As I walk out of San Pedro Federal Penitentiary three months after the wedding, the alarm shatters my skull yet again. But I know for shit sure it’ll be the last time. I’m not messing up again. I’ve taken way too many liberties with my life and the people I actually care about.

Speaking of which, I haven’t heard much from Damon about Kate since her trial began. I’m sure she spends plenty of time each day seething in that orange jumpsuit, the one she’ll be wearing for a very fucking long time to come. It was a betrayal like I’ve never experienced in my life, but hey, she’s finally paying that pretty fucking huge debt.

The late afternoon sun shines bright, and the sky is clear and blue. It’s a perfect day to take a road trip. I massage the back of my neck and walk toward the Range Rover parked outside the wrought iron gate. A much different ride than the last one I’d taken out of Nevada in Remo’s car. At least in Ariana’s car, I won’t be too scared of what I’m stepping in. Or sitting in, for that matter.

The driver’s side door pops open, and she hops out in her sky high heels. My cock twitches as she runs toward me, launching herself into my arms and wrapping those legs around my waist. Under other circumstances, I might have considered taking her right against the side of the car, but we have other passengers who might not appreciate that kind of a show.

Later. Much later.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispers against my ear.

“Can you feel how much I’ve missed you?” I murmur, taking a deep breath of her clean, floral scent. The skin on the back of my neck prickles, and my half-hard-on is now much more out of control than I’d like, especially since I can’t do anything about it. I slide my hand over her ass and give it a squeeze. “I hope you’re wearing something extra special under that skirt. Remember, I’ve been pent up for three months looking at nothing but guys in orange jumpsuits.”

She flashes a seductive grin and licks her lips. “I’m actually not wearing anything under this skirt. And I’m going to take full advantage of the fact that you’ve been so sexually repressed in that concrete box of a home you’ve been keeping.”

“Thank God they let me out early on good behavior. I hope you’ve got big celebration plans.”

“Oh, I do.”

The rear passenger side door opens, and Eva slides out of the leather bucket seat, followed by Damon. Eva has a smirk plastered on her face, and a hand over her larger than normal belly.

I set Ariana on the ground and do a quick shift of my jeans while she’s still in front of me, hiding the bulging evidence. “So congratulations are in order.”

“They sure are, Grandpa.”

Fuck me.

I keep my hand around Ari’s waist, guiding her closer to the car while I think about giving blood, hair in my food, mangled road kill, anything to kill the erection threatening to erupt out of my pants.

Damon pulls me in for a hug. “Good to see you, Dad. You lost some weight in there.”

“I don’t have to tell you what kind of shit they pass off as food.” I clap my hands on his back. “And I sure as hell wouldn’t turn away a steak right now.”

“Then, let’s get the hell out of here!” Ariana jumps into the driver’s seat and the rest of us pile into the car. She guns the engine, and before long, we’re on Route 66 heading west.

“So, Dad,” Damon says. “What are you planning to do when we get back?”

Ariana turns to me with a small smile on her face. “I spoke to the Deputy Director, and he’s ready to bury the hatchet. He said everyone wants you to come back to the Bureau. They’ve reviewed the details of your case and expunged all of your past criminal records so they can make you an offer. No more parole. You’re totally free and clear. Isn’t that amazing?”

I take a deep breath and squeeze her hand. “Maybe that’s not the right path for me.”

She furrows her brow. “What do you mean? You were fired unjustly, and they want to make things right.”

“All I’m saying is that now that you got your promotion, maybe I need my own thing. You know, since I’m a free man.” I turn toward Damon. “Like maybe a new private investigation firm that tracks and prosecutes assholes like Conlon and…” I clear my throat. “…your mother. But I’d need a partner.”

Damon’s eyes light up. “Really?”

I nod. “I’ve been working on some ideas. Kegs and Remo can be the muscle, and they have plenty of prospective clients. What do you think? We’d need legal counsel.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the Bureau? You lived for that job, Dad. I don’t want you to regret missing this opportunity later.”

“Fuck those assholes for screwing with me in the first place. I owe them nothing. I poured my heart and soul into that job, and for what? To go crawling back to them now? Hell, no. I wasted enough time, Damon. I have a lot to make up for, and I want to start now. What do you think? Let’s do this together. Give it a chance. Give me a chance.” I hold my breath.

Damon exchanges a look with Eva and rubs her slightly protruding belly. “What do you think? Would you be okay with it?”

She nods and wipes a tear away. “Of course. Do it. We’re fine on money, and this can be huge.”

He looks back to me and shrugs. “Let’s do it!”

I finally feel like the pieces are falling into place for me. It’s taken a fucking long ass time, but here we are. The stretch of road through the desert is never ending, but as long as I have these people with me, I don’t care how long it takes. I’m already home.

I hear a loud chuckle from the peanut gallery. “Guys, look!” Eva squeals, pointing to a large billboard for an Elvis-officiating wedding chapel in Vegas. “Maybe we need to renew our vows since our first wedding was destroyed and overrun with gun-wielding FBI agents, huh? Maybe it’s an omen, kind of like sealing the deal for the new partnership! New partners, still kind of new partners…could be fun. I’ve always wanted to be married by Elvis.”

“Or,” I tighten my grip on Ariana’s hand as it shifts gears. “Maybe it’s an omen for something else.”

“Oh yeah?” She cocks an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Like, maybe the omen is for us to get hitched since we’re kind of responsible for screwing up their wedding.”

The Range Rover screeches to a halt on the side of the road, the tires kicking up enough dirt and gravel to choke us all. Ariana throws it into Park, twisting in her seat. “Are you fucking serious right now? We’re on our way home from prison and you want to get married?”

“Yeah.” I stroke the side of her face. “Ari, I already told you. I’ve wasted enough time. I want you. I have since the minute I saw you in that club. You had such a chip on your shoulder, and I wanted to be the one to knock it off.”

She stares at me, her eyes searing a hole into my skull. They narrow slowly, her expression morphing into something decidedly fierce. That’s probably not a good sign.

A strand of glossy dark hair falls in front of her eyes, and I sweep it behind her ear. Her gaze finally softens and she places her hand over mine. “If you want me so badly, then you’d better adjust your approach and ask me nicely, Jeff. I think you know I don’t respond well to orders.”

I lean closer, my lips practically on hers. “You love when I take charge, even though you still won’t admit that it makes you hot,” I murmur.

“I really don’t want to be hearing any of this. This whole proposal is making my ears bleed.” Damon lets out a groan.

“Most romantic proposal ever. I mean, you really know how to win a woman over with your charm and timing.” Ariana clutches a hand to her heart.

“What do you think? Elvis is waiting.” I trace the outline of her lips until they curl into a smile so bright, it could rival the lights on the Vegas strip.

Ariana leans her elbow on the steering wheel and suddenly, she’s all business. “I think you’re a big liability, Jeff. You’re hot-headed, cocky, impulsive, and demanding. But I’m crazy about you, and I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. God help us.”

“Yeah, well you definitely scream for God when we’re together.” I wink and crush my lips against hers in a kiss so deep, I almost forget where we are. Almost. Lucky for Damon.

* * *

“Elvis has left the building.”

“He what?” I twist my hands, beads of perspiration popping up along the back of my neck. We’d seen the sign, driven straight here, and now Elvis is gone? Shit, maybe this is another omen. Maybe we need to go back to L.A. and take a few breaths. And we can do that now that he doesn’t have to worry about violating parole. Jeff is the impulsive one, not me. I’m a planner. Maybe we need a plan, and an engagement, and—

The heavily made up woman behind the desk smiles at me, her brightly painted red lips stretching across her face much like those of a clown. “Don’t worry, hon. He just went to get a pack of cigarettes next door. He’ll be back in a jiffy.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding and glance up at Jeff. He smirks at me. “You have to relax a little. Look at it this way, I’ll be gone way before you, so the rest of our lives takes on a whole new meaning.”

I punch him in the arm. “You’d better watch yourself, or I’ll stick you in a home the first chance I get.”

He wraps his strong arms around my waist and twirls me around until we’re out of earshot from the rest of the group. “I think you like my cock way too much to send me away, regardless of how much of a pain in the ass I may be.”

I shake my head and squeeze my arms tightly around him. “Do you ever think about how crazy this whole thing is? How it even happened?”

He smirks. “I already told you. My cock is what got you here. You know you can’t live without it.”

“My father thought I was a lesbian because I’ve never brought home a guy.” I lift an eyebrow. “I’ve never wanted this. Or at least, I tried to convince myself of that. It wasn’t worth the risk that I’d end up like my parents, so I always put my work first. But you broke through all of that, Jeff. You made me realize what was missing, what I can’t live without.”

“Yeah, you needed an ex-con in your life to stir shit up and make things interesting.”

“Or maybe I was waiting for someone to show me that all of the planning in the world doesn’t guarantee a smooth and easy ride.”

“So, now we’re back to the ride, huh? You never complained that it was bumpy.”

I giggle and stand on my tiptoes to throw my arms around his neck. “You’re so literal.”

“That’s one I’ve never heard before.” He smooths back my hair and leans his forehead to mine. His scruff tickles my face, but damn, it’s so sexy, just like everything else about him. “And as for planning, the only things on my list for today are to marry you and get you naked as quickly as possible.”

I brush my lips against his, gently opening his mouth with my tongue, drinking in the sweet flavor of his spearmint flavored gum. The butterflies in my belly swarm like they’re being chased with a net, and God, I hope they never get caught. I don’t ever want to lose this feeling.

“If we keep doing this, I may have to reverse the order of my plan,” he murmurs against my mouth, fisting my hair..

“Excuse me, future Mr. and Mrs., I hate to break up a kiss like that, but it seems that Elvis has returned to his chapel of love,” Eva sing-songs. “Ready to take that walk, Ari?”

Breathless, I look into Jeff’s deep brown eyes. They crinkle in the corners as his smile widens. “I love you so much,” he whispers. “And I really need you naked and pressed up against a window in our honeymoon suite, so why don’t you strut that hot ass down the aisle now so we can move on to the second part of my plan?”

I stifle a snicker and run a hand through his thick, tousled hair.

Ready to walk? I’d happily dance over miles of scorching hot coals to be with this man.

His hand makes its way down to my ass and he gives it a tight squeeze. A squeal escapes my throat as I jump into his arms for the second time today. “Yeah, I sure am.”

Finally.