Page 20 of Strictly Forbidden

She glanced in my direction, her smile lighting up the room. Yet there was a darkness in her eyes that reminded me of the shadows in mine. She was on edge, more so than she’d been in the grocery store, no doubt because a huge dude was standing inside her private space.

It was all I could do not to react more with Max. He was following his training, but I sensed some confusion. I wasn’t here to break her routine or to backtrack the work I’d done with the furry guy. The truth was I shouldn’t be anywhere close. It wasn’t a violation of my parole but there was a chance Max could be removed from her home. I didn’t want that.

What I did want was highly suspect, completely dangerous, and something that I’d told myself I wouldn’t do.

It had been so long since I’d been with a woman that my hunger was already off the charts. But what caught me the most off guard was that my attraction to Noel wasn’t just about the need for sex. She was a genuine person, although a bit flawed like the rest of us were. She had a vulnerable aspect about her that brought out the protective man I’d once been, the one that was lost so long ago.

I should say it was stolen by monsters.

Maybe I should laugh at the thought. As she took the last bag of groceries from my hands, our fingers touched. She took a deep breath, the only indication she felt the same electric charge I did. Some might call her fragile, especially given she’d been through some kind of horrific attack, but I sensed utter strength in her. The woman was a fighter, trying her best to make her life better.

“Thank you so much for bringing us home. Did you thank the nice man, Max?”

The pup rushed toward me, giving me a paw like I’d trained him to do. She was watching every move, but at this point, I didn’t think either my actions or his were giving away that we knew each other.

“Take care of your mom, Max. I should be going. If it’s okay with you, I’ll get your phone number. If my buddy can help, I’ll give you a call. And I’ll be happy to pick you up in the morning if you need.”

She hesitated, a slight hint of fear crossing her face. When she looked away, I sighed.

“You don’t need to, Noel. I didn’t mean to intrude.” I headed for the front door, although the last thing I wanted to do was to leave.

I felt her presence behind me only seconds later. “Wait. Kage. I’m sorry. I’ve just had a rough couple of years and it’s really tough for me to trust anyone. The least I can offer you is a drink or a glass of wine for your trouble. And absolutely I’ll give you my phone number.”

For some insane reason, it felt as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I didn’t want to continue lying to her, but I had no choice. I turned around, offering a slight smile. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

A smile broke out on her face. Even her eyes lit up. “Nonsense. I know my serial killers and you’re not one of those.”

At least now I could laugh. “How do you know?” I followed behind her into the kitchen.

She peered at me and frowned. “Because I do. You seem like a bourbon man.”

“How did you know?”

“I’m pretty good with that too.”

“Amazing skills.”

Every time she laughed, it was as if the entire world lit up. “No, I’m a writer. One of my tools is to spend time observing people. That’s how I determine who my bad guy will be and who my hero should be.”

“A writer, huh? That sounds pretty awesome.”

She pulled out a rocks glass and a wineglass. “Ice or no ice?”

“Just two cubes.”

“Two cubes it is. I can’t lie. I get to work in my house in my jammies if I want. I pick my hours and can lounge around whenever I want.”

“You work in your jammies?”

“Not once but it sounds nice.” She took a couple of minutes to fix drinks, carefully handing the glass to me.

“Do you enjoy what you do?”

“Very much. There’s something innately disturbing yet awesome about getting into the minds of really bad guys. What makes them tick? Why do they slaughter people? Were they born that way?”

“Sounds like a lot of research.”

The way her nose wrinkled was adorable. “I majored in psychology in college. I thought I was going to be a glorious psychiatrist working for the prison system. But lo and behold, I got the writing bug when I took a creative writing class just for fun. It’s been intensely amazing ever since.”

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