Page 15 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
The closer I get to Isaac, the more my eyes absorb every impressive feature of his face—sculpted cheekbones, plump and full lips on a mouth that could have me toppling into ecstasy just from hearing him speak, and one pair of the most exquisite eyes I’ve ever seen.
No photo will ever do his eyes justice because they’ll never fully capture how alluring and intense they are in person.
“Hello, Isabelle.” Even with his angry tone, my name still rolls off his tongue seductively.
“Hi,” I reply as my heart violently flips.
A smile sneaks onto my face when he pulls out a chair for me, then air snags in my throat when he sits next to me instead of the chair opposite me.Trying my hardest to ignore his masculine scent, I dump my satchel on the ground under our table, then pull my toasted sandwich out of the white paper bag. He remains quiet, but his entrancing eyes track me. The air is suffocating, riddled by the thick stench of awkwardness.
Snubbing the nervous tension between us, I take a sizable bite of my sandwich since I’m famished from not eating since breakfast. An appreciative moan rumbles up my throat as the gooey, cheesy goodness infiltrates my taste buds. When a string of cheese snaps off my sandwich and lands on my chin, my tongue instinctively darts out to lick the residue off my face.
Isaac groans a low and menacing growl that forces my eyes to his. My cheeks heat when I’m confronted by his intense gaze staring ravishingly at my lips. Idart my eyes away before I become trapped by their allure.
My nervous eyes shift to the window at the front of the bakery. If anyone in the surveillance team witnesses our exchange, Alex will force me into a skimpy dress and parade me in front of Isaac by this evening. I refuse to be treated as a commodity. I’d rather spend my years in the Bureau gathering coffees for narcissistic, self-centered assholes than be forced into prostitution.
“I have to go.” I shove my half-eaten sandwich back into its paper bag, then snatch my satchel from the ground.My coffee is in a ceramic mug, so much to my dismay, it will remain untouched.“I forgot an important deadline.”
I dart for the entrance of the bakery as quick as my shaking legs can take me. Harlow’s anxious eyes follow my hasty retreat.“Do you want me to pour your coffee into a takeaway cup?”
I shake my head and continue for the door. Cold air blasts my face when I emerge through the single glass door. After a few brisk strides, someone clutches my elbow, and I’m dragged to the corner of First Avenue. My angry eyes lift and are met with the stern profile of Isaac. His lips have thinned, and his jaw is twitching. My panicked eyes dart up and down the street. I sigh when I discover the blue surveillance van is nowhere in sight.
He pulls me into the dark alcove of a run-down old pub that looks like it hasn’t opened its doors in the past century. After releasing his tight grip on my elbow, he takes a step closer to me. I back away, intimidated by his stern, livid eyes. With a smirk, he moves closer, trapping me between him and the black door of the pub. My pussy tingles from his closeness.Stupid, traitorous body.He’s the enemy, yet, my body still gets excited from his attention.
“I assumed you must have left town when you failed to arrive for our date, but lo and behold, here you are, months later.”
I remain silent as his eyes—full of turmoil and uncertainty—dart between mine.
“Are you going to at least attempt a pathetic excuse?”
Remorse claws at my chest as I shake my head. Trying to fool a man who has eyes that can see through to my soul would be stupid and ineffective.
Teeth grinding together fills the eerie silence between us when Isaac clenches his jaw tight.
“That person you met on the plane isn’t me. I’m not usually like that,” I reply, deciding honesty is the best policy. “I don’t do random hookups with strangers.”
“And you think I do?”
“Yes,” I answer without a smidge of hesitation.
His eyes snap to mine before the most wicked grin creeps onto his face. I try not to return his smile, but I’m defenseless. Someone as gorgeous as Isaac would have an extensive list of women vying for his attention, so I’m somewhat surprised—and a little excited—that my failure to arrive for our date ruffled his feathers.
The air shifts from tense to teasing, the crackling of attraction heightening my senses.His commanding eyes glance at my lips when he mutters, “I still want to bite that lip.”
My pupils widen when he caresses my cheek. I should be pulling away from his embrace, but I can’t. I’m frozen with desire.
My knees meet when he runs his thumb along my top lip before his head tilts closer to mine. Just before his lips brush mine, a deep voice interrupts, “Sorry, boss, but we’ve gotta go.”
I sigh when Isaac steps back from our embrace, leaving only the linger of expensive cologne in his wake. Upon hearing my pathetic response, his lips furl as his lust-filled eyes rake the street. Following his gaze, I spot a gentleman I’ve seen in numerous surveillance photos sitting in the driver’s seat of his town car. Just a few blocks down from Isaac’s black Mercedes is the blue surveillance van that tails his every move.
Shit!
When Isaac’s eyes return to mine, I gulp. If I thought his eyes were intimidating before, now they’re downright dangerous.
“Meet me at the bakery tomorrow,” he requests, his tone stern.
I shake my head. “I can’t.”
Seeing the surveillance van is the only reminder I need that I can’t associate with him, no matter how loud my inner vixen is screaming at me to ignore my rational-thinking head.
