Nate was sitting on the couch, relaxed, watching mindless television and trying to tell himself he wasn't bored. It had been six months since he and Sophie had retired from Leverage. She'd been spending her days with her acting students, and he'd been freelancing for a few security companies. Life was good, but once in awhile he caught himself craving the old excitement. The rest of the time, he'd look at Sophie and just marvel that she was there with him.

As if thinking about her had conjured her, he heard her voice behind him. "Nate?"

The sound of it warmed him, and he smiled. Turning, he saw her standing in the doorway. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and her dark eyes sparkled. She wore a white silk robe that hugged her body, showing all its curves and contours. Tantalizing bits of leg showed through the gap, and he noticed she'd painted her toenails bright red.

Nate's grin widened as he rose from the couch, and he couldn't turn his gaze away. Sophie was smirking at him as if she knew exactly where his thoughts were going. Watching him closely, she untied her belt. Her robe slipped open, and he realized that she was completely naked beneath it. They'd been sleeping together for over two years, but she still took his breath away. She was so beautiful.

Making sure she still had his attention, Sophie reached up and pushed the silk off of her shoulders. It slid sensuously down her body to pool at her feet.

Nate rounded the side of the couch, ready for whatever she had in mind. He hadn't even reached her when the sound of ringing came from the coffee table. Since his phone was in his pocket, he knew it must be Sophie's.

"Is that mine?" she asked.

"Ignore it."

"It could be important." Completely comfortable in her nakedness, Sophie gracefully crossed the room.

Nate sighed, telling his libido it would have to wait.

Sophie picked up her phone and glanced at it. Her brows drew together. "It's Parker."

"Parker has bad timing."

"She could be in trouble," she said before answering, "Hello?"

Sophie sat down on the couch as she listened, crossing her shapely legs. Just wanting to be near her, Nate sat beside her, almost close enough to touch.

"What can you tell me about them?" Sophie asked seriously. "Men or women?...Young or old?...Personalities?...I'd go in soft and gentle. Use Hardison not Eliot."

Unable to resist, Nate bent slightly and softly kissed Sophie's shoulder. She glanced at him and, though she didn't smile, he could see light touch her face.

"No, I don't think that will matter," she continued. "Smile. It works wonders..."

Nate kissed her shoulder again and winked at her when she seemed to forget what she was going to say for a second.

"It will be fine, Parker...Yes, certainly. We'll be here." She hung up with a small shake of her head.

"Advice?" he asked unnecessarily.

Sophie nodded, leaning over to place her phone back on the coffee table.

"In trouble?"

"Not really. She just wanted my thoughts on a delicate con. She calls me sometimes."

"I know."

She shifted to face him, her thigh brushing his, and her hand on his knee. "She calls you, too, doesn't she?"

"From time to time," he admitted, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear.

He thought about desperate calls in the night, frightened pleas of, "Nate, what do I do?" They came less frequently now as Parker settled more comfortably into her role as the mastermind. His continued confidence in her was giving her confidence, and he was proud of the woman she was becoming.

"It's nice that they still need us."

Nate liked to think that the two of them were adjusting to life after Leverage at least as well as the others were adjusting to life without them. Even so, he liked that Parker, Eliot, and Hardison still checked in for advice or to gossip or complain about one another.

"Do you miss it?" he asked, watching Sophie's face carefully.

"What? The grift?"

"And Leverage."

"I was a grifter for most of my life..."

"You do miss it."

"Yes. Occasionally. And them."

"More than occasionally?"

"I worry about them," she told him honestly.

He saw it there in her face, briefly, a flicker of raw emotion. His breath caught, and he felt the truth of her words deep in his stomach.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Nate realized he'd been staring, so he cleared his throat and gathered his thoughts. "They know what they're doing."

"Did Parker tell you Hardison almost died last week?"

"He was fine."

"I know." She sighed, her brow creased.

Nate knew she loved the others like family, and her concern was nothing new. Sophie was a born nurturer despite her occupation of choice.

"Just because we're retired doesn't mean we can't help out once in awhile," he commented, still watching her face.

"What do you mean?"

"There'll be times when they'll need someone with your unique talents...and maybe someone with mine."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not if it makes you happy."

She smiled briefly, reaching up to touch his face. "You make me happy."

Unable to resist that tantalizing invitation, he bent down to kiss her gently. His hand traced her shoulder, sliding across her soft skin. She hummed against his mouth, her fingers caressing his cheek.

When he pulled away, he could see happiness in her eyes. Real happiness was slightly different on her than fake happiness, and, over the years, he'd learned to know the difference.

"You want to help Parker with this one, don't you?" Before she could answer, he snagged her phone and offered it to her.

She accepted it, her fingers gliding sensuously over his. There was amusement on her lips as she selected Parker from her contact list.

Nate leaned back and put his arm around her, only half listening as Sophie began to talk.

He studied her, the smooth lines of her body, the perfection of her silky skin. There was not one part of Sophie that he didn't love with everything he had. He'd loved her for a long time, maybe from the day they'd met. It had just taken over ten years for his head to catch up to his heart. The guilt over Sam hadn't helped.

He reached out and stroked her back, pleased when goosebumps followed his fingers. Nate couldn't get enough of seeing her naked. She was like an addiction; he knew because he'd been fighting a less healthy one for years.

It wasn't just her body. He thought back to the moment she'd let him see all the way inside of her. That raw, naked emotion had been like a gift. To strangers, Sophie showed only the emotions she wanted to show, slipping into and out of them like clothing. With friends, she allowed glimpses of her real emotions, usually not showing how deeply they went. Occasionally, when she was shocked into revealing worry or pain or panic or sorrow, her mask would lift, and there would be Sophie. Bare. Vulnerable. Real. Sometimes that depth of emotion revealed itself to friends, and, lately, with Nate, it was happening more frequently. They'd be talking and, suddenly, her face would be naked, stripped of everything but truth.

Nate lived for those moments. They thrilled him, and he felt privileged to be the one Sophie was comfortable to be just herself with, even if it were just for small moments at a time. Seeing her body naked was wonderful—amazing, beautiful—but it was seeing her face naked that let him know how much she really loved him.

He was still stroking her back and thinking how lucky he was to have earned her trust when Sophie disconnected for the second time. He started making patterns with his fingertips and leaned forward to brush her cheek with his lips.

"No time for that," she announced, patting his leg. "We've got to go."

"Go where?"

"Parker's accepted our offer. The meeting's in an hour."

Nate groaned as she got up. "Can I change my mind?"

Sophie laughed, her real laugh, and bent down and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you."

That was enough. Sex could wait.