“I’m still here. I’m just a little stunned. I’m the one who always has to ask you for help. I’m not quite sure how to deal with this.”
She mouthed a silent curse. Lynch wasn’t going to make it easy for her. They both knew there wasn’t anything Lynch couldn’t handle and manipulate to suit himself. He was a former FBI agent who now worked freelance for whatever government agency needed his unique abilities. She had teamed with him a few times recently, and she was now violating her own pledge to put some distance between them.
“You’ll find a way to deal, Lynch. The question is, are you even in the country right now?”
“It so happens I am. I just got back from Madrid, and I’m sitting here thinking about unpacking. Do you want to meet somewhere?”
“How about your place?”
“Sure, but if you don’t feel like driving up here, we could always—”
“I’m looking at your house right now. You wanna open the gate for me?”
“Seriously?”
Kendra looked up at Lynch’s beautiful two-story Tudor-style home in an exclusive neighborhood in northern San Diego County. “Yes, I was driving back from Santa Monica and thought I’d give it a try. I just pulled up. Turn off the motion sensor weaponry and let me in, okay?”
As if in response, the tall iron gates silently swung open.
She cut the phone connection and drove up the stone-tiled driveway. As always, the landscaping was garden-club beautiful, and the house’s beveled-glass windows twinkled in the late-afternoon sun. She parked in front of the garage. As she climbed out, Lynch stepped out onto the driveway.
“Miss me?” He hit her with his movie-star smile. He wore white cotton slacks and a blue shirt that brought out the intensity of his eyes. And, as usual, he was totally high-impact.
“Should I have?”
“I can but hope. Well, I’ve certainly missed you.”
She raised her brows.
“Stop being so skeptical. I think I’ve been very considerate giving you your space. But after all you’ve been through in the last year, you made it clear that you wanted to step back from the FBI, the police, and everything that reminded you of that part of your life.” He tapped his chest. “And that evidently included me.”
Not included. He was in a class by himself. Lynch managed to dominate both her thoughts and her responses when she was with him.
“Oh, I’m sure your bikini-model girlfriend kept you company.” Kendra looked up at the house. “Is she here now?”
“No. No, she’s not.”
Kendra studied him. Lynch had suddenly become guarded, which was totally out of character for him. “I see. Is there a story there?”
“Well … maybe. Ashley moved out of the country.”
Kendra’s eyes widened. “That’s quite a power over women you have. A few months with you, and they run screaming to distant lands.”
“Cute. She’s been working more and more in Europe, and it seemed whenever she was here, I was gone. Not a great recipe for a relationship. She lives in Rome now.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged. “We just spent the weekend together in Marbella while I was over there. We still know how to have a good time together.”
Kendra rolled her eyes. “You know, I was almost feeling sorry for you.”
His lips turned up at the corners. “Oh, I wouldn’t want you to do that.”
“You don’t deserve it. Ashley is the one I feel sorry for.”
“I’m sorry you never got to meet her. You would have liked her.”
“I admired the catalogue swimsuit spreads, but I’m not sure it’s the same thing.”
“It’s not. She’s very sweet.”
“Sweet.” She tasted the word. “Ah, I’m sure that was the attraction.”
He tilted his head. “Did you come here to bust my chops about my ex-girlfriend? Somehow I don’t think so.”
“No, as enjoyable as that would be, I want you to go with me to the FBI field office.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “That may have been the last thing I expected to hear you say.”
“Yeah.” She made a sour face. “Didn’t sound right to me, either.”
He motioned toward the front door. “Come inside. I need to hear about this.”
She joined him on the curving walkway and followed him inside his home. As he closed the tall door behind her, she glanced around the dark wood fixtures and tile floors. It wasn’t her style, but she felt herself oddly comforted by her surroundings. Some of the tension drained from her shoulders.
“You like it here.” He smiled. “This is one place you’ve always been able to relax.”
“I can relax lots of places.”
“Not like you can here. You know I’m right.”
He was right, she realized, even if she didn’t like to admit it. “It would be pretty sad if I needed retractable bulletproof shutters, motion sensors, and security cameras to relax.”
“Why? That’s why I built this place.”
“One of the drawbacks of being a government agent for hire. You’ve made a lot of enemies over the years.”
“And you haven’t?”