Page 27 of Smoldering Nights
She’d double-checked the locks.Armed the security system.Pulled the blinds.Then checked the locks again, just to be sure.Mitch’s place was clean and modern, with just enough warmth to feel lived in, but tonight, it felt like a fortress, and she wasn’t sure if that comforted or unsettled her.But every time she thought about how Mitch's lips felt against hers, she heated up and had to walk around the condo to expel energy.Forcefully changing her thoughts to other things so she didn't read too much into anything.They'd only met a few days ago, and while he was incredibly attractive, she'd read enough books to know that women always fell for their protectors.It was impossible not to.They were bigger than life and made them feel safe and secure.Who doesn't want to feel safe and cared for?
She shook her head to change her thought trajectory once more.And her thoughts turned to Noah.He’d always seemed polite.Consistent.Helpful.And then, there he was, slipping into Delilah’s place like it was no big deal.Like he belonged there.The memory twisted in her chest.
She took a deep breath and tried to focus on something else.Mitch had told her to eat, so she had.Barely.Half a sandwich and a handful of grapes.Now, she was just...waiting.
Her phone buzzed on the end table, and she jumped.
On my way back.Be there in 15.
– Mitch
She exhaled hard, relief washing through her.He was safe.He was coming home.Then that thought stopped her dead.Home, as if they shared this space.Their home.They didn't share this space.Well, they did and they didn't.It was temporary.Until he found the person trying to harm her.
She padded into the kitchen, rinsed her mug, and then wandered into the bathroom to freshen up.By the time she heard the lock disengage, she was already halfway to the door, her pulse ticking a little faster.
Mitch stepped inside, looking tired but alert.His eyes found her immediately and softened a fraction.
“You’re okay,” she said, her voice quiet but steady.
“I’m okay.”He locked the door behind him.“You did everything right.Thank you.It gave me the ability to focus on what I needed to focus on and not worry about whether you were safe.”
She reached for him without thinking, wrapping her arms around his middle.He didn’t hesitate; his arms circled her tightly.His warmth, his scent, wood smoke, and citrus.Mitch grounded her in a way nothing else had all evening.She closed her eyes as she rested her head against his chest.The steady thrum of his heartbeat and the solid wall of his chest felt like a balm on an open wound.
He pressed a kiss to her hair and held her a beat longer before pulling back just enough to see her face.“It’s not good.”
Her stomach sank.“Noah?”
He nodded grimly.“Caught him making a drop at Delilah's outside to a vehicle.No flower crates.Just unmarked bins.Then he met with someone else at a warehouse outside of town.Different car.Different exchange.”
Her breath hitched.“So it’s real.He’s really involved.”
“It looks like he's involved in something, what that is, I don't know.I have it all recorded.Jayson’s working his end, but I’ve got visuals.Depending on whether Jayson can find out who the plates of the two vehicles belong to may help us ferret out what Noah is up to.”
Izzy leaned back against the counter, and her knees shook.“What happens now?”
“Now, we keep you safe.And we tighten the circle.I’m not sure what exactly he’s moving or who it’s for, but it’s not flowers or floral supplies.And it’s not legal, or it would be done during the day and not in an empty lot outside of town.”
She nodded slowly, pressing a palm to her chest like that would settle her spiraling thoughts.“I trusted him.”
“I know.”Mitch stepped closer, brushing a hand along her arm.“But that’s not your fault.He was good at hiding it.And, to be completely honest, we don't know it was Noah who started the fire.All I know right now is that he is involved in something that seems outside of the law, and he knows Delilah.”
She blinked back sudden tears.“I don’t know who to trust anymore.”
“You can trust me,” he said softly.“Always.”
And in his eyes, she believed it.The deep brown depths of his eyes, the sure way he looked at her, the lengths he was going to keep her safe, all spoke volumes to his honesty and his level of trust.
She gave him a shaky smile.“You hungry?”
“I could eat.”
She turned toward the fridge, grateful for something normal to do.“Let me heat up some of the lasagna you have in the fridge.Tomorrow I'll make something fresh for you.You can fill me in while you eat.”
He reached for her hand before she could move.“After that… I'd like to kiss you again.”
She smiled as her whole body tingled.Yeah, she'd like to kiss him again, too.
She nodded once.“Deal.”
