"Well . . . I think I'll sleep sounder now." His voice is full of wonder, amusement . . . and something else.
I give him my trademark sly grin. "See, I told you my smart mouth was the least of your worries."
4
~Lily~
As the sun sets, Blake is finally ready to leave the beach and head to his apartment in the city. As head of security, I ride in his truck and decide to bring Rhett with me. I'm quiet as he backs out of the parking space and heads for the exit. At least he's put a shirt on. Rhett is almost a ghost in the backseat, and I only know he’s there because I can see him out of the corner of my eye.
I tap my thumb against the door in an effort to occupy my nerves. Being this close to someone is panic attack worthy. It's different with the team. They don't know about my history, but they know my limits. Rhett isn’t stupid enough to reach up here and try to touch me. However, Blake doesn't know anything about me and I'm not in the mood to lay down the law, so to speak, so I'm praying he doesn't do anything stupid like try to touch me.
I glance over at his profile as he murmurs the words to the song playing on the radio. My stomach tightens. He's actually . . . handsome.
Fuck, stop it!
"I expected you to be more of a talker." His deep voice commands the space, shattering my concentration.
I raise one of my eyebrows. "You shouldn't make judgments about people before you know them."
"You seemed to have a good amount to say earlier."
"You pissed me off. I'll endeavor to ignore your arrogance more often." I turn my face toward the window.
“Just wait until you get to know her,” Rhett says with a chuckle.
“Shut it, smartass,” I snap causing him to fully laugh.
"Arrogance? Now who's being judgmental?" Blake glances between the road and my face.
I huff and whip my head back toward him. He's leaning toward me, his arm resting on the center console. Involuntarily, I mimic his posture.
He smells . . . wonderf— Stop that!
"You come across as arrogant." It takes all my concentration to sit back in my seat.
"There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance, Agent."
"Yes, there is. You flirt with it."
His eyes darken. "Nothing wrong with flirtation."
“Mason, I’d be careful there,” Rhett says his tone instantly more serious. “Her idea of flirtation usually involves her fists and it’s only sexy to those not directly involved.”
I swallow the growing lump in my throat. Blake shakes his head slightly, but doesn't sit up. At least he drives well. Better than some of the people we encountered on the way here.
The radio is blaring and as some kind of club mix starts, I find myself tapping the beat on the door. It's not a bad remix, but Baltimore Club music is very techno. Not my style.
"So, Lily."
My breathing hitches at the way his voice wraps around my name, causing my body to tense and my chest to tighten.
Damn it! "Yes?"
"What do you do for Interpol?"
"Didn't Agent Monroe give you personnel files?"
"Today’s the first day I've had off in six months and I didn't feel like spending it reading Interpol files. Since you and Agent GQ are riding with me, I figured I’d just ask instead."