It feels weird to walk through the quiet main room of Petals, knowing I’ll likely never return. I look around the room, seeing the dinginess to everything in the light of day.

But somehow, it makes it feel comfortable. I like knowing that table nine is a little wobbly so you have to be careful setting the beers down or else you’ll have slop to mop up, or that the fastest route from the bar to the private rooms is to take the outside loop even though it’s twenty-five extra steps, but there are no grabby hands to get in your way. The biggest thing, though, is knowing that the people here are my friends.

I mean, what else can you say when Allie and a bunch of the dancers and waitresses are here to say goodbye? I have no idea what Allie told them to cover up the reason. But even Marco’s here, looking slick as always, even as his practiced smirk looks a little faded at the edges..

I give Allie a big hug, still loving that she’s promised we’ll get together soon. “I think we’ll have to get you a bright slutty red when we get together for mani-pedis next time,” she teases, looking over my shoulder at Shane before giving me a wink. “And some sweet gel nails that are guaranteed not to break when you scratch someone’s back.”

The other dancers laugh along with me while I give hugs all around. When everyone’s wished me well, I turn to Marco, who’s talking quietly with Shane. The two shake hands, and Marco turns to me. “You know, it’s not gonna be the same without you around.”

“Oh, you’ll just have to be more careful with those harassing comments,” I joke, making Marco laugh. I give him a big hug, patting his back. “You make sure you stay out of trouble, you got me?”

“Never.” Marco laughs, hugging me back and picking me up. Shane looks a little jealous, which makes Marco and I both laugh. “Relax, Dragon. I’m not gonna try and take a girl who settled for your ugly ass.”

Shane laughs, flipping him off. “Fuck you, man.”

I don’t get the inside joke between them, but it seems good-natured as they bro-hug. Shane shakes hands with a few of the girls and gives a quick hug to Allie, and then we’re done. As we approach the door, I look up, seeing Dominick watching us. He doesn’t say a word, just stands in the doorway of his office, watching us, but I wave goodbye and smile anyway. Dominick had sent someone for Shane’s truck days ago, so it’s waiting in the parking lot for us.

I curl into the passenger seat, tears already starting to slip down my cheeks. Shane looks over and wipes them away with a gentle thumb. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

I shake my head, kissing the ball of his thumb softly. “It just feels . . . final. Like I’m not going to see them again, you know?”

“Angel, you literally just made plans with Allie for this weekend,” he reminds me. “You two are going to be thick as thieves, and I doubt I’m gonna get two minutes of you to myself. That’s the definition of not final.”

I smile through the tears, chuckling. “You’re right. It just feels like I’m saying goodbye.”

Shane is thoughtful, considering that for a moment, then puts his truck into drive and pulls away. “Well, you are saying goodbye to a lot of things. Your job at Petals, your job at the tabloid, your innocence at how the city runs. But you’re starting a lot of new things, like this with me. It’s not the end of things. It’s the beginning of new things.”

I lean across the seat to wrap my arms around his arm, laying my head on his shoulder. “You’re right. Let’s go home.”

It doesn’t occur to me that I didn’t say ‘my place’ or ‘your place’ until Shane pulls into the parking lot of my apartment. “Oh, if you need to go to your house, we can. Sorry. I didn’t mean—”

Shane puts a finger to my lips, shushing me. “Maggie, you are my home. My apartment in the city is a front, part of the assignment. For the past year, I’ve basically lived out of a duffel bag. My place is more of a pit stop than anything else. I like your apartment, it’s like you, sweet, innocent, warm. If you don’t mind, I could use a little more sweet innocence in my life.”

I smile shyly, nodding. “Okay, then let’s go home.”

We walk up the stairs, and I feel like we’re walking hand-in-hand to something bigger, better. At the landing, Shane swoops me up into his arms and carries me across the threshold like a bride. It makes me warm and bubbly inside.

He kicks the door closed and bends down for me to lock it, and then continues his trek to my bedroom. He sets me down gently on the edge of the bed before looking around. “Bathroom? I sorta forgot.”

I point behind him, and he disappears for a minute. I can hear him digging around, looking for something, and I call out. “You okay? Need something?”

“Nope, got it,” he says, then I hear the bathtub turn on, the water echoing out in the quiet apartment. “There, that’s perfect.”

Shane reappears, pulling me up from the bed. He begins stripping me, and my body responds instantly, knowing what it wants, and I try to kiss him.

Shane steps back, his eyes twinkling in amusement. “Nu-uh, Angel. I will always give you what you want, but trust me to know what you need too.”

Confused, I let him undress me the rest of the way and then watch as he strips too. Once we’re both naked, he leads me to the bathroom. I’ve always liked this bathroom. It’s why I put up with the rest of the place. The big garden tub is full of steaming water and fluffy bubbles, and there are tea candles lit on the countertop.

The bubbles in my belly rise again, the happiness bursting out as I giggle and turn to Shane. “Are you giving me a bath?”

Shane holds me, our naked bodies pressed together as he kisses my temple. “Angel, we’ve had a rough few days. And tomorrow, I’m going to have to start the process of becoming Agent Guthrie again. But for now, I want to wash all the roughness away, start fresh and clean and honest with each other. Never lie to me, never hide from me. Give me all of you. And I’ll do the same for you.”

I nod, tracing a fingertip along the designs covering his chest. “I love you, Shane.”

He presses his lips to mine, smiling. “I love you too, Maggie. Now let’s get in.”

He steps in first, holding my hand to help me in too. I grab a hair band from the tub edge and quickly twist my hair up into a messy bun on top of my head.

We sit, my back to his front with his legs spread wide around me. Settling in the hot water, the suds tickle and tease against my skin. Shane grabs my pouf and pours body wash on it, working it to a foam and inhaling the scent deeply, grinning. “Mmm. I figured it was a special soap that makes you smell so good. Makes me want to eat you up.”

I smile, too dreamy to reply as he moves the pouf along my skin, covering my arms and my chest in the warm vanilla sugar scent of my body wash. “I’ll make sure to buy another couple of bottles this weekend.”

Shane nods, reaching down and motioning for my foot. “Give me a leg.”

I raise a foot toward the ceiling, not as flexible as the dancers at Petals, but not too shabby, if I say so myself. I can feel Shane hardening against my back as he washes down the length of my calf to my thigh, where it disappears into the water. He repeats the move on the other leg, his forehead dotted with sweat, either from his arousal or the warm water, or both.

Once I’m curled back under the surface of the warm water, he shifts, pressing me forward so he can wash my back. The pouf drops into the water, and I feel Shane’s rough palms tracing along my back, washing the bubbles away and massaging my soft skin. His lips follow the path of his hands, kissing and nibbling along my shoulder and up to my neck. “Angel . . . so sweet.”

A moan rolls past my lips, and I feel like I could lie in his arms forever, but I want to do for him what he’s done for me. I want to wash all the past, the lies, the fear away. I want him to know that I want to be by his side. Even if the FBI says that we have to move, or that he has to go man the office in Alaska or something, I’ll be there with him. I sit up, breaking his embrace for a moment before turning to face him and sitting between his splayed legs.

I feel around for the pouf. Finding it, I use more body wash to work the lather back up as Shane watches me with hooded eyes. “Hope you don’t mind smelling like me,” I say flirtatiously as I start to swirl the pouf along Shane’s chest. “I happen to love covering you in my . . . scent.”

Shane growls, his hands resting on my hips and pulling me closer, bit by bit. “Pretty sure I told you I’d smell like you anytime you’d let me. I meant I liked your juices marking me, reminding me and everyone else that I’ve been between those sweet thighs. But I’ll take any damn thing you want to give me, Angel. Although I am hoping that normally I can use some regular soap.”

Having washed his thick chest, the bumps of his washboard abs, and along the length of his powerful arms, I move my hands lower. His cock jumps as I lick my lips, leaning in. “Good . . . because time for getting washed is over.”

Under the water, I let the pouf go, wrapping my hands around his thickness and giving him a few strokes.

Shane groans, his fingers tightening on my hips. “Fuck, Maggie.”

I keep the pace slow, wanting to control how fast he builds, but he bucks against me, fighting for more. I move to straddle one of his thighs, forcing him still, and lean forward, licking his earlobe. “Shane, let me love you. Let me jack you off, let me mark you the way you mark me. Let me . . . let me be your woman.”

His body is strung tight, using all of his control to hold back and let me have this. I move down his neck, kissing and licking and nibbling the way he does to me.

I find a spot in the curve that makes him moan as his dick jumps in my hand, and I smile to myself. I latch onto the spot, sucking and nibbling just to the edge of pain before soothing it with a licking kiss.

All the while, I stroke him, every stroke up his shaft timed with a sucking draw on his neck. I’m mindlessly riding his thigh, letting the soft hairs tickle my lips and grinding my clit along his tight muscles. “That’s it, my man. So hot and sexy,” I purr in his ear. “So strong, you could break me, but you didn’t. You woke me. I’m yours now, your sweet angel and your dirty girl. You like that, don’t you?” I kiss back down, finding that sweet spot on his neck and suck again.

I can feel his balls pulling up tight, on the edge of letting go. “Fuck, yes,” he groans. “I want you by my side, Angel.”

I let go of his neck and lick his ear as I pump him quickly under the water. “You’re mine, and I’m yours,” I whisper.

It’s enough to trigger him, and he bucks beneath me, raising his hips out of the water. His cock pulses in my hand as he comes, white cum coating my hand. The sight does me in, and I grind along his thigh, finding my own release as he holds me, keeping me steady as I shudder on him.

“Mmm, that was wonderful,” I whisper, cuddling against him. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Shane whispers back, holding me close. “For everything.”

Eventually, we get clean, and still naked, we walk into the bedroom. Shane throws the covers back, tossing pillows to the floor as he sees my carefully constructed arrangement.

He laughs as I scramble to pick up a few of them. “Why do you have so many fucking pillows? There’s like a dozen of them here!”

I laugh, picking up one to swat him on the butt. “Because they’re pretty and soft and I like to curl up in them.”

Shane tosses me in the bed, climbing over me and caging me in. “You’re pretty and soft. And you can curl up with me now.”

He lies on his back, one arm stretched wide in invitation. “C’mere, Angel,” he says, and I quickly snuggle into his side, throwing one leg over his before he pulls the blankets back over us.

It feels comfortable, right, just like always. “You’ll be here when I wake up, right? This isn’t all some dream?”

Shane kisses my forehead, tenderly stroking my arm with his hand. “I’ll always be here when you wake up. Sleep now, though. You’ve been through a lot.”

I can feel sleep already overtaking me, but I manage to kiss his chin before yawning. “I love you.”

Just as I drift off, I hear him reply softly, “I love you too.”