Detectives

64

"I'm not going to stay around and watch you work yourself to death. I won't do it, Liam. I've been working eighty-hour weeks for Phillips because of that stupid contract, but as soon as the six months are up, things are going to change. I need a life outside of my computer."

He nodded, but neither one said another word until they were back in her apartment. His silence was making her extremely anxious.

"What do you think?" she finally asked.

"I need a life, too."

Tears came into her eyes. "You do?"

"Know what else I need?"

"What?" she whispered.

"I need you." He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "I love you." He paused for a second and then said, "I quit my job."

"What . . . You what?"

"I've been giving it a lot of thought the last couple of weeks. It took some hard-nosed soul-searching, but I finally figured out what I want. I told the bureau I was going to hand in my resignation Monday."

Flabbergasted, she stepped back so she could poke him in the chest. "But you love your job. And you quit? What is wrong with you? Don't you know how to do anything in moderation? Does it always have to be all or nothing with you? Stop grinning at me. I'm trying to make you think about your future."

"I am thinking about my future," he insisted.

She let him kiss her before she asked, "When you told them you were quitting, what was the reaction?"

"I got promoted."

"Promoted?" she repeated. "You got promoted?"

He shrugged. "Go figure."

"What does that mean?"

"Hell if I know."

He took her hand and led her into the bedroom. "I won't be traveling much with my new position. I've really grown to dislike it, anyway, and I've trained enough agents who can get the job done."

Astonished by what he was telling her, she turned to him, speechless.

"Sweetheart, if you don't take your clothes off, I can't ravish you."

He was desperate to touch her, but he let her wash off the makeup first. When she returned to the bedroom, they set a new record for disrobing. He wanted to go slow, but the passion was too strong. All the feelings he had been holding inside for so long exploded in a glorious moment of ecstasy.

Later, when she was lying next to him, Allison started laughing for no other reason than she was deliriously happy.