It was beyond frustrating, especially since she didn't do one night stands either. What she was feeling towards the man was so much more.
After returning from training, she’d hinted, waited and prayed that he’d get the picture. Cyra wanted a second chance to fix the impression that she had obviously given him.
She wasn’t some sex maniac who wanted into his pants.
Again, she began laughing in the hammock. When it came to the doctor, yes, she definitely was…
Maybe if she hadn’t headed off to four months of training in Quantico, they could have kept that spark alive. Now, she was desperately trying to figure out a way to rekindle it.
Apparently, aggressive women weren’t his thing. It was shocking, since he and Elizabeth worked so damn well together. Maybe that was because they’d been together as a team for over eleven years.
God! Cyra prayed that she didn't have to wait that long. Closing her eyes, she made a wish. All Cyra wanted was one more chance, and the possibility of working with him again. Maybe, she’d get him as her ME on the next assignment.
Lately, she’d been pulling the new ME, and while that was great too, he didn't really grab her attention. Doctor Zane Legend was a great medical examiner, but he wasn’t the man she wanted to focus all her attention on at the moment.
Chris Leonard simply got her all worked up. It had everything to do with the man and the way he carried himself. Never before had she met a gentleman like him and that appealed to her on some deep level.
Heading back into her house, she dropped her cup into the dishwasher and moved towards her room. It was time to get dressed and ready for the day ahead. She was sure that her partner would be arriving shortly to pick her up.
Special Agent Thomas Rickard was a nice guy. He was funny, easy going and a flirt. There were far worse partners who she could have been paired with on day one. Yet, from the minute they met, Cyra was off balance. Right off the bat, he hit on her, and she shut it down fast. Although Cyra appreciated it, she wouldn’t date her partner.
There were a myriad of reasons that flooded her mind as to why it wasn’t ever going to happen. While Elizabeth could manage working with the men she slept with, they were directors, and Cyra wasn’t. As a probationary agent, her partner was her superior. That just screamed disaster. Second, she didn't really feel anything for him. He was like her brother- a blonde, green eyed jokester to the core. That didn't appeal to her at all. There was a different kind of man who had gotten under her skin.
Cyra sighed. She considered herself a patient person and could wait him out. At some point, they’d have to sit down and have a discussion about it. Hopefully, it would be after sex. Maybe then she’d get him out of her mind, if she could just climb all over the sexy genius.
Maybe it would be a one-time thing…
Forcing her mind off of her personal life, she focused on her job. It wasn’t a hard transition from detective to agent. Well, the training was, but once out in the field, it was relatively the same, except the Feds had more resources at their command.
Yeah, and there was the better salary.
Far more interesting crimes.
And the sexy ME.
Damn it! He was back and tap dancing around her brain.
Crap, crap, crap! This wasn’t convenient at all. Slipping her gun onto her hip and tucking in her badge, she stared into the mirror.
“You have to get that man off your mind,” she demanded. “You’re making yourself a mess, and now you’re talking to yourself…”
That was so much easier said than done. It was official. Chris Leonard was making her crazy.
At the doorbell, she sighed. Her partner loved to pick her up in the morning. Even though she told him to stop, he’d taken it upon himself to either be chivalrous or a pain in her ass.
That’s exactly something her brother would do. The man was too much like a sibling for her to wander into a relationship with him, and sex… uh, no freaking way.
Cyra couldn’t picture it.
Opening the door, he stood there with two cups of coffee in his hands. “Are you ready, Cyra?” he inquired as he grinned at her.
“Yeah, but I could have driven myself in today.”
“I don’t mind. I drive right by here.”
She stared at him, as the man didn't get the hint. “Tommy, you live on the other side of town. You don’t drive right past here.” Maybe now he would get it.
He laughed and winked at her. “Actually, the coffee place not far from here is far better and worth the commute. If I’m going to get buzzy before work, it might as well be on java I like.”
She gave up. It only put her in a cranky mood to start her day like this. “Okay then. We should get to work. We’re up for the next assignment and are likely going out today.”
“I hope it’s an exciting one,” he said, walking her to the passenger door and opening it for her. “I could use the rush.”
Cyra hopped in and tried to not say anything snippy. She had told him to stop opening her door too, and that apparently fell on deaf ears. It was as if the man wasn’t getting the hint.
“I’ve learned to never think about it,” she stated. “If I do, we always get something opposite of what I want.”
Tommy understood that. “That’s a good probationary rule to add to your list.”
Cyra nodded. She also wanted to add ‘get a female partner in the field’ as soon as possible.
“Are you ready?” Tommy Rickard asked, buckling into his seatbelt.
No, but did it really matter? “Come on! Let’s get this day started.”
Monday Morning
Doctor Christopher Leonard’s home
It had been another dream filled sleep that offered him no rest at all. Staring into the mirror in his bathroom as he shaved, Chris took in the dead exhausted look etched into his face. At one point, he believed being the only ME on staff at FBI West would burn him out, but now he had a backup and he was still exhausted.
Only it had nothing to do with the dead, and everything to do with the living. Cyra Austin was plaguing his mind, his days, his nights, his sleep, his… EVERYTHING.
He had yet to work with her since she’d been back from training, and it was making him a mess. At this point, he was ready to relegate himself to begging Elizabeth to skew the draw and get him assigned to her next case. Maybe some time with her would help them get past this chasm that had developed.
Chris was clueless when it came to women. If you wanted to know how someone was killed, come to him. If you wanted to know the time of death, just ask. If you wanted to watch him create the world’s biggest mess, point him in the direction of Cyra Austin. The blonde had him so twisted up inside, he could barely talk around her.
Yeah, he’d crossed her path in autopsy, as she was getting results from the new ME, but he’d yet to have the balls to ask her out again.
Why?
He was afraid that he would screw it up.
If there was one big regret, since the Christmas party, it was not going home with her to have sex. Yeah, he didn't like bed hopping, but the way he was feeling now, he was pretty sure that being wrapped around her was the only way he’d get over the gorgeous blonde.
There was just something about her.
It was a combination of the way she watched him, how she chewed on her lower lip when she was thinking, and then the gorgeous scent of her perfume. All of that made his body react in a purely male response.
God, it made his control fall apart. What he wanted to do was grab her and kiss her until she was out of his system.
Who was he kidding? The last thing he wanted to do was just lock lips with her. That was just the tip of the iceberg.
Sliding the razor down his cheek, he flinched when he nicked himself.
“Shit! Can today get a little worse? I hate Mondays,” he muttered. More cautiously, he tried to focus on his day and shaving, and less on the woman who made him nuts.
Monday meant one thing in
his world. There was the daunting task of the morning meeting. Today, he needed to sit down with the bosses and be accountable for the expenses, update them on any issues, and hand in his requisition forms. Ever since heading to Cypress Grove and whipping out the official rule book on Elizabeth when she’d been hurt, Ethan Blackhawk was making him pay.
If he wanted to play strictly by the rules, they were going to give him what he asked for tenfold. Except now, he regretted every damn second of it, and it was making his life hell.
Yeah, he had threatened to pull Elizabeth’s gun and in hindsight, it was probably not the wisest of decisions. He owned that, but due to maniacal retaliation, he was now forced to ask for equipment, beg for supplies, and pretty much sell his soul for any leniency. Yet, he couldn’t be mad. He’d thrown down the challenge, and they were making him stick to it.
Maybe he could talk them out of it.
Yeah, right.
Everyone knew that if you hurt Elizabeth Blackhawk there were two things that could happen. One, you got your ass kicked by the woman, or the men in her life would handle it. For now, Ethan was managing the payback with his brother riding backup.
Finishing up, he washed the shaving cream from his face and headed into his closet to get dressed. It entertained him that he had this huge walk in and all he utilized was the one little corner.
In fact, everything in the house was too big for him.
The tub held two.
The kitchen was gourmet and he didn't cook.
The dining room seated twelve easily, and yet he never had company.
When Chris had bought the house, he had been a little over zealous. In fact, he had let his mother help and that was a huge tactical error on his behalf. Yet, Chris felt obligated to throw his mother a bone on this one. Okay, maybe it was that way with pretty much everything, but the woman did give him life, support him through his endeavors, and love him unconditionally.
When he moved out west to work for the Blackhawks, she had come up to help him find a suitable dwelling and simply never left. He was an only child, and his mom had a vested interest. Of course, when he let her find the place, she picked a haunted mausoleum.
It wasn’t that he didn't like the house.
Yeah, he hated it.
From the outside, it looked like something creepily built of stone. His mother was eclectic to say the least. When his father had died young, it was just the two of them in life. He spent most of his childhood rationalizing her to the outside world, and honestly he was tired of it.
The house was his breaking point.
Chris’s father had been wealthy, and when he died, his mother had packed them up and moved away from the influence of his family. Something about them being haters and not open to their life and choices.
He’d been a boy, so he accepted it. It wasn’t a bad thing to have an endless supply of cash as a kid. His mother always bought him whatever he wanted, he went to a great college, and escaped without student loans. That’s why he felt obligated to let his mother pick out the ‘castle of doom’.
It was disturbing that a man, who cut open bodies for a living, lived in something very reminiscent of Frankenstein’s manor. This was what happened when you allowed your mother to pick out a home. Don’t utter the words ‘I don’t care. You can decide’, or it would definitely come back to haunt you.
Granted, he’d had the interior remodeled, but it still didn't feel like home to him.
Maybe it never would.
At some point, he would likely sell it, if he ever felt like dealing with his mother and her comments. The woman was convinced that this house was meant to be his.
Yeah, right. It was too big for a party of one.
Buttoning his dress shirt, he stared into the mirror. “Okay, Doc. It’s time to go digging through the dead for shits and giggles.”
Leaving the closet, he wandered past the massive canopy bed that his mother had also picked. It was the ONLY thing in the house that he appreciated. It was masculine, comfortable, and had a large flat screen across from it. At least when he came home from the morgue to the haunted house, he could watch sports in bed.
Alone.
Yeah, now he was thinking about Cyra again. Chris couldn’t help but wonder what she’d look like lying beside him in the bed.
Unfortunately, he could end that fantasy right there. She would run screaming like a maniac once she saw the monstrosity that he called home. Any sane woman would, especially once you compiled it with his career choice. It added up to be a very lonely life.
Jogging down the mahogany stairs, he wandered into the kitchen to grab his coffee and head to the garage. Maybe once he got to work, he’d be able to focus on the entire situation.
Yeah, fat chance on that one.
Chris prayed for patience as he made the drive. Maybe he was just being gloomy. Today might end up being a really great day.
Who knew? Maybe fate wouldn’t be such a bitch.
* * *
FBI West
Mid-Morning
No one liked Monday mornings and if they were kicked off with meetings that were required by the bosses, who could blame them? While running FBI West, most of the work was meetings, paper pushing, and managing, and it only took some time to adjust to it.
While that worked fine for Ethan, it didn't for Elizabeth. She could only be in-house for so long before she became twitchy. Maybe it was the fact that she needed to think and loved using her brain, or that she wasn’t management type.
She liked to leave that up to her husband.
Speaking of the very sexy Native devil, he was sitting behind his desk in his black suit and blue tie and looking very handsome indeed. Elizabeth liked the birds-eye view that she had from where she was perched. It was common that she would plant herself there, just to be close to him.
It was simply their thing.
Elizabeth got to ogle her husband, and he knew her location and that she was out of trouble. It was very mutually beneficial.
“You’re thinking again, Tex,” he said as he signed the papers without looking up. “Care to share with me?”
She began laughing at how he just knew. “I was thinking about my very sexy husband in his suit and tie. Then I was contemplating locking your office door and having my way with you on the couch.”
That got his attention. Blackhawk glanced up, horrified at what she had just said. Yeah, they’d had sex in his office once, and he vowed it wouldn’t happen again. It wasn’t that he didn't like it. It was pretty damn hot, but there was too much to risk with him getting caught with his pants down.
Literally.
“Uh, not going to happen.”
Elizabeth knew it freaked him out and decided to cut him a break. “Okay, then how about I settle for a kiss? I think I can hold off on molesting you until later when we’re home.”
That he didn't need to think about. “I can agree to that.”
Springing down off the corner of his desk, she leaned down to brush her lips against his. His hand went to the back of her head as he pulled her down into his lap.
While he wouldn’t have sex at work, he would kiss his wife and let her sit in his lap. Focusing on her, he enjoyed the moment that was just theirs to share. Granted, they were a fully functioning couple with Callen, but the moments that were strictly his made his day.
Pulling away, she stared into his eyes. “I love you, Cowboy.”
Resting his forehead against hers, he shared the sentiment. “I love you too, Lyzee baby.”
There was a knock at the door, right before it opened.
“Hey, did I miss out on the kissing fest?” Callen asked as he carried three coffees into the room. It always made him grin when he caught Elizabeth and Ethan in a moment together. It was beautiful and poignant. These were the two loves in his life.
“Yeah, you did, Cal,” she said, leaving more kisses across Ethan’s face. “I also plan on continuing until Chris arrives.”
Ethan grinned wickedly
as she grabbed onto his tie for leverage. “That works for me. Maul away.”
Callen placed the two cups on Ethan’s desk and grabbed his seat on the leather couch. It always stirred him up to watch Elizabeth sitting in his brother’s lap. Maybe it was because they were a couple and it reminded him of sex, or possibly because it showed the depth of their love.
It astounded him that she could love them both equally. Never once was there jealousy towards his brother over his time with Elizabeth.
She gave him one last kiss, and then ran her thumb across his lower lip. “Very sexy, Mr. Blackhawk,” she whispered, winking at him.
“Mmmm hmmmmm,” he replied, helping her climb out of his lap. “Man, now I want to play sick and head home early,” he stated laughing.
It caught her off guard so much that the coffee cup actually froze halfway to her lips. “Okay,” Elizabeth answered, unsure if he was serious. “We can play hooky.”
Callen interjected, “By ‘WE’ am I included in that little adventure, or were you thinking of it as just a two person party?”
Blackhawk laughed at the hopeful look on his brother’s face. “I was talking about all three of us. Then I was thinking that we could grab lunch first and head home. Take extra-long getting changed, and then carve some pumpkins.”
Elizabeth couldn’t believe it. “Oh my God! Callen, call a doctor. Mr. FBI wanted to skip out of work and make some jack-o-lanterns. He’s got to be sick or possessed.”
Callen snorted at her faux panicked voice as she teased him. “Someone abducted the old Ethan, but before we complain, we should see what this one has to offer. He might be more fun.”
Blackhawk threw a paperclip at his brother. “You two are funny. I’m plenty of fun when I’m not trying to keep you two from doing something depraved, illegal or borderline pornographic.”
At that last word, Callen pulled out his phone. “I’m clear the rest of today, unless you get a call to send me out.”
Elizabeth began to get excited. “You mean we’re actually going to do it? For once, we’re going to blow off our jobs and do something irresponsible?”
Devil Hath Come (an FBI/Romance Thriller ~book 7) Page 4