Penny chuckled harder. Much to the chagrin of the guys, she and the other woman had become instant friends. Charlie didn’t apologize for her colorful hair or her multiple tattoos, or for telling people the truth, regardless of its popularity. Her sharp mind and keen wit made her the perfect person to keep the men of Alpha in line, and Penny adored her to death.
No doubt sensing they were no longer alone in the front room, Charlie smirked. “We need tattoos to commemorate the occasion. I bet you that Axel down at the tattoo parlor would give us a discount if you let him put it on your arse.”
“No one’s putting anything on my lady’s arse except me.” As if summoned, Rafe leaned against the doorway.
Penny ran straight at him. He caught her easily, his palms giving her butt a firm squeeze as she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.
“See? My hands. Your ass.” Rafe waited a beat before lifting a single eyebrow in question. “Well? Are you going to tell me how it went or am I going to have to guess?”
With a squeal, she started peppering his face with kisses. “I did it! I really did it! The final is over, the credits are mine. Mine! Mine! All mine! You’re now looking at Alpha Security’s official trauma psychologist—or you will be once I complete the internship.”
Rafe’s coy smirk morphed into a true smile. He nuzzled into her neck and, for her ears alone, murmured, “Congratulations, Red. I knew you could do it.”
Like always, a simple hug turned into a hot clash of mouths and tongue. Penny tightened her hold around his neck and let out a soft groan of appreciation…right until the mixed sound of laughter and gagging had them pulling away. Slightly.
“Maybe we should start charging tickets,” Rafe teased before allowing her to slide down the front of his body. By the time her feet touched the ground, he was hard everywhere. Keeping his arms wrapped around her, he held her close enough for her to feel the erection pushing against her stomach.
Charlie shuddered. “Forget the tickets. Just do…that…somewhere else. Bloody hell, this is a place of business. Or at least it will be if Navy ever gets on the ball with these renovations.”
Vince, now standing between Logan and Sean, shot her a glare. “Vince would’ve been done a long time ago if some snooty little English girl weren’t so damn picky.”
“You know what? You lot are off gallivanting for weeks at a time. If I’m going to be stuck inside these four walls more than the lot of you, then I’m damn well going to make sure it’s something I want to look at,” Charlie growled right back. “Get the windows done or I’m going to hire the Beau brothers to finish the job.”
“Like hell. You just want to hire them so you can watch their asses while they work.”
She shrugged. “Your point is what?”
Trey stepped between Vince and Charlie moments before suspected bloodshed. “All right, kids. Don’t make me put the two of you in separate corners.” With a small smirk, he dropped a kiss on Penny’s cheek. “Congratulations. I think this calls for a party by the lake. What do you think? Swimming, beer, and barbeque?”
“That sounds great.” Penny looked up at Rafe, her smile mirroring his. “I want to call Dr. Phillips and see if Rachel would be okay coming out with us. Is that okay with you?”
Rafe gently guided her mouth back to his. “It would be more than okay, baby.”
Penny squeezed him tighter. God, she loved him with every inch of her being. He’d been by her side, her mountainous support as they found both medical and emotional help for all the women that had been trapped in the warehouse bunker. He and Charlie had helped her find Carlotta’s family…who lived in New York…and who hadn’t named her Carlotta, but Nora.
And thanks to Alpha’s connections, Rachel was in a government-sponsored rehab facility less than an hour away. It would be a long recuperation process, her battle with Freedom sometimes needing to be fought minute to minute…but if anyone could fight it—and win—it was her. Knowing that both Fuentes men died in Honduras and couldn’t hurt another soul helped the darker times seem just the smallest bit lighter.
It would be a long road to normal—Penny’s new kind of normal, one that involved a new family and a new job. As a trauma psychologist, she’d help the people Alpha saved after the bullets stopped flying. It was an exciting new chapter in her life, and she couldn’t wait to get started.
Penny lifted to her toes and kissed Rafe until her head went dizzy. “Can you and I have our own private celebration when everyone goes home?”
“Red, we can have our own private celebration every damn day of the week. As a matter of fact, I encourage it…demand it even.” Rafe feathered his mouth against hers.
“Jesus. Get a hotel room,” Trey grunted to the chorus of everyone else’s chuckles. “That’s basically my little sister you’re groping in front of me, Ortega.”