Blake looked up and saw Anna entering the room with a yawn. She was dressed in his T-shirt and her eyes were still droopy. She walked right past him and straight to the coffeepot. He smiled with amusement. Did she even see him sitting at the table?
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll be there in a couple of hours, off the record. Just me visiting my old military buddy and we’ll talk better,” David suggested. “I don’t feel good talking about this at work.”
Blake watched Anna pouring two cups and bringing one over to him. For some odd reason it touched his heart. “Okay, thanks, David. I’ll owe you big time.”
He hung up and kissed Anna’s cheek. “Thank you, baby.”
She nodded and sipped her coffee. She sat down and was quiet for a few minutes. When she finally spoke her voice was still groggy. “Was that your FBI buddy?”
“Yeah. He’ll be here in a few hours and we’ll see what plan we can come up with. I know you are scared, Anna, but trust me okay? I served with David for years and he is not crooked. Between the two of us we’ll come up with something.”
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. Her smile was shaky but there. “Can I take a shower and get dressed?”
Blake knew she needed to be alone for a few minutes to process all that was going on. He pulled her off the chair and hugged her. She felt good in his arms and he could get used to it. “Sure, baby. Towels are in the closet.”
He went back into the bedroom and lay on the bed for a minute. He cared about Anna. He could admit that to himself and to her. She had become important to him so quickly. Did that mean he wanted marriage and the whole nine yards? He wasn’t sure yet. Right now he had to concentrate on keeping her alive and helping her get rid of her ex. Then he could sort out his feelings for her. He would wait for David and see what plan they could come up with.
Anna came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and nothing else. He was tempted to drag her to the bed and unwrap her like a present but David was coming over and he was sure Sam and Victor would be here, too. He would have a hard time keeping his nosy brothers out of this. If the situation was reverse
d and one of them were in trouble, he would move mountains to help them so he couldn’t blame them.
She rummaged through her clothes as if she didn’t know what to wear. She looked worried and frustrated.
“Did you pick out your clothes?” he asked, still lying on the bed.
Anna looked up from her bag with a surprised look at his question. She had a light blue frilly dress in her hand. “No, Santiago did. Why?”
“You are always fumbling with your clothes as if you are not comfortable in them.”
She looked surprised at his observations and agreed. “Santiago liked for me to look sexy at all times. He said he had an image to keep up with. After he made me lose weight, he picked out all these clothes. No jeans or T-shirts were allowed.”
She unwrapped the towel and was standing unashamedly naked in front of him. He liked watching her dress and could easily imagine starting off his day like this. She slipped on a white lacy thong and a matching bra. She slipped the dress over her head and it landed just above her knees. It was strapless with a lot of little beads decorating the bodice. She turned to the mirror and started brushing the tangles out of her long hair.
He got up and walked over to where she stood. He kissed her bare shoulder and inhaled the smell of flowery perfume. “Don’t cut your hair, honey. It is beautiful and would be a shame.”
Anna leaned against him for a second and gave him a misty smile. “One of the good memories I have of my mom is her brushing my long hair when I was little. It’s silly but I think that was why I never cut my hair.”
They stood there together for a minute just enjoying the peaceful moment and Blake felt like he could do this with her for the next fifty or so years. Just one peaceful moment before the hectic day started. Yeah, with Anna it didn’t seem like such a bad picture. He was liking the idea more and more.
“I’m going to shower. I’ll only be a few minutes. Don’t answer the door,” he instructed and she nodded and continued to brush her hair.
When he came out he discovered a different Anna. Her hair was hanging long and loose down her back and she had applied make-up. Her eyes were outlined in some black stuff making them look sexy as hell and her lips were painted a soft pink color. She looked hot but he liked her without the makeup or war paint as his dad often called it. He used to joke and say when their mom had on her war paint she meant business. This was Anna’s armor for when David came and questioned her. She slipped on some silver heels and added silver dangling earrings and a bracelet.
Blake quickly got dressed and they went out into the living room. “I can make breakfast for us.”
She shook her head. “I can’t eat. How about toast?”
Blake made her a plate of buttered toast. Sam and Victor both showed up a few minutes later.
Anna let the three brothers sit in the living room and talk. She was already feeling scared as if everything was spinning out of control and she couldn’t stop it. She didn’t think Blake understood how cold Santiago was. His image meant everything to him and her beating him up and escaping his clutches wouldn’t sit well with him. She washed her plate and the coffee mugs, feeling too agitated to just sit quietly. Her stomach was tied up in knots and her chest hurt.
She wasn’t sure what to expect when she met Blake’s FBI buddy, but the mild-mannered man took her by surprise. He was tall but built lean and wore a navy suit and wire-trimmed glasses. His blond hair was slicked back with gel and he looked like an accountant, not a law enforcement agent.
They must have noticed her surprised expression because they all seemed amused by it.
“Don’t let his Clark Kent appearance fool you, honey,” Blake said, bringing her into the living room and sitting her on the couch next to him. “He is one sneaky son of a bitch.”
Sam laughed as he sat in Blake’s recliner. “David is more stubborn than Blake and that will help you fight Santiago.”