Keeping Gemma (Holiday Cove 2)

Gemma giggled. “You’re impossible. You know that, right?”

“What can I say? It’s part of my charm.” I kissed her slowly, letting myself get caught in the emotion of it.

“All right, Prince Charming, let’s go get this over with,” Gemma said as soon as I broke away from the kiss. She rolled off her side of the bed and padded off to the bathroom.

I smiled at seeing her naked ass and shook my head, marveling at how comfortable she was with herself. There was no duck, dodge, or scurry halfway wrapped in a sheet torn from the bed.

“Never has the expression, ‘I hate it when she leaves, but love watching her go’ been more true,” I called after her. Gemma’s giggle carried out to me and I basked into the relaxed moment, knowing it would be over all too soon.

As it turned out, convincing the FBI and FAA teams that something sinister was going on was a lot easier than I’d initially thought. After a quick breakfast—my not-so-world-famous, four egg scramble on dry toast—Gemma and I went over to the museum and just as expected, the two teams of agents were arriving to begin their day. I flagged down Montgomery as soon as we stepped inside.

“Good morning, Mr. Rosen, and…” his eyes drift over to Gemma, who stood at my side.

“This is Gemma Henderson. She’s a nurse in the ER where I was treated after the crash,” I explained. Gemma gave me a quick side glance. “And she’s my girlfriend,” I added, stumbling slightly over the correct title to use for the introduction.

Gemma smiled and took a half step forward to offer Agent Montgomery her hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise. Listen, Mr. Rosen, Ms. Henderson, I assure you we’re all doing the best we can to get this wrapped up so we can get out of your hair and let you get back to business.”

“That’s not what we need to talk to you about,” I interjected when he paused for breath. “Gemma and I need to speak with you about the investigation. We have some documents you need to see.”

Agent Montgomery’s expression changed from PR perfection to a creased brow. I couldn’t tell if he was intrigued or annoyed by my declaration.

“Please, sir, it will only take a few minutes of your time,” Gemma added, her tone sweet and beguiling as I’d ever heard it.

“Of course, Ms. Henderson,” Montgomery replied, his expression changing yet again, the groove between his brows fading as he ushered her toward the back of the museum.

She shot me a look over her shoulder as she sashayed away, chatting with the agent as though they were old friends.

She certainly knew how to get results.

Along the way, Agent Montgomery pulled Gary from the FAA unit into the meeting, and we all entered my office. Once the door was shut, Gemma took the floor, and I sat back, content to let her work her female magic on the two men. I’d already tried my way and gotten nowhere. If she could get us the results we were looking for, then all the more power to her.

As I watched her explain her findings to the two men, I was reminded of what she’d said the night before, how we were in this together. Other than my time in the Navy, where being a lone wolf wasn’t exactly an option, I’d always been one to be on my own. As an only child, moving from base to base, I hadn’t really learned much about how to form and maintain long lasting relationships. I never saw the point. Every few years—sometimes months—they’d change again. It was easier being on my own, and over time, I’d gotten very good at both being alone, and taking care of myself. It wasn’t until I met Boomer that I really invested in another person, and even then, we went weeks without talking to each other as our lives were both busy and—at the moment—on different continents.

Watching Gemma talk, I wondered what it would be like to have someone beside me every day. A person who would work with me on common goals and plans. It was hard to imagine, as it was something I hadn’t done before, but somehow, it didn’t seem that far out of my reach for the first time. She made it easy. I didn’t have to direct her or tell her what I wanted or needed. She just knew. And yet, she also wasn’t afraid to push me. Even argue with me. Which—although it annoyed me—made me respect her more.

If there was ever a candidate for a worthy partner—it would be her.

I checked back into the conversation as Gemma concluded her explanation and the two agents poured over the papers she had handed to them. When they were done, Agent Montgomery looked over at me, meeting my eyes for the first time since she began holding court. “As we discussed before, everything we have on Mr. O’Keefe is circumstantial. Including this,” he said, holding up the medical report Gemma had obtained. “Without further proof, we can’t go into Mr. O’Keefe any deeper than we already have, which, admittedly, has all been very surface level.”