by Lucy Monroe
“About the case?”
“No.”
“Then we don’t need to talk.”
“What the hell do you mean?”
“It’s simple. I need to focus on my assignment, not get sidetracked by a nice piece of ass. No matter how intelligent the brain attached to it.”
Amazed laughter tumbled out of him. “Did you just call me a piece of ass? A nice piece of ass.”
“Yes.”
“I think I resent that.”
“Why? It was just sex. You said so.”
“So did you.”
“Yes, and it’s obvious we both meant it. Are we done talking now?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you could pass for a guy?”
“Seriously? No. But more than one person has mentioned that I don’t look at life like a normal woman.” Her beloved baba and mother included.
“She-yit. I didn’t mean it that way. You might not fit feminine stereotypes, but, sugar, that sure doesn’t make you Abby Normal.”
Elle’s lips tilted at the reference to Young Frankenstein. An absolute classic, in her opinion. “What did you mean when you said I could pass for a man, then? I’m pretty sure you weren’t talking about my looks.”
She’d never been accused of looking unfeminine, just acting it.
“You’re as gun-shy as any guy I’ve ever known when it comes to talking about feelings.”
She hadn’t always been that way, or had she? Come to think of it, Kyle had accused her of something similar, though he’d never likened her to the male of the species while doing it.
“But you don’t think that makes me abnormal?”
“Nope. My grandma used to say it takes all kinds to make the world go round.”
“And that means what?”
“That the world would be worse off without the different kinds of people who live in it, not to mention damn boring.”
“So, it doesn’t bother you that I’m not a typical woman?”
“Is there such a thing? If there is and you aren’t it, that doesn’t bother me a bit. I already told you I find your dangerous side a hell of a turn-on.”
He had, and she so didn’t need to hear that again. So, why in the world was she pursuing this line of conversation? It was like her brain lost track of her mouth when she got within five feet of him.
“Are there some feelings you wanted to discuss?” she asked with as much enthusiasm as she would have shown for a conversation about the merits of one floor polisher over another. There was a reason cleaning services existed, after all.
Oh, man, she was getting sidetracked inside her own mind. That was a very bad sign.
“There are, but they’ll keep.” They’d stopped outside of Mat’s office.
Something tightened in her chest. “You agreed it was just sex.”
“I’m not talking about sex, but you’re channeling a guy again—thinking everything revolves around that particular endeavor.”
She rolled her eyes. “What are you talking about, then?”
“I’ll tell you when we have more time and a bit more privacy.”
The door to Mat’s office opened and her brother stood there glaring at them both.
“You can relax, Matej. Your bosses knew all along that I’m an agent. It was apparently the elephant in the room no one wanted to mention while you were there.” She turned and tilted her head so her and Beau’s gazes met. “The name of my agency and the nature of its charter are on a strictly need-to-know basis and he doesn’t need to know.”
Mat’s eyes had widened at her initial announcement, but now they narrowed and he looked at Beau. “So she says.”
“Mat, do you really want to be responsible for me losing my job?” Elle asked.
“Of course not.”
“Then drop it. You know more than you are supposed to and less than you want. Leave it at that.”
Chapter 11
Mat’s home wasn’t your typical bachelor pad. Instead of renting an apartment in one of the new buildings or buying an easy to monitor condo, her brother had bought a 150-year-old farmhouse with a wraparound porch on a large lot.
Obviously the original homestead, the two-story structure was surrounded by newer developments. There was a small stand of fruit trees, a gardener’s shed and a detached garage, all of them around back. A majestic oak tree offered shade and an old-fashioned swing was in front of the house. Elle catalogued each item for its potential to compromise security.
Inside was a noticeable work in progress.
“I’m restoring it.” Mat offered the explanation even though Elle hadn’t asked for one.
“It’s going to be beautiful when it’s done.” She could see where he’d already done some of the woodwork downstairs. “Man, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cleaner project area. Heck, Kyle and I used to make a bigger mess than this painting the bathroom.”
“You know how I am.”
“Yep, and I love you for it.”
“So, it’s okay to mention Kyle’s name now?”
Elle stared at her brother for a few seconds in silence, then smiled. “Yeah, it is. I’m always going to miss him. I’ll never stop regretting that I wasn’t even in town when the robbery went down, but I’m done pretending like those years of my life didn’t happen.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Thanks. I think it is.”
Chantal was looking at them in confusion.
Elle shrugged. “Mat can tell you all about my sordid past later, ’kay?”
“He doesn’t have to tell me anything.”
“I think he’ll disagree, but I’ll leave it up to him.”
“Okay.”
“So, what do you think of Mat’s project here?”
“It’s amazing.” Chantal glowed with enthusiasm. “I couldn’t believe it when Matej brought me here last night. I didn’t expect this from him—a house that is so big and with such character. Such a fixer-upper, yes? But it has soul, you know? It would be a wonderful place to raise a family.”
The blush that took over the small blonde’s features as soon as the words escaped her mouth made Elle grin. “He pretends to be a total curmudgeon, but there’s the heart of an artist beating in that grouchy bear’s chest.”
“Oui.” Chantal laughed softly and gave Mat a sideways glance. “He never had me fooled, though.”
It wasn’t just her brother that had it bad, and Elle couldn’t have been happier. “Show me the kitchen?”
Mat and Chantal both turned and walked down a hallway that led to a kitchen that looked like it had been updated in the fifties, but not since then.
“Is it safe to bring tea water to boil on that thing?” Elle asked, teasing.
Her brother would have had the whole house checked for safety issues before moving in. He would never have brought Chantal if the wiring, or anything else, was dangerously substandard.
“Of course. Is that your way of hinting you’d like some?” he asked.
“If you wouldn’t mind. You both stay in here while I do a walk-through of the house, all right?”
Chantal’s brow wrinkled as she was reminded of the reason for Elle having come to Mat’s house initially.
Mat hugged her with one arm. “It will be fine, sweetheart. My baby sister knows what she’s doing.”
“I do. Don’t worry. Either of you. Nitro and Josie will be here in a few hours too, and they are phenomenal at what they do.”
“I just wish I knew who was threatening me. There is something so sinister about being frightened by a faceless adversary,” Chantal said.
“They have faces all right, and we’ll expose them,” Elle reassured her.
“I told you, my sister knows what she’s doing. You don’t have to worry anymore, sweetheart.”
“I just wish I’d never gotten involved with Eddie Danza.”
“I think Eddie’s wishing he’d never gotten involved with the people he did either,” Elle said.
“Why do yo
u say that?”
“Let’s just say that there’s a reason for the old adage ‘Crime doesn’t pay.’”
“Truly? Because I hate the idea that he profited from betraying his employer and me.”
“He might have, at first, but trust me—Eddie Danza and the men who were involved with him in selling the plans for the antigravity project ended up regretting their choices,” Elle replied.
“I’m glad.”
“You’ve got the same desire to see justice done as my brother, don’t you?” Elle asked.
Chantal shrugged. “I’m not all about tit for tat, but some things are just so wrong. If they had succeeded in selling those plans, innocent people would have died.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hasn’t Beau told you yet that the test flight of the scaled-down model was only a partial success?”
“He did. I wasn’t aware you knew it.”
Chantal shrugged again. “All the teams do.”
“Did Eddie?”
“He wouldn’t have been privy to the scientists’ gossip. All he knew was that it had been a partial success.”
“So he didn’t know powering up a full-scale model could well have killed anyone within a certain radius?”
“What’s wrong with it? An excess spillage of the electrical field?” Mat asked.
“That’s what Beau said,” Elle replied.
“I don’t think Eddie knew how dangerous it was,” Chantal said after a moment of thought. “I certainly didn’t talk to him about it. You know, we were all pretty excited. Even with the drawbacks, it was further than anyone else has gotten with the concept of antigravity.”
“So, it’s safe to postulate that whoever he was trying to sell the plans to are just as ignorant of the danger,” Elle said.
“Probably.”
“This could get ugly if they get hold of the plans. It’s a good thing that Eddie originally stole the wrong set of plans.”
“He did what?” Chantal asked, with a laugh.
“He stole a set of plans that were for an unworkable model.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“Oh, that’s bad.”
“What an idiot,” Mat said.
“I guess any non–technically savvy person could have made that mistake,” Chantal said.
“Yes, but he didn’t appreciate what he had in you either. The man is beyond ignorant; he’s stupid,” Mat said.
Chantal blushed again and Elle took that as a sign it was time to do her walk-through.
The walk-through went quickly. Elle liked the layout of the house, though the attic was just a little too inviting to waiting predators. She would suggest Nitro and Josie use it for their command center. It would work as a good place to hide their presence as well.
There were four bedrooms, an updated full bathroom and a large linen closet on the second floor. Elle couldn’t help noticing that apparently Chantal was using one of the extra bedrooms and not sharing the master with Mat. A small fishbowl with a gorgeous blue betta fish was on the small table beside the double-size bed.
One of the bedrooms was completely empty, and the other, the second largest, was patently Mat’s office. The layout downstairs was just as simple. A living room, or what was probably considered the parlor when the house had originally been built. Then there was the formal dining room; a laundry room; another full bath, this one with a large claw-foot tub; and the oversize farm kitchen with enough space for a big table.
Right now, there was only a dinette set, which Mat had probably brought from his home in the Midwest. Surprisingly, he and Chantal were not in a clinch but were busy making the tea.
“What a picture of domestic harmony.”
Chantal whipped around. “I’m not sure the ability to make tea together counts as a domestic accord.”
“Trust me, being able to make anything with Mat and not have him growl at you definitely counts.”
Right on cue, Mat grumbled something about annoying little sisters and both women laughed.
“If you are done being a pain in the backside,” he said pointedly and then handed Elle a mug of steaming tea.
“Hey, you’ve had a pretty long break from my irritating little-sister shtick. I’m just making up for lost time.”
Mat’s eyes warmed. “It’s good to have you around again.”
She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He laughed and grabbed her into a bear hug. Chantal, showing she really did fit in this little domestic scene, managed to save the tea while laughing with delight.
Mat rearranged the dishes in the kitchen cupboards for better efficiency of use and space. Organizing was just something he did. Couldn’t stand a mess around him, but it helped him relax too—to put things in order. Chantal got that. At least she had ten years ago and she seemed pretty cool with his idiosyncrasies now.
She’d once told him that they were the cost of his brilliance.
Maybe she was right. All he knew was that he was the way he was and she didn’t seem to mind.
The only other people on earth who got him like she did were his family. And even they teased him for his refusal to tolerate clutter.
Elle had made that joke earlier about how clean his house looked for a restoration project in progress. So, he put his tools and everything away when he was done with them. Nothing wrong with that. Little sisters could be a pain, but it was nice to have her back in California. Even if it was temporary. They’d all missed her since Kyle’s death and she’d gone into a self-imposed isolation.
Baba told them all to be patient, that once her grief had muted, she would be back. Mama had argued that they could help Elle deal with her pain. But they hadn’t been given the chance. Elle’s job kept her on the go and she never seemed to have time to come home between assignments.
She was here now and Mat was really glad. He was even happier that she seemed okay with talking about Kyle. That meant she really was dealing with the past, not just burying it.
After their tea, she’d given him and Chantal a quick lecture on safety precautions, then retreated to the living room to make a phone call. She’d been there ever since, periodically talking on the phone and typing away on the mininotebook open on the coffee table in front of her.
Chantal had disappeared upstairs about the same time Elle had gone into the living room. Mat figured she was probably napping. He doubted she’d gotten much sleep last night. He only wished it had been for reasons other than worry. What he wouldn’t give to keep that woman up making love to her delectable little body. Memories from ten years ago haunted him even worse now than they had been doing.
But he’d been a gentleman and put her in the one functioning guest room to sleep alone. She’d acted relieved when he’d taken her to it, so he knew he’d made the right decision. Even if it meant he spent a good part of the night fantasizing about the woman on the other side of the wall.
“You really think they’ll find out who is trying to get their hands on the antigravity project plans?”
Mat closed the cupboard and turned to find Chantal standing only a couple of feet away. She was wearing a snug yellow T-shirt and a pair of purple sweats that hung loose on her trim hips.
His lips twitched. “Yes. Elle will find them.”
“What’s so funny?”
“You look like an Easter egg.”
Chantal looked down at her clothes then up at him, putting her small fists on her hips. “I like bright colors. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Nope. Not a one.”
“Good.” She shrugged. “Bright colors make me feel better.”
“I’ve been thinking of painting the house yellow with white trim, but maybe I should use a brighter color for the trim.”
Chantal’s eyes widened. “Uh…”
He crossed the short distance between them and looked down at her. She was so beautiful. “What’s the matter, sweetheart?”
“I don’t understand.”
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“What don’t you understand?”
“Why are you helping me? I mean, now that the powers that be know about the threats, you don’t have to put yourself out personally for my safety. I’m nothing to you, but you’re talking about painting your house and everything.”
“It needs an exterior face-lift too.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. What difference does it make to you that I like bright colors? Why would you consider changing the color of your house’s trim for me?”
“Because you aren’t nothing to me. Haven’t you figured that out yet? I staked a claim ten years ago and then I made the supreme mistake of walking away. I’m staking that claim again, but this time it’s going to last a lifetime.”
“What?” She jumped backward, her hip bumping into the counter. It didn’t slow her down one bit as she sidled away from him along the counter. “No. Claims? We can’t…. This is ridiculous. I’m still a geek. I don’t…You can’t want me. Not for a lifetime. Nobody wants me like that. No one ever has, not even family.”
Her words just broke his heart. Clearly, she hadn’t taken him seriously when he told her he was playing for keeps. “Your parents did.”
“They did.” She nodded, as if reiterating that fact to herself. “Before they died. No one else, though.”
“I do.”
“You can’t.”
“I can. I do.”
“No, it’s…My work is enough.”
“No, baby, it’s not.”
“I don’t need people.”
“You’re not a damn island, Chantal. You need people to love you and for you to love. You need me. You need family, too and I’ve got a really good one I want to share with you. Maybe we can even talk about making one of our own. You said this would be a great place to raise children.”
She looked ready to bolt, her eyes rolling. “No. You don’t mean it. Don’t tease me.”
“Not teasing. Want you. In every way.” Mat followed her movements and reached out to reel her in when she got to the swinging door.
No way was he letting her run from this, not when her eyes said she wanted what he was offering but was just terrified of taking it.
“You left me.” She swallowed, looking so scared his heart squeezed in his chest. “Before.”
