She closed her eyes and sighed. “I was thinking of leaving.”
“Where do you think you could go that you’d be safer than here? Or is it just me you are trying to get away from?” He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
Her eyes flew open. “No!” She was shocked that he would think that about her. “Of course not. It’s just that you’ve done so much for me. You’ve helped me more than I could ever repay.”
“Helped you?” He looked disgusted. “I’ve done nothing but put you in the direct path of danger since the night I first talked to you. I wish I would have never gotten involved. You’d be better off, living a life without all this fear.”
She stood up, shocked. “How can you say that? Do you even remember why I called you, begging for your help?”
He shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes focused on her feet. “I just assumed it was to get out of an arranged marriage.”
“You helped me escape mutilation at the hands of my fiancé’s family. They were going to perform the mādā janānga vikrti.”
Upon his blank look she closed her eyes and blurted out. “Also known as female genital mutilation. My future husband’s family wanted to make sure I was pure and that I would stay that way. They were concerned that my art was westernizing me, that I’d become too uncontrollable. My family could do nothing but bend to their wishes. Especially since they had paid bride's wages for me when I was only seven-year-old, which my family squandered selfishly on large houses, fast cars, and god knows what else.” She walked to the window, ignoring the pain in her hip, instead focusing on the pain in her heart. She looked out the window at the crowds of people, wishing she could disappear among them and never be seen or heard from again.
She jumped a little when his arms came around her, holding her back to his chest. His lips brushed her hair.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He pulled her until she turned and then he wrapped his arms around her. She did the same, holding onto him, and for the first time in her life, she felt completely safe and knew that no matter what happened, he would protect her.
She pulled back and looked into his face. Taking a chance at what she wanted, she pulled his head down to meet hers in a light kiss that would show him how much she appreciated everything he’d done. How much she cared about him. His hands felt wonderful as they rubbed up and down her back and arms. She wondered what they would feel like on her bare skin, what he would feel like as she ran her fingers over his heated skin.
She’d seen him in just a towel the first night and wanted to see him like that again. She’d dreamed about it, about being with him. Pouring everything she had into the kiss, she leaned up and wrapped her hands in his hair.
His hands continued to run over her, causing small fires on her skin under her clothes. Then she felt him slowly lift her shirt and touch her skin, just near her waist. On a moan, she leaned into his hands as his mouth took her to a level she’d never known was possible.
“Please,” she moaned against his mouth. “Mitch, please. Touch me.”
He leaned back, hovering just a breath from her mouth, and looked into her eyes. His emerald eyes sparkled and she could see his desire for her plainly. Pulling back a little, he shook his head. “Sandi, I don’t think it would be fair. Here, sit. We need to talk.”
He helped her back to the couch where she took a deep drink of the lukewarm coffee to help settle herself. When he sat across from her again, she felt a little part of her break.
“Don’t look at me like that. Like I’ve just killed your puppy. Sandi, you don’t know me.” He held up his hand as she started to deny it. “You don’t. You came in here the other night, and I hadn’t thought about you once since five years ago. Back then…” He ran his hands through his hair, causing parts of it to stand up a little. “Back when you arrived, I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t the best person I could be. I didn’t have my life in order. I drank a lot.”
She looked down at his hands as he gripped them together. “I know.”
“No, you don’t. I was an alcoholic by twenty. I can’t even begin to compare my family problems to yours, but let’s just say my childhood wasn’t all rainbows. So when I was a teen, I picked up a bottle, and I didn’t put it down again until I almost killed a person that someone close to me cared about.” He hung his head for a moment. She silently sat there, watching him, waiting. “Sandi,” he looked back up at her. “You deserve someone...better.”
“Mitchell, I think I know what I deserve. Especially coming from what and where I have. Going through everything I have. I knew what you were five years ago. I did stay here for a few nights, remember?” He shook his head, no. “Well, I was there to pick you up off the floor the second night I was here. I helped you back into bed. I knew you were in a bad spot. But underneath it all, I could see what kind of man you were, what kind you would become. Walking in here the other night only confirmed it. You took me in again, no questions. No demands. No thoughts to your own safety.”
He looked at her for a while. She could tell he was trying to figure her out. Then he shook his head and smiled. “Eat your food. If you want more, I’ll make something bigger. I have a few errands to run today, but I’ll be back later.” He stood and she could tell the conversation was over.
“Would you bring me the new sketch pad and the box of chalk and pens? I’m stuck on the couch for the day, but it doesn’t mean I can’t do something I enjoy.”
“Sure, is there anything else?”
She held up her cup. “More coffee?”
An hour later he walked into Carter’s office, interrupting a heated conversation between his partner and Eve, who was their top employee and had been a close friend for longer than he knew. The two of them never seemed to be getting along. Once, Mitchell had asked his friend if they should fire her, to which his reply was, “Why on god’s earth would I want to get rid of our best asset?” He’d followed it up with, “Don’t you ever tell her I said that.” Knowing it was just a little game the two played, he shut the door loudly and smiled as the pair jumped and glared at him.
“Hello, why don’t you two just get a room and get it over with.” He chuckled at the similar looks of horror the pair made at his suggestion.
“What do you want? I thought you were off for the next few weeks.” Carter sat down behind his desk and waved him in, then he looked at Eve. “You can handle that client on your own.”
Eve put her hands on her hips and stood there, glaring down at him. Finally Carter sighed and said, “Fine, I’ll make the call later.”
She smiled and started to walk out of the room. “Mitchell, I hope you’re enjoying your vacation.”
He knew she didn’t like him laughing at how well she could handle his friend, so he just nodded his head as she walked past him.
When the door was shut, he burst out laughing. “Man, the least you can be doing is sleeping with her to end up that whipped.”
Carter glared at him. “That woman knows more tricks to get what she wants than you and I put together.”
They both chuckled at that. “Of course it doesn’t help that she looks like a Greek goddess.”
“Yeah, there is that.” Carter smiled and looked at a stack of papers on his desk. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I need your help.”
“Shoot.”
“I need to take Sandi somewhere safe for a while, after she heals from the whole ordeal yesterday. Someplace not traceable to any of us.”
Carter thought about it. “You still haven’t heard from Ethan?”
He shook his head, no. He hadn’t kept any details from his friend and knew Carter would guard it with his life. After all, they’d been best friends growing up.
Carter was the complete opposite of Mitch in every way. His dark hair, eyes, and skin weren’t the only things he was talking about, either. Carter was a businessman, always looking at the angles of every deal. Mitch tended to go with his gut and heart. It was hard to expla
in, but Mitch could just tell how a person was, if they were going to be a good investment or be a flake and not worth the time.
The agency worked well with the pair of them. Mitchell’s heart and Carter’s business smarts had proved a lethal combination. Since starting the business, they’d built the company to what it was today, a company with over three thousand high-profiled clients and growing.
“Hmmm, I might know someplace. My grandparents’ place. But I’ll have to get back to you, make sure my neighbor has time to prepare it for you. When are you thinking of leaving?”
“Well, in a day or two, I suppose. She can barely walk right now.”
His friend nodded, “I hope she’s okay.”
“Yes, just bruised.”
“Eve keeps asking about her. She feels so bad that she couldn’t be there to help her.”
“I know, but I think the less attention we draw, the better. We still don’t know how they found out about her. The only thing we can come up with is through K&E.”
Carter frowned. “I’d hate to think that someone working for us would be the cause.” He shook his head. “I doubt it. No one, not even Eve, knew Sandi’s real name. It’s not like it’s in her file. Trust me, I’ve checked. Her cover wasn’t blown by us.”
Mitch released a sigh. He’d guessed as much, but, hearing it come from his friend, made him feel more confident.
“I’ll check on this and get back to you later this week.” Carter stood and Mitch followed, noticing the young blond woman standing in Carter’s doorway. Lisa was Carter’s latest catch. Even though she was ten years younger than Carter, it didn’t seem to fizzle the relationship.
As Mitchell walked out, he realized Sandi was exactly ten years younger than him. Shaking his head, he stepped into the elevator and asked himself what he’d gotten himself into.
Chapter Eight
When Mitch walked in a few hours later, Sandi was fast asleep on the couch. A ball game was blaring on the television set, but he doubted she’d been watching it. He walked over and switched it off, looking at her sketch pad. Taking it with him, he walked into the kitchen as he flipped through the drawings.
There were some sketches of beautiful scenery, all very well detailed and extremely good. Then he stopped on one of himself, and he sat at the bar stool, just looking at it. He’d never seen a drawing of himself before. Is that really what he looked like? What she thought of him?
He must have studied the drawing for a while. When he looked up, Sandi was standing on the opposite side of the bar, watching him. He hadn’t even heard her walk into the room.
“Well?” She sat at the bar stool on the other side, looking at him.
“It’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.” He looked up at her again. “I didn’t know you drew people.”
“I normally don’t, but I make exceptions for people who matter.”
There was something in her eyes. Something he couldn’t deny himself. The attraction wasn’t the problem. Hell, he was a man after all. Wanting an attractive woman was in his nature. But it was what was lying underneath that attraction that scared him. He’d been burned before and the fact that he was finding it hard to trust women, especially sexy women, made him realize he had to think about taking it slow. Besides, he didn’t know exactly what experience she had with men. He did know she wasn’t that schooled. Oh, it wasn’t as if she was a bad kisser. Hell, she’d lit him on fire with her naivety of it all. He’d never realized that he’d find the lack of experience in a woman so thrilling. Actually, it had made him want to see how much farther he could get with her. How naive she was and how much fun it would be to teach her, slowly.
“What?” Her question broke his trance.
“Hmm?” He tried to play his horny thoughts off.
“Mitchell, just like you told me before, there are some expressions you can just read on a person. And you were just looking at me like you wanted to devour me.” She smiled, shyly. “I don’t mind it, you know.”
He shook his head and set the sketch pad down. “I do. We need to keep our heads clear. We need to come up with a plan.” He turned and started pulling food from the refrigerator. He was running low on supplies and would have to make a run to the local market soon.
“Mitch? I’m worried about my money.” She said out of the blue.
He stopped and turned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I haven’t touched my accounts since seeing my father and cousin. I’d like to ensure that it’s all still there. If I can use your computer...?”
He thought about it and saw no possible way that her cousin or father could trace her bank account login to his machine. Not without one of them being the best hacker on the earth.
“Your father or cousin aren’t computer geniuses are they?”
She laughed, “No, my father didn’t even know how to answer his cell phone for over two months. My cousin Anish knows a little about computers, but I don’t think either of them would know how to trace your connection.” She started to frown. “Now, my uncle, Adham…” he saw her shiver. “My father’s brother knew the most about computers. But he is in a federal prison in Colorado.”
“He’s the one that tried to kill my friend Ric?”
She nodded. “He always scared me. He looked at me...like I was property. I always made sure my father was in the room with me when he was around. At least after I hit the age of ten.”
He looked at her and thought about wringing her family’s necks, every single one of them.
“I take back what I said earlier.” He tried for a causal tone, but knew his voice sounded rough. “I’m glad I helped you escape those people. I’m glad you’re here, safe.”
She smiled at him and he felt something shift inside, something he’d never felt before. A barrier being lifted. How had she moved him to this so quickly? He didn’t even know that much about her, and here he was falling hard and fast.
He pulled out the kitchen knife and cutting board. “So, while I whip us up dinner, how about you tell me all about Sandi?”
She smiled and leaned on the countertop and started talking about her life up until the point where she’d banged on his door a few nights ago.
Later that night, when he couldn't sleep, he headed downstairs to use the equipment in his gym. He found that working out curbed his desire to have a drink. He knew it was part of his recovery, finding something to replace that feeling, and lifting had taken its place. He not only felt healthier for it, but more centered in life. There was no way he'd ever fall off the wagon, as long as he could move his body.
Later that night as Sandi lay in bed, she listened to a storm brewing outside. She watched the lightning streak across the empty room as she stared at the ceiling and thought of Mitch. Was he lying in his bed thinking of her?
She had no experience when it came to love or sex. She knew what she wanted, but not how to get it, and she didn’t think she had the courage to take it herself. But after almost an hour of lying there watching the rain on the window, she pushed back the covers and walked out her door. If he was asleep, she’d turn around and crawl back in her bed, alone. If she looked in on him and he was awake...well, she didn’t know what she’d do.
Standing outside his door, she reached for the doorknob. Then she heard his workout equipment clang from downstairs. Curious, she headed downstairs and was surprised that he was lifting weights at this time of night. She pushed the door wide and looked into the dim room. The TV was going with no sound and she watched with excitement as Mitch lifted a bar with heavy weights on it above his head. He was bare-chested and she realized she could have stood there watching him for hours.
“Come here.” She thought she heard a chuckle when she jumped.
“You should be asleep.”
“So should you. Come over here.” He set the bar of weights down and sat up on the bench.
She cautiously moved into the room, and when she got about a foot away, he reached up and grabbed her. Before
she knew it, she was sitting on his lap as she nervously laughed.
“Why are you still up at,” he looked at the clock on the wall, “a quarter till one in the morning?”
“I... I couldn’t sleep.”
“You couldn’t? And you thought I could do something about that?” He started running his hands over her soft tank top, his hands making small little circles on her stomach. She felt like purring. She realized her hands were pinned between them and when she moved to get them free, he shook his head.
“I know what you thought. It's right there on your face.” He lifted her in one quick motion and started walking out of the room.
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