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Kris didn’t say anything, and that was somehow more frustrating than if he had a comment prepared to sling at me. Instead, he turned and trudged off to his room.
Sam peered up at me through her lashes, giving my fingers a light squeeze. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “I think we should probably all turn in.”
Nobody had any energy to argue.
* * *
I stayedup late into the night, iPad on my lap with my reading glasses on. Naturally, I felt bad about leaving my brothers-in-arms. I’d spent years fighting by their side, but I also felt… oddly free. Liberated. Excited for the endless possibilities of what the future held in store. I had no concrete plans, any number of paths laid out before me. I was so used to following rigid structures and schedules that it felt exhilarating trying to figure things out as I went and playing it by ear.
A soft knock at my door sounded. I knew it was Sam even before she poked her head in.
“Hey, sugar,” I greeted.
“Hey, handsome,” she whispered. “Do you think I can stay here with you tonight?”
“You don’t even have to ask.” I patted the empty bed beside me.
Sam padded softly across the floor and climbed under the covers with me, snuggling in close. I slung an arm over her shoulder and shared my iPad with her.
“I didn’t know you wore glasses,” she commented sleepily.
“Only at night. At the risk of sounding like an old man, they help with eye strain.”
She grinned. “I think they make you look sexy.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Mm-hmm.” She rested her head on my chest. “What are you reading?”
I pressed a kiss to her hair. “I’m looking up small commercial spaces in New York.”
“What for?”
“Well, after we get home, I want to…” I took a deep breath. “You’ll think it’s stupid.”
She placed a hand on my stomach, looking up at me earnestly. “I would never. Come on, tell me.”
“I want to open up a bookstore.”
Sam’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“I’d be good at it. I love reading to start with, and I handle almost all of Grand Paradise Security’s logs, so I think I’d be able to handle my own business no problem.”
“That sounds like a brilliant idea,” she said enthusiastically. “Will you tell me more?”
“I’m going to have a little café set up in the corner where people can eat pastries and enjoy a cup of joe while reading their books. It’ll feel a lot like a library. Exposed brick walls and light wood floors. Maybe a big seating area near the street facing window where people can host their book clubs.” I smiled to myself, imagining it. “It’ll be nice. Quiet. Much more my speed. And you’d obviously get a staggering discount on all of your law books.”
Sam beamed. “You mean that?”
“Definitely. 100% off in exchange for unlimited kisses.”
She giggled. “Oh, that sounds like a lovely deal. I’m in.”
We quieted after that, not a peep to be heard within the penthouse. After a few more minutes of browsing listings, I turned my iPad off and set it aside, choosing instead to hold Sam close in both arms.
“Will you be alright?” she asked, barely above a whisper. “Going solo, leaving the guys?”
