Page 33 of Beneath the Surface

Isobel looked at him, her face illuminated by the dashboard light. “I’ll be fine. And you didn’t freak me out.”

“If you’d like to explore some more, let me know.” Brad leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. “I’ll follow you home. I want to make sure you get home safe.” Was she too naive to handle his desires?

Brad watched her until she was in her car and followed her home. She got out of her car in her numbered parking place, her hands on her hips. “You do realize I’ve lived on my own since I went to college.”

Brad’s expression was unyielding and so was his tone. “Isobel.” He enunciated each syllable of her name. “With everything going on, I worry about you.”

“Fine, you can walk me up.”

Isobel curledup on her couch, wrapped in a warm blanket, a cup of tea nestled in her hands. The soft glow of the lamp lit up the room, but despite the warmth, she couldn’t unwind. Sleep felt miles away. With a sigh, she picked up her phone and dialed Ruth’s number. The phone rang a few times before her sister answered, sounding immediately alert.

“Izzy, what’s wrong?”

Isobel hesitated, unsure where to begin. “I’m sorry if I woke you. Nothing, really… I just need to talk. When I finished at my office today, Brad was waiting for me. We had dinner together.”

Ruth’s tone shifted, sensing something more. “Okay… and? You sound a bit off. What’s going on?”

Isobel took a deep breath. "It's about Brad. He told me something... and I need to talk it through with you."

Ruth’s voice lightened into a playful tease. “Our Brad, huh? The guy you’ve had a crush on since the first time Liv brought him over to the house. What about him?”

“Shit, Ruthie. Don’t tease me,” Isobel muttered, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself. “We had a nice dinner, but now I’m just... I don’t know. Confused, I guess.”

Ruth softened. “Okay, I’m sorry. Take a deep breath and tell me what’s bothering you.”

Isobel exhaled slowly, still struggling to sort through her emotions. “Everyone treats him like family—he’s Olivia’s best male friend, he saved Sophie during that horrible hostage situation, he flew to New York to help Molly, and he’s worked with me, Molly and you. He’s part of the family. And now I’ve got these feelings for him—no, I’vealwayshad them, butthey’ve gotten stronger since we’ve been working on these cases together. It’s making me anxious.”

Ruth let Isobel's words sink in before responding gently, “I see. It makes sense you’d feel that way. There’s a lot of history there. But that doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t valid.”

“I know,” Isobel whispered, staring down at her tea. “But it’s complicated. I don’t want things to get awkward if it doesn’t work out. Everyone’s so close...”

Ruth kept her voice calm and logical. “Izzy, relationships are always complicated, especially when there are close ties. But you can’t let that stop you from exploring something that could be good for you. From what you’ve said, it sounds like Brad likes you too.”

Isobel bit her lip, unsure of how to broach the real topic on her mind. “There’s something else,” she said softly. “I had some questions about… stuff Brad mentioned—about D/s. You know, Dominance and submission?”

Ruth’s tone shifted slightly, intrigued. “Yeah? What did he say?”

“Well, I asked him more about it. Just out of curiosity, because of the case I’m working on. And... he explained a lot to me. It wasn’t what I expected. But the thing is—he knows all this because… he practices the lifestyle, and he’s a member of a club. He took me to a meet and greet there—at The Loft.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Ruth spoke, her voice careful. “Wait—Brad told you he’s into D/s?”

Isobel nodded, though Ruth couldn’t see it. “Yeah. And I found what he said… interesting. Like, it wasn’t what I thought. It’s not just about the physical stuff. He talked about trust, structure, respect... how it’s not just about control but about connection.”

Ruth hummed softly. “So… how do you feel about it? About him being into that?”

Isobel swallowed, her heart pounding a little faster. “Honestly? I don’t know. I mean, part of me is intrigued, but I’m also... confused. He was so open about it. And it didn’t feel weird or intimidating when he explained it. It actually made a lot of sense in a way I wasn’t expecting.”

Ruth was quiet for a moment before speaking again, her tone softer. “Izzy, it sounds like you’re more than a little intrigued.”

Isobel let out a soft laugh. “I am.”

“Well, it sounds like he trusts you enough to share this part of himself,” Ruth said thoughtfully. “And that’s huge. You said it didn’t make you uncomfortable, right?”

“No, it didn’t,” Isobel admitted. “If anything, it made me more curious.”

“Then maybe that’s a sign. I don’t think you’d be as curious if you didn’t care. And Brad wouldn’t have opened up to you if he didn’t feel something.”

Isobel sighed, rubbing her temples. “But what if I’m reading too much into it? Or worse, what if he’s just being nice because of Olivia, or because he feels obligated after everything he’s done for our family?”

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