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“Well…that and…well, baby, we’ve sort of gotten used to being kept in the dark about the young men in your life.”
Kianti smiled when her mother’s words came through the phone line. The spontaneous call to her mother down in San Francisco had surprised her as well.
“Honey?” Francina Lawrence’s usually robust voice held a whiff of unease.
“You’re right, I…I don’t know what made me call.”
“He sounds special from the little you’ve told me.”
Again, Kianti smiled, not surprised her mother caught on to her vague details regarding Therin. She felt both giddy and stupid. She was so affected by what was happening. She had to tell someone. She wouldn’t acknowledge the small voice someplace deep that said she was trying to impress her mother—show her she not only had the strength to attract a good man but the will to make it last.
“So what do Brody and the guys have to say about this?”
Shadow dimmed Kianti’s gaze then. “They’re concerned, as usual, but I think they approve.”
“And everything is still all right with Brody taking those quick pulse checks while you’re on the road?”
Kianti smiled, predicting the turn a conversation with her mother usually took. “Everything’s still all right, Mama.”
“Your father and I would feel so much better if you’d make more time for appropriate physicals during your tour dates.”
“Ma…don’t, okay? I’m sorry.” She winced having heard Francina’s sigh over the line. “It’s just that I’m feeling really good right now…please let me?”
Francina’s sigh was more resigned that time. “All right, baby. All right. Can I at least tell your dad about this new young man of yours when he gets home?”
Kianti smiled, her mood brightening at thoughts of her father, Donald Lawrence. “Yes, I can’t wait for you to tell him. Thanks, Mama.”
“I love you, honey.”
Chapter 7
Vancouver, BC, Canada~
Rick Dubose knew he had no reason to be pissed about having to head back into the office for the file he needed to finish that weekend. Still, he was pissed just the same. It wasn’t every Saturday night that a man had a date with an angel.
It probably wasn’t until that night, though, that his habit for being forgetful really got to him for the first time in his life.
At least he was organized. He cheered when the file was lying right where he left it on the cabinet in his cubicle.
“Jocelyn, here I come,” Rick sang while stuffing the file into his satchel. He sprinted from the office, set the alarm and locked the front door. When he turned, a figure in shadow stood behind him.
“The boss is gonna get you all killed,” the figure growled seconds before it eased a knife into Rick Dubose’s abdomen.
Pacifica, California~
Therin was finally able to put off criticizing himself for indulging in play while there was so much work to be done. The lunch meeting with General Yale had changed all that. Productive indeed. The man’s presence in EYES would reap benefits no one could imagine.
The easy expression he wore faded for a moment as all the sacrifices he’d made over the years hit home. No, his life hadn’t been easy since he’d jumped on the “noble bandwagon” as the general had called it.
Such frustration, such sorrow—loss. He’d never admit it aloud, but it had all been due to the choices he’d made. It all combined to make him determined to see that there was something phenomenal to show for it in the end.
He shook off those heavy thoughts when Kianti’s house came into view over the bend in the road. He’d grown accustomed to the nagging voice and its standard inquiry. What the hell are you doing, Therin?
The hell if he knew. The hell if he cared. And what about her condition? Did he care about that? She’d warned him that overexerting herself could prove fatal. The warning alone should have made him back off in a hurry. Instead, it only had him thinking whether he could rein in his need for her when they made love. For they certainly would make love. That much, he’d settled in his mind.
Casey O’Dell waved while pressing the button to engage the gate leading to Kianti’s place. Therin parked the gleaming silver Chrysler 300 and headed toward Casey for handshakes. Now used to Therin’s visits, Casey didn’t bother to ring for his mistress and let her familiar guest up on the elevator.
Casa Marvelo was a romantic Mexican restaurant not far from Kianti’s place in Pacifica. The food was to die for, but it was the ambience Kianti was going for that evening. Therin would be leaving on Sunday and…what? She was going to pull out all the stops to get him into her bed.
