Page 23 of No Lies No Promises

A bit taken aback, he pours for Lillian, who takes a quick gulp, gives it a thoughtful nod, then waves him away. “Yes, yes. Fine, fine. Thank you.”

Salads delivered, the first glass of wine empty, Lil smiles. “Is it too late to break up the third-floor dynamic duo?”

“Grams and Becks? Easier to break up Batman and Robin.” My eyes soften on her. “Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?”

“Maybe, but never enough. I love you, too. You weren’t really jealous of Jeff Pearson, were you?”

“Jealous? No. More like cautious. There’s something oily behind his façade. Parkhaven is a dirty circus act, and he’s the ringmaster. I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

“But it’s why Dante hired me.”

“No babe, he hired you to be my assistant.” The minute I utter those words, I realize my mistake.

“Dante expected me to be arm candy? Are you fucking serious?” Face red, voice up an octave, she stands.

“No. Sit. Of course not. No one has your money laundering smarts.” Sighing, I take both her hands in mine. “I just don’t want a repeat of Mexico.”

“Me neither.” Adjusting her dress, she slips back into her seat. “Isn’t that why we agreed to work for Dante? We’re going to remove my father from our lives forever. A few risks are worth the reward.”

No. They’re not. Biting my tongue, I sip my wine. On this, we’ll have to agree to disagree. Nothing is worth risking her life.

Soon, our meals arrive. The filet mignon is so damn delicious, we eat in silence.

Eventually, she lays her knife across her plate and gestures with her fork. “Tell me more about your friend.”

“What do you want to know?” I scan the room out of habit. Still finding no threats, I return my attention to the woman I love.

Picking up her napkin, she dabs the corners of her sexy red lips, then captures my gaze. “Well, he’s our age. How did he come to own a huge organization of former government operatives?”

Her question catches me off guard. Apparently, Parkhaven isn’t the only organization she’s been researching.

I tell her what she’s no doubt found online. “His grandfather started the company. When he retired, Dante’s father, a four-star general, took over. A couple of years ago, his old man passed, and he inherited the business.”

“Hmm.” She taps a nail against the linen tablecloth. “And how did you guys meet?”

“We came up together. Served together. We were both trying to prove ourselves to demanding fathers. Mine was absent. His was in his face. After our first deployment, I left to pursue college. He did a second tour, and a third. We kept in touch. Thank God we did. No one else could’ve procured a helicopter fast enough to pull us from the jungle.”

“You saved me.” Her voice lowers to a whisper.

“We saved each other.” Reaching across the table, I take her hand.

As I kiss her knuckles, tears slip down her cheeks. “I love you, Sean Clark.”

She could say it a million times a day, and I would never tire of hearing it.

“Love you, too, Lil.”

Chapter 12

Lillian

Sean must’ve found a parking spot nearby because he walks into our apartment shortly after I’ve kicked off my heels. Locking the door, he backs me against the refrigerator. When his hands ride up my thighs to my bare butt cheeks, my legs wrap around his waist. Heat blooms in my belly as he lifts the stretchy fabric to my waist.

“Jeeesusss. Commando, babe? You’re killing me.” His breath catches, followed by a long hiss. “I need you something fierce.”

He kisses me, tasting of red wine. There’s an urgency in our passion, something more than ever before. Perhaps, we’ve crossed a wonderful, terrifying threshold, beyond love.

Pushing his chest, I reach between us, unlatch his belt and unzip his pants. Once I free his thick, hard, silky length, I fist him until a bead of cum wets my thumb. The appreciative growl from deep inside his chest sends zaps of desire to my clit.