Page 34 of Mike

Now Elle grinned widely. “Why didn’t you just run the plate and get my info from the rental agency?”

Now it was Mike’s turn to chuckle. “Would it have done me any good? Did you use your real identity?”

“No,” she laughed.

“Well, then…” His words dried up as he stared at the vision before him.

Fully clothed again, he still couldn’t stop marveling at her, she was so stunning. Her long blonde hair, which had been secured in a ponytail at some point in the day, was coming loose from its band. Flighty, escaping whisps framed the smooth skin of her face like a halo. Her cheekbones were high, her chin squared, and when she laughed, there was just the hint of a dimple in her right cheek. Mike felt he could spend hours examining her face, and never tire of it.

“Just to let you know, I wasn’t going to go away that easily,” the woman countered. “Unlike you, I had your profile within minutes of hearing what your nutjob-ex and her delusional-sidekick had planned. And even if you hadn’t eventually been in trouble, I would have found a way to ‘accidentally’ run into you again.”

“You were stalking me,” he teased.

“Call it what you want. I knew you were a person of interest the minute I laid eyes on you.”

“Thank God for that,” Mike said. “But that still begs the question, where do we go from here?”

Elle bit the inside of her cheek, hollowing it out, clearly trying not to let her excitement show. “You know that plan I mentioned?”

Mike nodded.

“Are you still…interested in gaining a girlfriend? But maybe a not-so-fake one?” Her voice cracked a little like she was nervous asking, which Mike somehow knew didn’t happen often to the confident woman before him.

He reached for her hand and cleared his throat.

“Yes,” he answered easily, caressing her knuckles with his thumb. “Elle?” He felt like he should be going down on one knee for this. “Would you be my girlfriend, for real?” he asked, then…

Fuck. He frowned.

“What?” she asked, clearly confused by the mixed signals he was giving.

“I’m…” He bit back several expletives. “I’m not sure I can date a woman whose actual name I don’t know,” he finally managed.

Mike didn’t want to blow this, but he needed a show of…honesty. For however long this dream of a thing lasted. He wasn’t stupid. He knew once his life was no longer in danger and Elle’s op was over, this whole episode would more than likely fizzle. But truth was very important to him after the drubbing he’d taken at the hands of his ex-wife. If Elle couldn’t give him that, as much as it would kill him, he’d have to walk away.

Mike held his breath, watching the play of vexation and uncertainty dance across her pretty features.

Yup. So that was that.

He sighed. “Well, I guess?—”

She placed one long, capable finger on his mouth, effectively shushing him.

“Joelle,” she finally whispered. “But you can call me Joe.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Why had she told Mike her name, crawblammit?

Oh. Right. Because she was crushing on him, big time.

That kiss…

Joe had been hard pressed to remember her own name after he’d thoroughly hijacked and marauded her mouth. It had been the single most potent kiss of her life, and she hadn’t hesitated to let him know that she was all in for more. Where that would fit with her schedule, she didn’t know.

She couldn’t very well invite the man back to her little cottage, because there was too much paraphernalia at her little home away from home that would out her as a DEA agent. Not that she wasn’t waffling on whether to share that intel with him, anyway. He was clearly an upstanding guy who was exactly as he presented; a team player and a good friend. But… That didn’t mean she was quite ready to jump in with both feet. Yet.

Hooking up at Mike’s house would also prove difficult because he had kids. And not pat-them-on-the head-and-send-them-to-bed aged kids. Nope. His were fully aware teenagers who would either resent her for being their dad’s new arm candy, or would snicker and speculate what she and dear old pops were doing behind closed doors.

---