Somewhere in Australia, last she’d heard. Brody had called in to let them know Bennett was safe and they were both looking for new jobs. Ian Taggart had immediately groaned and said something about more strays.
“I think we don’t have to worry about him anymore. I believe Mr. Taggart has a plan on how to keep him in the fold, so to speak.” She leaned forward. “Is it true that Candice was killed in a car accident?”
The German police reports stated that she’d attempted to evade them and driven recklessly, plowing the van into an oncoming vehicle. Though she’d turned out to be a traitor, Penny still regretted her death.
“Yes, I’m afraid that’s true as well. Her boyfriend has been brought in for questioning in relation to the incident. I don’t think we have to worry about him. The chap urinated on himself.” Nigel shuddered a bit. “On to happier things—how is Damon recovering?”
He was a bear, her Master. He was cranky and crabby and gloriously alive. “He’s doing well.” She forced a smile on her face. “He should be ready to work again very soon.”
It was the one thing about her future she didn’t like to think about.
“As to that, Mr. Knight’s health is exactly why I called you in,” Nigel said. “I told you I wanted a report on his fitness for duty. You haven’t sent it yet.”
Because she didn’t want to. Because she wanted him safe. Because she couldn’t stand the thought of losing him. And yet, she couldn’t betray him. “I will have it on your desk in the morning.”
“And what will it say?”
She took a deep breath. She’d made her decision about this a long time ago. “That Agent Knight is ready for fieldwork.”
“Oh, darling, that is such a lie,” a familiar voice said from behind her.
She turned and Damon stood in the doorway, looking gorgeous and polished in his tailored suit. He didn’t look like a man who had almost died. He looked every inch the seductive, deadly agent. “Damon?”
His lips curled up. “I followed you, love. I couldn’t let you do this alone. And as for her report to you, Nigel, she’s going to tell you the truth.”
Nigel smiled slightly. “And what is that?”
“I’m utterly unfit for service, sir. My lungs were damaged, my heart as well. I shouldn’t ever run past a moderate jog, and I tend to lose consciousness when my heart rate gets too high. The lucky thing is I’m perfectly fit in bed.”
“Damon!” He didn’t have to mention that.
“Well, you seem ready to send me into the field, but you treat me like an invalid when we’re in bed together. She’s held me off for days.” He sank into the seat beside her. “It has to stop. It’s all madness.”
Nigel didn’t bother to cover his laugh. “Well, should I get a desk ready for you?”
Damon shuddered. “Absolutely not. I’ll have my resignation to you as soon as possible. Nigel, I can’t thank you enough. You’ve been damn good to me over the years. I intend to give you a slight discount on my services in the future. I’m opening the London office of McKay-Taggart.”
That was news to her. “I thought he wanted you in New York.”
“I told him to bite my arse,” Damon said with an arrogant grin. “It was London or I’d compete against him. He made the right call, although he’s tough when he’s bargaining. We already have our first two employees. I hope you can translate Australian.”
Brody and Walter. It looked like Walt was going to work his second life to its fullest. She smiled. “I think I can manage it.”
He was quitting. He would never be completely safe, but if he was running the office, he could mitigate the risks. Tears sparked in her eyes.
He was hers.
“Nige? Could we have a minute alone?” Damon asked.
Her boss rolled his eyes but stood. “I suppose so. I’m losing Penelope, as well, I suspect. Good luck to you both. And I’ll expect a twenty-percent discount, damn it. Contractors.”
The door closed behind him.
“I’m not giving him more than fifteen,” Damon said. “I love you, Penelope.”
He said it all the time now. He didn’t hesitate. Neither did she. “I love you, too. Oh, Damon, do you think you can be happy?”
He took her hand in his, warmth spreading across her skin. “Do you know I’ve almost died twice?”
Oh, she would never forget that. “Yes.”
“What they say is true. Your life passes before you, except the second time, it wasn’t the life I’d lived that passed in front of me. It was the one I could have. It was a life with you. I saw what we could have, Penelope. We could have a home and children and a right brilliant old age. We could have love. I want that life. I want it more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
He got to one knee and she gasped. She’d expected him to ask her to live with him. She’d known he would want her to take his collar.
She hadn’t expected this.
He pulled out a ring. “This is all I have left of my mum. My granddad gave it to me before he died. I used to hide it in my socks. Even at boarding school, I kept it close. I was so afraid of losing it.” He pressed it into her palm. “It’s yours. Even if you tell me no, it’s yours. This ring belonged to the only other woman who ever loved me, and I want to give it to you.”
Translation. Will you marry me?
“Oh, yes.” She threw her arms around him. “Yes, Damon. That ring is mine.”
And he was hers.
She kissed her man.
Damon’s hands tightened and suddenly she was on Nigel’s desk.
“Damon, what are you doing? Damon, you can’t do that here.” The entirety of SIS was outside the door. Nigel could walk back in at any time.
His eyes heated up and he spread her legs, making a place for himself. She could already feel his cock hardening against her. “When are you going to learn? Don’t tell me what I can’t do.”
He proceeded to show her that he could.
Dallas, TX
Two nights later
Simon Weston poured himself a Scotch and looked over at his cousins, thinking about the question J.T. had just asked. How had his trip gone? Well, he’d finally gotten his hands on Chelsea, and she’d pushed him away again.
And then he’d looked like a complete idiot for drinking drugged tea. He was so glad they’d caught that crazed-idiot Candice and arrested her. She could report on the current state of the British prison system. “My stay was perfectly pleasant, thank you.”
He wasn’t about to tell them how he’d fucked up again. He blamed Chelsea. He’d been watching her the whole time or he might have noticed his drink had been roofied. Even as the drugs had taken effect, he’d reached out to her.
And she’d ignored him. Again.
J.T. Malone rolled his dark eyes and took a swig of beer. Simon only kept it in his fridge for his cousins’ visits, which were occurring more and more often, but then he’d expected to see them since he was living so close. “I talked to Aunt Maura. She said you barely stopped by. Were you doing the spy shit?”
“It’s not shit, asshole.” Michael reached out and swatted his twin. “Just because you’re happy behind a damn desk doesn’t mean the rest of us are.”
His cousins fought as often now as they did when they were all kids. He would get sent to Texas during long school holidays. His parents were lovely people, but he’d really enjoyed the freedom he’d found on his uncle’s ranch. His uncle ran Malone Oil, one of the wealthiest companies in the world, but no one would accuse David Malone or his sons of being aristocratic. No one treated him like royalty on the ranch. There was no pressure on him to bring glory to the family name there. A break from the pressure of being one of the Duke of Norsley’s heirs had been a good reason to come see his cousins.