He shrugged.

“I only have one bathroom,” I said.

“We could make that work.”

“I have a yard, you’d have to mow the grass. I don’t think Stevie will keep mowing my side if you live there.”

“Your yard’s the size of a postage stamp. I think I can manage mowing the grass.”

“It isn’t secure, there isn’t even an alarm system.”

“Vance will put one in.”

“What about the Command Center? I don’t have a room where you can put your top secret PI stuff.”

He started laughing again. “Do you want to move or do you want me to move, make up your mind.”

“I don’t know,” I said, and I didn’t.

“Well you have to figure it out now because one or the other of us is moving in tonight. No more f**king around.”

“I can’t figure it out now. I’m too stressed. I may be pregnant. I think I need to go out and buy vitamins or something.”

He pulled me deeper into him and I could feel his body shaking with his hilarity. I didn’t think it was hilarious, I thought it was scary as shit.

When he pulled himself together he said, “We’ll move to your place. It’s close to Fortnum’s and you have good neighbors. And I like your bedroom. I’ll rent this place out.”

Somehow, that made the panic ease but not totally subside.

He looked down at me.

“Happy with that?” he asked.

I nodded.

He got that soft look on his face and the melty look in his eyes, my knees started to buckle and I leaned into him.

Then the door buzzer went.

“Fucking hell,” he muttered.

He let me go and went to the door.

When he came back, he said, “Darius is coming up.”

I’d already met Eddie in Lee’s shirt, I wasn’t going to gallivant around in front of Darius in Lee’s tee. I mean, I was possibly pregnant. Pregnant women didn’t run around in front of just everyone wearing nothing but panties and t-shirt.

I grabbed my coffee, topped up and ran to the bedroom.

I slapped on some happy makeup, lots of glittery eyeshadow, thick mascara and dewy-blush. I topped some jeans and the black belt with rivets that Lee gave me with a white t-shirt that said, “I shot J.R.” in black and slid on my black flip flops.

I flip flopped my way back to the coffeepot, poured some in a travel mug and headed to the balcony where Darius and Lee were lounging.

I stood in the French doors. “Hey Darius.”

He’d watched me while I approached and he nodded and gave a bit of a smile but didn’t say anything.

I turned my gaze to Lee. “I gotta get to the store.”

“Take the Crossfire, I’ll take the Duc in this morning,” Lee said.

“The Ducati’s here?”

“Yeah.”

Wicked.

I kinda wanted him to take me to work on the Ducati but I wasn’t going to ask.

“I’ll take you out on the bike tonight,” Lee offered, the crinkles showing beside his eyes.

“Get out of my brain,” I returned, putting my hand on my hip.

That made him give me an out and out smile.

“Walk me to the door?” I asked.

I watched him get up and I started to turn toward the front door, then came around and looked at Darius again.

“We’re having a family barbeque on Saturday, Ally’s place. I’m sure everyone would like to see you,” I told him.

Lee dropped his chin and gave a couple of shakes of his head in that “I don’t believe she’s such an idiot” way.

“Thanks Indy, I got things to do,” Darius said.

“Okay, come after you’re done,” I said to him.

Darius shook his head.

“Then come before, bring your Mom and your sisters. I haven’t seen them in ages.” I kept going.

Lee’s hand wrapped around my upper arm and he turned me and marched me toward the door. I twisted around and I could see Darius grinning.

“See you later!” I called, already around the couch and in the kitchen.

As we passed, Lee snatched the Crossfire’s keys off the kitchen counter and at the front door he pulled me to a stop.

“What’d I say about trying to save Darius?”

“What? I just asked him to the barbeque.”

“You’re a nut,” he said.

I put a hand on a hip. “Excuse me?”

Lee shook his head. “Nope, not gonna happen. I’m not biting. We are not fighting today. No matter how far you push it.”

I’m so sure. Like I wanted to fight.

I got up on my toes and kissed him, giving him a quick peck and then grabbed the keys out of his hand.

“What was that?” he asked.

“A kiss good-bye,” I told him.

He took two steps forward and I took two steps back, slamming into a wall. His hands went to my ass and pulled me against him and he kissed me breathless.

“That was a kiss good-bye,” he said.

I took in a shaky breath.

It sure was.

* * * * *

Ally and Tex were behind the coffee counter at Fortnum’s when I got there. There were six people waiting in line and three people who’d already ordered and were waiting for their coffee. Every chair and couch had someone’s ass in it, all of them drinking coffee.

Motley Crue was blaring “Girls Girls Girls” from the CD player.

I looked at my watch, it was ten to eight. We’d only been open for twenty minutes.

Apparently people would pay to have a guy who looked like a serial killer serve them coffee.

“Holy shit,” I said.

“Get your butt behind this counter, woman! Does it look like there’s nothin’ to do and you have time to stand around gawkin’?” Tex boomed.

I walked around the counter, saw Annie, the blonde, helmet-head lady who yelled at me during the Rosie riot. She was staring at her cup with a reverence normally only befitting the unveiling of front row tickets. She looked up at me.

“Where do you find these guys?” she breathed.

“Luck,” I said and got to work

We were so busy, for hours I thought of nothing but coffee, milk, syrup and all the money that was being shoved into my cash register. We’d never been this busy, even with Rosie. We had good crowds, but this was crazy.