Page 42 of Midnight Secrets

Should she be miffed that Joe simply assumed he’d be staying nights? In theory of course, yes. No man should assume anything like that. It should come after a long tryout period and after careful pondering.

But…

This was Joe. Whose presence in her bed guaranteed not only hot sex but the most reassuring presence she could imagine. If she had nightmares, she wouldn’t wake up alone and frightened in the dark. She’d wake up to Joe beside her.

She didn’t say no. Didn’t really even contemplate it. Joe in her bed every night was the best thing she could imagine.

Then—the windows. Some strange film had been applied to every window in her house and in Joe’s. It didn’t in any way affect sunlight streaming in. And from outside, it didn’t look as if there was distorting film over her windows. It’s just that it was impossible to see what was happening inside. As a matter of fact, you couldn’t even tell if the lights were on.

Amazing.

Isabel made the rounds of the house outside, while either Joe or Metal or Jacko stood right behind the windows with a flashlight.

She couldn’t see anything. Anything at all.

When she came back around the front, a big man was getting out of an enormous SUV.

A bigbigman. As tall as Joe and Metal. As broad as Jacko. With a rough, dangerous look about him.

Terrifying, actually.

Isabel was about to call Joe, trying not to reveal her panic, when Joe walked out the front door, followed by Metal and Jacko. Joe met the guy and thumped him hard on the shoulder.

“Senior!” he bellowed. “Good to see you!” Joe turned to Isabel, smiling, and introduced him.

“Isabel, this is former Senior Chief Douglas Kowalski. The guy I told you about. He’d be my boss if I were actually working.”

“Joe…” the man growled. His voice was scary deep. His expression was ferocious. She glanced up at Joe for reassurance and saw only affection and respect. Ditto for Metal and Jacko.

Okay.

Scary-looking guy was dangerous but not, apparently, to her.

“How do you do?” Isabel did the most courageous thing she could imagine. She offered her hand to the man. “I’m Isabel Lawton.”

Though if the grapevine worked in Portland the way it worked in DC, he knew her real name.

“Ms. Lawton.” That rough deep voice turned gentle. He took her hand in his huge one, carefully squeezed, then let it go.

She’d half expected not to be able to use it for a day or two, but no. It was fine.

Well, he seemed like a perfectly normal citizen, even if he looked terrifying. Her manners, drummed into her by her mother, rose to the fore. “Would you like to come inside? I have coffee and I made some muffins.”

A smile crossed that frightening face and it didn’t really humanize him. It just made him look even more scary. He had a huge scar along his jawline that pulled when he smiled. It looked exactly like a knife scar.

“Thank you, but no. I wanted to come over with my guys and help lock down your place, but I was called away. But I knew Joe, Metal and Jacko would do a perfect job. I hear you had some trouble last night. You won’t have trouble again.”

He believed her. Believed there’d been someone there. Just as Joe believed her. And if he believed her, Metal and Jacko did too.

And he’d used his company’s influence to get huge discounts.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Kowalski?—”

A pained look passed over that rough face. “Douglas, please.”

“Douglas. Thank you for all the help your company provided. I understand you essentially footed the bill.” She gave a pointed glance at Joe. “One I am not allowed to reimburse.”

Something warm and heavy settled around her shoulders. Joe’s arm.

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