Page 9 of Tempest

“Yeah. Have you ever been so head over heels with someone that you lost your mind and good sense?” Why he was asking her, he didn’t know. Scratch that—he did know. He just didn’t want to admit it to himself. The idea of Ivy out of control appealed to him more than he was willing to admit. They both had been acting professional at the office, and he hoped like hell it could end soon. The fact that they were oil and water was less of a problem the more time he spent in her company.

Sighing wistfully, she shook her head. “No. Unfortunately, my good sense has never left me. But I haven’t given up hope. Someday, I hope to lose it spectacularly.”

Ryan let his eyes play over her face and noticed a sadness there that he hadn’t expected to see. She always seemed to be in complete control of her mind and her emotions, so seeing a hint of vulnerability was a surprise. A lot of things about Ivy Bellows were surprising. Not the least of which was his body’s reaction to her. She stood there in a blue sundress that covered all her girl-parts, and he was salivating like she was naked. He would love to see Ivy lose her good sense, and he wanted to be the one who made her do it. She was about to say something, but stopped when Sara and Grady walked over.

“You owe me ten dollars, Ryan; they were only gone ten minutes,” Ivy said.

“I’ll take you out to lunch next week.”

“Why does Ryan owe you money?” Sara asked.

“Just a silly bet,” Ivy responded. “Let’s get out of here and find you something fabulous to wear for your meeting with the mafia. I’ve never shopped for mafia chic, so this is going to be interesting.”

“Have fun, ladies,” Grady called out as the girls walked toward the car.

Sara waved behind her head and didn’t break her stride. “That’s never happened before,” Grady said glumly as he watched them drive away. “She’s usually reluctant to leave.”

“Your charm may be wearing off.”

Swinging around, Grady gave him a dark look, and Ryan snorted. “Don’t give me a death glare because your girlfriend gave you the brush-off.”

“There was no brush-off. She was just excited about going shopping with someone her age.”

“Okay.” Stepping away, Ryan held up his hands. “I’m going to shower. Do you want to grab some lunch later on?”

“Sure. Why not? It’s not like my girlfriend is waiting for me or even remembers my name.”

Ryan shook his head and stepped toward the front door. “Pouting isn’t a good look, man.”

Grady flipped him off and stalked toward his house. Laughing, Ryan walked away and hoped like hell he never said anything remotely close to what Grady just had. If that’s what love did to a guy, he was glad that he’d avoided it.

***

Ryan sat with Grady in a sports bar that was populated with locals. It was comfortable and unpretentious and had great wings and beer. It was a long way from the Ritz-Carlton and he couldn’t have been happier. “So, how long did it take for you to become accustomed to civilian life?”

Grady stared at the TV for a moment and then turned and grimaced. “It took close to a year. I couldn’t get comfortable because I kept waiting for the next mission, the next assignment. Except there wasn’t one. When I talked to Joel and he told me what he had going on, I jumped at it. It was the closest thing to Team life that I could get. I was under his command for a couple of years on Team Two, so I knew he was a solid operator. If I’m being honest…joining SAI saved my sanity. I was about ready to take the contracting job with the CIA, and I’m damn happy that I chose this instead.”

“I’m twitchy as hell,” Ryan said as he looked around the room. “This feels so foreign to me. Being in some hellhole waiting for Tangos to show up would feel a lot more comfortable.”

“That eventually goes away. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but trust me, it does. The normal smells and sounds of civilian life will not always make you feel like crawling out of your skin.”

“I hope to hell that happens sooner as opposed to later,” Ryan replied.

“Tell me about you and Ivy and what’s going on there,” Grady said, as he finished his beer.

“Nothing’s going on.”

“Bullshit.”

Ryan shrugged his shoulders and glanced around the room and then at his friend. “I met her the other night before I came in for the interview. We were staying at the same hotel, and I tried to have a meal with her.”

“Didn’t go well?”

“No. My charm had no effect on her.”

“Yeah, that’s not surprising. Ivy’s a full-grown woman who’s smart as hell. Seems like she wouldn’t settle for anything less than someone’s best effort.”

“Seems so.”

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