“Yes. As long as we’re intimate, monogamy isn’t something I want to live without.”
He swallowed. He hadn’t agreed to that kind of relationship since high school . . . and that was for what? Two weeks? Then again, he hadn’t thought of another woman since he’d met and encountered the force named Gabriella.
“And if either of us feels the itch with someone else, we’re honest about it,” she said.
The thought of her with another man left him colder than he liked. “I can agree to that.”
She kept her eye on his. “No matter how it might hurt the other person.”
“I promised I wouldn’t hurt you.” But could he keep that if someone else came along? God, he was such an asshole.
“That promise was physical. It’s up to me to protect my heart, Hunter. That isn’t your job. Yeah, it would hurt if you were to tell me, last night was great, but let’s not do it again, but that’s better than pretending attraction when there isn’t any.”
He couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Great isn’t a word I’d use, and let’s not isn’t even in my vocabulary.”
“So we agree. Monogamy and honesty . . . even if it hurts.”
“And one more thing,” he added. “Our contract still stands. Eighteen months.”
“Seventeen months, two days.”
“Did I miss a couple of weeks?”
“Our contract was signed before we said I do. You really should read the fine print, Wall Street.” It made him happy to see her smiling.
“Fair enough.” He lifted his hand across the table as if he was talking with his lawyer. “Should we shake on it?”
Instead of extending her hand, Gabi stood and removed the belt on the bathrobe.
The sight of her body . . . all of it, unclothed and standing in the middle of a hotel room in Dallas, had his mouth completely dry.
“I have a better idea,” she said as she started toward the stairs.
It took a minute for his brain to register, but when it did, he growled and gave chase.
Escrow closed the following Friday, and on Saturday, Samantha’s sister, Jordan, went into respiratory arrest and was on life support.
Instead of moving into her new home, Gabi was keeping pace with all the current and past members of Alliance in an effort to support Samantha and Blake.
“Is there anything I can do?” Hunter asked her over the phone when she called to tell him there wouldn’t be any moving vans over the weekend.
“It’s round-the-clock coffee in the waiting room. Unless you love the smell of antiseptic and something I can’t identify.”
They’d spent the majority of the week apart.
Dallas would never look the same. They debated separate rooms in the new house . . .
Then Wednesday came . . . and dinner . . . and the back of the limo. But Gabi was working hard to push that memory from her head as she spoke with Hunter now. “I’m sure you have some packing to do.”
“I have people for that,” he said. “Besides, I’m not moving anything from the condo, so my packing is limited to suits.”
He was keeping his place in the city, a decision made before Dallas. BD . . . an acronym Gabi kept thinking.
“So you’re bored and need somewhere to go . . . and the hospital is it?”
“Bored? I don’t know what that word means.”
She felt a smile on her face. Around her, hospital staff walked in and out of the locked doors of the ICU. The lobby was filled with familiar faces. Gwen sat next to a former Alliance employee, Karen Gardner. Karen had worked with Samantha’s sister early on and was taking this latest turn in Jordan’s health to heart. It didn’t help that Karen had recently learned she was pregnant with her first child and emotions ran high.
“If you’re not bored . . . what are you doing?”
“Multitasking.”
There was nothing laughable going on around her, yet she found herself giggling. “What does a billionaire do when multitasking?” she asked.
“This billionaire is trying to figure out how to hire a nanny without tipping off the world of my intentions while simultaneously guiding two private detectives in different parts of the world.”
“When do you think Hayden will come?”
“A month . . . maybe two. Hard to tell. I have a child and family lawyer and her team working it. If my PI can document neglect, we’ll get him sooner. Emergency case could be in a week. Who knows?”
“Want my advice?” she asked.
“Bring it.”
“Skip the nanny search. We’ll deal with that when we get him. Between the two of us, we’ll manage.”
Hunter hesitated. “I work every day. I can’t dump this on you.”
“You’re not dumping, I’m volunteering. Once we have him, we can begin Operation Nanny Search. Besides, I don’t want some beautiful, young blonde in my home tempting my husband.” She was only half teasing.
“I don’t know . . .”
“Hunter, please. Concentrate on your detective. You have two on this?”
“No, only one. The other one is on you.”
The smile on her face fell.