Page 58 of Rescuing Tobias

April 26th

8:34 A.M.

“So do you feel naughty?”Isabella teased as she and Tobias walked hand in hand down the street.

Not only was it fun to stir Tobias up a bit, since he could be such a serious guy, but it also helped to keep her mind off what had happened yesterday morning when they were walking along a different street in a different state.

When Tobias had asked her if she wanted to take an Uber into work with him this morning, it had been on the tip of her tongue to say yes. There was no way she could be out walking with him and not remember the screech of tires, the scrape of metal across brick, the gunshots. Not relive every moment of terror she’d felt, not knowing if she was going to be killed or taken, and if Tobias would be killed, too, simply because he’d been with her.

Panic had threatened to overwhelm her the second they were out of Tobias’ building and on the sidewalk, but she’d pushed through it. These people had caused enough damage already,not just in her life but in the lives of countless others who had been abducted, killed, and had their organs sold off, and those of them who had been forced to work for the trafficking ring.

They weren't taking anything else from her.

Sensing her unease, Tobias had done most of the talking for the first little while, and the sound of his voice rambling away about nothing particularly important, combined with the feel of his strong fingers wrapped around hers, had slowly calmed her racing heart.

Today was different.

The ring likely thought she was still back at Becca and Connor’s house, and more people were about which would make attempting anything that much riskier. Nothing was going to happen to them, they had another ten minutes to go, and then they’d be at the subway station. Once they got off the train, they’d be in the middle of Manhattan, and it would be ridiculous for the ring to try anything.

“No, little firecracker, I don’t feel naughty skipping the gym this morning, I'm not five and I haven’t done anything bad,” Tobias answered her question, amusement heavy in his voice.

The more time they spent together, the more he was coming out of his shell, not being quite so serious all the time. And he’d been so sweet with her last night. While she would have had sex if he’d wanted it, the gentle way he’d washed her body, then curled around her when they were tucked under the covers had been everything she needed.

“Definitely not bad,” she agreed, letting her hungry gaze roam his delectable body. Just because last night she needed a different kind of intimacy didn't mean that she didn't have plans for them tonight. Naked plans.

“Can't look at me like that when we’re out in public, little firecracker.”

“Like what?” Lifting her free hand, she twirled one of her curls around a finger and batted her lashes at him.

“You know exactly what. I think you're the one who enjoys being bad.” Leaning in, his breath whispered across her skin as he pressed his lips to the pulse point in her neck, making her pulse spike as his tongue lapped at her skin and he sucked just hard enough to make her moan. “You know that punishment we talked about the other day can still be on the table. I can take you into one of the bathrooms at Prey, bring you right to the edge, then leave you hanging so you spend the rest of the day all hot and bothered.”

Why did that sound like fun instead of a punishment?

Obviously reading her mind, Tobias chuckled, dropped a quick kiss to her lips, then straightened. There was warm affection in his gaze as he looked down at her. “What am I going to do with you, little firecracker?”

“I have plenty of ideas for when we get home tonight,” she informed him, making him laugh.

“I bet you do. I have quite a few ideas myself.”

“Then maybe you’d better be really bad and skip the gym again tonight.” They’d made a deal that he’d cut his gym time down to an hour a day. She didn't disagree that his physical therapy was important, but his doctor was against the amount of time Tobias put into it. The break would do him good, and it honestly wouldn't hurt him to miss an entire day.

Besides, between what she had planned and what he had planned, she had no doubt he was going to get in a pretty good workout, just not in a gym.

“If we didn't need to find a lead on the head of the trafficking ring, I’d turn around right now, take you back home, and keep you naked and in my bed for the rest of the day,” Tobias murmured.

While her body definitely liked that idea, her mind took a mental step back. He was right. Here she was lusting after the father of her child when an organ trafficking ring was out there that wasn't just a threat to her but to any young man or woman.

She had to get her priorities straight.

Getting to know Tobias was fine, good, and she could even enjoy it, but at the same time, she had to remember that his going to work wasn't an option. Until the ring was dismantled and the woman who was at the head of it was in custody, it would always be hanging over their heads.

“Sorry, that kind of brought the mood dropping right down,” Tobias said sheepishly.

Squeezing the fingers of the hand that held hers, she pushed up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “No, it was just a reality check. It’s weird, I can't forget what happened to me, and yet at the same time, it’s so easy to get caught up in this thing developing between us. I just want it all to be over. I want to be able to focus on healing, on us, on our baby.”

“We’re doing everything we can to make that happen,” Tobias assured her, and she knew he was. Knew everyone at Prey was. It was just hard to move forward when the past was looming over you.

“I know. Guess patience is not my strong suit,” she said, aiming for a small joke to lighten her mood as much as Tobias’.

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