Savage Love (Savage Trilogy 3)

“You are the love of my life, Rick Savage.” She leans in and kisses my cheek. “And yes. I did.” She pushes the button to raise her seat and I do the same. And then we’re both feet on the floor, staring at each other. “What did he say when you told him I was the love of your life?”

“That he’d change my mind, but of course, he never did.”

“Bastard,” I growl, “but on another note, you’ve now made me hot and hard, and I really want to fuck you good morning.”

She laughs. “Oh no. I need to pee and brush my teeth.” She starts to get up and the plane jerks. I catch her to me and in my lap, heat rushes through us. Her hands settle on my face, over my scar that really, truly she seems to not give two fucks about.

“I love you, Rick Savage.”

“I love you, too, baby.” The phone on the wall buzzes and I groan. “Go brush your teeth. I put your bag by the bathroom door. I’ll get the call.” I set her away from me and her and her cute little ass hurry away.

I grab the receiver, and the pilot speaks. “Blake wants to come on board before you get off to head off a problem.”

“Tell me you have more than that.”

“I don’t, and the internet isn’t going to work long enough for you to find out on your own.”

In other words, “Houston, we have a problem.” I disconnect with the pilot and pray like hell Candace’s father isn’t dead.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Savage

Candace exits the bathroom with her hair brushed, her lips glossy and a smile on her face. I focus on that smile that I want to last forever and fucking ever until we die at an ancient age. The plane jerks and I stand up to catch the ceiling and her to me, holding her until the quaking of the plane eases. And that’s what I’m going to do every time she needs me. Hold her, the way she held me when my mother died. Hold her and not let go of her. The plane stills and I maneuver her around me and to her seat, before claiming mine, both of us buckling up.

Her stomach growls and I laugh. “Donuts on the way home.”

“No donuts. God, no. We’ve had them every day. If I never have a donut again it will be too soon.”

“Never again for the rest of your life. That’s a little extreme.”

“I want a hamburger.”

“A hamburger at six am,” I say, my lips curving in approval. “I swear, woman, I fall in lust with you more every second.”

She grins and opens the blind, peeking outside.

“New York City.” She glances over at me. “I was here last year. I wonder how close I was to you.”

“Too far,” I say solemnly. “Too damn far.”

She rotates to look at me. “I wonder if you were here when I was.”

“When was it?”

“Near the holidays.”

“I was in Maine.”

Her brows furrow. “Maine?”

“I was running a bodyguard operation for a Walker client. And before you start thinking I’m going to set you up in New York and run off again, I don’t have to take any out-of-town jobs. I don’t have to take any job I don’t want to take, baby. That we don’t want me to take.”

“But your work and—”

I lean over and kiss her. “None of the married men at Walker puts their women second. I’m not going to be the first. I’m not ever putting you second, Candace. Never. Ever.”

“The married men?”

“The married men,” I confirm. “Like I will be soon.”

Those words have about fifteen seconds to linger between us before we touch the ground. Candace grins widely and leans in to press her lips to my ear. “I can’t wait to see your home.”

Somehow, after all these hours on the plane, she still smells like fresh flowers, and I inhale a deep, sweet breath before I pull back to look at her. “Our home.”

Her teeth scrape her bottom lip. “Our home.”

“Our home,” she murmurs.

The plane takes a short hike and halts, and as the engines shut down, I can only hope I’m taking her to that home in peace. The doors open and I squeeze her leg. “Stay here and let me make sure we have a car waiting.” I don’t get very far.

We are no longer alone. The big, tall man with dark hair tied at his nape, and enough size to almost rival mine, is my boss, Blake Walker. I rotate back to my seat and give him room. He ducks down to enter our little cubby hole of travel space and claims the seat across from me but his attention goes to Candace. “Candace, I’m Blake.”

“Hi, Blake. Thank you for everything, but please tell me my father’s okay?”

“He’s on a plane home, but he’s not talking about Gabriel. He doesn’t trust us right now.”