Page 34 of Enzo

"A friend of mine has an apartment, and I'm staying there."

"But it's not Matt. Why don't you stop beating around the bush and tell me about your friend?"

"His name is Enzo, and he's one of the people that hired me for the job."

"Deja Brown, you know better." Her voice was hard, reminding her of the fact that they never got involved with someone they worked with, especially not the boss.

"I know, Safire, but there's something between us. Something I don't want to say no to."

"And when he breaks your heart?"

"What if he doesn't break my heart?" There was nothing but silence on the other end of the line. "You're right, Fire, I've done some dumb things in this life all in the name of love, so sure that I found the right one. This time, I don't know what I found. All I know is I don't want to let him go. Here's the thing: right or wrong, I'm going to see where this one goes."

Now it was her turn for silence. Safire would draw her conclusions and run with them, and Deja wouldn't be able to change her mind.

"When can I meet him?"

Deja gave a small smile. That's what friends were for; they had your back even if they thought you were making a mistake.

"How about next Sunday? I have Sunday and Monday nights off," Deja said.

“It's a date. Take care of yourself, Deja, and remember I can still track your phone."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

She smiled at Enzo, who was standing in the doorway. He'd made enough noise for her to know he was there. He was standing there in the jeans he was wearing last night, no shirt and barefooted. He looked so good, her heart tripped seeing him.

“I was talking to my best friend on the phone. We met when I was fifteen, and Safire was fourteen, and we've been besties ever since. No one thought it would last at that age, but it did." Her voice was husky as she talked to him.

She rose from the couch and walked over to him, placing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

"Hello, my alien warrior." Deja laid her head against his chest, breathing in his scent.

"Deja?" His eyes held shadows of fear he wasn't ready to admit to yet.

She went to her tiptoes and kissed him. The kiss was tender and loving, her body saying what her head wasn't ready to acknowledge.

She stood back and smiled at him. "I think you should know that I took a peek into the fridge, and we need food."

"Write a list and I'll have it..." he stopped as she shook her head.

"We're going to the store, the three of us. That means if you're not up, Ven, get up." She raised her voice on the last part, a happy smile coming to her face as she heard him rummaging around his room.

"Deja," Enzo said, moving into the living room and taking a seat. "I have no problem calling the store. They deliver quickly."

She came and took a seat next to him. "Several hundred years, Enzo. That's how long you guys have hidden. It's time to stop. I get it; you can't run down the streets and proclaim you're aliens, especially not shapeshifters. I'm not asking you to do that, but you should know your way around the city, how to drive, and how to blend in. You can't live here another one hundred or two hundred years like you're hiding out. You need a life. Maybe that's why I'm here, so you can get one."

They both turned their heads when Ven came out of the room. He was dressed much like Enzo in nothing but a pair of jeans.She looked at Ven, then took a look at Enzo, and then shook her head. She must be imagining things. Ven gave them a long look before disappearing into the bathroom.

"I have a feeling that boy is going to be a bathroom hog," she laughed before leaning over to kiss Enzo good morning.

"Now that's how I like to say good morning," her voice was thick with passion.

"I'll remember." He pulled her closer, kissing her again. His tongue delved deep, caressing her, making her remember what they did last night. Her cheeks pinked as thoughts of doing it again crossed her mind.

"Hey," Ven shouted from the bathroom. "You're not kissing in the living room, are you?"

Deja jumped back and rolled her eyes. She was going to have a talk with him.

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