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F our hours later, Stone stared at the spreadsheet capturing all the information Monk, Philly, and Juliana had discovered. Juliana had been right. She might have given him the task because it minimized his exposure to a computer screen, but the data, when viewed as a whole, was pretty fucking interesting.

“Over the past fifteen years, Lowery has supported multiple changes to zoning laws in areas where Gregor has subsequently won a development bid,” he summarized. “And, while the projects were in progress, petty crime in the area kicked up. Nothing too noticeable, but an uptick in car thefts, car break-ins, and home break-ins. Thankfully, no statistical increase in violent crimes.”

“The kind of opportunistic crimes people prone to that way of life would engage in,” Philly said, mulling the data over.

“Especially if they were already in the area,” Monk added.

Beside him, Juliana rubbed her temple, then sighed. “But Gregor also won bids and completed projects outside of San Francisco.” She paused, then let out an exasperated huff. “I know, just because someone engages in criminal activity doesn’t mean they can’t also engage in legitimate business,” she said. Then added, “Not that we know for certain anything criminal is going on. The data looks suspicious, but it’s all circumstantial.”

The group fell silent as sounds from the lodge room began filtering in. His brothers were making their way back from whatever jobs they’d been working during the day. Although, Viper and Lovell were probably headed out, as both were on duty at Rita C’s tonight.

“What does Gregor have over them?” Stone asked. Monk and Philly nodded in agreement over that key question. Juliana appeared thoughtful, her expressive eyes focused on nothing in particular as her mind turned over the information.

She’d pulled her long blond hair into a bun at the nape of her neck and had a pen stuck through it. The first time they’d met, her hair had been in a bun then, too. She’d been wearing a pencil skirt, heels that brought her almost to his height, and a button-down blouse, and fuck him if he hadn’t been struck dumb by the sight.

She was a beautiful woman, all lush curves, intelligent eyes, a quick smile, and with a way of studying things, of considering them, that left no doubt as to how quickly her mind worked. She was also kind and instinctive, had a quirky sense of humor, and seemed willing to keep an open mind about things. Things like visiting a motorcycle clubhouse with a man she barely knew.

Philly’s phone dinged with a text, pulling Stone’s attention from the woman at his side. He read the message, then slid it back into his pocket. “Dinner in thirty minutes,” he said. “You eating here?” Philly asked, his question encompassing both him and Juliana.

Juliana glanced at him.

He held her gaze as he answered. “We haven’t decided yet.”

Philly and Monk shared a look, then both men rose, understanding he needed a few minutes alone with her to sort out their plans for the evening.

“I’ll let you know what I hear from my army contact,” Philly said.

Stone nodded. “We’ll let you know what we decide about tonight,” he replied. A few seconds later, it was just him and Juliana.

“I like them,” she said, her gaze lingering on the door Philly and Monk had disappeared through. “Not that it matters?—”

“It matters,” he said, her tone making him wonder how many times in the past she’d been told what she thought didn’t matter. Rather than delve into that question now, though, he asked, “What do you want to do tonight?”

She grimaced. “What are the options? You mentioned staying here, but I could also check into a hotel.”

“I’m not leaving you alone, so take that into consideration,” he said. She arched a brow. “If you want a hotel room, that’s fine, but I’ll camp outside to make sure you stay safe.” He’d rather be inside, but he’d be far too distracted by Juliana in bed in the same room.

“There’s one more option,” he said hesitantly.

“Go back to my place?”

His brows slammed down. “No, why would you think I’d suggest that? They know who you are and where you live. I’d never put you back in their line of sight.”

She cocked her head. “What other option is there?”

He cleared his throat. “My place.” Both her eyebrows shot up. “I have a guest room. A few, actually,” he rushed on. Whether his rapid speech was meant to reassure her or not give him time to consider how much he liked the idea of her in his house, he wasn’t sure. “I don’t think they know who I am, so they shouldn’t come looking for me. But even if they do, the house is set up through an LLC and not in my name, so would be hard to find. And if they did find it, it has excellent security.”

She stared at him. For a very long time. He forced himself not to shift. When a full minute passed and she said nothing, he sighed. “Forget it,” he said. “Why don’t you stay here? You can take a room in the east wing. It’s private, but you’ll still be around other people. Security is top-notch here, too.”

“Why?” she asked.

He frowned. “Why what?”

“Why are you doing all this to help me? Why would you invite me—and whatever danger I may bring with me—into your home?”

It was his turn to stare, a tiny hurricane swirling in his chest. “You know why,” he finally said. “You may not be ready to admit it yet, and I don’t actually blame you for that, but you know why.”

Her lips parted, and her wide eyes stayed fixed on his. He didn’t see doubt there so much as confusion. And wariness. The former he sympathized with. He didn’t exactly understand what was going on between them either, even though he knew it was critical that they let it unfold. The latter look—the wariness—however, he didn’t care for at all.

Reaching for her hand, he rose, pulling her up with him. Then looping his arms around her waist, he held her tight enough that their bodies touched but he could still see her face. Her soft curves pressed into him; her delicate hands rested on his chest, one over his heart. And they fit. He’d never doubted they would. But experiencing it—feeling her hips below his, her breasts pressed against his chest, how his arms fit around her perfectly—was another thing altogether.

“I don’t understand it either,” he said, going for complete honesty. It was clear to him that she didn’t trust the situation, and in his experience, honesty went a long way in building trust. He only hoped she’d see it that way rather than as a burden.

“I don’t know what this is between us,” he continued. “But it feels important. It feels like if I don’t give it everything I have, I’ll regret it the rest of my life. I don’t know what that means, though. Are we meant to be lovers? Truthfully, I hope so.” Her soft laugh elicited a grin from him. “Are we meant to be more? Or are we meant to get over this attraction and be friends, maybe even best friends?” He believed it was all of the above. That they were meant to become both friends and lovers, but he was only one part of the equation. Relationships took two people, and Juliana was her own woman. “Either way, I’m not willing to not see where it goes. I’m not willing to forgo this adventure because I don’t know how it ends.”

She studied him, the lines around her eyes tight. “I may have a target on my back. It may be more of an adventure than you bargained for.”

The concern in her voice stopped him from blowing off her comment, and again, he went for full honesty. “I enlisted at eighteen. I was Delta Force for almost eight years. I’m not in any way downplaying the danger you might be in, but I doubt it’s anything I haven’t seen before.”

“That may be true, but I wasn’t the cause of it back then,” she countered.

“You’re not the cause of it now.”

“I may not be the corrupt politician or police lieutenant, but you would not be in this room right now, fighting off a headache—yeah, don’t think you can hide that from me—if it weren’t for me.”

He fought a smile at the stern look she shot him. His headache had dulled to a low throb, not nearly as bad as before lunch, before her little massage, but he liked her concern.

“If it weren’t for you, I also wouldn’t be thinking about what our future might look like and whether you’ll like my house, and how you feel about pets, or what I might cook you for our first dinner. Or our first breakfast,” he added, pulling her tighter against him. “There are a lot of things that wouldn’t be happening if not for you. A lot of things that I like that are happening because of you. This situation with Gregor and Lowery and Polinsky is a moment in time. I’m more focused on the other stuff. It’s what will matter to us at the end of the day.”

“Easier said than done,” she muttered, but some of the tension had left her body, and her fingertips now caressed the cotton of his T-shirt.

“So you have choices for tonight. What would you like to do?” he asked.

Her gaze lifted from where she’d been watching her own hands and met his. To his utter shock—and delight—she slid her hands around his neck and pulled him a few inches forward until his lips met hers. She kissed him, a sweet, fleeting touch, then drew back. Her gaze flickered up, then she pulled him back again. This time, holding him close and tilting her head to give him better access. He didn’t hesitate to deepen their connection, and he teased and seduced until she opened to him.

Heaven, he thought as their bodies melded and their tongues tangled. The mechanics of the kiss were the same, but nothing else was. Her scent wrapped around him, growing stronger with the heat they created. Her body curled so naturally into his. His heart raced with each tiny sound of pleasure that came from deep within her throat. He’d had first kisses before, but none had felt so poignant, so important.

A raucous laugh filtered from the lodge room, reminding them they weren’t alone. As one, they each tempered their movements, slowed their kiss, then finally pulled apart.

He lifted a hand and ran his thumb along her swollen lower lip, fighting a smile at the dazed look in her eyes. A look that shot to the core of his soul.

“Your place,” she said on an exhale.

He blinked, his mind taking a second to catch up. “You want to come to my place?” he repeated, making sure he didn’t misunderstand.

She nodded. “I…”

“Honesty, Juliana. We both need that.”

She swallowed, then nodded. “More of what we just did would be nice, but I’m not ready for anything…more. I want to be near you, though. I want you to show me your house. I want to eat dinner at your table.” She paused, then furrowed her brow. “You’re in the middle of renovations; do you have a table? Or somewhere we can sit to eat?”

He chuckled. “I do. The downstairs is done and mostly furnished. There’s an en suite bedroom on the ground floor, but there are four bedrooms upstairs, too, including mine. It’s one of those big old Victorian farmhouses,” he added when her eyes went wide. Yes, it was far bigger than he needed, but the stately whimsy of the large place had called to him. It had been vacant for over two decades when he bought both it and the forty acres it sat on. He’d been working on the restoration for over two years and was nearly done with everything. Well, everything major…a couple of the rooms weren’t furnished yet, and one of the upstairs bathrooms still needed tile work.

“Okay,” she said on an exhale. “Then let’s go to your place. If you’re okay with, well, my…”

He didn’t pretend to misunderstand her hesitation. Rather than gloss over it, he decided to address it head-on. “You mean if I’m okay with you not having sex with me?” She turned bright red but nodded. He cupped her cheek with his hand and held her eyes as he spoke. “You will never owe me anything, physically or otherwise. Your body is yours, and you get to make your own decisions about what you want to share or don’t. When we decide to take that step in this relationship—if we do—it will be because it’s something we both want. Not something we do out of a sense of obligation. Not something we do because we’re worried the other will walk away if we don’t. Not something we do because some arbitrary timeline suggests we should.” He paused, unsure if he should say what was on the tip of his tongue. One look in her eyes swayed him, though. She deserved his truth, and while now wasn’t the time or place to give it all to her, he did want to give her a piece of it.

“I grew up with people who…” He paused and ran a hand through his hair. His brothers all knew his story, but it had been years since he’d spoken of it. He cleared his throat. “My home life growing up was shitty. To put it mildly. I saw enough people—men, women, and even kids—have their bodies sold to others for sex…for other things. At a young age, I made a promise to myself that I would never be like my parents. A part of that promise—a big part—is ensuring that any relationship I have is consensual. Fully consensual.”

He met her gaze and saw both empathy and curiosity, but no judgment. Or worse, disgust. He let out a long exhale. “So that’s my way of promising you that when we decide to take the physical part of our relationship further than kissing, it will be both our decisions. And until then, we can enjoy this,” he said before lowering his head and kissing her again.

“Mmm, okay then,” she said when he pulled away.

“Dinner here or should we pick something up?”

Her gaze skittered to the closed door. He sensed what she wanted but was curious if she’d tell him. A few seconds passed before she returned her gaze to him. “I’m not opposed to staying and meeting more of your friends, or brothers, or whatever you call them. What should I call them?” She paused, an almost comical frown on her face.

“You can call them either. But…?”

“I’m…” She sighed. “I feel lame saying this because it’s not like we’re out fighting a war or anything.”

“Thank god. Not because you wouldn’t be good at it. You’d make a scary good strategist.”

A smile flickered across her lips. “I’m tired,” she said on an exhale. “See, I told you I’m lame. But I had a crazy adrenaline spike yesterday, then I didn’t sleep because, well, I was convinced every time a tree swayed in the breeze someone was breaking into my house to kill me. Then…well, they actually showed up to kill me. Or something. And we’ve been doing this all day.” She gestured to their laptops. Her gaze lingered there before lifting back to him. “Like I said, lame.”

“Not lame,” he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead before releasing her and stepping away. “How do you feel about Teodoro’s?” Her face lit up, making him smile.

“Meat lover’s?” she asked. He nodded. “My favorite. They also have that beet and goat cheese salad. It’s a little heavy to have both since the goat cheese is fried?—”

“We’ll order both,” he said, cutting her off. “I’ll call ahead so we can run in and grab it on the way to my place.”

“Perfect,” she said on a sigh. “Just perfect.”