She places a pod into the Keurig and turns it on. “Oh god, I never even asked if you have a pet or a girlfriend.”
I shake my head. “No girlfriend. No pet either.”
“Phew, you were about to make me feel lousy for holding you prisoner last night.”
I smirk, my mind heading into perilous territory at the thought of being trapped with her all night, her my prisoner. “No, but I need to go home. I’ve been away for too long already. There’s something there I need to take care of.”
“Right, ok.” Blue is all business now as she immerses herself with preparing the coffee and bringing the mug to me.
I take a sip and nearly spit it out for fear of becoming diabetic. “That’s very sweet.”
Blue has a sip and sighs. “I love it.”
I love watching her drink it. Her pink lips form an o as she blows on the hot drink and I can barely tear my gaze from the sensual action. We eye each other over the rims of our cups until she moves away to check email. After she’s drunk her coffee and I’ve pretended to drink mine, she packs a bag and then I drive her to my place.
I pull into my driveway and shut off the engine.
She gawks at my sprawling stone house. “Wow, this place is massive.”
“Yeah,” I shrug, “it’s home.”
“Well, in your line of work I guess you have the luxury to afford nice things.”
I give her a sly smile. “I work hard for it. Come on inside.”
“Right, you have something mysterious that demands your utmost attention.” She raises a hand to her mouth. “You don’t have a prisoner in your basement, do you?”
“A what?” I lean closer to her as I open my truck door. “You watch too many movies. Besides, I’m retiring, remember?”
She opens her door. “Well, what’s the rush to get home?”
“My garden.”
Blue nearly slams the door on her leg, whipping her head to me. “Garden?”
“Yeah.” I get out of the truck. “My garden needs tending.”
“You’re not joking, are you?”
“Come on, I’ll show you.”
Inside, I lead her on a mini tour of the house. She moves throughout my living room, staring wide-eyed at the vaulted ceilings and the artwork on the wall. Rogue collects extravagant artwork and kind of got me interested in collecting a few pieces for my own home.
I show her my favorite pieces of art. Mainly the Salvador Dali original hanging over my black-leather sofa. I show her my kitchen, where I love to cook using my own spice blends, and the spacious patio. We walk across the back yard to my favorite place.
“This is my garden.” I show her my tomato plants and other vegetables. She marvels at my green thumb while I explain I’m growing basil and a host of other spices and herbs.
“Wow, I would have never pictured you as a gardener.”
I bend down on one knee to pick a few weeds near the cabbage. “When I decided to leave Ruthless Corp., I had a lot of stress and madness going on in my head. People suggested therapy, and I thought I’d give it a try. One therapist suggested I take up gardening.” I laugh a little. “I thought she was insane at the time and didn’t want to deal with a garden. But I finally did it.”
“Oh,” she says, staring at all the basil plants lined in neat little rows. “So, this is what you’re retiring to do?”
My chest puffs out with pride. “I am. I’m going to start my own spice blend company.”
Blue’s bright eyes light up. “I love it.”
“It’s called Killer Spice Blend.”
Blue gives me a cheesy grin. “Oh, I get it. Very clever.”
Is it weird that I already feel very comfortable around this woman? No one I’ve ever brought home has ever known what I do for a living, but with Blue it’s a non-issue. “Besides, the gardening has helped me in so many ways.”
“Helped how?”
“To quiet the demons.”
Six
Blue
* * *
I suck in a sharp breath at his words, because I can’t imagine a life of crime and murder. A life hiding in the depths of the dark underbelly in this cold, hard world.
Titan lived there. He dwelled in a life with mayhem and always watching your back for so long I can only imagine what it must have been like to stop.
“When you decided to quit, did you do it cold turkey, so to say?”
He nods, still down on bended knee. “Yeah. One day a job went sideways, and I told my boss I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
“I’m surprised he agreed. I always heard you’re a hitman until you’re dead.”
Titan laughs a little under his breath. And it’s the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. “Where’d you hear that?”
“John Wick.” I shrug.
He laughs again. “You watch too many movies.” He stands and holds out his hand. “Let’s go inside. I need to get on my secure line to make a few calls to see where we can find this Steele guy.”