“Do it. Get away for a while. I’m still in shock myself. Poor Travis has been in that interrogation room for so long.”
Lily looked down the hallway. Sarafina’s gaze followed. She lost track of the time. She had no idea how long she’d been at the FBI headquarters. She refused to be swayed when Dax told her she didn’t need to come with. One look and he knew he wouldn’t win that argument. Travis needed her. Dax needed her. And the most important part, she needed them more than anything else.
“Perhaps you need to get away.” Lily squeezed her hand. “With someone special. Someone I wanted to bash over the head with a frying pan until he dashed out of the house like his world was ending.”
Sarafina turned to her, brows dipping into confusion. “A frying pan? What did he do?”
“He’s not the brightest when delivering news.”
“He doesn’t like to talk. His last relationship didn’t last because he never talked.”
Lily side bumped her. “Bet you get him to talk with ease.”
She laughed and bit her bottom lip to stop the smile from becoming bigger. “He might’ve said he couldn’t live without me. That he loves me. Maybe even said marry me.”
Lily slapped a hand over her mouth to squash the squeal that wanted to escape. “What did you say?”
“It wasn’t good timing. I haven’t answered.”
“Well, what are you going to say?”
“We barely know each other. And I think I should reserve that answer for him.”
Lily leaned against the wall. “Maybe it hasn’t been long, but you remember when I met Ryan, don’t you? That festival in Central Park. Two weeks and I knew he was the one for me. The only reason I didn’t follow my heart was because I knew how my dad would react.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t ask you to marry him right away, did he?”
“No. But I would’ve asked him. I knew. I can’t explain it. Follow your heart, Fina. He’s an idiot with words, but he loves you. That was pretty clear.”
An hour later, Sarafina was wandering the hallways trying to pass the time and not lose her mind. After visiting with Lily and Ryan, and still no news on how long Travis would be, she needed a small breather to herself.
Travis had said he would tell Dax everything he knew. She was proud of him for that. Never once did she doubt he was a good man. Well, okay. She might have doubted it for a brief moment when he pointed the gun at her. Then, like a flash of lightning, he swiveled the gun toward his father and boom. The loudest noise imaginable echoed around her. The way crimson red blossomed out a teeny tiny hole and trickled down like a lazy river. Mr. C had stood frozen for what seemed like minutes before collapsing to the ground.
She hadn’t known what to do after that. Did she check for a pulse? Did she hug Travis and thank him? Did she comfort him? Nothing but terror had entered her mind. Then, nothing mattered. Dax burst into the house, and all she wanted to do was run into his arms.
“We gotta stop doing this. It’s becoming a habit. Although, it’s not a bad one when I think about it. It puts you in my arms,” Dax whispered as he pulled her further into his arms after she bumped into him.
Clearly, she hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings. Daydreaming. More like, reliving a nightmare. Thankfully, she ran into Dax when her mind had drifted away from her.
A light kiss and a tender caress down her back soothed her nerves. She hadn’t realized she was so tightly coiled together she could burst at any moment.
“You shouldn’t be here. We have your statement. You look tired.” Dax grabbed her cheeks, rubbing his thumbs, as his face flashed a myriad of emotions. “Talk to me, Sarafina.”
“You hate talking.”
“It’s not so bad when I’m talking to you.”
“I am tired. But I want…”
Dropping her eyes, she couldn’t seem to find it in her to finish the sentence. Fear. Again. So much fear.
“You want to wait for Travis. He’s almost done. Just writing a few more things down. He refused to talk to anyone but me. That’s why I haven’t been checking on you like I wanted to. I wasn’t trying to avoid you or anything.”
“He gets to go home?”
Dax dropped his hands and shoved one through his hair. “Yeah. All charges for his arrest a few weeks ago have been dropped. He’s a free man. The information he provided should help us take down a lot of people. It’ll be a long process, though. My favorite part is, I don’t have to leave. Travis is the boss now. He assured me he’d put a stop to the hits out against me and Ryan. I believe him. Plus, once we get most of Martin Chilani’s men off the streets, it shouldn’t be an issue.”
He started to run another hand through his hair when she grabbed it. “So, no running. What do you—” Wow, this was hard. She blew out a breath. “I want you to take me home. I want you to stay.”
“Here I thought I was still competing with Travis.”
“You’ve never competed with him. You’ve always been the only one. Did you mean what you said earlier?”
A sweet grin grew as he pulled her in for a kiss. A slow, delicious kiss that told her without words that he meant what he said. Her body shifted closer and molded perfectly to his frame. Every hard inch touched her, bringing the burning desire front and center. Now she really wanted him to take her home.
“I want to find a closet. Have my wicked way with you,” he whispered, then peppered a few sensual kisses down her neck and back to her mouth.
“Maybe we do need to work on this talking business you don’t like to do.”
He laughed with her. “I meant what I said. Problem is, you haven’t answered my question.”
She shrugged, yet her smile never wavered. “It sounded more like a statement at the time.”
“Is this payback for all the times I left before morning? Holding me in my misery? Extending the suspense?”
“No. You were never anything but honest. I should’ve never expected more. That’s on me.”
He sighed. “Sarafina, I’m—”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
A smile so wide grew on his face that she couldn’t help but kiss him. Tossing her arms around him, she jumped and wrapped her legs as tightly as she could. “I’m ready for that closet now.”
“One closet coming right up,” he whispered against her lips as they laughed together.
Two feet ahead of him, he found the perfect closet.
16
Dax tried to draw in a decent breath as his friend—and partner—fiddled with his bow tie. “Could you hurry up? You’re choking me here.”
“Damn thing won’t stay straight. I’m no bow expert.”
Swiping his hand, he finally inhaled a deep breath. Colt laughed as he took a step back. “I don’t think it’s customary to kill the groom right before he’s about to get married.”
“Tell me. Is it customary to kill one of the guests before the ceremony?” Colt asked, his face rigid, his lips pressed together so tightly that Dax wasn’t sure how one word slipped out.
He followed Colt’s gaze to where Travis laughed with his sister. His hand touched her shoulder and she appeared to lean further into him that Dax almost thought she would tip over soon.