Page 44 of Phoenix Rising

She would never be the same. Despite her best efforts to control it, her crush had morphed into full-blown love. She loved Reese. It wasn’t possible to deny it even to herself anymore. There was no putting the cat back in the bag or the mouse into the house—whatever the saying was. She was head over heels in love with him.

Audria had tried to keep a shield around her heart, but Reese had efficiently pierced it. Maybe she should’ve mentally constructed it from tungsten or titanium instead of paper. It had provided zero protection against his innumerable charms.

Well, her only course of action was to ignore it. That shouldn’t be too hard since she’d been doing it for years. Enjoy the time they spent together. Find Paige. Move on. Go their separate ways.

Audria’s breath caught in her throat as that last statement slammed home. There was no way anything serious could happen between them because he resided hundreds of miles away. Though they used to live and work at the same place, they didn’t now. Long-distance relationships were complicated and rarely lasted, especially for two people so engrossed in their careers as her and Reese. The thought depressed her.

Suddenly, she couldn’t stay in bed with him any longer. She hated to move, but her emotions were too raw, and she’d already slept later than she’d intended. He’d worn her out, but in a good way. Luke and Logan would be calling soon since it was hours later back home. Plus, she hoped to get a run in before it got too hot. But she remembered she had no workout clothes.

“Don’t go yet.”

Reese’s voice was low and husky, and the breath blowing against her neck made her shiver with awareness. It would be so easy to become addicted to this . . . to him. Despite telling herself last night was a one-off, she turned in his arms and kissed him.

Chapter Thirteen

Much to Reese’s disappointment, he and Audria rolled out of bed an hour later. He wanted to stay with her like this for the rest of the day and sample every part of her sexy body. He’d done an admirable job last night and this morning, but he wanted to learn every nook and cranny. Plus, it would be nice to prove to her that he could last longer than a nanosecond. It seemed that he had no self-control when she was in his arms.

There hadn’t been a harem of women in his life. Reese had been with Gennie on and off since high school, and she’d been his first. He’d slept with women during their numerous off times, but he had always been faithful to her when they were together. There had been no one since he and Gennie split.

It had taken a while after the divorce papers were signed for his libido to reawaken. One day, as if a blackout curtain had been whipped open, revealing the shining sun, he realized he felt happier and more alive when Audria was around. He looked forward to seeing her, talking to her, spending time with her. Without him realizing it, she’d become the most important person in the world to him.

When Audria had been forced to kill a grieving mother, Reese had felt her pain as if he had pulled the trigger—and he’d have given anything for that to have been the case. Instead, she’d suffered mightily, and he’d felt helpless.

Reese had made sure she’d kept up with the various therapy appointments the Bureau had recommended, and he’d given her the time she’d needed to process the tragedy. He’d hoped she would return to her job and had refused any opportunities to fill her spot. When he’d discovered she’d moved on with a private security company, he’d been devastated but not completely surprised. All he wanted was for her to be happy.

He was enjoying the view of Audria walking across the floor naked, her tight behind swaying enticingly, when a knock sounded on the door. With a squeak, Audria dashed into the bathroom. That left it up to him.

Reese pulled on his pants and slid his arms through his shirt sleeves before grabbing his weapon and looking through the peephole. He planned on being armed at all times after the attempt on their lives last night.

“Yes?”

“Delivery from BeBe Hale. I’m supposed to tell you ‘Fidelity, bravery, integrity.’”

The FBI motto—a sure way to let him know it was legit. He’d met BeBe during his brief sojourn to the COBRA Securities compound. Reese opened the door to see a man holding the handles of two large rolling suitcases. He tried to tip him, but the man waved it off, saying BeBe had it covered. Reese thanked him and took possession of the bags.

Audria peeked out and exited the bathroom when she realized he was alone. “Who was it?”

Much to his disappointment, she’d wrapped a towel around her body. Still, her bare shoulders, lean, muscular arms, and shapely calves distracted him.

“Reese!”

He snapped his gaze to hers. “Hum?”

“I asked who was at the door.”

“Oh. It was a delivery from BeBe.”

“Really?” She grabbed one of the suitcases, dumped it on the bed, and zipped it open. “No way!”

“What?”

“She replaced our destroyed clothes.”

“Seriously?” He opened the other case, and sure enough, there were shirts, pants, shoes, and toiletries. “How did she even know my sizes?”

“No one knows. She’s amazing. I’ve heard whispers around the compound that she’s magic. But she’s so sweet and only uses her powers for good, so it’s okay.”

Reese chuckled as she disappeared into the bathroom with her bag. He sorted through the items. BeBe had even included running shoes, and how the heck did she know he wore boxer briefs? Maybe shewasmagic.

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