Page 21 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
I grimace. Most people would happily use that as a reason for their inebriated state, but it’s a weak excuse.
“And what would have happened if I didn’t arrive at that club when I did, Isabelle? What if it were another man who carried you into his apartment and undressed you?” His livid eyes wander over my face. “Do you think he’d have slept next to you all night long, smelling your sexually enticing scent without touching an inch of your seductive curves and skin?”
The pulse in my neck strums when he leans in close to me and inhales an unashamed whiff. The fine hairs on my body prickle with attention as slickness forms between my legs.“I could smell you all night long, but I couldn’t do a darn thing about it. A lesser man wouldn’t have resisted.”
A moan vibrates in my chest just thinking about him sleeping in the same bed as me. When he pulls away from my neck, my eyes dart up to his. My breathing shallows as my body tingles.
Two years of training, Isabelle. Are you willing to throw everything away for one night in bed with this man?
Even though I should be screaming ‘no,’ the word ‘yes’ is the first thing that pops into my brain.
“Ruthless, cunning, lawless,” I chant over and over again in my head, willing myself out of a seriously dangerous situation.
Isaac removes himself from the bed to gather his suit jacket. “Hugo will return after dropping me off. He will take you home.” His voice is gruff, making me wonder if I said my silent chant out loud.
“I can take myself home.”
After all, I’m a grown woman, although I may have acted like a child last night.
He nods before striding toward the double white wooden doors. Upon exiting, his head turns to face me. His eyes study my covered body before returning to my face.
“If you go out drinking with your friends again, only go to my clubs.”
With my shrewdness blinded by rampant horniness, I nod. His lips curl, seemingly pleased by my agreeing gesture before he exits the room.Groaning in frustration, I flop down onto the bed. I swear I’m not usually this senseless. There’s just something about Isaac that makes me throw my levelheadedness out the window, and it’s more than just my sexual attraction to him. I’ve known plenty of eye-catching men, but none of them have made my body react the way it does when he’s near, which is scary considering he hasn’t even touched me sexually yet.
Imagine how explosive it will be once he does?
Oh God, I need to get out of here before I make any more stupid decisions. Quickly diving out of bed, I scamper toward the hidden door. My mouth drops open when I walk into the massive room. There are several dozen dry-cleaning bags housing expensive suits lining one whole wall. At least two dozen dress shoes line the floor underneath them, and an extensive collection of ties are hanging on a display rack.
I run my hand across the dry-cleaning bags as I head to the far corner of the room which houses a selection of women’s clothing. A smile breaks across my face when I notice a pair of white running shoes sitting next to my black pumps I was wearing last night. I’ve never seen the sense in wearing high heels during the day. I’ve always preferred comfort over appearance. I grab the sneakers and yank down a pair of jeans and a short-sleeve shirt before walking back into the room.
My eyes dart to the bedside table that contains the women’s underwear.Did Isaac place the underwear I was wearing last night in there?Although the temptation is healthy, I can’t stomach the idea of having my panties collected like some sort of trophy, so I put the jeans on without any undergarments. I’d rather go without panties than open that drawer again.
After pulling the short-sleeve shirt over my head, I pull my unruly hair out of the neckline and run my fingers through it to get the frazzled pieces under control.Once the laces on the white Converse sneakers are tied, I exit the room. The living area is just as sparse as the bedroom. There are two white leather sofas and a coffee table in the middle of the room. The white marble kitchen sparkles with cleanliness, and the appliances look like they have never been used.
Pulling open the stainless-steel fridge, I help myself to a bottle of cold water. I need something in my stomach to absorb the alcohol sloshing around in there.As I mosey to the front door, I spot my cell phone and purse sitting on the entry table. My phone is sitting on top of several open envelopes. From this distance, they look like personal correspondence as the addresses are handwritten. My pulse increases as I scan the envelopes that could hold something invaluable in them for our investigation. Even something that seems so minute in detail can be important in an investigation like ours on Isaac, but I can’t break his trust, can I?
Isaac hasn’t done anything that would justify me snooping into his private life. I’m here at my own choice. I didn’t go home with him last night because of my job. I left with him because I wanted to. Looking past the details in his criminal file, Isaac has me intrigued, intrigued enough I risked my job by leaving with him last night. So, no matter how hard I try to justify that I should snoop in his personal life, I can’t bring myself to do it.
Snatching my purse and phone off the table, I exit the apartment. The first thing I spot when leaving the foyer of the apartment building is Isaac’s Mercedes-Benz town car parked across the street. The back window is rolled down, and his stern gray eyes are staring at me. I hesitantly wave. He doesn’t wave back.
Rejection overwhelms me when the black-tinted window glides back into place before his car pulls into the Sunday morning traffic.
CHAPTER12
“Ithought I gave you the day off,” Alex remarks from the corner of the room.
He’s lurking near the window looking down on The Dungeon nightclub. From the padded box seat, there’s an uninterrupted view of the entire nightclub and the parking lot below. Alex sluggishly turns to face me. His unshaven face appears guarded, and dark circles are plaguing his eyes.Does he ever leave this office?
“You did, but I have a lead I can follow, so I thought I should get a head start on that.”
I shuffle to my desk.After dropping my satchel into my bottom desk drawer, I fire up my computer. My mood is dreary and clouded with confusion. To be honest, my ego is scarred by Isaac’s dismissal this morning. Half of me is here to pursue answers as to why he’s so mysterious. He’s an enigma. He only allows people to know what he wants them to know. I don’t believe anyone truly knows the real Isaac Holt, not even those privileged to be included in his close-knit team.
“What’s your lead?” Alex listlessly strolls to my spotless, well-organized desk.
I’m tempted to tell him I’ve unearthed Hugo’s first name, but my intuition strongly advises me to keep that snippet of information to myself, at least until I get more concrete evidence on who Hugo is. For all I know, he could be using an alias. Furthermore, how could I justify stumbling upon his name without disclosing I went home with Isaac last night?
“The tattoo parlor owner emailed me back this morning. He said he might have a squadron member willing to talk to me,” I reply, half-deceitful. I do have a contact, but they haven’t agreed to talk to me yet.
