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I threw up my hands. “Look around. Does it look like I have a girlfriend? I go to work, and I come home. Until recently, that was the extent of it. Maybe a little football on TV, pass out. Do it all again. Only lately, I’ve tacked on giving you three orgasms a night before you pass out to my list of things to do.”
“Oh, thank you for those orgasms, but if it means I can’t ask questions, if it means that I can’t know what you’re trying to do on my behalf, then I don’t want them.”
I scowled and stepped forward, crowding her. “Let’s not kid ourselves. You want it.” I licked my lips when her pupils dilated again. “But don’t think I wasn’t deadly serious when I said I would protect you.”
“I never asked you to.”
“When I’m done with this, we’re going to pick this conversation right up where we left off.”
“Yeah, some conversation. If it involves you dictating to me, then I’m not particularly interested. I think I’ll just head to bed.”
“The hell you will. We’re not done.”
The smile she gave me was evil. Then she started to strip. Sports bra first. Then yoga pants. My cerebral cortex shorted out. She didn’t give me a chance to recover. Instead, she turned on her heel and strode down the hall to the bathroom.
Fuck.
CHAPTERTWELVE
Rafe
On my first trip through the neighborhood, I didn’t slow down when I passed the house in question. It was a decent neighborhood with neatly manicured lawns and trees planted in rows along the sidewalks, the kind of place I could see myself living in someday. And surprise, surprise, my imagination conjured up a helpful image of Diana there with me.
I would have never thought I could enjoy such simple, basic pleasures as coming home to a woman who was happy to see me. But seeing Diana was quickly becoming my favorite part of every day. She always had a smile for me that made me feel about ten feet tall.
The warmth I felt just being around her was unlike anything I’d ever experienced with a woman before. This wasn’t just desire. Desire I was familiar with. I loved women and certainly hadn’t been a monk in my past, but it had always been enough to spend a night with a woman and then move on. It made me feel like an asshole, but I’d never wanted anything more than that. Some people functioned better on their own, and I’d always figured that the only family I needed was Nonna, Lucia, and the gaggle of kids I’d always known my sister would one day have.
I wouldn’t have described myself as lonely before. There was an uncomplicated beauty in living alone and having every part of my life regimented. Due to my years of training to be invisible, it was easier to be alone. But I couldn’t deny that a part of me was awakening being around Diana. She didn’t ask for much from me other than my company, and she made me feel that was a gift. I’d puzzled over it for days before realizing that she simply liked me as I was. What a revelation.
So when I finally got the details from Matthias about Diana’s ex-boyfriend, there was no question of how I’d handle it. When we’d met, she’d been scared and hurt, and no amount of time would erase that image from my mind. For a man like me, there was only one thing to do when someone I cared about was in danger.
Eliminate the threat.
I shook my head. I couldn’t kill the guy. After years being in ORUS, and to a lesser degree the FBI, it was hard to shed theirkill first, ask questions latermentality. But I was transitioning back into a civilian. This was what I’d always wanted and what I’d bargained so hard for. I couldn’t do anything to jeopardize my chance to live freely again, so I would have to step carefully.
But just because I couldn’t kill the guy didn’t mean I couldn’t take care of the problem. By the time I was done, Corbin James would never even look askance at another woman. He’d be lucky if he wasn’t pissing into a bag.
I continued to drive around, making sure not to linger too long on any street until I saw what I’d been waiting for—a blue SUV parked in the driveway. I smiled.
Corbin James was home from work.
I parked on the street behind the house and walked through the back neighbor’s yard to a small copse of trees right behind the house. According to Matthias, Mr. James had a dog. I had never had one, but the little I knew about them included how often they needed to be taken outside, which would give me the opportunity I needed. I glanced at my watch and waited patiently. Ten minutes later, a man stepped out onto the back porch with a puppy on a leash.
Moving quickly, I scooped up the dog, jerked the leash from James’s hand, and deposited the pup inside the house, closing the door behind it. The little guy would try to protect his owner, and I’d never enjoyed the thought of hurting a defenseless animal. The dog didn’t even bark, just pressed its little face against the glass, observing me curiously.
“Some guard dog you’ve got there,” I commented as I turned around.
The other man backed up, his eyes darting nervously between me and the back door.
“What the hell, man? Who are you?”
I punched him in the gut and then cradled him on his way down to the ground. “I’m the guy who is going to kick your ass.”
Corbin wheezed, in too much pain to even scream. I had hit him right in the lung, so he wouldn’t be breathing normally for a while. Plenty of time for us to have a talk.
Well, for me to talk and for Corbin to listen.
“Get away, help!” The soft scream was cut off when I grabbed him by the throat. I enjoyed the man’s look of terror. Was that how Diana had felt when this asshole had kicked her in the ribs? Had he stalked her around this house, letting her feel the terror of being hunted before he’d hurt her? The thought of her being scared and helpless enraged me, and my hand tightened around the other man’s throat. The gurgling below me was the only thing that prompted me to loosen my grip.
