okay.”
“Were you ever adopted? Another dream of mine, by the way.”
“No, but Mason Knight, a good friend of my parents’, mentored me as I
passed through the system.”
“I’m familiar with Dr. Knight’s reputation as a microbiologist. He’s done
some work for us in the past, and I believe Fox brought him in on these
bombings, right? But why weren’t you adopted?” She ate each bite as if
measuring it for size and caloric content.
“How’s your salad?” He stifled a grin.
“Protein, carbs, ten percent fat. Perfect.”
Another rule apparently. He nudged his plate toward her just a little.
“Want some of mine?”
“No thanks.”
She was lean and fit, but then women were always talking about what
they could and couldn’t eat, which mystified him. “You don’t need to be on
a diet.”
“I’m not. I choose to eat healthy, balanced meals. You weren’t adopted,
why?”
Dictionary. Tenacious. “Grandmother got some wild hair and refused to
allow it.”
Apparently, there was an invisible line down the center of her food. When
exactly half—to the lettuce leaf—was consumed, she set her fork down
and inched the plate away from her. “Sorry, but she sounds like a royal
bitch.”
“She loved Tory. That was good enough for me. What did your parents do
when the restaurant closed?” I’l see your Tenacious and raise you a
Relentless.
Her choppy bangs were a little long, and she blinked the golden strands
off her lashes. He imagined doing the same thing with his lips. Too bad he
had to chug cold water instead of the beer that would have made this
meal even better. He could only imagine what she’d have to say about the
consumption of alcohol while working.
“Dress shop in Charleston, where my father had a second cousin, twice
removed, who lent them the capital. The shop hadn’t even opened before
they realized, because of poor planning, that they didn’t have enough
capital. We split in the night. I liked my cousin Sandra. I wanted to live
with her, in fact. But that didn’t pan out.” She waved a hand, as if
banishing the memories. “Okay. Enough personal stuff. Why don’t you
brief me on what we’re supposed to be looking for here?”
“Right now, I just want to have a pleasant lunch with an attractive
woman. Can briefing wait until later?”
She struggled to keep her mouth from dropping open and blessed the
sunglasses he’d forced on her. He thought she was attractive? He hadn’t
thought she was attractive when her hair had been mouse-brown and
she’d worn horn-rims. Then, he’d just come down to the research center
and handed her whatever orders he wanted investigated. The only reason
he’d hung around was to give her a hard time.
30
Night Shadow
Propinquity. She was here. He was here . . . he just liked women. Al
women. Her head got that. Unfortunately, her heart didn’t understand the
game. Hel , her heart hadn’t a clue how to play that game.
He wasn’t going to give her instructions until he was good and ready. Lexi
spent the rest of their meal giving him facts and figures about Brazil,
South America, and Atlantic Ocean plant life. He stopped responding
somewhere around sea turtles. She thought the information was both
informative and interesting.
Obviously, Alex . . . didn’t.
After a much too long lunch, Lexi walked beside him down the wide,
flower-lined shell path toward Lucas Fox’s bungalow and the beach. It
really was paradise here. The sun baked her shoulders and the top of her
head. And even wearing boots her step felt lighter. The air smel ed sweet
and salty, almost intoxicating to someone who’d walked out of the deep
freeze of Montana two days ago.
The last thing she wanted to do was go inside the one-room bungalow and
wait for hours for the other operative to get back.
And the absolutely last thing she wanted was to be in that one small room
alone with Alex. Usually she was coordinated, but she felt like
“Were you ever adopted? Another dream of mine, by the way.”
“No, but Mason Knight, a good friend of my parents’, mentored me as I
passed through the system.”
“I’m familiar with Dr. Knight’s reputation as a microbiologist. He’s done
some work for us in the past, and I believe Fox brought him in on these
bombings, right? But why weren’t you adopted?” She ate each bite as if
measuring it for size and caloric content.
“How’s your salad?” He stifled a grin.
“Protein, carbs, ten percent fat. Perfect.”
Another rule apparently. He nudged his plate toward her just a little.
“Want some of mine?”
“No thanks.”
She was lean and fit, but then women were always talking about what
they could and couldn’t eat, which mystified him. “You don’t need to be on
a diet.”
“I’m not. I choose to eat healthy, balanced meals. You weren’t adopted,
why?”
Dictionary. Tenacious. “Grandmother got some wild hair and refused to
allow it.”
Apparently, there was an invisible line down the center of her food. When
exactly half—to the lettuce leaf—was consumed, she set her fork down
and inched the plate away from her. “Sorry, but she sounds like a royal
bitch.”
“She loved Tory. That was good enough for me. What did your parents do
when the restaurant closed?” I’l see your Tenacious and raise you a
Relentless.
Her choppy bangs were a little long, and she blinked the golden strands
off her lashes. He imagined doing the same thing with his lips. Too bad he
had to chug cold water instead of the beer that would have made this
meal even better. He could only imagine what she’d have to say about the
consumption of alcohol while working.
“Dress shop in Charleston, where my father had a second cousin, twice
removed, who lent them the capital. The shop hadn’t even opened before
they realized, because of poor planning, that they didn’t have enough
capital. We split in the night. I liked my cousin Sandra. I wanted to live
with her, in fact. But that didn’t pan out.” She waved a hand, as if
banishing the memories. “Okay. Enough personal stuff. Why don’t you
brief me on what we’re supposed to be looking for here?”
“Right now, I just want to have a pleasant lunch with an attractive
woman. Can briefing wait until later?”
She struggled to keep her mouth from dropping open and blessed the
sunglasses he’d forced on her. He thought she was attractive? He hadn’t
thought she was attractive when her hair had been mouse-brown and
she’d worn horn-rims. Then, he’d just come down to the research center
and handed her whatever orders he wanted investigated. The only reason
he’d hung around was to give her a hard time.
30
Night Shadow
Propinquity. She was here. He was here . . . he just liked women. Al
women. Her head got that. Unfortunately, her heart didn’t understand the
game. Hel , her heart hadn’t a clue how to play that game.
He wasn’t going to give her instructions until he was good and ready. Lexi
spent the rest of their meal giving him facts and figures about Brazil,
South America, and Atlantic Ocean plant life. He stopped responding
somewhere around sea turtles. She thought the information was both
informative and interesting.
Obviously, Alex . . . didn’t.
After a much too long lunch, Lexi walked beside him down the wide,
flower-lined shell path toward Lucas Fox’s bungalow and the beach. It
really was paradise here. The sun baked her shoulders and the top of her
head. And even wearing boots her step felt lighter. The air smel ed sweet
and salty, almost intoxicating to someone who’d walked out of the deep
freeze of Montana two days ago.
The last thing she wanted to do was go inside the one-room bungalow and
wait for hours for the other operative to get back.
And the absolutely last thing she wanted was to be in that one small room
alone with Alex. Usually she was coordinated, but she felt like
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