Page 61 of Special Agent Isabella

Limping to the closed door so she could share her ideas with Bella, she came across something that made her heart sing and yet left her feeling more alone than she’d ever felt before.

Backing away without waking the cuddlers, she suddenly made up her mind. It was time to take matters into her own hands.

Time to grow up.

Time to move on.

ChapterForty-Eight

Tanner woke first and felt his heartbeat rev up. Before he opened his eyes, he smelled her hair under his chin and knew that Bella must have slept in his arms for hours – as if they’d passed out and hadn’t moved… an ancient marble statue of a couple entwined.

He breathed in her scent and knew he’d never forget the reaction his body had. If he were a wild animal, and she his mate, he’d know her even with his eyes closed.

Still not moving, he felt her soft skin under his hands, her supple body curled like a child. Her willingness to let him protect her because in sleep, her guards were down, and she was the most vulnerable he’d ever seen her.

Being her lover made him feel like a king and a warrior all rolled into one.Her lover.Him… Tanner Coleman, the guy who’d crushed on her since the first day they’d met. Even though she’d kept him at arm’s length all these years, it didn’t negate the fact that he’d dreamt of her in every fantasy he’d ever had about living the perfect life. Of course, it included a loving wife, maybe two plus kids, a nice shack… and unending love.

She stirred, and he lessened his grip so as not to scare her. When she sighed with a lovely sound of happiness, he tried to force his body not to react and stiffen.

Suddenly, her eyes opened, she froze and glanced at him from under her lashes. “So, it wasn’t a dream.” Her husky voice could turn any man into a whimpering puppy filled with the need for caresses from his mistress. He was no different. He stayed still, hoped his engorged body didn’t upset her, and waited.

She looked up into his eyes and returned his smile, her face showing a red splotch from where it had been pressed against his shoulder for hours. He expected her to pull away, but she surprised the hell out of him. Instead, she snuggled closer, and he all but started to drool.

“I like cuddling with you. Best sleep I’ve had in a long time.” Her sweet sleepy tone a balm to his earlier worries.

“Me too. I don’t want to move.”

“I know. Let’s stay like this forever. No worrying about anyone else. No working at all hours, chasing the bad guys.”

“Who never stop coming. More and more every day.”

“I know… right? We can tune out the world and just… be.”

He kissed her hair and tightened his grip. “If only we could, kitten. But my bladder says different. I’m so sorry. Seems like your hero in this dream is a real boy.”

Laughing, she rubbed her head against his shoulder in an affectionate way and then slowly began to rise, stretching as she did so. “I have to check on Demi anyway.”

“See, your first thought is to look after your friend. And you wonder why I adore you?”

Shocked motionlessness, she stopped rubbing her face and swiveled to him. “You do? Adore me I mean?”

Not wanting to scare her off, he turned playful and tapped her nose. “What’s not to adore? You’re soft and cuddly and fit perfectly.”

“You make me sound like a house pet.” Her tone turned grumpy, but he could still see the pleasure from his remark. Hmm, he had to remember that though she came off to the world as a hardened FBI agent, there were many layers to this woman he needed to explore.

So far, he’d seen her as a sexual partner who could drive him so far to heaven, he didn’t believe it was possible. Earlier, he’d been witness to her kittenish qualities, a girl who enjoyed cuddling as much as he did. And as a soft-hearted woman who cared for a friend more than herself, she couldn’t be surpassed.

He’d always known she had the skills of a good agent… actually a fantastic agent. Now, he’d witnessed her true nature when she let her hair down to be herself – that agent, he loved the most.

Before she lost her warm sweetness completely, he leaned into her space and laid a kiss on her mouth, thinking she’d be pushing him away but wanting to taste her even if only for a few seconds. Instead, much to his delight, she pulled him closer and took that kiss to a whole new level. Whimpering with hate for having to leave this just as it got interesting, he pulled gently away. “Fuck me, I’m so sorry, baby. Gotta go.”

“Right. Yeah. You already told me that. Guest bathroom is to your right. I’ll go check on Demi.”

“We’ll get back to this as soon as we can. Promise?”

“Umm, right.” She kissed him once again and then pulled from his arms.

When he returned, he found her wringing her hands. Devastation coloring her anxious expression.

---