like?”

“What do you mean?”

“This roller coaster. Arguing so much.”

She tilted her head to look up at me. “You’ve been back for a week. So far, we’ve been shot at more than once, you got stitches, Paul and Frank are in the hospital…” Her face found my neck again, and she shuddered. “I hope I never have another week like this in my entire life.”

“These are good points.” I kissed the side of her head. “But at least we faced them together.”

“Together,” she whispered.

We remained like that for some time, and I curled a hand around hers as we began to sway to unheard music, the only sound our slow breaths. “Is this the part where we kiss and make up? Or should I get back to the food?”

She chuckled quietly and looked up at me, a twinkle in her eyes. “I’m pretty hungry, to be honest.”

“As am I.” I kissed her, a gentle sigh mingling between us. As we broke apart, I winked. “But which type of hunger?”

“Both.”

I leaned down to kiss her, but she escaped my grasp.

“But the more immediate one wants to know what you had on the stove because it smells amazing.” She wound up behind the chair, pulling it to shield herself from me.

“Not so fast.” I planted a knee on the chair, securing it in place, and grabbed her, capturing her lips. She laughed in the kiss, and I released her, returning to the kitchen on my terms.

She gestured toward the bottle of wine, and I poured her a glass as she sat at the breakfast bar to watch me work. This was far better. This was something I’d imagined doing while I was home. Chatting over wine while I prepared a meal—her culinary skills were limited to the microwave—and simply enjoying each other’s company.

“I’m not sure if I want to ask or not…” She tapped the phone, spinning it around once.

“It arrived by courier.” I cut the last of the tomatoes and began alternating it with cheese on a plate. “He only speaks of important things in person and this way. We can’t provide details to your friends at the police department, but if they require a nudge, we can do that.”

“I’m hoping Cam-ron’s going to give them enough information. I ran into him at the police station. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something different about him. Like he’s finally woken up.” She took a sip of her wine. “Did your cousin find anything out about the fresco or the last pigment pot?”

I placed the knife in the sink, rolling words over in my head. Partners. Together. No more lies. Pulling some basil leaves off a plant next to the refrigerator, I placed them on the counter and steadied myself. “This goes no further than here. But Fiori has them.”

Her reaction was not the shock I’d expected, but rather a triumphant, “Yes! I knew it!”

“No further than here. I’m deadly serious.”

“I know.” She took a gulp of her wine. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the FBI already found out. There’s a lot Elliot won’t tell me.”

Hours earlier, I would have said Elliot’s information about my uncle was the worst possible thing he could share. But the truth truly was the way to her heart. The more she knew, the more she accepted an honesty which would have been impossible before our discussion at the studio.

She touched the phone again. “Can I break it?”

I laughed. “The shredder upstairs will take care of the SIM card, but go ahead, if you wish. A burner’s not critical for me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has his lines tapped.”

After removing the SIM card, she snapped the phone in half and frowned. It was a strange sort of intimacy. After having fought over my past with Cristian and the burner in Napoli, she didn’t avoid the phone, as I would have expected.

She frowned at the pieces. “Not as satisfying as I’d hoped.”

I tore up the basil leaves and placed them over the salad. “I truly am sorry I didn’t tell you about this.”

She sighed, staring at the broken phone. “We’ve only known each other five months. It takes time for all the secrets to get out.”

The sweetened balsamic reduction went on last, and I placed it in front of her with two forks. She took a bite and her eyes fluttered closed as she chewed.