Page 48 of The Valiant Knight (The Ravensmire Chronicles #2)

He warned her though.

“Can you be careful of what is left in the search history? It’s a work computer.”

She stared at him like he’d lost his damn mind.

Because, clearly, he had.

“Finn, I can delete information half a world away. I think I can preserve the sanctity of your search history when you Google ‘what poison smells like almonds’ ?”

He laughed.

“When you say it that way, I sound ridiculous, and for the record, it’s cyanide.”

She let that go.

He was too much.

Together, they started walking, and he held her hand the entire time.

“Thank you for handling the Rosie situation, and for not getting up and walking out on me. Any other woman would have believed that I was still in a relationship with her, especially since we’re only two days into this.”

She shrugged.

“Oh, I was going to walk away,” she admitted.

He was surprised.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, because I was going to punch her in the face for being an idiot. I would have come back the second she slithered away.”

He grinned.

That sounded like his lass.

They headed down the cobblestone street, and when they appeared in front of a building, he pointed.

“Here’s where I work.”

She checked it out.

It was quaint, and that was wild for her. It didn’t look like a police station. It was crystal clear that the Polis had a different kind of situation here than they did back in the US.

“Not a lot of crime?” she asked.

He was amused.

“Some, but let’s just say you’re not getting shot walking down the street.”

She shrugged.

“It keeps you on your toes,” she stated. “And for the record, I can carry a gun, so…”

He just stared at her.

“I don’t know if you’re kidding about the first part, or not.”

She smiled.

“You’ll have to figure that out,” she teased.

Reaching for the door, he held it open for her, and they headed in. Once inside, he kept her hand in his, making a statement.

He had a lady.

In the one office, there were other detectives there, and the second he came in, that had their attention.

Well, not him.

The woman with him.

“Finn, you brought us some company,” the older man said, heading their way.

He made the introductions.

“This is Chief Inspector Cameron Angus,” Finn said. “He’s my boss.”

Ohhhhh.

The busty, Asian-porn guy.

Without giving anything away, Gabby held out her hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, putting her hand right back into Finn’s. “I’m Special Agent Gabriella Lopez,” she said.

He looked skeptical.

“An American cop?”

She reached into her pocket, and pulled out her creds and showed him.

His eyes went huge.

“Oh, you’re one of the Feds working at Ravensmire Castle.”

She nodded.

Cameron glanced over at his detective.

“Lad, are you tying yourself up in knots over an American FBI agent?”

That had everyone’s attention.

They moved closer.

“A Federal agent?” another detective said, checking her out.

“Aye,” Finn said. “Gabby is staying at the castle to deal with the remains in the crypt. You know, the ones you put me on to ensure they were respected?”

The man nodded.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Agent.”

She smiled.

“It’s Gabby. Please.”

The older man patted Finn on the back.

“Are you giving her a tour?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He kept it short, sweet, and to the point for a reason. Truth be told, Finn wanted to get her back to his place. He was still riled up over what went down in the café, and he needed her.

Desperately.

He was hard, and every single time he smelled her perfume, his body reacted. On top of that, she’d told him he could be wild and impulsive, and he wanted to take that out for a spin.

From the other detectives, he could hear them scrutinizing Gabby, and giving her appreciative glances.

Yeah, his girl was gorgeous.

Finn knew that he’d work damn hard every day to make sure Gabby knew how valuable she was to him.

Her trust in him was astounding since he knew what she’d gone through.

“Is there a reason you’re holding her hand, Lad?” he asked.

He didn’t hesitate.

Finn marked his territory.

“We’re getting married.”

That caught them all off guard.

His co-workers were shocked as shit, so she shared to have some fun.

“Yeah, I’m retiring and I’m going to be his stay-at-home wife. Can I bring my arsenal of guns over from the States?” she joked.

Finn laughed.

He knew she was kidding about the last part.

The men all looked at each other.

“Wow,” his boss said. “You move fast.”

Oh, he was aware.

“When the heart knows, it knows,” he stated. “Anyway, I’m going to get my laptop, and file my reports,” he said, going to his desk.

On it, there was a picture, and Gabby saw it.

It was him and his siblings.

All.

Of.

Them.

She hoped that one day, she’d be included in that photo because she wanted a family like that. Gabby wanted people she could call up and know that they would show up for her, like Catherine did for him.

It was funny that once he said he was marrying her, that got all the cops to close their mouths. No one was saying anything.

Because he wanted to get out of there, Finn grabbed his laptop, tucked it into his bag, and headed her way. She was smiling at him, and it got him all excited to be alive.

It had been a while since he felt this way in life, and for that, he was damn grateful.

She saved him.

Without another word to his co-workers, he led her outside.

Once there, she was curious.

“So, where do you live? Is it in walking distance to work,” she asked, noticing they weren’t going back to where his car was.

“Yeah, most things are walkable here,” he admitted. “It’s nice to be able to walk to work every day, if I feel like it.”

She bet.

Her brownstone was definitely not within walking distance to work.

Gabby wouldn’t miss the traffic.

That was for sure.

As they walked through the streets, someone was selling flowers, and he stopped.

“Give me a second,” he said, heading toward the woman and getting a bunch of heather for his girl.

He paid, and carried it back.

When he handed it to her, Gabby’s heart skipped. Her ex never brought her flowers.

This was so sweet.

“For you, Lass. They aren’t as pretty as you, but I’ll always think about heather and you since it’s your middle name.”

That gave her goosebumps.

“Thank you, Finn,” she said, kissing him on the cheek and making him blush.

They kept walking, and when they reached rows of houses, he stopped in front of a door and took out his keys.

Gabby checked the place out. It was a white house, and there were other homes right next to it. The door and windows were painted a pretty blue.

It was cute.

She liked the gray roof, and the quaintness.

“Welcome home,” he said, knowing they’d be living here until they needed a bigger place. He wanted children, and that meant a home that could accommodate them.

When he escorted her in, she looked around.

Inside, she was caught off guard.

Against the whole wall in the living room, there were bookshelves filled with all kinds of books. The walls were a cheery green color, and all of the furniture was a nice brown leather.

Not far away, there was a stone fireplace.

The wood floors looked like they were redone, and indicative to the house’s origins.

When he put his bag down, and led her through the space to the kitchen, there were nice granite countertops, and blue walls.

The windows had shutters you could close, and she fell in love with the place. There were copper pots, and a really nice stove.

The floor was gray and white checkerboard, and it felt like she was home.

It was crazy.

“What do you think?” he asked, nervously. He was afraid she would hate it, and he’d spent so much time over the last three years remodeling it.

That’s what he did when he was sexually frustrated.

A project.

She looked around, and was honest.

“It’s missing something,” she said, seeing his face fall. It was clear she wasn’t the only one who had been hurt in a relationship.

Walking to the sink, she filled a glass with water, and put the flowers he bought her in the glass. Then, she put them on the windowsill.

“Now, that’s perfect,” she said.

At her words, his heart skipped.

“I’m a big proponent to flowers in a home. It makes me happy.”

Well, then, he’d bring her flowers all of the time. To keep her love, what wouldn’t he do?

She was a treasure.

“Can I see more?” she asked. “Everything looks so bright and cheery.”

He held out his hand and walked her toward the stairs that led to the two bedrooms.

“My ex liked zero color. Everything was white and sterile,” he admitted. “As soon as she was gone, I switched it up.”

Well, he did a fabulous job.

Upstairs, he showed her the guest room. When he opened the door, she went in to explore the space. As she did, he was watching her.

Hungrily.

This woman destroyed his control, and he was still thinking about her giving him that amazing blowjob in the car.

It wasn’t enough.

Finn wanted her naked in his bed.

“This would make a really nice nursery for babies,” she stated.

Yes, yes, it would.

“We can get a bigger place.”

She stopped him.

“No. I love it here. There’s a market a few buildings down, and the streets are cobblestone. If we have two kids, they can share a room. Didn’t you?”

He laughed.

“No. I’m the only one who didn’t. All the girls bunked in two rooms. I got lucky. I was the baby, and the apple of my mum’s eye.”

Oh, she bet.

“I like the color. It’s cheery and sunny. It should stay this color. Would you mind giving up your office?” she asked.

He laughed.

“Gabby, mo ghràdh, I’d give up anything to fill this home with a wife and babies. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted. I want to come home and see my wife, and pick up my child. I want to lay on the couch with a baby sleeping on my chest. I ache for those things.”

She turned.

“Then, you should have them,” she said. “I would like them too. I want to see you coming up the street and meet you at the door to kiss you. I want to pass off a baby to you so I can make dinner.”

Tears filled his eyes.

That was his dream.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Gabriella. My whole life, I’ve been waiting for you. I never expected you to be a foreigner, and a Fed, but now that you’re here, I can’t imagine it being anyone else.”

She moved toward him, and he pulled her into his body.

She gasped in pleasure when his mouth closed over hers. The kiss was electric, and when he broke it, he stared into her eyes.

“Let me show you,” he said, softly. “Let me show you the real me.”

Her heart skipped.

Gabby wanted that more than anything.

She wanted her man.