eighteen.”
“They were proud—” her smile went slightly sad “—but I was, uh, sick on graduation day.”
“That’s a shame.” He skimmed her hair back behind her ears as if to clear it from his face, while actually enjoying the silken, soft texture of those curls twining around his fingers. “You deserved to celebrate.”
“I did, in my own way.” She let her arms linger on his shoulders. “What about you? How does somebody celebrate graduating high school at twelve?”
“My dad took me to drive gokarts and then we went shopping for my first skateboard.” His parents had done their best to let him be a kid, but then he’d left for college and they weren’t there to suggest carnival rides any longer. Vacations were packed with more of the kid fun, but by then it was almost painful in comparison to his daily routine of freakshow Matthias in college.
And damn it, he didn’t do this selfpity routine. What was it with this woman?
She continued to scratch her nail ever so lightly against his neck. “Sounds like the perfect way for a twelveyearold to cheer on a landmark.” Yeah, except there hadn’t been any friends to take along. Everyone his age thought he was a dorky geek—
which he was. And their conversation bored the sh—uh, dickens out of him.
This lady, however, with her hot body and quick mind, was anything but boring.
Suddenly the loudspeaker crackled. “Everyone return to your daily business. Only a small explosion in one of the labs, no toxicity.”
Relief swept away concerns in a heartbeat, leaving him with nothing to think about but the woman in his arms.
Maybe it was time he found out if Felicia Fratarcangelo enjoyed gokart rides, or was she one of those otherside spies in hiding?
THROUGH THEHumvee windshield, Bobby scoured the surrounding undergrowth, mangrove trees and limestone outcroppings for possible danger in hiding, while keeping Gracie damn close to his side.
He knew she wouldn’t go for the heman “cover her body with his” gig. She’d likely flip him on his ass. He kinda enjoyed that about her, all spunk and softness at once. And speaking of that spunk, they could well need it if any real hazard lurked out there.
Flames lit the dark in the distance, but so far he hadn’t noticed anything imminently threatening other than an exceptionally odd but cute rodent the size of a large house cat, with long, flowing, silky black hair, known as the Luzon bushytailed cloud rat. Since the beast wouldn’t hesitate to sink its teeth into anything that looked like dinner—especially hairyashell legs—he would have to let fly with his knife if it didn’t scurry off once they left the Humvee.
Still, his street days instincts blared: Danger.
The spikes that had punctured their tires could be new or old. This area had been in battle mode for centuries. The metal stakes poking from the ground now could be a mere coincidence if perhaps this wasn’t
“They were proud—” her smile went slightly sad “—but I was, uh, sick on graduation day.”
“That’s a shame.” He skimmed her hair back behind her ears as if to clear it from his face, while actually enjoying the silken, soft texture of those curls twining around his fingers. “You deserved to celebrate.”
“I did, in my own way.” She let her arms linger on his shoulders. “What about you? How does somebody celebrate graduating high school at twelve?”
“My dad took me to drive gokarts and then we went shopping for my first skateboard.” His parents had done their best to let him be a kid, but then he’d left for college and they weren’t there to suggest carnival rides any longer. Vacations were packed with more of the kid fun, but by then it was almost painful in comparison to his daily routine of freakshow Matthias in college.
And damn it, he didn’t do this selfpity routine. What was it with this woman?
She continued to scratch her nail ever so lightly against his neck. “Sounds like the perfect way for a twelveyearold to cheer on a landmark.” Yeah, except there hadn’t been any friends to take along. Everyone his age thought he was a dorky geek—
which he was. And their conversation bored the sh—uh, dickens out of him.
This lady, however, with her hot body and quick mind, was anything but boring.
Suddenly the loudspeaker crackled. “Everyone return to your daily business. Only a small explosion in one of the labs, no toxicity.”
Relief swept away concerns in a heartbeat, leaving him with nothing to think about but the woman in his arms.
Maybe it was time he found out if Felicia Fratarcangelo enjoyed gokart rides, or was she one of those otherside spies in hiding?
THROUGH THEHumvee windshield, Bobby scoured the surrounding undergrowth, mangrove trees and limestone outcroppings for possible danger in hiding, while keeping Gracie damn close to his side.
He knew she wouldn’t go for the heman “cover her body with his” gig. She’d likely flip him on his ass. He kinda enjoyed that about her, all spunk and softness at once. And speaking of that spunk, they could well need it if any real hazard lurked out there.
Flames lit the dark in the distance, but so far he hadn’t noticed anything imminently threatening other than an exceptionally odd but cute rodent the size of a large house cat, with long, flowing, silky black hair, known as the Luzon bushytailed cloud rat. Since the beast wouldn’t hesitate to sink its teeth into anything that looked like dinner—especially hairyashell legs—he would have to let fly with his knife if it didn’t scurry off once they left the Humvee.
Still, his street days instincts blared: Danger.
The spikes that had punctured their tires could be new or old. This area had been in battle mode for centuries. The metal stakes poking from the ground now could be a mere coincidence if perhaps this wasn’t
Similar Books
