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Glancing at the closed door, she remembered their argument about coming here. He’d taken her from the home she no longer felt safe in, insisting they go to his home. She’d refused at first. Her reasons escaped her at the moment. Pride probably. It had a habit of getting in the way of her better judgment when it came to the Special Agent. Her pride aside, she knew she would be safe here. She’d fallen asleep in the car, in the garage.
Then there was the fear. The fear of uncertainty. The fear of rejection. The fear that she wasn’t brave enough to give Fly
Giving herself a few minutes to take it all in, Izzy looked around some more.
Seeing the balcony, she knew she was at least on the second floor. Warmth infused her as she imagined Fly
The only thing missing from her person was her shoes. They were neatly placed beside her overnight bag on the floor by the open French doors. Her purse was sitting on the nightstand next to a full bottle of water.
Settling back into the mass of pillows, Izzy contemplated Fly
How would Fly
Oh for crying out loud. Stop with all the back-and-forth, Izzy. Go downstairs and see what’s up.
Flinging the covers off, her she heard the chirp of her cell phone. She had a message.
Digging in her purse for the phone, she grabbed it and pulled it out. Two messages. One from Charlie: Must. Have. Update. Now.
Izzy smiled and texted him back: You don’t even want to know. Just don’t go back to the house. I’ll call later. I’m ok and so is Fly
The second one was from Lover Boy, aka her handler, Maddox. Izzy smirked at the name he had assigned himself.
“That will ensure that when I boss you around like an overprotective boyfriend, if someone takes a look at the texts, it’ll appear normal caveman behavior when in fact, it’s instructions,” he had told her as he programmed in his number.
Fly
Confirm you did not inflict grave bodily harm upon Special Agent Ryker’s person. Also confirm my CI is ok.
Confirming I did not inflict grave bodily harm upon Special Agent Ryker (just a big lump on his head which actually served to diminish his gigantic ego). Your CI is fine. TY 4 asking.
As Izzy tossed the phone back into her bag she wondered why Maddox would text her. All he had to do was ask Fly
Her phone chirped that she had a new message.
Charlie: O.M.GAWD! Plz tell me you are safe and sound with Special Agent Stud?
Xoxox I am.
Le sigh
Maddox: 10-4 stand by later this afternoon for an update. Delete this thread.
Yes, sir!
Setting the phone on the nightstand Izzy smiled. The texts from Maddox and Charlie warmed her heart. They cared about her. She liked being cared about. Why couldn’t Fly
Her feelings for Fly
He was a magnet to her steel. Law of attraction personified. She could kick herself for letting him get under her skin. Life was so much simpler with no complications.
On that note, Izzy stretched again, then checked out the bathroom, did her thing, and washed up. Feeling slightly more prepared to face the storm that was sure to be brewing somewhere in the house, she went in search of Grumpy Man.
She found him in the solarium off the kitchen. His back to her, he was barefoot, dressed in a white T-shirt and gray sweats. Her fingers twitched, wanting to run across the wide expanse of his shoulders. Silently, she walked across the tile floor to him.
“There’s coffee on the sideboard, and eggs and bacon on the counter,” he said, looking up at her as she moved around the small table he was seated at. He closed his laptop and looked straight at her.
Suddenly she was nervous. Her tummy did a little flip-flop. She didn’t stand a chance. Morning stubble darkened his face, and his dark hair, usually neatly styled, was mussed. The planes and valleys of his muscles were clearly defined beneath the T-shirt. Those cobalt blue eyes of his burned bright. Warmth pooled low in her belly. She suspected morning sex with him would be phenomenal.
Biting her bottom lip, Izzy tried to steer her thoughts away from his body and how compatible it was with hers. “I—ah…” she stuttered. Glancing at the coffeepot on the buffet, she hurried to pour herself a cup. After she added the cream and stirred, she lifted the cup to her lips and sipped. “Mmm, Jamaican Blue Mountain. My favorite.”
Taking another sip, Izzy picked a piece of bacon off the plate on the counter and moved to the table and took the chair across from Fly
“You do that a lot,” she said, setting the half eaten piece of bacon down.
“Do what?”
“Scowl.”
“A lot makes me unhappy lately.”
Nervous energy rolled through her. “I’m not going to apologize for who I am or what I do, Fly
“I didn’t say you made me unhappy.”
His remark surprised her, but Izzy was smart enough not to go down that road with him again. It would end up in the same dead end it always did. Baby steps. Instead, she said, “I will however apologize for not thanking you last night for saving my life. Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
He reached for his cup of coffee and took a sip. Her eyes riveted on the sensual fullness of his lips and the sheen of coffee on his upper lip. Hard shards of desire jabbed at her core. Squirming in her seat, she tried to suppress the craving. Didn’t work.
“You’re welcome,” he said, and took another sip.
“How is your head this morning?”