Read Online Dead Heat by Allison Brennan - Free Book Online Page B

asked as she typed a code into the keypad next to the door.
    “Nice digs.”
    “Sean picked it out,” she said. “He surprised me.” The door unlocked and Lucy stepped in.
    “Neither of my ex-wives would have trusted me to buy a house without them.” Ryan eyed the keypad. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of those on a house before.”
    “Sean is security-conscious.”
    Ryan whistled again at the sweeping terra-cotta tile staircase that curved up to the second story. Alternating cobalt-blue and hand-painted Mexican tiles accented the foyer and stairs. In the summer—and on warm spring days like today—the tile kept the house cool.
    “We were lucky we could move in quickly,” Lucy said. “I didn’t even know I was being assigned to San Antonio until three weeks before I had to report in. Sean contacted a realtor, then a couple days after Christmas he flew out to look at a few places. He sent me pictures of three, but I loved them all so told him to pick.”
    The smell of Texas barbecue filled the house. Her phone vibrated and she looked down. He’d sent her a text message.
    I’m in my office on the phone. Offer Ryan a beer.
    She laughed. “Sean told me to offer you a beer.”
    “Sounds great. I need it after today.” He glanced around. “How did he know you’re here?”
    She pointed to the camera in the corner of the foyer. Ryan squinted. “I would never have seen it.”
    “We have reasons to be cautious.”
    They walked down the wide, tiled hall, past the open dining room she and Sean had yet to eat in, to the kitchen. The kitchen had been remodeled by the previous owners to fit the Mission-style architecture. That’s what Lucy loved most about the place—it looked old, but everything was new. All the details fit the period, from the tiles to the tall, arched windows to the wood beams in the ceiling. The house was too big for them, but as Sean pointed out, she had six brothers and sisters, he had four, and they had friends who now had a place to stay.
    “ Plus ,” he’d added, “ we have two nieces or nephews on the way and someday we’ll adopt a few of our own. ”
    Lucy couldn’t have children. That Sean was not only willing but excited to adopt in the future gave her a contentment she didn’t know she needed until he’d said it.
    She said to Ryan, “We have Samuel Adams, Dos Equis, and Harp.”
    “American, Mexican, and Irish?” He laughed. “Sam Adams, thanks.”
    Lucy didn’t care much for beer, but she picked up a Harp for herself, which she’d grown to enjoy. She gave Ryan a tour of the downstairs, which included the media room where Sean had created a theater and game center. “Now I know why Nate loves this place. You guys have every video game known to man. And movies.”
    Lucy smiled. “Sean spoils himself.”
    “What does your boyfriend do?” Ryan asked.
    “He was a principal in a security company for the last few years. His brothers founded it, and two of my brothers joined later. My brother Patrick was Sean’s partner. Now Sean’s renewing his PI license in Texas.”
    “Personal security?”
    “Not so much. Computer security, mostly. Companies hire him to break into their networks or buildings and find weak spots, then Sean plugs the holes.”
    “Smart guy.”
    They sat in the sunroom. The sun had gone down—it was nearly seven—and the temperature had fallen enough to make it comfortable. Sean came in through the side door. He smiled when he saw Lucy and leaned over to kiss her. Twice. Then he reached over and took Ryan’s hand. “Good to finally meet you, Ryan,” he said. “I told Lucy to plan a party, but she’s not much of a party planner. I’m starving, and I didn’t just take down a major drug operation.”
    Lucy looked at him. “Where’d you hear? I didn’t give you details.”
    “No, but Nate did. As much as he knew, anyway.”
    Lucy had to remember that Sean and Nate had hit it off and apparently talked a lot more than she’d thought. She