I couldn’t see her face, but I knew she was grinning.

The pull and surge of sexual tension was thicker than ever between us. Yesterday we’d made up for the time we’d lost over the weekend. We also probably had one of the most candid discussions about O’Shea we’d ever had. I thought she was finally on the same page as me when it came to the kind of man he really was. If she wasn’t yet, I was pretty certain she would be after tonight. We’d agreed we were both all in, which meant I wasn’t going to try to protect her from the cold, harsh truth, and the reverse was also true.

Tonight would be her first hands-on experience with the investigation that was already well under way. I was meeting with the guys and we were going to discuss what came next. I’d already told them about Blanchet and the acidifier. I also told them about what Elle had seen in O’Shea’s study. There was a very likely chance the missing drugs were in his possession, but we needed proof before Blanchet would make her move. There was also the issue of Clementine. Elle was worried about what would happen to her and asked that I wait before saying anything to Blanchet until she’d secured her role as Clementine’s guardian. That was a tall order, because who knew what he’d do? At the same time there was more to all of this, and waiting until we could figure it out wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. There was something bigger here—I just didn’t know what.

My patience wore thin as I waited for her to finish. My need for her attention seemed to mount with every passing second. Who the hell she had turned me into I didn’t know anymore, but at the same time I felt more alive than I’d ever felt in my life.

Dropping her off this morning to go into work wasn’t easy. After everything that had happened, I wasn’t ready for us to be apart. I drove her to the boutique since we had something to do after work. It made sense, and I really wanted to be with her as much as possible.

When I couldn’t wait any longer, I nipped at the soft skin of her neck. “I don’t like being ignored,” I growled.

Elle switched from the stack of twenties to the stack of tens, but I knew she was very aware of my presence because the wobble in her voice gave it away. “Five hundred, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy—”

Her stool was a red leather swivel one from Italy. The showroom had become populated with leather items similar in nature. She kept counting, but as soon as she set the pile of tens down, I snagged her wrist before she could pick up the fives and turned her toward me.

She swatted me across the ass. “Now I have to start over.”

“Hey now, don’t tease,” I warned.

Those emerald-green eyes almost gleamed when she looked at me. “Hi, you’re early.”

She was incredibly beautiful, and for a few moments I couldn’t believe she was mine. Long enough that I had to pull in a breath, because I’d forgotten to breathe. “I have a lot of making up to do,” I confessed, instantly turning the moment from flirty to serious.

My guilt about what I’d put her through over the weekend wasn’t going anywhere. I did have a lot of making up to do.

She looped her arms around my neck. “Stop saying that. It wasn’t your fault.”

I leaned down and kissed her long and hard. I loved the taste of her, not just the cherry flavor of her lip gloss but also the actual taste of her tongue and her mouth. We were both breathless before I pulled away. “I want to take you to eat before we meet the guys. What do you need help with?”

“I just need to finish the deposit and turn everything off.”

Something caught my attention in the case beside us and my eyes darted to it. The glass cabinet held the sex toys display and the shelves were completely full. Diamond dildos, platinum vibrators, strings of pearls, and some things so exotic I wasn’t even sure what they were called. “You received the snakeskin handcuffs from Singapore?” I asked, raising a suggestive brow.

She glanced toward the case, chewing on her lip. “Yes, everything arrived early this morning.”

Three steps and I was in front of the unlocked case and opening it. One reach and the cuffs were in my hand. I turned around with a rueful smile on my face. “I’d like to purchase these.”

She gave me a contemplative look and bit her lip. “Sorry, I’ve already closed out the drawer.”

I took the one long stride that separated us and closed the distance. “Surely, there must be a way I can pay for these.” I dangled them in the air.

A weary aspect had entered her eyes but I tried to push her past it.

“We could barter.”

Another smile prodded my lips. “Barter, as in trade?”

She breathed very close to my mouth. “That’s what the early traders intended the word to mean.”

Amused, I replied, “I’ll bite. What are you looking to receive in return for the goods in question?”

“Funny you should ask, because we also just got these.” She turned on her heels and opened the glass case. On one of the shelves there was a stack of silk pieces of cloth in different colors. She picked up the red one and held it in her fingers. “Control.”

I raised a brow. “Control?”

She gave me a slow nod. “Control.”

I laughed, almost sardonically. “Christ. I don’t think I can do that.”

Elle gave me an impassive shrug and took the cuffs from my hands. “Okay then.”

Just as she was putting both items in the case, the click-clack of high heels told me either Rachel or Peyton was coming up the stairs.

I snatched them from her fingers quickly and searched for her purse. It was where it always was, under the cash register. I shoved them inside.

“Do we have a deal?” she asked.

“I’ll think about it.”

Again the impassive shrug and I had to admit, my cock twitched. She was turning me on and I hadn’t even agreed.

Peyton was standing at the top of the steps just as I tucked Elle’s bag back in place. Her coat was on, her purse was on her arm, and I thought maybe, just maybe, the conversation about my new look would be bypassed. But in case it wasn’t, I had my story down. After all, I did have to recite it with my pop’s friends and my clients numerous times throughout the day.

As soon as she hit the main floor her jaw dropped. “Logan, your hair!” Peyton exclaimed in shock. Today her own hair was tinged blue, which matched one of the shades in her multicolored coat and earrings. She looked a little Smurf-like, but what did I know about fashion?

With one hand tightly gripping Elle’s, I rubbed my head with the other. Declan hadn’t informed Peyton about anything that was going on. It was safer for her that way. “I lost a bet,” I said with a slight forced grin.

“You look like Jax Teller when he got out of jail.”

If only she knew how close she was. Still, I had no idea who she was talking about, and I gave her a puzzled look. “Sorry, Peyton, but I’m not sure who he is.”

“Charlie Hunnam from Sons of Anarchy.”

My look remained the same.

She shot a glance toward Elle, who also shrugged.

“Never mind. I guess neither of you are a fan,” she said, almost exasperated.

A mirror was on the counter near me and Peyton pulled out her lipstick and came a little closer. “Oh my God, Logan, your eye. What happened?”

Elle squeezed my hand and then turned around to finish counting. I knew she didn’t like lying to Peyton, even if it was for her own good. “A boxing gym mishap. Nothing to worry about. I’m fine,” I told her.

“Same day you made the bet?”

“Yep.” I kept it short.

“Looks like you lost all the way around.”

I said nothing, just grinned.

Beep. Beep.

“That’s my mother. We’re on the hunt for the perfect wedding dress.”

“Wedding dress?”

“Her mother’s getting married,” Elle laughed.

And if that news didn’t make me feel completely out of it! I knew I had disconnected over the last couple of weeks, but I hadn’t realized just how much.