The P.I.

“A coward?” It took all of his control, but Kit managed to stay where he was and keep his voice steady. “It wasn’t a coward who moved out here to San Francisco. It wasn’t a coward who shot that thug at St. Peter’s. And tell me that you wouldn’t have put a bullet in that other bastard a few hours ago if you could have gotten a clear shot.”

“I never stood up to the Dragon Lady.”

“I think you would have.”

“Really?”

“Would you have let her fire you?”

Drew thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. “No. I would have quit first.” Her chin lifted. “And I would have taken all my designs with me.”

“See?” Kit smiled. “You’re not a coward.” He’d taken a step toward her when his cell phone rang. “Yes?”

Drew studied him as he listened intently to whoever was calling. Her plan was to tell him that they should back off from one another, slow things down a bit. Wasn’t that the act of a coward?

He was so many things that she wasn’t. And it didn’t just have to do with their backgrounds. She was cautious, he was impulsive. She was serious. He could be outrageously funny. She operated best with a plan. He talked about plans but preferred to improvise. They shouldn’t fit.

Yet somehow they did. They fit perfectly. She thought of Cass’s words—“The problems facing you will fade away as soon as you make the choice that the Fates are offering you.”

The Fates were offering her Kit. Could it be that simple? That right?

Kit frowned as he pocketed his cell phone.

“Trouble?” Drew asked.

“Yes. I had this feeling all day long that there was this other shoe about to drop. That was Theo. He met with Parker and found out that the police lab has identified both Roman’s and Sadie Oliver’s fingerprints on the ransom notes.”

She moved to him then. “They’ll arrest Roman, won’t they?”

“Yes.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t make sense. Roman’s not a stupid man. If he sent those notes, he wouldn’t have left fingerprints on them.”

“Someone is trying to frame him.”

Anger and frustration moved through him. “And they’re doing a hell of a good job.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Drew said. “You’ll work with your brothers and figure it all out.”

Stung by her use of the word you’ll, Kit stared at her. Fear joined the other emotions coursing through him, and he felt his earlier resolve melting away. To hell with giving her time. To hell with being patient. He grabbed her by the arms. “We’ll figure it out. You’re part of the team now.”

When she started to speak, he gave her a little shake. “I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to tell me that we should be practical and cautious and slow things down. That maybe we should back away from one another and get a little perspective. And I thought I could go along with that. I’m a patient man. At least, I’ve always thought of myself that way. But I can’t wait.” He gave her another shake. “I love you.”

He kissed her then, hard. It took only a moment for her to soften, and he immediately gentled the kiss. He shoved down the urge to pull her to the floor and show her what he was feeling and what he really needed. When he finally drew away, they were both trembling, and Kit took a careful step back. “I love making love with you. But I want more from you than that. I want everything.”

With a sigh, he pulled her close again and rested his forehead on the top of her head. “And I’m sorry. We can take it slow if that’s what—”

“No.” The sound was muffled but distinct enough to have him pulling back once more.

“Drew—”

She pressed her fingers against his lips. “Don’t I deserve the right to tell you what I want?”

His eyes narrowed as he studied her face. “What?”

“You were right about what I was planning on telling you. I thought I had to be fair and give you a choice. But I don’t want to be fair. Your aunt Cass is right. Whatever has happened this weekend, perhaps because of it, the Fates have offered me a choice. And I’m going to make it. I don’t care whether it’s fair to you or not. I love you. I want you. Therefore, I choose you.”

Unable to speak, Kit did a much better thing. He kissed her again. When he dew back this time, he lifted her high and swung her around. “Excellent choice.”

They were both laughing when he set her back on her feet, pulled the scarf loose from her waist and dropped it to the floor. “It’s only fair to tell you that the back of my neck is tingling.” He reached behind her to pull down the zipper of her sundress. “So I have a good idea of where this is going to lead. Want to know?”

“I’m not a psychic, but I have a good idea, too.” She struggled with the snap on his jeans as her dress pooled at her feet. She met his eyes then. “I’m not Greek, either. Is that going to be a problem for your family?”

Kit seemed to consider it for a moment. Then he flashed the dimples. “Everyone is entitled to one flaw. We’ll work on it. It’ll take time, though. A lot of time.”

They were both laughing as they rid themselves of the rest of their clothes and sank to the floor.