Page 18 of Fatal Intent

She laughed. “Your coffee is terrible.”

“Ouch, babe. That hurts.”

Rayne studied Grant’s face for a moment in silence. “Are you sure? A few hours ago, you apologized for dragging me into your drama. Now you know I have drama of my own.”

The corners of his mouth lifted. “I’ve discovered something else in the past few hours.”

“What?”

“I’m already invested in you, Rayne. As much as I know I should walk away to protect you, I can’t do it. You mean too much to me.”

“Same here. However, I don’t want to make clearing your name harder because of my juvie record.”

“To have you in my life, I’ll deal with anything.” He brushed a soft kiss over her lips. “Are you willing to give a relationship with me a try?”

She nodded.

“Exclusive?”

“Of course, unless you have a twin you haven’t told me about. If so, I’ll have to compare before I make a final decision.”

Grant chuckled. “All right, you little minx. I deserved that for being insecure. And no, I don’t have a twin.” He sobered. “One request, please.”

“Name it.”

“If our relationship isn’t working for you, tell me.”

“I would never treat you like Selena did. I respect you too much to go behind your back. If I want out of this relationship, you’ll be the first one to know.”

“This won’t be easy,” he murmured. “You know that, right?”

“No relationship is simple. It takes work.” She brushed a kiss onto his mouth. “You’re worth any effort to make this work.”

The knot in his gut loosened. Thank God. At least he didn’t have to worry about other operatives slipping in and stealing her from him before he staked his claim. Yeah, that made him sound like a caveman, but Rayne was special. He also wasn’t blind. He’d noticed other operatives watching her, and rumors were swirling around Fortress about two operatives on other teams who wanted to ask her out on a date.

Satisfaction filled him. That was no longer a problem. Fortress was like a small family. Word would spread fast that he and Rayne were together now.

Rayne’s eyes narrowed. “You look smug, Grant. Care to explain that?”

“Simple.” He smiled. “You’re mine, which makes you off limits to the other men who were thinking about asking you for a date.”

“What other men?”

“Doesn’t matter now, does it?”

She rolled her eyes. “Didn’t matter before, either, because I haven’t been interested in anyone but you since I met you.”

“Same.” Grant stood and tugged Rayne to her feet. “As much as I would love to stay here with you for the day, our team leaders will only give us so much grace.”

“Iona isn’t known for her patience.”

“What a coincidence. Neither is Seth. Do you want to shower here or head straight to Fortress headquarters?”

“I’d love a shower before we leave if you don’t mind.”

He wrapped his hand around hers. “Come with me.” Grant led her to his guest bathroom and turned on the light. “Everything you’ll need is in the linen closet beside the tub. I’ll be in the other bathroom. Want me to make coffee before we go?”

She grimaced. “Pass. Since I want to keep my stomach lining intact, I’ll make the coffee.”