It was clear that Holly and her cousin—and a few other arriving relatives—needed their privacy. He’d been intimately involved in the process, and in Holly. Maybe he needed the break. A little perspective. And maybe a little rest.

Being with Holly, when they were working side by side tracking down Andrei Godev, and afterward, had been the among the best moments of his life. He’d been able to help the woman of his dreams get her life back, and had some of the most incredible sex of his life while they were at it. He had the bruises and bite marks to show for it, about the same amount of damage he’d gotten in battling Godev and his goons.

He looked at the marks, standing shirtless in front of the bathroom mirror in a hotel a few miles from the RV safe house. He’d said a quick goodbye to Holly and faded into the background of a chain hotel’s presidential suit—and its mini bar. Its large bed and cable TV. Maybe the Jacuzzi, too. No, it would bring back too many memories of Holly. They’d be fun memories, but it would leave him wanting her too badly.

Wanting her and having her would have to come later, after her family had some time to heal together. After a few debriefings with Jackson. After the bite and claw marks on Logan’s back had disappeared to make room for the new additions.

Time. He had all the time in the world.

He took another sip from his ice-cold beer and turned away from the mirror, walking out of the bathroom and then staring out of his tenth-floor window to the rear parking lot below. No suspicious cars had pulled up.

But what would such a car look like, anyway?

Fuck it. He walked away and plopped down on his bed, answering the phone when it rang. Phone calls in the last few days had come with stress and anxiety. Now it just meant he might be that much closer to seeing Holly again.

“Talk to me.”

Jackson, on the other end, said, “Hello?”

“Hi.”

“Logan?”

“Go ahead,” Logan said.

“What are you doing?”

“Decompressing.”

“By yourself?”

Logan chuckled at the question. “I left Holly with her family back at the RV. Matthias is doing guard duty.”

“I know what Matthias is doing,” Jackson said. “I’m wondering what you’re doing.”

“I’m having a beer.”

“Well, good for you. I’ve still got a few weeks’ worth of meetings before I can have any fun.”

“Well,” Logan said, “you’re the man.”

“You, too. I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

“Tell me?”

“You did a good job back there, taking the initiative like always. I wanted to thank you.”

“I should thank you for putting me in a position to succeed. It goes hand in hand.”

“Indeed, it does,” Jackson said. “It goes together like Godev in a grave. And like Gary Johnson behind bars for a long while.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Me, too. I like it even better considering what they were planning. Tansy was able to get some local terminal access inside the CIA.”

Logan laughed and said, “So that’s why he wanted me to thank Holly.”

“He took a page out of your playbook with that one.”

“So, what did he find?”

“The virus was going to expose every US agent working in Russia, making them instant targets for assassination.”

“Damn . . .”

“The agency’s working now to bring them in from the cold,” Jackson said. “So far, everyone’s accounted for.”

“Especially Beth.”

“That’s right. The world’s a happy place once again.”

“Holly’s pretty happy about it.”

“I’m sure she’s happy with you,” Jackson said. “I’m surprised you’re not still with her right now.”

“Just giving her some time,” Logan said, getting up from the bed and starting to pace.

“Okay.”

“I’m gonna need some time off,” Logan said.

“I bet.”

Logan stopped in front of the mirror again, shocked with how tired he looked.

“We’ll, I’ll leave you to it,” Jackson said. “Rest up and check in with me later.”

“I’m talking at least a month off,” Logan said.

“You got it.”

“Jackson,” he said. “Thanks.”

“You got it.”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

Jackson said, “Ditto,” and ended the call.

Logan, feeling increasingly tired and in need of a reset, stripped out of his clothes and turned on the shower. He let the water run, waiting for it to warm up against his hand. He took another look at the mirror, seeing two sets of scratches on his back. Thinking about it, standing there naked, he began to feel not so tired. He began to feel something else, too.

The water was also heating up.

Before it got warm enough, Logan heard a knock on his door.

The door across the hall, perhaps . . .

When Logan heard it again, he wrapped a towel around his waist and made for the door, picking up his Glock along the way. It was cold in his water-warmed hand. He crept up to the door and looked through the peephole, his heart nearly stopping at the view.

Logan tossed his gun and towel on the bed, and opened the door.

Holly rushed into his arms, the door behind her closing fast enough to hide Logan’s hardening cock from the world. He lifted her up with the hug, dragging her across the room to the bed, the two of them tumbling over it and laughing when their lips finally broke apart.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“They don’t need me there,” Holly said. “We’ve got family coming in from all over. Jackson got my aunt flown in on a DARC Ops jet.”

He pulled her closer, reveling in the feel of her against his skin. “I wanted to stay, but . . . I thought you also might need some space.”

“I need space,” she said, “with you. Time and space with just us.”

Logan couldn’t help but smile. “I didn’t want to be so greedy.”

“Be greedy,” she said. “Take.”

He took her skirt off.

“Take it,” she said, whispering now. Hunger in her voice. Her legs spread wide for him, then wrapped around his torso. Ankles crossed around his back, pushing him downward and in. He slid inside her body, entering slowly and smoothly and so wet. Hands around his back now, her nails again. But softer this time.

He moved softer, too. His body swayed into her like the gentle lapping of waves on a beach.

This time their lovemaking was attentive, as if they were doing it for the first time. The passion was there, and Logan felt himself burning up with it. But there was also something else. Something greater. Something meaningful that went beyond the moment, beyond the words.

He knew then that he wanted to make something with her.

He wanted to be with her. He wanted a family.

“Holly . . .” He said her name again between thrusts, between moans, his head down and whispering the words in the warm space between their bodies. He angled his hips and slid deeper inside her. He groaned. “I’m not letting you go again.”

It was almost too much to stand, speaking these truths to her, feeling her body squeeze around his cock. He stayed deep inside, their bodies pushed up tightly together. Chests heaving against each other.

“I’m not letting you go, either,” she said.

And she didn’t, at least until Logan couldn’t stand it any longer.