“Only you endanger my heart and soul. I respect D. I like him. He’s fun, and the two of you made me feel like I belonged.” She glanced down at the bike. “I didn’t want to lose that.”
“And you thought you would without him?”
“I knew I’d lose my buffer. Why do you think I stopped playing with you? Alone, it was too much.” She shook her head. “Do we have to do this?”
“You had to know I was going to ask. I waited until you were settled first. Now, yes, I need to understand. You’re not the only one taking a risk.”
His words were a bucket of icy water. All this time, she’d been looking at the situation from just her point of view. There was a lot she didn’t know about Lefty or his past. “You’re right.
I’ve been so caught up in my own head.” She shook her head. “It has always been you, Lefty.
You were the one I wanted. I went through Demon to keep a safety net. If it was the three of us playing, I could have my cake and eat it too. I’d get to experience things with you and it’d be fun. Nothing anyone would take seriously. But that’s not how it went.”
“How did it go, baby?”
“I got attached. For the first time since I got back on my feet, I needed something from
someone else, and as much as it scared me, I craved it. I still crave it.”
“And who’s the one to give it to you, Gia?”
“You. God help me, it’s you.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear, baby.” His eyes held a new light in them. “Let’s go, we have a ride to catch.”
His abrupt shift in gears left her speechless.
“You coming?” he asked, climbing off the motorcycle.
“Yeah,” She slid of the bike while mentally shaking her head. She never knew what to
expect from this man. But he’s never let me down.
“Would you prefer to eat in the air or on the ground?”
More and more, she thought of him as Colm, the man behind the Lefty VP persona . He understood her better than anyone. “In the air, please, Colm. I’ve never been in a helicopter.”
“Done.” He bent down and handed her the flask. “I’ll carry the rest.”
“What’s in the basket?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
His devilish smile brought butterflies to her belly.
He opened the helicopter door, stowed the basket and blanket, then held the wine glasses as she climbed up.
“Good afternoon, my name’s Brian, and I’ll be your pilot today.”
“Hi Brian,” she said, smiling at the sandy-haired blond with brilliant blue eyes.
Colm handed her the flask and climbed inside beside her, closing the door. “Hey, man,
thanks for the favor.”
“Any time, Lefty. Once you’re settled, buckle in and slip on the ear protection and we’ll be on our way.”
Colm deftly fastened her restraints and slipped on her earphones before moving to his own.