CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

 

Livvy

 

I kicked the door closed behind me, heading toward the kitchen and setting the bag of groceries on the counter. I pushed aside the paperwork I'd been doing earlier for the girls’ school in Colombia. Even with all the danger we'd faced, I'd fallen in love with the wild beauty of the country, the rich culture, and the vast strength of its people. Helping to re-build the schools in poor, rural villages destroyed by the earthquake had taken over my heart and had been a welcome distraction from the pain of missing Brody. But work could wait. Everyone deserved one night off.

I paused for a second as I began unpacking my groceries, the atmosphere in the house feeling . . . off, the hairs on the nape of my neck lifting in awareness.

"Hi, Liv."

I spun around, bringing my hand to my mouth over a startled gasp. Brody was sitting in a chair at the breakfast nook, calm, casual. My heart leapt, resuming in a quickened beat as I blinked, swallowed. Stared. He was here? Why? "Brody," I breathed.

His eyes flared and he stood, coming toward me, that loose, familiar stride I'd memorized as we'd hiked through a lush, but ravaged country. My stomach clenched in fear, not of him, but of this desperate buzz of joy reverberating through my body. Oh God, it hurt to see him, hurt to know I still loved him so much I could hardly breathe. Because I might have to watch him walk away again. "You . . . you can't just break into someone's house. It's . . . illegal."

He walked right up to me, and I leaned against the counter, pressing my butt to the edge, needing stability. I looked into his beloved face, those hard lines, the well-shaped lips, flinty eyes that could melt like hot, molten silver. "You should get better security," he murmured, moving a piece of hair back from my face. "Maybe a dog."

I brought my knee up and his hand flashed out, catching it in his palm before I connected to his groin. He grinned, wolfish, and my stomach clenched. Oh God, he was beautiful. "Leave the moves to me, sweetheart."

I resisted the smile that tugged at my lips, my leg lowering as we stared at each other, our faces close. I could smell him, and it made my breath quicken, the longing rising inside me.

"You gave me a fake bank account number," I said. "I still owe you half the money for getting me to Palomino."

His lip quirked, and then his expression went serious. He watched me and something entered his gaze that I wasn't sure how to read. "Why are you here, Brody?" I practically whispered.

A breath gusted from his mouth and he moved back, his hand dropping slowly as if he were forcing himself to stop touching me. "Because I can't live without you."

My gaze washed over his face. Oh, Brody, don't make me do this, not again. Not when I was just beginning to regain my strength, just when the sharp edges of missing you had begun to dull even the slightest bit. "We . . . we talked about this. I"—I shook my head—"I can't watch you leave over and over. I can't give up my dreams, Brody. That's not—"

"I took a job. Here, in Vegas."

I blinked, my brow furrowing in confusion. "You what?"

He ran a hand through his hair, hair that was longer than it'd been. Hair I could now tell had a slight wave to it. My hands itched to touch it. "It's a task force. I'll tell you all about it. But it's local, Liv. And I'd only have to go out in the field if something unexpected came up. It's—"

A sob came up my throat, and I brought my hands to my face, covering my mouth. Brody moved toward me again, wiping the tear that was already sliding down my cheek. "Wait, Liv, it still holds some danger. I don't—"

"That's good," I choked, shaking my head on a soggy laugh. "I mean, that's good, right? You like some danger."

Brody stared at me for a minute and then laughed, his face breaking into that stunning smile I'd missed so much. "Yeah, sweetheart, that's good. I like a little danger." He gathered me in his arms, and I melted into him, laughing, crying, allowing my heart to rejoice at his presence. He kissed my lips, my cheeks, my forehead. "I. Cannot. Live. Without. You. I want it all, Liv. Marriage, home, a couple of kids, maybe a dog." His eyes filled with gravity, my heart bursting with love for the man standing before me, the man who'd taken me on a journey where I'd looked for someone else and ultimately found myself. "What do you think?" he asked, vulnerability suddenly flickering in those sterling eyes.

"I think that sounds like the ultimate danger," I breathed, my voice catching.

He laughed. "Yeah. Let's do it. Let's go all out. I love you, Liv."

I released a small half sob, half laugh. "I love you too, Brody Thomas."