25. Chapter 25

twenty-five

Lucas

“ I still don’t see why I need to go to the hospital,” I groaned, rolling my neck while we waited on the steps leading into the front of the warehouse.

“You were in a fucking car accident. You lost consciousness. You almost drowned. You got into a wrestling-match-fist-fight with a literal villain. You’re going to the hospital,” Athena said, her tone inviting no argument.

“You had all the same stuff happen to you,” I argued nonetheless.

“And I’m going to the damn hospital,” she returned, her voice rising in frustration.

“Fine, fine!” I relented, lifting my arms up in surrender before wincing and lowering them back to my side. I wasn’t sure how badly my ribs were fucked, but they were definitely fucked. “Okay, maybe I should go get checked out. Did they say how long out? ”

Athena glanced at the time on her phone. “Maybe another minute or two? Lombardi drove us way out here. You know, I bet we could link the owner of this warehouse to the Morelli holdings,” she added, that analytical lawyer mind of hers always working.

“Are you sure you’re a defense lawyer? You’re starting to sound like a prosecutor to me.”

She rolled her eyes at my wink. “Defense makes more money. And somebody has to make sure even the criminals know their rights and get a fair trial or at least a decent plea deal.”

“Not everyone deserves that much,” I said quietly. A trial where things could go wrong, a plea deal to let Leo Lombardi out in just a couple years so he could come back and murder Athena, my mother. Without a guarantee that he would be behind bars for the rest of his life, I couldn’t risk it. I was just grateful that Athena made the decision so I didn’t have to.

I knew Athena’s conscience was clear, but so was mine. And fucking hell if she wasn’t hot as shit standing over that asshole with the gun in her hands.

“There are the sirens,” she said, bringing me back to the present. I reached over and squeezed her hand.

“That’s a shame because I really wanted to have time to thank you properly for saving my life.”

“Oh? And what would you call a proper thank you?”

I wiggled my eyebrows at her, letting my hands go from holding hers to glide around her waist.

“No!” she giggled, pushing me back with a light hand. “You’re going to the hospital to get your injuries treated first! ”

“But they’re just going to say I should take it easy. I think it would be better if we could get some first before they tell me not to.”

I could see the ambulance rounding the corner down the street, a couple cop cars right behind.

“You’re good, Lucas, but I don’t think you’re that good. I doubt you could finish that fast.”

“You came almost that fast last night.”

“Almost. But if you started now we could get in trouble for indecent exposure.”

“Might be worth it.”

“So much for being a rule-following model citizen,” she said, but her eyes weren’t teasing. They were affectionate, smitten, loving as she looked up at me and met my eyes. I needed to make sure she knew the truth.

“I’d break all the rules for you, Athena. Every single one of them.”

The emergency vehicles were all parked and everyone was hurrying over to us to assess the situation.

“I love you,” I told her before we were swarmed with paramedics and cops asking questions. “I tried to tell you before, but I don’t know if you—”

“I know,” she whispered, scooting closer until her chest was pressed against me, her lips resting with mine. “I heard your words. You said it, and then you went and proved it when you put your life on the line to make sure I was as safe as possible before we hit the water. Even if you never got a chance to say the words, I would have known it, Lucas. ”

The relief was unexpected, but instantaneous. I didn’t end up dying, but if I had she would have known how I felt. I closed my eyes in gratitude, kissing those lips still pressed against mine.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, the words caressing my lips.

My eyes popped back open.

“How could I not? You’re selfless. An ass sometimes, but a selfless ass.”

I pulled back so she could see my smirk, but before I could retort, one of the cops made it to our side.

“Someone wanna tell me what’s going on here?”

I jerked back farther in surprise, recognizing Mark Rosenberg’s voice. Shit.

Athena answered for us both, covering up my shock.

“Leo Lombardi cut the brakes in Lucas’s car. Lucas drove us into the bay instead of running over pedestrians. Lombardi pulled us from the water, took us to this warehouse to torture information about the case out of us, and instead got his ass handed to him.”

I shrugged. That about summed it up.

“And this canoodling?” Mark asked, pointing back and forth between us. There it was.

“None of your goddamn business,” she returned, but her tone held amusement, not aggression.

Mark held his hands up in surrender, much like I did minutes before. He gave a whistle to a couple of his fellow cops. “You two check out the building. We got a suspect in there ready to—”

“Actually not,” Athena interrupted, looking uncomfortable for the first time. “He’s dead. ”

Mark’s eyebrows rose almost to his scalp at this point. “How did that happen?”

“Self-defense,” I interjected before Athena could say anything else. Fidelity, bravery, integrity. My fidelity, my loyalty would be to her first and foremost from this point onward. “There was a struggle, and he was shot in self-defense.”

“Who shot him?” Mark asked, getting down to business and pulling out his little notebook.

I glanced at Athena. Best to get our story straight right now.

“I did,” she admitted. “Lucas was out of commission for the moment, and we fought. He tried to pin me, but I got the gun from him. When he went for my throat to choke me I fired.”

It was the truth, just with about ninety seconds redacted. It worked. The evidence in the warehouse would reinforce our story. No one needed to know that Athena could have held him off at gun point until help arrived. No one needed to know the lengths she went to ensuring our safety.

I met her eyes again, giving a slight nod. I had her back, just like she had mine.

Athena and I spent about twenty-four hours in the hospital before being discharged. Miraculously there wasn’t anything terribly wrong with either of us, just a lot of bumps and bruises. I had the worst of it with a concussion and two broken ribs, but even that was manageable from home, so they released us the next day with directions to get plenty of rest and not to get involved in any more wrestling matches with murderers .

Athena’s couch was probably my new favorite place. Not only did it hold the memory of Athena’s screaming orgasm clenching my cock tight, but it was also just really comfy to lounge on.

We spent Sunday afternoon after being released hanging out on that very couch, and then all of Monday morning. And I might or might not have been able to convince Athena to let me finger bang her until she came twice on this very couch. I was following the doctor’s orders: I sat still, didn’t exert myself, and didn’t put a lot of weight my torso.

My goal was to prove to Athena that I could behave and not injure myself further if she wanted to sit on my face when we went up to bed later on, but for now I was enjoying just cuddling with her for as long as she would let me.

Everything hurt, but nothing in the world would make me tell Athena to move her head from where it rested against my shoulder, her body nestled into my side. I ignored the twinge of pain as I leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of her head.

She didn’t look up from the TV, but I saw her lips quirk into a smile. She was perfect. I just needed to confirm how long this perfection was going to last.

“So I don’t want to get in trouble for assuming anything again…” I trailed off, forcing her attention back up to me. Her eyebrow raised. “You haven’t told me whether you’re actually staying in town or going back to Seattle.”

She pressed pause on the remote and shifted so her eyes met mine. “I don’t think you understand, Lucas—”

Those were not the words I was expecting, and the torn look in her eyes was unexpected as well. Maybe I was assuming too much when I took her I love you, too to mean she wanted to stay with me. Her job and career up north were waiting for her.

“Oh, I understand alright.” I tried not to let the heartbreak show in my face. Was this what my old girlfriends felt whenever I told them that they were nice, beautiful, or kind, but that things just wouldn’t work out? That I had other priorities in life and they were beginning to get the wrong idea so it was best to end things right away before anyone got more attached?

“Lucas,” she began again, her voice demanding my attention. “You don’t fucking get it, and you are making dumbass assumptions again. I already quit my job in Seattle. I’m not going back.”

My heart thumped hard against my bruised and cracked ribs.

“I’m not going anywhere without you. That’s how it’s going to be from now on. That’s the one rule. You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”

I like it.

“Okay, then when are you going to find a job? Because I’m not paying to support a stay at home girlfriend.” I grimaced when she pushed at my chest, faking outrage. “When we get married I’ll let you be my stay at home wife and greet me with a home cooked dinner and cute little apron every night, but no ring means no joint checking account, you hear me?”

“Oh darn. And here I thought I was going to be living a life of luxury. On a public servant’s salary.”

“Ouch!” I laughed, holding a hand over my heart. “Hit a man where it hurts why don’ t you.”

“What, the size of his paycheck? I don’t mind, baby. You know they say size doesn’t matter. And mine is big enough to satisfy both of us.”

“Jesus Christ. I’m done with this metaphor.”

She laughed. “I actually have it in my schedule to start job hunting in a couple weeks. You know, once all the bruises fade. Wouldn’t want to give the wrong impression to a potential new boss.”

I smiled, bringing my lips to hers. So warm, so soft. Just like her underneath that maneater persona.

“How long did the doctor say we’re supposed to take it easy again?”

Her smile turned wicked. “Well, you’re supposed to be on bed rest for at least two weeks. Don’t want to put pressure on those ribs.”

I slid a hand down to her ass. “There’s no pressure on them if I’m laying on top of you right?”

She raised an eyebrow again, but didn’t stop me as I shifted both our bodies so she was lying on her back, but I couldn’t hide the pain as I leaned over her.

“Okay, maybe not the smartest move on my part.”

“No shit.”

“What if I just laid down in bed?”

“That’s a good idea.”

“And then you sat on my face?”

She barked out a laugh.

“What, you have a complaint?”

“Not really, but I think that defeats the purpose of bed rest. ”

I opened my mouth to reply, but my phone rang. Athena quickly sat up and retrieved it from the coffee table, the display telling me the local office was calling.

“Special Agent Lucas Blake,” I said.

“Agent Blake, this is Stephanie from the Human Resources department with the San Francisco FBI field office.”

“Hi Stephanie,” I said. A vague memory of who this person was flickered through my mind. The brunette with the glasses, maybe?

“Can I have a moment of your time? I’ve been made aware of your off duty status, but I’m also aware that you were involved in the witness placement of Claire Reynolds and William Bracco.”

I sat up straighter.

“I was. What’s happening there?”

“Apparently there was a bit of confusion and their US Marshal handler is out of commission. Are you able to communicate with local authorities in Portland via teleconference to help sort things out?”

“One moment please, Stephanie,” I told her, then pressed the mute button on my phone. I raised an eyebrow to Athena.

“You need to work some, don’t you?” her sigh was exasperated, but her eyes amused.

“I do,” I admitted. “These witnesses are part of our case, and—”

“You don’t have to explain it to me,” she waved it off. “I get it. I love how important your job is to you. That’s good because I like to keep busy, too. And if it came down to it I know what your number one priority is. ”

“I’ll always put you first if I have to choose.” I already put my job at risk lying about how Leo Lombardi died, and I’d do it all over again.

“Damn right. But you’re injured. And I doubt you want to just hop on a zoom call to sort things out.”

Busted.

“Let’s try something new here,” she continued. “How about a compromise?”

“Oh?”

“How about we fly up to the PNW together so I can make sure you don’t work too hard. After you sort things out in Portland, we can continue up to Seattle and hire some movers to pack up the rest of my crap so you can stop worrying if I’d choose you right back.”

“I’m not worried. I’m…content.”

“So take Stephanie off mute, tell her the news, and let’s go get some witness statements to close this damn case and get you your promotion, baby.”

She leaned back into my side as I finalized details with Stephanie, placing a kiss over my heart. And life was perfect.