Lifeline

A relieved breath sputters from her, but then she sees in my eyes I read her mind, and her chin starts to quiver. “Sorry.”

I shake my head hard. “One step at a time, baby. I have a lot of damage control to do before we get to work on your trauma. There’s no rush.”

Wrapping her arms around my neck, she hugs me, then admits, “I was so focused on getting back to you I didn’t deal with what happened. I just shoved it aside.”

I brush my hand up and down her back, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Now, we focus on you.” I engulf her against me, relishing how feminine she feels in my arms, how fucking perfect. “You tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.”

“This,” she whispers. “I just need this and a ton of sleep.”

I hold JJ until the phone beeps with a message. Reading it, I chuckle. “Shit, I forgot to text Lindsay the address.” I quickly type it out, then walk to the fridge asking, “What do you want to eat, baby?”

“Something quick?” She slips off the island and comes to peer into the fridge. “Ooh, we can grill steaks tomorrow.” Glancing around, she asks, “Do you have a grill?”

“Out back.” I grab cheese and bread to make grilled cheese and set the items down on the counter. “Want to open the sliding doors? The key’s on the mantel.”

I watch her as she walks to the living room, grabs the key, and opens the sliding doors. The corner of my mouth lifts, loving the sight of JJ in my home. It feels as if she’s always belonged here. As if she’s finally home.

Turning around, a frown forms on her forehead, then she says, “Sooo… I have a question.”

“Let me have it.” I grab two plates from the cupboard.

“You live in a mansion.”

“That’s not a question, baby.” I almost chuckle while preparing the sandwiches.

“You don’t need to work, do you?”

Glancing in her direction, I shake my head.

JJ comes back to the kitchen, and pushing in between the counter and my body, she looks up at me with awe.

“Daniel O’Brien,” she says, the corner of her mouth lifting, “How do you still manage to blow my mind after a year?”

My eyebrow raises. “My inheritance blows your mind?”

She shakes her head. “No, you do. Your sense of honor, your determination to make a difference. Your willingness to lay down your life to make the streets safer.” Her eyes are filled with admiration, making me feel like I just restored world peace to the fucking planet. She tilts her head. “You still don’t see what I see when I look at you?”

“As long as you keep looking at me like that, I don’t care what you see when you look at me,” I joke.

“You’re an incredible man, Daniel.” Her words hit me deeply, the cracks in my foundation sealing with her love. “And so damn perfect.” My mouth lifts in a grin, then she adds, “And hot. That grin just makes me stupid.”

Letting out a burst of laughter, I sweep her off her feet in a crushing hug. “If you don’t stop, we’re not going to eat.” I set her down to the side and press a kiss on her lips. “Grab us a couple of beers from the fridge.”

“Yes, sir.”

My thumb brushes over her bottom lip, heat simmering in my veins. “You’re looking for trouble, Jefferson.”

She pulls away from me before I can kiss the fuck out of her, and as she walks past me, I slap her ass as punishment for teasing me.

After we’re done eating, I take JJ’s hand and lead her back to my bedroom. I shut the curtains, so the room is dark, and throw the covers back. “Get in bed, baby.”

Watching JJ climb beneath the covers, her head laying on my pillow, more tension eases from my body.

I’m never letting her go.

Climbing in next to her, I pull her closer and tuck her head beneath my chin. With the woman I love finally in my bed and arms, I close my eyes. Her scent wraps softly around me, carrying me off to a peaceful sleep.

Chapter 27

JJ

Lindsay punched O’Brien on the shoulder. He hugged her. All is right in my world again.

Even though we slept most of the time, I still feel tired. Honestly, I think I could sleep for a week. As long as it’s in O’Brien’s arms.

We’re sitting out on the patio, my eyes resting on the landscaped garden. “How do you maintain this place?” the question pops from me.

O’Brien glances at the garden, then flips a steak before he looks at me. “I have people taking care of the garden.”

“And the house?”

The corner of his mouth lifts. “If you haven’t noticed yet, JJ, I’m a neat freak.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask what happened in the other room, but with Lindsay here, I swallow the question down.