Page 68 of Baby Take Me Home

“Oh, exhibitionism. You feel the need for a little danger?”

“No need for danger. Not anymore. I just think it would be totally hot, plus I know no one can see us all the way up here unless they have binoculars and a lot of motivation.”

“That’s true, but I wasn’t going to mention it if the risk of getting caught still turns you on.”

“Are you thinking about the back room of that art gallery?”

“Oh, yeah. I think about that a lot.” It wasn’t a lie. I was rock hard right now remembering the sight of her lips locked on my cock and the sensation of her tongue flicking across my tip.

“I knew.”

I took her hand and pressed it to my hard-on, rethinking the plan to meet the others as soon as possible. “Knew how hard I am?”

She shook her head, but she did indulge me with a few long strokes over my trousers. “How you were protecting me. I knew you wouldn’t really let us get caught.”

“I thought that, too, although when you took me in your mouth and cupped my balls, I’m pretty sure I lost all my senses and wouldn’t have cared if everyone in the building caught us.” I pulled her into my arms again and kissed her. “Do you remember that? Do you want me to remind you?”

“Oh, I remember.” She pushed on my chest and stepped away from me. “And I’ll also definitely want you to remind me.Later. But right now, your old team is waiting for us.”

I groaned and swore under my breath, but I let her take my hand and lead me out of the room where later we would really find paradise.

* * *

We raninto Samantha and Evan at the open glass doors leading onto the patio, and the four of us stepped out to see the rest of the former Alpha Team members and all their partners already gathered there. We hugged and laughed and could barely hear each other over all the excited conversations.

Martin introduced Ashlee to his husband, Phillip.

“Very hot,” Ashlee stage whispered and fanned herself.

“Thank you,” Phillip smiled. “I feel the same way about you.”

“Now you see why it’s so easy for me to remain monogamous, despite our grueling travel schedule,” Martin said.

Jason pushed through the crowd and hugged Ashlee, then me. “That’s the reason?” he asked his new boss. “I thought it was all those phone dates—” he put air quotes around the words “—you two have when we’re on the road.”

Next, we met Kate’s seven partners. I’d never seen her look so happy.

As conversations continued, Kate leaned close to me and lowered her voice. “Being on the West Coast most of the time has given me so much more time with them, which is great. But I have to admit, I miss the old team.”

I nodded. “I understand. I miss the team, too. Not so much the work, though.”

“Really?” Alder arched an eyebrow. “You don’t miss the adrenaline hits, the excitement, the jet-setting?”

I shook my head. “The exhaustion, the near-death experiences, the jet lag.”

Kate grinned and nudged Tamela as she joined us. “When did you get old, TJ?”

“Not old.” I glanced at Ashlee, who was shamelessly flirting with Phillip with the obvious and no doubt intentional effect of flustering Martin. “At peace.”

“Well, that answers my question,” Tamela said. “You and Ashlee are happy.”

“Very.”

“Glad to hear,” Jason said as he joined our group. He held a serving tray with four blue-gray drinks in champagne glasses. Everyone else already held their concoctions, and those not wise to Jason’s bartending skills were making the brutal mistake of sniffing the swill.

We took our glasses and held them up. Jason slung his arm around Tamela’s shoulders. I glanced at Martin, who met my eyes and shook his head. He was borrowing a page from my book and choosing not to see the fraternization of two of his best operatives.

“I think you should do the honors, Boss,” Jason said to me, and the crowd went quiet. “Give us a speech.”