There were still hurdles to overcome, of course, and no one knew that better than Niall. So after he dried Savannah’s tears, after he responded to her fervent avowal of love the only way a red-blooded man could do, he led her back into the living room for a serious discussion.
He’d already realized that if any woman could understand and accept the secrecy surrounding his work, it was Savannah. But still...
“Assuming I don’t resign, I can never tell you anything about my job,” he began, gazing down at her left hand in his, thinking that the only thing he would change about it was the addition of a slender gold band on the fourth finger.
“Resign?” He could hear the bewilderment in her voice. “Why would you resign?”
“You live in Vail and you work in Tucson. I live and work here in DC. It might be possible I could relocate and still keep my job—I spend a lot of time on the road, as you’ve probably already figured out—but it would be inconvenient. DC is my home base, the place I go for assignment briefings and refresher training to stay the best at what I do. Commuting would put a strain on both my job performance and us. I don’t want to risk, either.”
She laughed softly and shook her head. “I don’t work in Tucson, remember? I resigned. And I put my house on the market the day I returned from White Sands.”
“What?”
“My job is flexible. Yours isn’t. There are plenty of defense contractors in and around Washington, DC, I can work for,” she assured him. “There’s even a division of my former employer located across the river in Virginia.”
“Yes, but...”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can pretty much write my own ticket where my work is concerned, you know.” She tried to look modest, but failed miserably. “If that’s the only thing you’re worried about, you’re worrying for nothing.”
Sudden relief made him laugh softly. “Yeah, those three patents—”
“Soon to be four,” she reminded him in all seriousness.
“Right, soon to be four. The woman I’m marrying is brilliant, and everyone in her field knows it.”
“The woman you’re—” She caught her breath. “Is that a proposal, Mr. Jones?”
“Not exactly.”
“Oh.” Excitement gave way to disappointment, followed by what could only be described as acute embarrassment, and Niall realized she’d misunderstood.
“It’s not a proposal, Dr. Whitman. It’s a statement of fact.” And he winked at her.
Her slow smile warmed him. “Oh, really? A statement of fact?”
“Hell yeah. You can’t expect to continue taking advantage of me the way you did from Beijing to Shanghai without there being some price to pay.” He nodded judiciously. “I think marriage is warranted—there’s nothing like making the punishment fit the crime.”
She gasped in fake disbelief, easily falling into the playacting routine they’d established in China. “Me? It was you. You’re the sex maniac. I’m just your innocent victim.”
She squealed with laughter when he said, “Hah!” and threw her over his shoulder. “Let’s see who the real sex maniac is,” he teased, carrying her into the bedroom. But all desire to tease her left him when he had her pinned to the bed. And the only thing he could think of in that instant was that if he’d never been sent to China, he would never have met Savannah.
“You have to marry me,” he breathed, staring down at the woman who held his life in her hands. “You have to.”
Her gray eyes went all misty. “Just try to stop me.”
He closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment, trying to take it all in. When he looked at her again, he vowed, “You’ll never regret it, I swear.”
“I know I won’t.” She blinked until the mist cleared from her eyes, then her lips quirked into a teasing smile and her expression turned mischievous. “Especially if you work off that backlog.”
* * * * *
If you loved this novel,
don’t miss these thrilling titles in the
MAN ON A MISSION miniseries from Amelia Autin:
RESCUED BY THE BILLIONAIRE CEO
THE BODYGUARD’S BRIDE-TO-BE
KILLER COUNTDOWN
A FATHER’S DESPERATE RESCUE
LIAM’S WITNESS PROTECTION
ALEC’S ROYAL ASSIGNMENT
KING’S RANSOM
MCKINNON’S ROYAL MISSION
CODY WALKER’S WOMAN
Available now from Harlequin Romantic Suspense!
Keep reading for an excerpt from SPECIAL AGENT COWBOY by Regan Black, the first book in KILLER COLTON CHRISTMAS.
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