Page 78 of The Naughty List

“I’ll have to interview him. See if he’s good enough for the boys.”

I smile and rub her back in small circles. “I can arrange that. But seriously, I don’t think the condo is the best place for you. It’s not the safest neighborhood and—”

“I can get an alarm system,” she says.

I pretend to contemplate this. “You could. But I was thinking, since we’re going to be working together, traveling together, and all that, you could just move in here.”

Hollis goes completely still and silent beside me. I don’t think she’s breathing.

It’s too soon. I’ve freaked her out. Damn. I’ve fucked up again.

Within seconds her face is mere centimeters from mine.

“Jonah, I need you to be clear. Are you asking me to move in with you?”

I swallow thickly. “It doesn’t have to be tomorrow. And I understand if you don’t want to because of your family or—”

“Jonah,” she breaks in, taking my face in her hands. “I want to. My parents won’t love the idea, but I’m an adult. They’ll come around.”

I breathe a little easier. “Good. Because kidnapping you would’ve probably gotten me punched again.”

She stills suddenly and I glance down at her face.

“It was just a joke, Hollis. I wouldn’t really kidnap you.”

She shakes her head. “I keep meaning to tell you something and then I get distracted. But tonight, all during the fight, I kept wishing I’d already told you.”

I prop up on my pillow to get a better view of her face, throwing up silent requests to any higher power listening that this isn’t something bad. That she hasn’t changed her mind about us.

“What is it?”

She inhales deeply. Whatever it is, she’s gathering the courage to say it to my face.

“I love you, Jonah.”

My chest swells at her words. At the sound of her handing her whole heart over to me for safekeeping. I pull her back to me so we’re face to face.

“I love you, Hollis. So much more than I could ever tell you.”

She yawns, letting her body rest against mine. “Then I guess you’ll just have to show me.”

I intend to.

Every single day for the rest of our lives.

24

HOLLIS

SHOULD OLD ACQUAINTANCES BE FORGOTTEN, AND NEVER BROUGHT TO MIND?

The packed snow crunches beneath the tires of the Rover. I can hear it because my window is down as I scan the gold numbers on the side of the brick ranch-style homes.

“Here it is. One-sixty-four Maple,” I tell Jonah, while looking at the GPS app on my phone.

Jonah is quiet as he shuts off the engine once my window is rolled up.

He comes around and opens my door, helping me out of the SUV so I don’t fall on the icy sidewalk.