The Complete Red-Hot And Historical Collection. Kelly Hunter

      ‘I should have told you I was heading off and wouldn’t be in contact for a while. I thought the less you knew of my movements last week the better, but clearly that isn’t going to work for us.’

      ‘I used to wake up all the time when I was small. New country, big house with staff, and my parents would be gone. No one ever told me anything. I used to feel so invisible. I still react badly to feeling invisible.’

      ‘I have never thought of you as invisible. I walk into a room and you’re the one I look for. As for those bodies that the Dutch claim exist … That was never part of my plan. I knew you’d be wondering what had gone on with the boy and I thought to protect you by telling you nothing. I knew you were looking for me and I still didn’t call. I would have called had I known what I know now. If ever there’s a next time, I will call. There can be ground rules. Never leave without saying goodbye. Never stay away without getting in touch. Never let you think that I don’t love you. Because I love you so much.’

      He’d always thought that those simple little words of love would be hard for him to say.

      They weren’t.

      ‘I love you.’

      ‘You do?’ She curled her hand around her coffee cup and wouldn’t look at him. ‘You could have anyone.’

      ‘Good—because I choose you.’

      ‘Someone beautiful.’

      ‘You are beautiful. And don’t say I could have someone young, who’d want to give me a family. I know what I want. From the moment I saw you that was me gone. Please, Rowan. Give me another chance.’

      ‘Okay.’

      He could barely hear her.

      ‘You kind of had me at I made a promise to a seven-year-old. And you kept it.’

      Finally she looked up at him and he allowed himself to hope.

      ‘Would you like to take this somewhere more private? My place?’

      ‘Or my place here? You haven’t seen that one yet. Or the apartment? Wherever you feel the most comfortable.’

      ‘My place. Or— No. There’s no food in the fridge.’

      ‘Do we care? Are we caring about that?’

      ‘Not even ice cream. I ate it in one sitting. When I thought you were dead.’

      ‘Perfectly reasonable.’ He had sisters. He could handle this.

      ‘I cursed you to straight to hell.’

      ‘Harsh, but fair.’

      ‘You do realise the power balance will tumble back and forward between us all the time?’

      He smiled at that. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’

      ‘And my work—we’re going to need some ground rules when it comes to what I can discuss.’

      ‘I can understand that. I’m good with that. I have a couple of ongoing projects that I won’t discuss either. We can do this. We just need to keep the communication lines open when it comes to what we can’t discuss. I can tell you I’m off to visit the penguins in Antarctica every now and then. Call you from an iceberg.’

      He spun some money on the table, more than enough to cover the drinks they’d ordered, and stood.

      ‘I really need to hold you now. And we need to take it somewhere private, because my self-control is all but shot.’

      She came around to his side and pressed up against him.

      He’d never known a woman’s touch that could both soothe and inflame him until this touch. He never wanted any other woman at his side but this one.

      ‘My place is closest,’ she whispered. ‘We could go there, and I could gather the courage to stand naked before you and tell you that I love you right back.’

      ‘Good plan.’

      They made it outside and to the car door before he gave in to temptation and kissed her.

      ‘You have no idea how much I admire your forward-thinking right now.’

      ‘And then you can get naked too—I can help you with that—and then you can tell me you love me again.’ She smiled dulcetly. ‘And make me believe it.’

       CHAPTER FIFTEEN

      THE LITTLE YACHT rode the waves with panache, even if the interior cushions were still the colour of mustard. Rowan had the wheel, and Jared trimmed the sails, and together they made the craft skim through the Pacific like a hot knife through butter.

      Put Rowan and Jared together and they could usually conquer anything. This they had discovered in the six months they’d been together.

      It had been the happiest, most adventurous and fulfilling six months of her life.

      Jared’s siblings had accepted her without question, even if she was ten years older than Jared and destined to remain childless. Jared’s choice—Jared’s business. They trusted him, as she trusted him, to do right by all of them.

      He was that kind of man.

      He’d taken on two more retrieval jobs since Celik, with Rowan’s full knowledge and unofficial support. Rowan had been his muse and Damon had been his handler during the runs. Jared had called her every day and talked about penguins and icecaps. He’d returned bearing fresh scars and seeking her touch, and she was no longer worried that she wasn’t the one for him.

      Not when every glance and every touch confirmed it.

      Three times now Rowan had asked Management if she could call him in on a case. They’d let her bring him up to date and together they’d brainstormed. On one turbulent occasion he’d even gone into the field and fixed it.

      Yes, she’d been worried. Yes, she’d handed over case management to Corbin on that one. But she’d been Corbin’s shadow and there’d been security and reassurance in knowing that she had every detail of his whereabouts and actions at her fingertips.

      Action and thought. They could slice and dice these two elements every which way and still manage to make things work.

      ‘Hey, Jared? Where are we going?’ she called as he tightened the mainsail and she adjusted their course.

      ‘East.’ He could still be insanely fuzzy when it came to details. ‘We’ll just tack our way out.’

      ‘Yes, but why?’ If they kept going east they’d end up in Chile.

      ‘The wind, Ro, the wind! Think of the ride back in on the turnaround.’

      And then there was the fun in him. The daredevil with the mile-wide grin and eyes the colour of the ocean.

      She had a proposal for him.

      ‘Hey, Jared? I had a talk with Management yesterday and they offered me a new position. Complete autonomy. Black operations. Specialist team.’

      ‘Really?’ Suddenly the sail snapped tight and he tied it off and made his way back to her. ‘What was your answer?’

      ‘I declined the offer and gave them a counter-offer to consider.’

      His arms came around her from behind, crossing over her waist, making her feel treasured.

      ‘This is why I love you,’ he murmured. ‘What did you tell them?’

      ‘That I wanted to finish up in my position and go freelance. Or a part-time position. And that I would bring my own carefully selected team to the table with me when required.’

      Jared leaned