Following Her (Unexpected Heroes #2.5)(16)

Just as she fastened the last strap, the doorbell rang. Well, there was no turning back now. She refused to look in the mirror one more time. She was put together, not overdressed and not trying too hard, she told herself.

Moving slowly—no way was she going to hurry, he could wait—she went down the stairs and made her way to the door just as the buzzer sounded again. Well, Axel obviously needed to learn patience. Didn’t he know men were supposed to wait for women?

Before opening the door, she took a breath. The phone call the two of them had shared earlier was still making her stomach stir, not because it had been sexual, but because he’d made her laugh. It seemed he could make her laugh without even trying.

How and why she was so intrigued by this man, she didn’t know, but if the date didn’t go terribly wrong tonight, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do. She didn’t want to get involved with anyone right now. It was the last thing she needed in her life.

Pasting a smile on her face, she turned off the security and opened the door. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Let me just grab my purse,” she said as she turned and moved back toward the entry table where she’d placed it.

Before she reached the table, she felt Axel’s arms slide around her and spin her around. Suddenly she was caught in his smoldering gaze.

His head bent down and before she could even think of uttering a protest, his lips locked onto hers in a kiss that left her dizzy when he finally released her mouth.

“Wh-what was that?” she stuttered, her knees shaking.

“That was a thank-you.”

“Thank you? For what?” Not that she had anything to complain about. He could kiss her like that any day or night—maybe not night. It was too tempting to climb upstairs and finish where that kiss was sure to lead.

“That is one hell of an outfit,” he said before taking a leisurely look. “And the shoes can stay on . . . later,” he said, his mouth turning up in a predator’s smile.

Since the only words that wanted to come from Ella’s mouth were take me, she decided it was best not to say anything at all. With trembling legs, she grabbed her purse, then headed toward the door. If they didn’t get out of her house in the next few minutes, then they weren’t going to leave, and she wasn’t ready for that.

Never before had she had sex with a man she’d only known a couple of weeks. She wasn’t going to start now. Or she was going to give it one heck of an effort not to start now. First step was getting as far from beds as humanly possible. And couches, and kitchen counters, and dining room tables . . . Ella rushed out the front door, not waiting to see if Axel followed.

Axel held open the door to his SUV for her, and then gave her only a couple of seconds to breathe before he was climbing in on the driver’s side. As soon as he closed the door, his scent drifted all around her, a mixture of spice and pure male adrenaline, and it was causing a definite stir in her stomach.

If they didn’t start talking soon, she’d never make it to the restaurant. She was just going to dive into his lap and beg him to take her right now.

“I know you said you owed Bryson a favor, but how is it that you have so much time off to babysit me?”

“I needed a break. I was on leave when Bryson got ahold of me. I’m not sure if the FBI is where I want to be anymore.”


“Why? Did something happen?” This was good. Regular conversation. Yeah, the kind that let her get to know the guy so she could sleep with him without feeling guilty. Nope. She pushed that thought right from her mind and instead focused on the chiseled angle of Axel’s jaw as he faced forward, driving through the misty night.

“There wasn’t one particular thing that happened. It’s all been adding up. I get sick of dealing with scum twenty-four-seven, of never knowing who the good guy is versus the bad. Sometimes I just can’t remember why I’m even doing it anymore,” he said, stealing a glance at her.

“There has to be some good there sometimes,” she said.

“Yeah, there are cases like Misty’s, Bryson’s wife, where we did help a victim, but it’s not always like that. Sometimes we’re helping one bad guy so we can get to an even worse guy. It just doesn’t seem to make sense anymore. I’m thinking of going out on my own, doing something entirely new. I don’t know yet. That’s why I’m on a hiatus, or I was until Bryson called,” he said, turning for a moment to wink at her.

“By all means, you should go back to being a bum. I’m a big girl who can most certainly take care of herself,” she said, somewhat stung, though knowing it was ridiculous to feel that way.

“Oh, baby, believe me, this is a vacation,” he said in a voice that had her shifting in her seat.

“I don’t like being babysat, Axel, and if I find out this date is another way to keep an eye on me, I’m not going to be happy,” she warned.

“Trust me, Ella, this date is all about me,” he said before pulling up to a stop at a light and turning to give her his full attention. “And you,” he added before his eyes dipped to her modest cleavage on display.

A car honked behind them and broke the connection. Axel cursed before facing forward and putting his foot on the gas. But this time, his hand reached out and his large warm fingers were on her bare thigh, and the flips in her stomach were now a churn.

Ella wasn’t sure if she should remove his hand or pretend it wasn’t there. She seemed unsure of everything around this man. That was reason enough she should’ve ended this date before it even started.