Page 72 of Witness Security Breach

Charlie shot him a confident, lopsided grin that was sexy as hell, and all he wanted to do was kiss her, but then he’d want to press down against the mattress, their limbs tangled, and work up a good sweat.

Restraint, he told himself.

“That’s where Enzo Romero comes in,” Charlie said.

“How so?” Aiden was skeptical about getting a second mobster involved, but Charlie had insisted they might be able to use him.

“The first year I was in a group home as a teenager, I was separated from my sister and surrounded by older, bigger, quite frankly tougher girls. There were two, Tasha and Judy. Both mean. Downright vicious. And they hated each other. Anyway, Tasha took this bracelet that Brit had made for me. I got my butt kicked trying to get it back. One day, someone messed up Judy’s bed, went through all her stuff. I told her that it was Tasha.”

“Did you do it?”

Charlie shook her head. “No, it was another girl who hated her. But I used it. When Tasha went for Judy, I went and got my bracelet back. We use Enzo to cause trouble that Big Bill can’t ignore right before the meet. If Enzo is already squeezing Bill out, then what we want him to do should be more amusement than a chore.”

“Divide and conquer.”

“It’s the only way to win.” She moved their dishes, setting them on the nightstand.

“We need to make a list of places to scout tomorrow morning.” He zoomed in on the map. “All within easy walking distance of Jackson Square. Then we should get some sleep. We’ve got to get up early and tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

“Do you want to make that list before or after?” Her mouth spread in a wicked hot smile that instantly heated his blood, igniting something inside him.

He closed the laptop and pulled her closer. “Definitely after.”

Chapter Seventeen

Early-morning sun slashed through the opening in the curtains, banishing some of the shadows in the room. Charlie rolled over to find the bed empty, the room quiet and Aiden gone.

The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee wafted through the space. He knew that it was painful for her to operate in the morning without a cup of hot black java.

She ran her palm across the sheet, where he had slept snuggled up against her, and found the spot cold, as though he’d been gone awhile. Much longer than to dash out to get breakfast from Henri. Charlie buried her face in his pillow and smelled him on it.

The scent was comforting and made her ache for the feel of his warmth at her back, the weight of his arm draped over her.

They were neck-deep in a disaster, gambling everything on the choices and actions they made today, and she had never slept better in her entire life than she had last night with Aiden curled around her.

Home. Aiden was her home. Her constant that would never change. No matter how horribly the world fell apart, as long as they were together, she’d be able to deal with it.

Footsteps thudded up the exterior stairs. Aiden.

He unlocked the door and swept inside carrying two plates of food covered in aluminum foil. “Good morning. I have breakfast casserole with andouille sausage, eggs and potatoes, and bananas Foster French toast.”

“Mmm. It smells delicious. If Aunt Henri keeps this up, we’ll never want to leave.”

He set the plates on the counter and unwrapped them.

“You were gone a long time.” She slipped a shirt on and padded over to him. “Where were you?”

Leaning over, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her gently. Tenderly. “I went to Jackson Square to put things in position while it was still dark, before the FBI sets up.”

“You should’ve woken me. I would’ve gone with you.”

“It only required one of us to take care of it and I wanted to let you sleep.”

He was amazing, beautiful, impossibly sweet and so much more than she deserved.

Rising on the balls of her feet, she threw her arm around his neck and kissed him again. “Thanks. But we should stick together.”

He poured two cups of coffee and handed her one. “Hurry up and eat, then get dressed. Junior is waiting downstairs to give us a ride so we can check out locations.”