Page 13 of Blackstone's Heart
Ethan sighed as he walked through the front door of his home. After leaving Krista's he and his team had returned to Blackout and started going over everything they had learned so far. Which wasn't as much as Ethan would have liked. Though he hadn't told Krista yet, he had Grant cancel the background on Jerry.
The guy was just way too honest and protective of Krista for him to be part of this mess. That and after a long talk with Jerry's mother in New York, he had to admit Jerry was not the guy they were looking for. He draped his motorcycle jacket over the back of his chair before placing the helmet in the seat. Groaning as his neck cracked, he moved through the living room to his home office.
Ethan’s brain was running a million miles a second it seemed as me walked toward his desk. He needed to start figuring out a game plan for Krista’s upcoming New York trip. That meant deciding which two of his men he could spare for four days so they could accompany her and Jerry. He also needed to work out a rotation for Krista’s guard detail when she went out. Tomorrow she and Jerry were going shopping and surprisingly, Grant had been the one to volunteer for the job.
Firing up his MacBook, Ethan leaned back and let his mind replay the day's events. It had been strange seeing Krista again. She was still as beautiful as ever and still a spitfire. Yet, there was a fire to her eyes now that he hadn't seen nine years ago. A fire his dark side would love to play with, to learn more about.
Shaking his head, he began a file on Krista's case. Jimmy and Cain had handed over copies of all their findings and the letters, along with individual photographs of the gifts. He entered all the data and saved the information. When he began looking through his team’s schedule for the time frame of Krista’s New York trip, Ethan paused and just started at the calendar.
A part of him was screaming at him thatHEshould be the one that went with her. That she was his. Yet what right did he have to make such a claim? He had been the one that ended things before he joined the Marines, he was the one who never wrote to her during his twelve years in the service. Nope, he had no right to claim any part of Krista Jameson.
He was startled out of his gloomy thoughts by his phone. "Blackstone."
"Hi."
"Krista? Is anything wrong?"
She giggled a little."No, nothing's wrong...I...hell, I honestly don't know why I called."
Ethan smiled a little, leaning back in his chair. "You don't?"
"Well, I guess...I just wanted, just wanted to check in. That and to hear your voice."
"My voice?"
"Silly I know. But even when we were younger your voice was always calming to me. You remember when I got sick? You would sit by my bed and tell me what was happening at school. You made me feel..."
Ethan closed his eyes as he too remembered. She had caught the flu and was home bedridden for a week. Every day after school he would come over with her brothers and fill her in on the school gossip.
"I made you feel what Krista?"
"Safe."She whispered.
The husky sound of that whisper shot straight to his dick. "I want to see you."
"What? Right now?"
"Yes. Right now."
"Okay. Um, where?"
"Kirby Lane?"
She giggled."I'll meet you there in twenty."
"Twenty."
Ethan disconnected the call and bolted upstairs.
***
Krista sat at a back booth at Kirby Lane diner watching the door. Why the hell was she feeling like a virgin on her first date? She was just meeting Ethan for crying out loud. They used to come here all the time back in high school, she and her friends still came here after a girl’s night out. Lifting her eyes from her coffee cup, her breath died as Ethan strolled through the door. She felt electricity shoot through her when his eyes locked on her. Licking her lips, she watched him move to her.
He walked with purpose toward her. She rose to her feet just as he reached the booth. "Hey."
"Hey. You been waiting long?" He asked as they both sat down.
"No, maybe ten minutes. Course they were pretty busy when I pulled up." She replied.
