Midnight Kiss (Virgin River #12)(81)

“No, I like it. I feel safe knowing a Secret Service agent is watching over me. Literally.”

“Shut up. I’m not a full agent yet.”

“I still like having you watch over me. And that other place didn’t have a basketball court,” he reminded her. He kissed her blushing cheek, then worked his way down to her mouth. Embarrassed or not, Elise let him. In the three months since Omaha, they’d only seen each other four times. She’d been busy jumping through hoops to get the Denver Secret Service position. And despite their caution about keeping the relationship secret, she could’ve sworn that the FDIC had conspired to keep them apart. They hadn’t been thrown together on one job since.

But the hours on the phone every week had been wonderful. And the three stolen weekends. And the flowers he sent even though she told him she didn’t need them. He made her feel like a girl. A girl who worked for the Secret Service and kicked his ass on the basketball court.

“Anyway,” Noah continued as if they hadn’t been making out for a full minute. “Spying on me in my bedroom will be a good transition to living together.”

“It’s too soon,” she groaned, more than familiar with this argument.

“But you did get the shortest lease?”

Elise smiled. And then she laughed. “Three months. Short enough for you?”

“Never.”

“I just want to be sure.”

He kissed her neck, his breath soft against her as he spoke. “You’re not sure?”

The words melted through her skin, warming her body and tying her stomach into a tight knot. She couldn’t lie to him, not anymore. “I am sure,” she whispered, afraid to admit it too loudly. “But I want to give you the chance to be sure.”

“Elise—”

“You might change your mind.”

“You’re so damn stubborn.” His voice was somewhere between a whisper and growl. He placed his hands carefully on either side of her face and stared into her eyes. She wanted to squirm or look away, but he deserved more than that, so she looked into his blue eyes and took a deep breath.

“I love you, Elise. I’ve waited a long time for you, and I’ll wait a little longer if that’s what you need. But you don’t have to keep warning me off. You don’t have to tell me you’re different. I know you are. I knew it two years ago, and I know it now, and damn it, I love you so much it hurts. So take your three months, get settled in at your new job and then put me out of my misery and let’s make it more permanent. Please?”

She took another deep breath, trying to steady her trembling nerves. She’d spent her whole life thinking of herself as awkward and tom-boyish. Could she accept that Noah James truly saw her as sexy and strong?

Clearing her throat, she tried to buy some time. “You’ve still got issues with authority.”

“And you’ve still got issues with control,” he countered. “Working those issues out could be a whole lot of fun.”

When she didn’t respond right away, he narrowed his eyes in challenge. She thought of their last weekend together, and the way he’d worshipped her body with his mouth.

Anticipation rushed through her like a drug. “Okay, Noah James. You’ve got three months to nail me down. You’d better put your heart into it.”

He smiled, the grin slowly widening into arrogance. “Oh, I’ll put more than my heart into it, boss. Way more.”

“I’ll take it all.”

“You bet your ass you will.”

The teasing stopped then, and an hour later, Elise was more than convinced of his sincerity. But she decided to keep that to herself for a few more weeks. A little hard work never hurt anyone, after all, and Noah James had proved himself a dedicated worker…and well worth the wait.