flicked back to Noah.
"New employee?" Duncan asked, turning to Noah as though he weren't a rabid maniac on the
loose and holding out his hand. "I'm Duncan Sykes. I own the electronics store in town."
A shiver of foreboding raced through Sabella at Noah's smile. It was the chill in his eyes, the
flash of teeth, that warned her he wasn't nearly as friendly he was pretending to be.
"Noah Blake," he introduced himself.
Duncan glanced back at Sabella.
"It's good to meet you." Duncan nodded then smiled back at Sabella. "We're going to be late if you don't hurry and get dressed. Do you need me to lock up?"
Oh, she really didn't think so.
"Everything's ready, I just have to lock the door behind us." She turned to Noah, her eyes
narrowing as he continued to stare at Duncan. "Noah, I need to lock up."
A flash of dread raced up her spine as he turned back to her. His eyes were flat and cold, his
lips unsmiling, his expression too still. Too calm.
"Have a nice night," he told her quietly before leaving the office and moving to the black,
wicked Harley parked outside the garage.
Sabella was barely aware of the breath she had been holding until it released silently and she
turned back to Duncan. "You'll have to enjoy a glass of wine while I get ready. Time got away
from me today."
"You're always worth waiting on," he told her as they stepped from the office and she locked
the doors. "Besides, we've been seeing each other long enough, Belle, that I know to build in
time when I make reservations."
Sabella grimaced. She was always late. She had never been late for anything until her
husband's death. It seemed as though she had been running late ever since. Trying somehow to
go back rather than forward.
As she slid into the passenger seat of Duncan's car for the ride up to the house, she couldn't
help but notice that Noah was still there. He was bent next to the Harley, fiddling with
something, no doubt being nosy, because his gaze wasn't on the bike, it was on them.
"I'm going to assume Rory hired him," Duncan stated as they drove past the Harley.
"You assume right," she breathed out roughly.
Rory was always pulling in strays. Thankfully, they never seemed to stay long. She had a
feeling she was going to have trouble getting rid of this one though.
Nothing else was said as they pulled into the driveway in front of her house.
"Come on in." She moved quickly from the car, house keys in hand. "You know where the
wine is, go ahead and get a glass, I'll get showered and be down in half an hour."
She opened the door and rushed in, making for the stairs at a quick pace.
"I'm timing you," he said, laughing. "Twenty bucks says it will take an hour."
"You're on.'" She threw him a quick smile, but ducked her head, knowing that smile wouldn't
reach her eyes.
She couldn't stop the feeling that somehow, some way, she was being unfaithful to the husband
who had died more than six years ago. She had fought that feeling for a year, ever since the
first date she had accepted with Duncan. The first time she had promised herself she was going
to get over Nathan's death.
Each time she and Duncan left the house she had shared with Nathan, she had felt the queasy,
sick feeling that she was betraying the man she loved. The man who had loved her.
It was insane. She had to assure herself daily that Nathan would have wanted her to be happy,
that he wasn't staring down from heaven, feeling hurt and angry because she had turned her
back on what they had shared.
She hadn't turned her back, she told herself as she stepped beneath the shower. He had been a
warrior, and he hadn't returned home. He was dead and gone, and she was still alive. Wasn't
she?
Noah had a meeting to go to, an operational briefing that he knew he should already be heading
to. Instead, he was standing in the tree line outside the home he used to share with Sabella, a
pair of military binoculars in his hands, staring at the house.
No matter how much
"New employee?" Duncan asked, turning to Noah as though he weren't a rabid maniac on the
loose and holding out his hand. "I'm Duncan Sykes. I own the electronics store in town."
A shiver of foreboding raced through Sabella at Noah's smile. It was the chill in his eyes, the
flash of teeth, that warned her he wasn't nearly as friendly he was pretending to be.
"Noah Blake," he introduced himself.
Duncan glanced back at Sabella.
"It's good to meet you." Duncan nodded then smiled back at Sabella. "We're going to be late if you don't hurry and get dressed. Do you need me to lock up?"
Oh, she really didn't think so.
"Everything's ready, I just have to lock the door behind us." She turned to Noah, her eyes
narrowing as he continued to stare at Duncan. "Noah, I need to lock up."
A flash of dread raced up her spine as he turned back to her. His eyes were flat and cold, his
lips unsmiling, his expression too still. Too calm.
"Have a nice night," he told her quietly before leaving the office and moving to the black,
wicked Harley parked outside the garage.
Sabella was barely aware of the breath she had been holding until it released silently and she
turned back to Duncan. "You'll have to enjoy a glass of wine while I get ready. Time got away
from me today."
"You're always worth waiting on," he told her as they stepped from the office and she locked
the doors. "Besides, we've been seeing each other long enough, Belle, that I know to build in
time when I make reservations."
Sabella grimaced. She was always late. She had never been late for anything until her
husband's death. It seemed as though she had been running late ever since. Trying somehow to
go back rather than forward.
As she slid into the passenger seat of Duncan's car for the ride up to the house, she couldn't
help but notice that Noah was still there. He was bent next to the Harley, fiddling with
something, no doubt being nosy, because his gaze wasn't on the bike, it was on them.
"I'm going to assume Rory hired him," Duncan stated as they drove past the Harley.
"You assume right," she breathed out roughly.
Rory was always pulling in strays. Thankfully, they never seemed to stay long. She had a
feeling she was going to have trouble getting rid of this one though.
Nothing else was said as they pulled into the driveway in front of her house.
"Come on in." She moved quickly from the car, house keys in hand. "You know where the
wine is, go ahead and get a glass, I'll get showered and be down in half an hour."
She opened the door and rushed in, making for the stairs at a quick pace.
"I'm timing you," he said, laughing. "Twenty bucks says it will take an hour."
"You're on.'" She threw him a quick smile, but ducked her head, knowing that smile wouldn't
reach her eyes.
She couldn't stop the feeling that somehow, some way, she was being unfaithful to the husband
who had died more than six years ago. She had fought that feeling for a year, ever since the
first date she had accepted with Duncan. The first time she had promised herself she was going
to get over Nathan's death.
Each time she and Duncan left the house she had shared with Nathan, she had felt the queasy,
sick feeling that she was betraying the man she loved. The man who had loved her.
It was insane. She had to assure herself daily that Nathan would have wanted her to be happy,
that he wasn't staring down from heaven, feeling hurt and angry because she had turned her
back on what they had shared.
She hadn't turned her back, she told herself as she stepped beneath the shower. He had been a
warrior, and he hadn't returned home. He was dead and gone, and she was still alive. Wasn't
she?
Noah had a meeting to go to, an operational briefing that he knew he should already be heading
to. Instead, he was standing in the tree line outside the home he used to share with Sabella, a
pair of military binoculars in his hands, staring at the house.
No matter how much
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