was upset because I had been avoiding her, let me set that straight. I’ve been working at Dirty from noon until almost four in the morning for seven days straight, and I finally pulled myself away from that to give up some much-needed sleep in order to close these cases out. I already told Shane, my manager, that I wouldn’t be in tonight because I needed to take care of something. Now, it isn’t any of your business, but I had planned to go see her tonight. I’ll also share that I’ve talked to her briefly during the week, and she understands that I couldn’t get away until tonight. So if she is upset still, respect me enough to know I’m working on it.”
“You done?” he probes when I stop talking, an odd look crossing his features.
“I think so.”
He nods, looking down at the frame before reaching out with one tan finger and pushing the corner of it until it is—once again—facing in a way that I can see Ember’s beautiful face.
I take a deep breath, slowly, so he doesn’t see I might have been seconds away from shitting my pants.
We continue to work on our respective cases in silence, the hours passing quickly. I look down at my work, making sure to finish my notes up in as much detail as possible before hitting the enter key with so much force that it echoes around us.
I lean back with a satisfying smile when I think about the hell storm that is about to rain down on the CFO I had been investigating. Now, with that strike against the keyboard, not only will our client know the depths of his employee’s deceit, but the FBI will as well.
Now that my work is done, the rest is up to them.
And that officially ended my work at CS for the foreseeable future.
I look back at the turned frame and let myself relax knowing that even if she puts up a fight, now that I’m finished here, I can go there and then, I’m one step closer to getting my girl.
“Nathaniel.”
I look up at Maddox and pray he isn’t about to kick my ass now. I would rather not have to explain to Ember that her father tried to kill me before I even had a chance to win her.
“Sir?”
“I’m proud of you,” he declares, causing me to pause cleaning up my files. “I’m not an easy person to stand up to and the fact that you had no problem putting me in my place shows me just what kind of man you’ve become. You might play the part of the carefree clown, but you have a strength about you that shows me if my baby girl decides to give you her heart, you’re worth holding on to it.”
I almost lose control of my body and drop dead in shock at his words. Fuck me, but I never thought I would get his blessing. I figured winning Ember would be the easy part—winning her father’s approval being the fight.
“Thank you, Maddox,” I reply, pretty damn proud that I’m able to keep myself from pumping my fist up in victory.
“That being said,” he continues, his voice taking on a threatening tone. “If you hurt her in any way, remember that I know how to kill you and make it look like an accident. Don’t make me have to kill one of my best friends’ boys, Nate.”
“Uh,” I hesitate, my eyes widening.
“Nothing to say. I know where you stand and you know where I stand. You have my blessing to make her happy, but with that comes the promise of what I’ll do if you fuck that up.”
I nod, swallowing the pool of saliva that had gathered in my mouth.
I place the last folder of my closed cases in the tray on the side of my desk and grab my phone off the charging dock before turning to leave, only to stop in my tracks when Maddox calls my name.
“Coming from me as a man and not a father, know I speak from firsthand knowledge that women don’t take kindly to being pressed against a wall unless you actually remember doing it to her too.”
Fuck me. He did not just say that.
“And,” he continues, looking down at his monitor. “My daughter deserves better than being pushed up against a dirty wall. Don’t do that shit.”
Without knowing what in the fucking hell I’m supposed to say to that shit, I give him a gruff sound of