"Yes, ma'am. We'll see you then," the woman on the line says.
"Thank you," I say politely and hang up.
Blake is wearing faded jeans and a short sleeve button down. Casual clothes suit him. They hug his muscles and curve around his ass at just the right spots, showing off far more than his suits. I stare, remembering the way his muscle muscles moved underneath me last night and this afternoon, a flash of desire pooling in my groin.
"Earth to Lily," he says amused, pulling me from my erotic thoughts.
I chuckle, my face growing hot. "Sorry, what?"
"Are you blushing?" he says, astonished.
I reach up and vigorously rub my cheeks. "No."
Blake strides over and grabs my wrists, pinning them to his chest. "Yes you are! What are you blushing about?"
"Nothing," I whine, playfully pulling away from him.
"Tell me," he says, pulling me tighter against him. His muscles flex and another round of red hits my cheeks. "You're doing it again."
"Oh, for fuck sake. I get turned on by the way your muscles feel, which had me thinking about last night . . . and the shower. Now let go, so I can take my embarrassed-ass downstairs and get ready."
"Hmm." He flexes his chest muscles and my stomach clenches.
"Stop that, Blake." I snap. He does it again. "I'm serious. Keep it up and we're going to be late . . . very late."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" he asks, gazing into my eyes.
My answering grin is mischievous. "I have a surprise for you . . . and the girls. Mostly the girls, but I think you'll appreciate it."
His eyes widen. Pushing away from him, I take his hand and pull him from the bedroom. Teresa, Dresden, and Shannon sit around the island talking and laughing. The apartment has been in an odd normalcy the last few days. I don't know if I should feel relieved or worried nothing has happened since the last threat.
"Time to head out," I say walking past them.
They stand as Vlad joins us from Sammi's office.
"We taking one vehicle?" he says sliding into his jacket.
"Yeah. Jameson is already in the car waiting," I say, pulling my shoulder holsters on.
Usually I wear a jacket over them, but today I'm letting them show. If there is any Taurus following, knowing we’re heavily armed might derail them from trying something stupid. I notice Vlad has his shoulder holsters on, and Dresden's guns are hooked to his hips in plain view.
We ride the elevator in silence, transitioning into what Blake calls "agent mode." Moving to the car, we form a blockade around Blake and Shannon. They both tense. Shannon clings to Blake's arm, her eyes scanning the street wildly as if something might jump out of the shadows. Dresden ushers them quickly into the backseat of the SUV. Vlad and Dresden slide in behind them. I shut the door and climb into the front with Jameson.
I lift my watch to my mouth, "We're on the move, Boa."
"Copy that. Switching to watch the halfway house cameras," Sammi says in my ear.
"So, what's this surprise, Lily?" Blake asks from behind me.
I chuckle. "You'll see when we get there, sir."
"Or you could tell me now."
"No. Sit back and relax. We'll be there in a few minutes."
†††
Jameson pulls up in front of the halfway house, throwing the SUV into park. He and I climb from the vehicle at the same time. He walks around, taking his position at the back end of the passenger's side as I open the back door, allowing Vlad and Dresden to file out. Blake and Shannon step onto the sidewalk and we surround them until we're inside the first set of doors to the building.