Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
“Dead?”
“Confirmed,” Ian says.
Talia pops up at my use of the word. I place a calming hand on her thigh, and a jolt of immediate awareness hits me hard.
Her gaze meets mine, and she draws her tongue over her lips.
“Stay safe, and keep in touch,” Ian said, disconnecting the call.
“Who’s dead?” Talia immediately asks.
I draw a deep breath, knowing there is no way to sugarcoat the truth. “The security guard from your lab. Your assistant was found tied up but unharmed.”
If I had to guess, there was a confrontation with the guard. Her assistant was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Talia and her work are clearly the targets.
She flinches at the news. “That’s awful.” Her voice cracks, and I don’t remove my hand from her leg.
“Talia, don’t blame yourself.” I know the tendency will be there. “They’d want the formula no matter who created it. Greed is the root of all evil, remember.”
“Yeah. It’s just… I knew him. He was a nice man. He had a wife, kids. Suddenly it’s just so real.”
I turn my hand over and cover hers.
“Thanks for understanding,” she says softly. “And caring.”
I do care. More than I want to admit.
Chapter Five
Shane
I ditch the car, buy a used sedan, and stop at a Target so Talia can replace the clothing and items she left behind. I don’t have a sister, am not used to shopping with women, except for the few times Amy guilted me into coming along to the mall. Not fun.
Still, I want Talia to get the things she needs, so I grit my teeth and walk into the large store, bracing myself for a long haul despite the fact that we are in a rush. To my surprise, she breezes through the aisles, picking up leggings, a pair of jeans, T-shirts, bras, and underwear, all without missing a beat or trying anything on. The toiletry trip goes equally fast.
“This was much easier than I expected,” I say as we reach the line for the cash register. I keep an eye out for trouble, but so far it is quiet.
She shrugs. “I have no time to shop, so I usually buy things online. I know my size. It was easy. Why so cynical?” she asks.
I squirm under her perceptive gaze as we step closer to the register. “My ex-wife liked to go shopping and drag me along. Her idea of husband-and-wife bonding.”
“I take it it wasn’t your idea of a good time?”
“No.” I recall how she dawdled, browsing and taking her time over each purchase, oblivious to my frustration, while I was antsy to get home to take care of things around the house on my rare day off. She wanted me nearby. I wanted downtime alone. “We were different on so many levels.”
“How’d you get together?” she asks, placing the clothes from the cart onto the conveyor belt.
“My partner’s wife introduced us. We were attracted to each other. I was ready to settle down, or so I thought.” I shrug. “We didn’t take the time we needed to really get to know each other.”
The cashier begins scanning the price tags, and we turn our attention to paying. But the words linger in my mind, because once again, I tried to paint Talia with Amy’s personality…and was proven wrong again. It is a minor thing, but opens my eyes even more to how much I like and admire my little brainiac.
After we pay, she changes in the restroom while I keep watch outside.
She opens the unisex bathroom door and pokes her head outside. “All set. Everything I was wearing is in the trash.”
I nod. “Okay. Before we go, let me come in and scan you one more time.” I raise the duffel I haven’t let out of my sight that holds not just my necessities but the formula, as well.
She steps back to let me in, and I slide past her, breathing in the sweet-smelling scent of her shampoo as I enter the tight space and she closes and locks the door behind me. Just a whiff of her essence has me hard.
I frown, placing my bag on the ledge of the sink and pulling out the scanner Hutch gave me. I need to focus on this. Keeping her safe. Not the differences between her and my ex or the way she gets to me on a visceral level that has me thinking about sinking into her warm body at very inopportune times.
“Ready?”
She spreads her legs wide, arms following suit. “I’ve assumed the position,” she says on a laugh.
I chuckle and kneel down, managing an objective scan of her body, even though my eyes catalogue her full breasts beneath the thin T-shirt she wears and the tight leggings that hug her ass and hips.
Her breath catches on an audible hitch. One that goes straight to my cock.