No Limit (Armed & Dangerous #1)(65)

As soon as he was gone, I turned to Jason, my heart thudding in my chest. His clenched jaw and tight fists spoke louder than anything. “Are you angry with me?” I asked.

He scoffed. “You mean for leaving me in the middle of the night? Yeah, just a little. What the f*ck, Aylee? I woke up and you weren’t there. And I guess you’re back with your ex now too?”

“No! It’s not what it looks like. He came here to welcome me home and to also tell me about his new love interest.”

“So you didn’t come back to be with him?”

Sighing, I shook my head. He was so close, I wanted to reach out and touch him. “If you want the truth, I didn’t think I could say goodbye to you. It was easier to just let you go.”

He stepped forward. “Is that what you want? Because it sure as hell is not what I want.”

“What? But I thought—”

“That I didn’t want this to work? Have you lost your f*cking mind? All you had to do was give me a little more time.”

I rolled my eyes. “I gave you plenty of time.”

“Not long enough. Tonight was going to be our night. I had it all planned.”

“Planned? What do you mean?”

Cupping my face with his hand, I leaned into his touch, wishing he’d kiss me. “I had a whole party planned for us. Everyone was going to be there to say goodbye. Diane was helping put it together.”

I gasped. “What the hell? I’m so sorry. Let me guess, she’s the one who gave you my address?”

He shook his head and winked. “I have my own ways, remember?”

“Okay, stalker. You know that’s all kinds of creepy, right? I don’t know if I like being traced like that. Especially, when you can track my every move and I have no clue where you are.”

His green gaze lit up in amusement. “I’m here, firecracker. And I don’t plan on leaving.”

“Excuse me?” I exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Chuckling, he kissed me and pressed his forehead to mine. “I lied to you the other day. I didn’t purchase a plane ticket for North Carolina, I bought two flights to Maine. One for me and one for you.”

“What are you saying?” I breathed.

He rubbed his thumbs across my cheeks. “I’m saying that if you want me to, I’ll stay. I’ll find a house and then one day when you’re ready, we can take things to the next level.”

“Are you flippin’ serious right now?”

“More serious than I’ve ever been about anything. I love you, Aylee. I want this to work and I’m willing to do what it takes.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks and he wiped them away. The thought was tempting, but I couldn’t let him do it. “I’m sorry, Jason, but you can’t leave everything for me. You have a life in North Carolina. I’m not about to take all of that away.”

His hands tightened on my face, his gaze raw. “Are you saying you don’t want me up here?”

I nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” I leaned up and kissed him gently on the lips. “Which is why I’ll be going home with you.” My lips spread into a wide grin as I watched him realize what I was saying.

“What about your uncle?”

“He’ll be more than fine without me. Besides, it would be selfish of me to take you away from so many people you love. I figure North Carolina could be a new adventure.”

Lifting me in his arms, I could feel his heart beating against my own. “Is all of this what you were waiting for me to say?” he murmured.

I nodded. “More than anything. I just wanted to hear that nothing could stand in our way; that we could make things work.”

Tucking the hair behind my ear, he smiled. “Baby, you have nothing to worry about. I don’t plan on ever letting you go.”





Six Months Later



“What do you want to do now?” I asked, climbing on top of Jason. We’d only been back three days from solving another case in Florida and I was ready to take a break. Ever since I’d moved in with him, we’d taken every single case together. Now we were on a three week vacation, free to do whatever we pleased.

Jason smiled up at me, pushing his hips into mine. “As much as I want to make love to you right now, I think we need to get something to eat.”

My stomach growled. “Sounds good. The Carolina Tavern sounds mighty tasty right now.”

He patted my thigh. “Then get dressed.”

Rolling off of him, I jumped off the bed and went straight to the shower. North Carolina was so different from Maine. You could walk outside and be drenched in sweat in a matter of minutes. The humidity was worse than in Vegas.

I missed my uncle and the B&B, but Jason’s friends had turned into my family. Diane constantly sent me presents and even came out to visit a couple of times. She loved Charlotte so much, she decided to open up a store, giving me free access to anything I would want. If I didn’t take anything, she made sure to send me a package along with a letter, scolding me.

Once out of the shower, I picked out one of my many sundresses and slipped it on. The next thing I knew, Jason barreled up the steps and rushed into the room. “We have to go, now.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” I raced down the stairs after him.