Mateo got another long hug, which he warmly returned. The man was every bit as amazing as Gage had promised. “I hope we’ll meet again soon,” Abby said to him, a subtle hint that she hoped Mateo would be joining her and Gage on their continued hunt for the Devil’s Gold.

Gage eyed her with a hint of suspicion but made no comment.

The flight home was easy, and it felt good to be back in a city surrounded by forested, snow-topped mountains instead of desert, cactus, and rattlesnakes.

The first thing Gage did after their charter flight landed at Rocky Mountain Metro was check out Trip Advisor and head for the closest place to get a steak, a restaurant called Hickory and Ash. They both ate until their ribs hurt, then Gage drove the rest of the way back to the city.

“We’ve got unfinished business with your cousin,” he said as the vehicle rolled along. “We’ll pay him a visit first thing in the morning.”

Nerves tingled through her at the hard edge in his voice. She didn’t blame him. Someone could have been killed—most likely her. Completely exhausted, she leaned back in the seat of the Rover and closed her eyes for the balance of the ride into the city. It was dark by the time they arrived in the LoDo district.

As the elevator door opened on the second floor of Gage’s building and they made their way into his apartment, Abby released a quiet breath. Though the place looked the same— hardwood floors, Persian carpets, comfortable furniture, and an intriguing mix of objects from around the world—much had changed.

Starting with Gage taking the handle of her carry-on and wheeling it into his own roomy, masculine bedroom instead of the guest room. She had never been in the room before.

She took a look around, appreciating the polished wood floors and the open arrangement of the furniture. A king-sized four-poster draped with soft white netting dominated the room.

There were several wood-paneled walls, one behind a tufted brown leather sofa. A grouping of three tall red patterned jars sat in the corner, and an oil painting of a stalking lion took up most of another wall.

A lion, she thought, for a lion of a man.

“It suits you,” she said.

“You like it?”

She smiled. “I do.”

Gage tugged the carry-on farther into the room. “We’re sleeping together. Might as well make it official.”

The action surprised her. Gage wasn’t a one-woman man. She hadn’t expected him to want this kind of closeness. She hadn’t even been certain he’d want the relationship to continue.

“Are you sure? I thought—”

“I want you. If you think what happened between us in the mountains was anywhere near enough, you’re sorely mistaken.” To prove it, Gage pulled her into his arms and very thoroughly kissed her.