one is out of the country.”
She’d known this day would come but hoped they had more time.
He climbed into the bed as the dull ache of regret pushed tears to the corners of her eyes. Their time together hadn’t been very long. Barely a month, but only if you counted the days when they were running for their lives.
“I understand,” she said.
His hand cupped her cheek, and his thumb gently brushed the corner of her mouth.
“I want this to be the last one,” he said.
Shanice held his hand and kissed the middle of his palm. Shaking her head, she said, “You don’t mean that.”
“I’ve been thinking about leaving the agency, and it’s the only thing that makes sense. What I do is dangerous work, and I don’t want you to worry or get tangled up in my missions.”
“You’ll miss the adventure. You’ll get bored.”
Cruz shrugged. “I’ll adjust.”
“Can you? You’ve worked for the government almost half your life, and you’re very good at what you do. This work is in your blood.” She wanted him to stop, but not if it meant his happiness.
“Something else is in my blood now. You.”
Shanice cupped his face, bringing her lips close to his. “Can I tell you something?”
“Sure. Anything.”
She swallowed hard. “I love you.”
He smiled his crooked grin. “I love you, too.”
She smiled back, her heart beating faster with elation. She used to think you couldn’t really know someone or love them until you’d spent a lot of time with them. Her last relationship had been a bust even though she’d known her boyfriend for years. But the truth was, until now, she’d never known what real love could be.
Cruz had given her a new perspective. In a short time, he’d taught her there was no timeline where love was concerned. Words like “the norm” were irrelevant when it came to matters of the heart. She’d fallen in love with him and already couldn’t imagine her life without him in it.
How did this happen? How did she fall so hard for a man she’d known only a short time, with no reservations that he was her soulmate—the one made for her?
“And you’re sure you want to walk away from your career?” Shanice asked in a soft voice.
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. You’re my future, Shanice. Maybe I’ll start that security company I told you about. Or I’ll do something else. Whatever I decide, I want you beside me.”
She kissed him, their lips melting together in a soft, affectionate caress. Sliding a leg between his thighs, she pushed him onto his back and settled on top of his chest.
Cruz smoothed his hands down the curve of her back and let them rest on her butt cheeks. He squeezed and lifted his pelvis into hers, groaning as he did so.
“When do you leave?” Shanice asked.
“Tomorrow.”
God, she would miss him. Everything about him. The earthy, citrusy tang of his cologne, his deep laughter, and the way he touched her as if he never wanted to stop.
Shanice swallowed the pain of disappointment and said a quick prayer for his safe return. “Then let’s make the most of the time you have left.”
Cruz had never been so reluctant to leave on assignment before, but as he kissed Shanice goodbye at the door, her eyes filled with concern, he badly wished that he had a choice.
He’d only seen his life the way it had always been—alone. But Shanice had him thinking about lifestyle changes he’d never considered before—like home. Family. Love. He wished that he had a regular job, one where he left in the morning and came back in the evening to this woman who had turned his house into a home.
“Please be safe,” she whispered, standing on tiptoe and gripping his shirt in her fists.
“It’s nice to have someone so concerned about me. I think I could get used to this.” Cruz dropped one last kiss to her lips and got in one more squeeze of her delectable bottom before he pulled back. “I have to go before I miss my flight,” he said with regret.
“Okay. Take care.”
He walked to the car and tossed in his duffel bag. The agency expected him to be gone at least two months, but he intended to cut that time short by a significant amount.
He waved to her at the door. She stood in a short silk robe, head resting against the frame. His future, and the more he thought about it, his wife. He was going to