“We’ll come back to that when we discuss your new job.” She put a hand under his chin and let her thumb brush over his lips, which stopped what he was going to say. “And, yes, I will follow you out of here. You’re the expert.”
Not sure of her game, he closed one eye and looked her over. “That’s good to hear. A little surprising, but the right answer.”
“I learned some things once you left…” That thumb made one more pass before her hand dropped. “And don’t gloat. It’s not attractive.”
Words backed up in his throat. He had no idea what to say. In his head, the answer was clear—get her out of there now. The rest of his body had a different idea. “I’ll call Pax and the rest of the team to deal with this guy and start investigating.”
“Only you would use the word deal, like a dead man is a broken mug or something. He’s a person, and being this close to him is creeping me out. Like, my insides are shaking so hard I might throw up.”
That possibility didn’t scare Davis, but he trod carefully with his answer because they’d had this argument before and he’d lost—big. “He tried to kill you. Once he crossed that line, I didn’t care who or what he was.”
When she continued to stare at him, he steered the conversation back where he needed it. “I need the phone.”
She slipped away from him only long enough to grab it off the far table—then she was back at his side. “Here.”
His hand slid around her waist to rest on the sexy dip of her lower back. “It’s going to be fine.”
“You should do one more thing before the cavalry comes.”
He doubted anything mattered all that much except getting somewhere out of sight. “We’ll be long gone by the time they arrive. That’s the point.”
“Well, before we go, you might want to put on some clothes.” Her gaze traveled to his lap. “You’re naked.”
The words registered in his brain and he jumped up. A visual sweep down his body confirmed her comment…and the amusement in her voice. “What the…? When did the towel come off?”
“Very early in the battle.”
“I didn’t even notice.”
“Impressive, by the way. I had no idea you knew how to bare-body fight.” This time the back of her hand pressed against her mouth to stop what looked like a smile.
He had no problem with her looking all she wanted, so he played along. “I’ve told you before that my talents are endless.”
Her gaze took another bounce down and up, then she smiled. “I can see that.”
Chapter Three
Less than ten minutes later, they slipped through the kitchen and out the back door. Lara watched as Davis caught the screen before it could slam shut. Always thinking and rarely unprepared. That was how she thought about him, and her mind wandered there often.
They hurried across the porch, the boards creaking under her sensible pumps. His sneakers didn’t make a noise. It was as if he placed each step with precision, including his run down the four steps to the muddy square of a backyard.
Her gaze focused on his butt. Not a bad focal point and certainly less scary than looking up into the eyes of another attacker. Two were enough for one day. Davis also made the staring easy. He had put on jeans and a T-shirt and carried a bag Lara wanted to believe was loaded down with clothes and essentials like shampoo but probably only contained weapons. He did love his big-boy toys, but at least he had clothes on now.
Through the haze of panic enveloping her and the sick ball of dread bouncing around in her belly, she smiled. It was not as if seeing Davis naked had ever been a hardship. He stood six foot one with long, lean muscles. If there was an ounce of fat on him, she defied anyone to find it. If anything, he was even more toned, more fit, than when she’d left all those months ago.
Looking at him now and holding his hand while they crept on boards balanced over the big puddles, she watched the muscles on his back tense and flex under his shirt. Nothing new there. The broad shoulders and military-short sandyblond hair hadn’t changed. Neither had the rough edge to his face, complete with a broken nose from years ago that had never healed quite right and a full, kissable mouth.
Put it all together and you got a man who was self-assured and strong, compelling and intriguing without being pretty. He walked by and women turned. He took a woman to bed and she didn’t want to leave again for days. Lara knew that last one from experience.
“You okay?” His question, delivered in a monotone voice, almost blended into the sounds of traffic blocks away.
“Except for the whole thing where people are trying to kill me? Yes.”
His fingers tightened around hers. “That’s the spirit.”
They walked to the six-foot fence running between his house and the next-door neighbor’s then followed it to the very back end. Unless he planned to chew his way through it, she didn’t see this as a viable way out. “Uh, what are we doing?”
“Escaping.” He trailed his hand over the wood planks.
“Did you develop the power to walk through walls?”
He shot her a sexy smile. “If only.”
Refusing to get sidetracked by the shine in his green eyes, she glanced around the yard. Nothing was out of the ordinary. You’d never know a dead man lay only a few feet away.
The strangeness of life going on, the sun shining and a lawn mower running nearby, struck her. When a person died, the world should stop, if only for a second. But nothing changed.
“Here we go.” There was a click and a panel of boards slipped open.
“A hidden door? Of course. Everyone has one.” She rolled her eyes, but his back was to her so he missed it. That was a shame because it really fit here.
Davis had a contingency for everything. Well, everything but her, which was part of the reason she’d handed back the ring and still cried over the loss.
“It’s my get-out-of-Dodge-fast plan.” After ducking his head inside and taking a look around, he held the door open and motioned for her to pass through. “After you.”
It was not as if she had a choice. Her life had careened out of control hours ago. Now she just held on and hoped not to throw up. Her knee throbbed and the drum-crashing thumps in her head promised a killer headache any second now.
They stepped inside a fenced-off square consisting of a small shed and what she guessed was a car under that slipcover. When they reached the shed, Davis flipped open a black box and typed in a code. The gate at the back end of the enclosed space opened. It spilled out into the alleyway that ran behind his house, the same house he’d moved into a week after their engagement had ended.
They were supposed to have bought it together, even put in the offer together, but when the relationship fell apart he went through
