Chapter 13
Mitch sat at the table as Izzy warmed his dinner.
He yawned, the fatigue from the day finally catching up to him.
While he had more information, he didn't feel any closer to an answer or a solution for Izzy's problem.
First thing in the morning, he'd call Blossom Springs PD and see if they had any more information from the items they'd found.
Izzy brought a plate of hot lasagna, steaming from the microwave, and set it in front of him.
She turned to the refrigerator and brought both of them a beer.
She popped the top off of them. He grinned and held his beer up toward her.
She smiled sweetly as she tapped her bottle to his.
He took a long drink from his bottle and enjoyed the feeling as it slid down his throat. She sat at the table across from him.
"Ahh, that tastes fantastic."
She chuckled. "It does."
"Aren't you eating?"
"I had a sandwich earlier."
His brows rose, and he stared into her eyes.
"Half a sandwich."
He took a deep breath. "You want some of this?"
Her lips turned up into a smile, but she shook her head. "No. I'm not hungry. Thank you, though."
He scooped lasagna on his fork and put it in his mouth.
He'd ordered the lasagna two nights ago from Jace at the Sandbar.
He didn't really consider himself a cook and only made basic meals here.
He ordered from the Sandbar often, and between Jace and Marco, their menu evolved frequently, which kept the boredom down.
He caught Izzy watching him eat. He raised his brows but said nothing. She chuckled again and smiled. "I like watching you eat."
"Good Lord, why?"
She shrugged but said nothing. After scooping the last bite into his mouth, he pushed his plate away and sat back in his seat. Another long swig of his drink finished his meal off perfectly.
He stared at Izzy for a few moments. The sparkle in her eyes, the sass that lay just under the surface, now covered by fear, dimmed her light a bit.
But when he'd first walked into the shop the other day, he saw the spunk.
Her cheeriness and her happy demeanor. He wanted that back again. He'd figure this out and keep her safe.
"I'm going to take a shower. I can still smell the smoke on me. I'll be out in a few minutes." He pushed himself away, picked up his plate, and set it on the counter, then moved to his bathroom without looking back.
The layout of his condo was simple enough.
Open living room, dining room, and kitchen.
His bedroom was directly off the living room, a few steps down a short hallway.
His bathroom was tucked inside his bedroom.
The second bedroom was straight at the end of the short hall.
The guest bathroom was directly across from his bedroom.
Small, neat, and tidy. He had little to clean and that suited him even better.
Inside his bathroom, he reached into the shower and turned the water on.
While the water warmed, he gathered his clothing.
Clean boxer briefs, a clean t-shirt, and his sweatpants.
He didn't know if Izzy would still be awake when he finished showering, but he hoped so.
He meant it earlier when he said he wanted to kiss her again.
He'd like to do many things with her, including kissing.
Her lips felt wonderful, her body felt perfect against his.
His body began to respond to the direction of his thoughts.
He shook his head and stepped into the shower.
He groaned slightly after stepping under the warm water.
It had been a long day. The warmth of his shower felt good, like a soothing massage over sore muscles.
Not that he'd done much today by way of physical activity, but his ribs still hurt, and he wasn't giving them enough rest. He'd rest up after he figured out who wanted to hurt Izzy.
Stepping from the shower, he toweled off, ran his fingers through his wet hair, and dressed. He stepped from the bathroom and froze.
Izzy lay in his bed, on her side, her head propped up on her hand, looking more sensual than any woman he'd ever seen before in his life. Her long blonde hair spilled over her shoulder and shone in the soft light from the lamp at his bedside.
He moved slowly toward the bed in case this was a dream and he'd wake up if he moved too fast. She pulled back the covers for him to slide in beside her, and he was proud he'd done it without a groan.
The instant he turned on his right side to face her though, his cock had ideas and he hoped he could help it out with its plan, given his physical condition.
She smiled at him softly, "I wanted to kiss you again, too. And I'd feel safer in here with you."
"I don't know how safe you are in my bed, Izzy."
She chuckled. "I think I'm as safe as I need to be."
He leaned in and kissed her lips. Their kiss became heated quickly, their tongues danced in unison, their lips moved together, and their bodies pressed tightly against each other.
She gently nudged him down on his back and looked into his eyes. "I don't want you to hurt yourself. Let me do the work."
He chuckled. "You're a dream come true."
She laughed as she straddled him. She wore a loose tank top and lacy panties, and he tucked his forefinger into the waistband and slid it around the top. She grinned before moving off him and shimmying her panties down her sexy legs.
Returning to the bed, she slid her fingers into the waistband of his sweatpants and slid them down.
He lifted his ass off the bed to help her out.
After pulling them off his legs, her hands slowly moved up his legs, caressing his heated skin.
She stopped at the leg of his boxer briefs.
Her fingers tucked under the fabric and teased his skin before she slid her hands up his hips and tugged at the waistband of his offending underwear.
She tugged them from his body, and this time as her hands explored his legs, she cupped his balls with one hand and wrapped her fingers around his cock with the other.
His breath rushed from his lungs, and all thought went south from there. She pumped him a few times, watching his face as she did. For his part, he didn't know if he wanted to watch her face or her hands as they brought such pleasure to his body.
She pulled away gently, and quickly straddled him once more. This time, her heated skin pressed against his cock. He lifted his hips slightly, and she returned a beguiling smile.
He cleared his throat. "I have condoms in the drawer." He lazily pointed with his finger. She smiled and leaned forward, pressing her delicious breasts against his chest. His hands wrapped around her, kneading her back, pulling her closer to him, enjoying the feel of her weight on him.
She pulled a condom from the drawer and opened the package with deft fingers. She pulled back slightly and slowly rolled the condom over his cock, adding pressure as she did, her fingers grazing his balls sensually.
His breathing came in short bursts as she lifted herself slightly, positioned his cock at her entrance, and, painfully slow, slid down on him.
He groaned out loud, and she let out a soft sigh. He stared into her eyes, green like new summer grass; her lips were full and soft, she was a catch.
She began moving on him, up and down slowly. She was mesmerizing and electric. His body sizzled as she moved on him.
She smiled sweetly, placed her hands on his shoulders gently, and said, "Ready?"
"Yeah."
She lifted and dropped down on him with greater speed. Their skin grew warm and damp; he met her thrust for thrust, his ribs be damned. His hands found her hips, and he held on tightly as she lifted and fell. She was soft and yet firm as her toned thighs rocked his world.
Her breathing became stilted and heavy, soft moans escaped her lips, her body sank lower onto his so her heavy, full breasts lay on his chest. Her movements changed slightly as she ground herself onto his cock.
She cried out softly, ending with a long moan as her orgasm rolled through her body.
He felt the tightening of her thighs as she came.
His orgasm sped quickly forward as his balls tightened painfully, and he felt the first pulse of his orgasm, that beautiful pain and pleasure, shoot from his cock.
He groaned loudly as he pulsed until his orgasm finally stopped.
She lay gently on his body, his arms wrapped around hers, holding her close for a while longer.
Her head lay on his collarbone, and he pressed his cheek into her hair, inhaling her scent, imprinting this moment in his mind forever.
It felt right. This moment felt like nothing he'd ever felt before.
He should be scared of that, but he wasn't. He closed his eyes and let that sink in.
The next morning, Mitch stood at the dining room table, a half-drunk cup of coffee cooling beside his laptop.
Jayson’s encrypted file transfer had come through ten minutes ago.
Mitch clicked open the folder and scanned the images, license plate stills, surveillance enhancements, and a partial ID match on the gray SUV’s registration.
Travis Landon.
The name made Mitch pause.
Travis was Sadie’s boyfriend. And Sadie, Izzy’s close friend, had been in the flower shop, helping with cleanup. If Travis was tied to Noah, and Noah was tied to Delilah, that complicated things fast.
Mitch zoomed in on the enhanced plate shot, confirming it matched the SUV Noah had loaded crates into last night. There was no arguing the timeline. Either Travis was renting out his vehicle, or he was involved.
He picked up his phone and hit Jayson’s number.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Mitch said without preamble.
“You’re not,” Jayson replied grimly. “That SUV is registered to Travis Landon. Pulled from DMV this morning.”
“Could it be borrowed? Stolen?”
“Doesn’t look like it. No reports filed. And I did a soft pull on Travis, nothing shady on the surface, but I dug through traffic cams. That same SUV was parked outside Sadie’s apartment two nights ago. Same plate. Same dents on the fender.”
Mitch exhaled through his nose. “So he’s not just borrowing it. He’s using it.”
“Looks that way.”
“Was his truck also in Sadie’s driveway?”
“Nope. Seems like he must have another place to keep extra vehicles.”
“And the guy with Noah last night?”
“Blurry shot, but he fits Travis’s general profile. I’m running facial recognition against social media. It’ll take time.”
Mitch dragged a hand through his hair. This wasn’t good. If Travis was involved, it meant whoever orchestrated the fire had someone close to Izzy’s inner circle. Someone with proximity. That tightened the noose.
“Pull any cell records yet?” Mitch asked.
“Working on it. But here’s the kicker: Travis started receiving regular deposits about three months ago. Small amounts, spaced out. Different accounts. Looks like dirty money being funneled under the radar.”
Mitch's jaw clenched. “You think Delilah’s bankrolling this?”
“Could be. Or she’s a cog in someone else’s wheel. Either way, Travis and Noah are both in the mix.”
Mitch ended the call and sat back, staring at the wall.
Izzy didn’t like Travis. She’d mentioned it. Said something always felt off about the guy. But this? This was a whole different level.
He stood and paced the room. He needed to warn her.
But not scare her. Not yet. Not until he had confirmation that Travis was more than just a delivery mule or someone being used.
The soft sound of the shower shutting off had his thoughts veering off to a naked Izzy in the other room.
It was easy for his thoughts to shift dramatically like that, where she was concerned.
Especially after their night together last night.
Before, he only wondered and dreamed about what she felt like; now he knew, and it was so much better than the dreams.
The bathroom door opened, and a fresh-faced, smiling Izzy rounded the corner. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the crown of her head. She wore denim cut-off shorts and a white t-shirt. She was stunning. Tanned legs that went all the way up to her...
"What are you staring at?"
She looked down at her body, then back up to him.
"You." His throat was dry. He took a drink of his coffee. "You look sexy in those shorts."
She chuckled. "Thanks." She grabbed a cup off the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. Carrying the pot to him, she heated his half-empty cup. He watched her ass as she moved back to the coffee pot. It was a great view.
She turned and saw him staring again, and she laughed. "I can see your thoughts. It's almost like you have thought bubbles above your head."
He shook his head and took a drink of his coffee.
She came to the table, set her cup next to his, and leaned down so they were eye to eye. "You're thinking about last night."
He raised one eyebrow. "I'll think about it all day and maybe tomorrow too."
She stood and picked up her coffee cup. With a wicked grin, she sauntered toward the center island in the kitchen. "Tomorrow you'll be thinking about tonight."
Mic drop. He stared at her, rather dumbfounded and unable to say a word. When his voice finally reappeared, he cleared his throat and said, "Now I'll be thinking about tonight all day today."
She looked over her shoulder and laughed. "Eggs okay for breakfast?"
"Perfect."
He continued to read Jayson's report and formed his plan for today.
He’d check out Travis’s place after he dropped Izzy at the shop. Quietly. Maybe catch a glimpse of the SUV himself or see who came and went.
"Is Sadie coming to help at the shop today?"
"No, she has to work. Ms. Jillie is coming today."
"Who is that?"
"She's a retired lady from town. Her husband died a couple of years ago, around the same time my parents passed.
She came into the shop one day and asked if I had anything she could do to help out.
She volunteers her time. She comes a couple of days a week.
She won't take pay, just says she needs to get out of the house, and she loves flowers.
I usually send her home with a bouquet or two each week, and she loves that. Says it brightens her place."
"Okay. That's nice."
It was nice. He was sure Izzy attracted people because of her personality. She was a ray of sunshine.
He texted Jayson.
Start cycling the interior cameras. Look for any time Sadie came in the last 48 hours. Watch for Travis, too, if he ever walked her in.
They finished breakfast and climbed into his truck. As he drove through Blossom Springs, the town looked the same. Quaint. Unassuming. But now every corner hid a shadow. Every smile a potential mask.
Someone close to Izzy was dirty. And Mitch was going to find out who, before they got any closer.