Ugh. I wanted that so, so badly.
But it would make me feel so much better if he’d say it first.
“The only word I’ll be saying right now is goodbye,” I said tartly, “since I have work to do, and so do you.”
Champ backed up a pace, giving me just enough room to turn around… though he still had the damn leash wrapped around me. From this close, I could see that his eyes looked tired. And despite his cocky grin, there was tension in his shoulders that I hated to see.
I brushed a strand of hair off his forehead. “Still no luck with the search?”
He shook his head once. “I’m convinced Tommy keeps his collection in the basement, but I haven’t figured out how to get at it. And it feels like every damn time I open my bedroom door to go searching, I find fucking Levi in the hall, waiting for me.” He cracked his neck from side to side and blew out a breath. “Pretty sure he’s a vampire.”
“And your tech guy hasn’t found any blueprints that show that room?”
Champ shook his head. “Not uncommon if this was designed as a kind of panic room or secret vault. Which is great for Tommy, not so much for me.”
“At least there’s nothing new from your ex. Or anything at all from the cartel.”
“That we know of,” he reminded me. For the first time since the start of this “mission,” Champ sounded a little defeated.
“We still have three weeks to the wedding.” I patted his chest lightly. “You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you.”
Champ stared at me, and I pulled back immediately, feeling my face go hot.
That comment had been way too sincere. In the absence of sex, my mind had apparently turned into a huge pool of sap, and now I was drowning in it.
“I-I mean—” I tried desperately to think of a way to pass it off as a joke.
Champ ignored my rambling. “I have so much riding on this,” he said softly. “My client’s reputation. All the people I employ. I can’t afford to fail. Champion Security is—”
“Your first priority,” I guessed when he trailed off.
Just like building Taffet Events was for me.
“It’s the only thing I have that’s mine,” Champ said unexpectedly. “My money pit of a house… that’s a relic from a future I thought I was gonna have but didn’t. My family name is about something I was born into and rejected. Hell, even my dog is yours more than mine at this point. But I built Champion Security from the ground up, based on a reputation I earned when I was in the service, and the people who work for me… we’re a family. I can’t let them down.”
How the hell was I supposed to keep up any defenses against this man when he said sweet shit like that?
“Look, if things get bad enough, I’ll help you find the Horn. I know you’ll be embarrassed when my plan works better than yours, though, so we’ll keep that in our pockets, m’kay?”
Champ threw his head back and laughed out loud, and I watched the whole show from the front row. When he looked at me again, his expression had lightened.
“I get why you’re so good at your job. There is some kind of fucking magic about you, Quinn Taffet. You always know what to say.”
I was glad one of us thought so. I felt like I’d come perilously close to showing that I was starting to have very real feelings for the guy, but apparently, I’d dodged that bullet.
“Well! Let’s hope my next meeting thinks so,” I said lightly, pushing out of his arms. “I’m having my initial meeting with your client in about ten minutes.”
“With my client?” He frowned. “Who?”
“Dr. Carter Rogers and his fiancé, obviously. Have you sent so many Nashville socialite clients my way that you can’t remember them all?” I teased.
The truth was, I owed Champ a huge thank-you. I’d googled them the day after Champ gave me Carter’s card two weeks ago, and it turned out the Rogers family was as blue-blooded as you could get in Tennessee. Having Carter as a client would more than make up for having Marissa Drakes’s wedding ruined…
Though seeing how much progress we’d made, I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be ruined at all, and in fact, it might just be the highlight of my portfolio.
Champ froze. “Carter and his fiancé are coming here today?” he demanded. “Really?”
“Why do you sound surprised? I called his business number a couple weeks back and spoke to his receptionist—a sweet guy named Kev—”
“Kev,” Champ repeated. “You spoke to… Kev.”
“Yep. He’s Carter’s cousin, but he was filling in for the week. Said he was so excited to hear from me that he was putting this appointment right on Carter’s calendar. He must’ve told me, ‘This is the best thing ever,’ like three or four times, and he said his cousin’s fiancé was going to be overjoyed at the prospect of wedding planning with me, so that’s fun.” I narrowed my eyes when I clocked Champ’s deer-in-headlights expression. “What’s that look mean? Is there a problem?”