The bartender set a fresh glass in front of me as Lorcan savored his bourbon. “Just make sure Booker doesn’t get cozy with her,” I said, ignoring his comment about my sanity.
“How the fuck am I supposed to do that?”
“Assign another associate to the project,” I answered, getting irritated at the idea of Mystic working long hours with another man.
“Jesus Christ, Gage,” Lorcan swore. “The world’s population is half male. She’s going to come across some of them from time to time. Get your crazy under control, man.”
I knew he was right. I knew I was being unreasonable. However, it was the uncertainty that had me on edge. I was positive once I did get that ring on her finger, I’d calm down.
Maybe.
“I refuse to lose her again, Lor,” I replied, dead fucking serious.
He let out a sympathetic sigh and that’s when I knew I was raging into full-blown pussy mode. Lorcan didn’t sympathize. “Look, dude,” he said. “She explained why she left.” When I had called him for drinks earlier, I had told him the Cliff Notes version of Mystic’s explanation on her departure all those years ago. “She did it because she loved you,” he pointed out. “I don’t think you need to worry about her running again. Plus, with everything you’ve told me over the years about your relationship with the woman, there’s no one else out there for either of you. I’m pretty sure you’re safe.”
He made sense, but the anxiousness was still there. To see Mystic again, after all these years, was like being slammed, headfirst, back to that day in the park. The need, the desire, the desperation felt exactly like it had when I had followed her into the restroom. The need to be with her was stronger than anything else I have ever known.
Over the years I had wondered what I would do if I ever saw her again, but none of the scenarios I had played in my head matched what I had felt when I finally did see her. Nothing else had mattered except my rage and want. Mystic was my strongest weakness. She always had been. And all the tough talk over the years hadn’t done shit to prepare me for when I saw her again.
Time hadn’t lessened shit.
“There’s still the issue of her family,” I pointed out. “I can’t imagine their reaction to me being back in their daughter’s life will be any more favorable than it was the last time.”
Lorcan signaled the bartender for another bourbon. “She’s not the same scared teenage girl she was back then, Gage,” he said. “Give her more credit than that.” He huffed. “After all, this is the same woman who challenged her new boss in front of her superiors. I’d say she’s tougher than you think.”
I didn’t comment and we both sat in silence, nursing our drinks, before I asked, “What would you do?”
Lorcan snorted. “What would I do?”
“Yeah.” I looked over at him. “What would you do in this situation?”
He looked over at me, lifting one black brow. “I wouldn’tbein this situation,” he replied. “Not judging, Gage, but had it been me, and I found someone who drove me to the brink of madness just by looking at her, nothing, and I do meannothing, would have stopped me from hunting her the fuck down. I would have gone to the ends of the Earth in search of her.”
My male pride was taking a beating, but I couldn’t do much about it. He wasn’t calling me out, but he wasn’t lying either. “Even if you believedshehad leftyou?”
Lorcan let out a dark laugh.“Especially, if I thought she left me,” he said. “I don’t connect with many people, Gage. I’m not built like that. So, if there was a woman who inspired that kind of insanity from me, there’s no way she’d have a choice in the matter.”
“She doesn’t anymore,” I stated.
Lorcan gave me a sharp nod and returned to his drink. “As it should be,” he agreed. “Don’t let that girl go again, Gage.”
“I’m not.”
After a few moments of silence, we got to talking about work again. “I’ll assign another-”
“Don’t,” I said, stopping him before he agreed to my ridiculous demand. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I don’t need you storming into CI like a lunatic because you don’t have your shit together.”
“Nah,” I reassured him, even though I couldn’t give him total certainty. “I’ll just get the marriage license this week and force her hand next week, if not this Friday.”
Lorcan chuckled. “You really are out of your mind.”
I side-eyed him. “This from the guy who just admitted to hunting some poor girl down to the ends of the Earth and forcing her to be with him. Yeah, okay, Lor.”
“I didn’t say your actions weren’t valid. I just said you were out of your mind.”
“Okay. Quite sure I’m done here for the evening,” I announced. “But I need you here tomorrow, same time, so I don’t do something stupid like show up at Mystic’s house while her brother’s still there.”
