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Isaac had been in the Boston vicinity only twice, and both tih trips on his way overseas--the kind of thing where all he did alk across a tarmac at Otis Air Force Base down on Cape Cod

That being said, as Grier hung a left off so called Charles Street, he didn&039;t need to have had a guided tour of the city to know they were in prime real estate-land The town houses on both sides of the hill they went up were all pristine brick with glossy black shutters and doors Through clean s, he could see interiors that were antiqued up to within an inch of their lives and had enough crown &039;s head

Clearly, he was in the natural habitat of the blue-blooded Yankee

As ancient Saturday Night Live sketches of Dan Aykroyd doing Kennedy ih his head, Grier took a left into a sht-iron fence and brick lanes on all four sides In the raceful trees with tiny buds already showing, and the surrounding walk-ups were the best of the best in this bestest-ever neighborhood

So not a surprise

After she parked her Audi parallel to the fence, they both got out She hadn&039;t said ain, he wasn&039;t a big talker to begin with--and she had a fugitive for a passenger Not exactly a so-how-about-this-weather? kind of gig

The house she indicated was hers was a bow-front on the corner and had white marble steps up to its black front door Fluted black planters the size of Great Danes sat on either side of the entrance, and the brass knocker was as big as his head One light glowing on the third floor; several on the exterior And as he surveyed the area, there appeared to be nothing out of place--no un, nobody suspicious lurking

As they walked over the uneven bricks of the street, he wanted to reach out and steady her, given her heel situation--but he didn&039;t dare First of all, she probably still wanted to slap hiuns inside his windbreaker on a just-in-case

He was always careful with hiilance to a whole new level

Besides, Grier handled the trip to her front door just fine, in spite of the fact that she alking in stilettos and had been attacked by soed- up asswipe

Too bad they hadn&039;t met in a different world He would have really liked to--

Yeah, right Take her on a date?

Whatever Even if he had gone the law-abiding, I&039;m-not-an-assassin route, they were from opposite ends of the spectrum: he was all farm boy and she was all fabulous

And he really had to cut the double-think when it came to how attractive she was

Her security alarlad, although he didn&039;t approve of her letting riffraff like him in the house And hoas that for fucked-up?

As she punched in her code at the ADT panel, he looked down at the soles of his co down, he unlaced them, slipped them off, and left them outside

Her black-and-whiteup, he found her staring at his feet with an odd expression on her beautiful face

"I didn&039;t want to track in," heit

After he took off his windbreaker, he got out the Star Market bag with his life savings in it and they just stood there: her in her black designer coat and her soiled purse that had one strap hanging loose; him in his sweatshirt with a load of dirty uns she didn&039;t know about in his pockets

"When was the last tiry But thank you, ed rooalup straight in a gilded chair with a pair of old-fashioned spectacles perched on his nose

It was so quiet here, he thought And not just because there weren&039;t any sounds

Peaceful It waspeaceful

"I&039;lldown and starting to shrug out of that coat

He stepped up to her to help, but she ot it Thanks"

The dress underneathDear God, that dress Modest and black had never looked so sexy, as far as he was concerned, but then that was n or the fabric

And those legs Fuck his

Isaac snapped his man-whore back into place with a reminder that it would be an open question whether someone like her would let him so much as wash her car--much less allow him take her to bed Besides, would he have any clue what to do to a wo --he&039;d been begged for repeats enough times to have confidence on that front

But a lady like her deserved to be savored--

Da his lips

"Kitchen&039;s in the back," was all she said as she picked up her bag and walked away

He followed her down the hall, taking note of the roo escape routes and entryways It hat he did in any space he went through, his years of training with him sure as the skin on his back But it wasfor clues about her

And it eirdthe peaceful thing kept at it, which surprised hiht-assed Here, though, he breathed deep and easy--even though that made no sense

In contrast to the rest of the house, the kitchen was all about the white and stainless steel, and as she set to work pulling out bowls and eggs and cheese, he put his et out of the room: Across the way, there was a wall of panes that were probably six by eight feet apiece

Which o all looky-looky on them

"What&039;s in the back?" he asked casually

"My garden"

"Walled in?"

Her arranite island "Security conscious?"

"Yes, ma&039;aht, and canned the inside ones--which gave him a perfect view of the back without a lot of hassle God, she was sarden was surrounded by a ten-foot-high brick oh-no-you-don&039;t that he totally approved of

"Satisfied?" she said

In the darkness, her voice took on a husky quality that h the rooet under that black dress

Man, her question wasn&039;t one she wanted to ask hiht

"Yes, hts came back on, there was a faint touch of red in her cheeks--the sort of thing he ht not have noticed if he hadn&039;t made it his business to stare at her askeyed up because of everything that had happened tonight

No doubt that was it

And the fact that he&039;d noticed at all made him less than impressed with the reat chaos, even when it was tacky as hell, et the hots for a fe with her hisk to a stool under the lip of the island, "before you fall down And don&039;t even try the I&039;m-fine, clear?"

Mantotal hots for this woman

Complete hots

"Hello?" she said "You were just about to sit down over there?"

"Roger that"

As she returned to the cooktop and got cracking--literally--he did as he was told

To keep his eyes off her, he looked over her purse, which she&039;d left next to where he&039;d parked it What a godda so nice and expensive had been trashed There was dried led

Idiotup, he went over to the sink, pulled a paper towel free, and got the thing da off