Chapter 17

Quinn watches the skyline as his plane descends at Andrews Air Force Base. Saul and Dar have already returned to Langley, and Quinn expects that Dar will be blowing up his phone as soon as he steps onto the tarmac. Quinn is scheduled to meet with the CIA's policy team in the morning to do a mock run through of his confirmation hearing, and then he's up to bat on Capitol Hill the following morning. It's been a while since Dar has been this far up his ass, and Quinn's definitely not enjoying it.

But right now, one thought is overriding all of the others; he wants to get into the city and throw his arms around Lily Taylor. He sends her a quick text.

At Andrews, will be on ground shortly.

He sees the three dots signaling that she's already responding.

Working from home (barely) and dying to see you. Let me know when you're in the car.

A soft smile plays on his lips as he types out a response.

Will do.

By the time the black SUV pulls up to the curb of her building, Lily is already waiting outside. The car has barely come to a stop before Quinn is out the door, striding toward her. Without hesitation, he pulls her into his arms, lifting her off her feet.

"I'm so happy you're here," she murmurs, her voice muffled against his chest.

"Me too." Quinn closes his eyes, kissing the top of her head. For a long moment, he holds her silently, savoring the feeling of being near her, before he finally pulls away.

She looks up at him—almost shyly—and it hits him again how recently they met, even though in many ways it feels like he's known her forever. Back in Berlin, they were two strangers cocooned in a world of their own. Now, they're back on their home turf—preexisting lives, histories, connections—and suddenly, the weight of reality feels heavier. Playing house here will be different. But Quinn quickly shoves that thought aside and leans down to kiss her softly on the lips.

"I missed you," he whispers, finally letting her go.

The sound of bags being pulled from the trunk breaks the moment, and Quinn startles, stepping back. He turns to see the driver and a second man emerging from the SUV.

"Sir," the driver says, "we've been asked to search the premises before we leave you."

Quinn sighs and looks at Lily apologetically. "New rules," he mutters. "Sorry."

Lily just smiles ruefully. "No problem." She extends her hand to the driver. "I'm Lily."

"Robert. Nice to meet you, ma'am. And this is John."

John nods curtly, not particularly warm. Lily, undeterred, offers him her most charming smile.

"Why don't you all follow me?" she suggests, gesturing toward the entrance of her building.

Inside, the bellman opens the door, greeting her with a smile. "Grant," she says, "this is Peter—he'll be... staying here for a while. These gentlemen are coming in with us, too."

Grant nods and smiles politely. "Nice to meet you, Peter. Welcome." He holds the door open as they all file inside.

As they make their way up to her apartment, Robert and John pepper Lily with questions about security: Who has access to the elevator? What kind of pass grants access to her floor? By the time they reach the tenth floor and Lily unlocks her door, Quinn is starting to wonder if they'll actually let him stay here at all.

"Is it okay if we look around, Miss...?" Robert begins.

"Lily," she corrects him.

"Lily. Apologies, ma'am. Is it okay if we look around?"

"Of course," she says, glancing back at Quinn with a confused look. He shrugs and offers her a reassuring smile as he drops two bags by the door.

When Robert and John finally leave, Lily throws her arms around Quinn, burying her face in his chest. "I feel like I haven't seen you in a hundred years," she breathes.

Quinn grins, kissing her softly. "I can't tell you how good it is to be... here." He almost says "home," but it's not really home, is it? She's letting him crash at her place. This isn't permanent. Not that he wants it to be. That would be crazy—absolutely crazy… Right? But, damn, this feels good.

Lily kisses him back, then pulls away just enough to give him a mischievous look. "Can you unpack later?"

"Yeah," Quinn murmurs, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "What do you want to do now?"

She doesn't answer, but the way she pulls him toward the bedroom says everything. Quinn's mind briefly flickers to the bags by the door, but the thought vanishes as soon as she presses against him again.

Unpacking can definitely wait.