Chapter 26
Izzy paced the length of Mitch’s living room, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The moon shone brightly tonight, casting long stripes across the hardwood floor, which made her feel all the more uneasy.
Her nerves were stretched tightly, and she'd been displaced for nearly a week now.
In limbo. She was at Mitch's and growing more attached to him every day, but this wasn't her home.
She used to spend her non-working time with Sadie, or looking at floral magazines, or watching social media for pretty arrangements to make for her own shop.
Now all she did was curl up under a blanket on Mitch's sofa or pace.
And in both places, she worried. And, she'd lost some weight this past week. Her clothing was beginning to sag.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Noah’s face when he’d returned the pruning shears.
The way he looked at her, too intense, too knowing, a weird grin, like he was waiting for her response.
And that mysterious delivery. The invoice hadn’t matched anything she’d ordered.
She’d gone over her books twice already.
And she never took her pruning shears into the cooler.
There was no reason to. She and Ms. Jillie had shears at the design table.
They routinely brought out the flowers they'd use for their arrangements and then returned the bulk flowers to the cooler.
Stems and leaves were cut at the design table.
To cut them in the cooler would leave nothing but stems in the cooler. It simply wasn't done.
A fresh wave of anxiety rolled through her. Was she losing her grip, or were people truly trying to unravel her?
Her phone buzzed, and she jumped.
Izzy’s chest squeezed tight. She read the name on her phone and took a deep breath. She tapped to answer her friend's call. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Sadie replied, her voice quieter than usual. “You got a minute?”
“Always,” Izzy said, sitting on the edge of the couch. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” Sadie exhaled. “I think… I think you were right to be worried about Travis.”
Izzy’s heart skipped. “What happened?”
“I found something in our closet. Behind a box of winter coats. A small black duffel bag. I was looking for an extra blanket and knocked it loose.”
Izzy sat forward, tension coiling in her spine. “What was inside?”
“A lot of cash, Izzy. Bundles. And Ziplock bags. Small ones. Like… what you'd expect to see on a cop show.”
Izzy’s breath caught. “Sadie…”
“I didn’t touch it beyond that. I zipped it back up and put it right where I found it. But I took pictures.”
Izzy closed her eyes. “That’s good. That’s smart.” A knot formed in her throat and her heartbeat raced.
“I don’t know what to do.” Sadie’s voice cracked. “I don’t want to believe he’s dealing. I don’t want to believe any of this. But something’s wrong. And I don't want to be caught up in any illegal bullshit. I haven't done anything wrong.”
“I think Mitch and Jayson already suspected he was dealing or somehow delivering or whatever the terms are for it,” Izzy said carefully. “They’ve been looking into Travis pretty closely.”
“I figured.” Sadie paused. “Is that why Mitch asked about Travis’s employment history the other day?”
“Yeah. They’ve been connecting dots. It’s all getting clearer now.”
“Do you think I’m in danger?” Sadie’s voice was so quiet, Izzy barely heard her.
Izzy stood and moved to the window, staring out at the quiet street.
“I don’t know. But Mitch will want those pictures.
And you do need to be careful, Sadie. Really careful.
Don’t let Travis know you found anything.
And if you feel like you're in danger, come here. Stay here. Mitch will understand. Neither of us wants you to get caught up in anything or hurt.”
“I won’t let him find out,” she said quickly. “I didn’t say a word. I just… I needed to tell someone.”
“I’m here. Always.”
There was a long silence. Then Sadie said, “Thanks. For still answering when I called.”
“Always,” Izzy whispered. "Don't forget, if you need a place to be safe, you can come here."
"I will," was her quiet response.
They hung up, but Izzy didn’t move for a long time. Her heart pounded, but something had shifted. The fog of confusion was thinning. Pieces were falling into place.
And if Sadie could prove Travis was dealing, they might finally have the leverage they needed to stop all of this, for good.
But she still didn't know why Travis would focus on her.
Unless he was actually sleeping with Delilah, and also dealing drugs.
Izzy wasn't stupid; she knew Delilah would love nothing more than for her to need to sell her business at a huge discount.
Izzy stood and took a deep cleansing breath. She squared her shoulders and decided she was finished feeling scared and sorry for herself. It was time she got active with her own security and stopped behaving like a frightened little girl.
The door opened, and she swung around as Mitch stepped inside the condo.
He was a sight. Those broad shoulders of his nearly made her swoon.
But when he turned toward her after securing the locks, those deep brown eyes and his soft lips, that's where her eyes rested.
And all she wanted to do was hug him close.
She stepped toward him, and he met her halfway.
The instant his arms were around her body and she was pulled tightly to his, she closed her eyes and held him for a long time.
She pulled back, their lips locked together, and their tongues danced a sensual dance.
She tasted him, and he tasted like coffee, and he smelled like spice and the woods. Clean and fresh and so manly.
His lips kissed a path down the side of her neck to the crook where her shoulders began. He kissed back up to her ear, and his whisper so soft, yet so powerful, rocked her world. "I want you, Izzy Payton."
A shiver ran the length of her body. "I want you too, Mitch DeMario."
Without hesitation, he lifted her off her feet and walked them to the bedroom.
Inside, he set her down and began pulling off his clothing, but his eyes never left hers.
She began undressing, letting her clothing fall into a pile on the floor.
She'd clean it up later. She was eager to make love to Mitch.
She was excited to feel like this. It had been years since she'd felt like this about anyone, and he was like a drug she couldn’t get enough of.
She'd barely stepped from her panties when his arms wrapped around her once more, and their bodies, now naked and warm, were pressed tightly together.
His skin was soft and without his clothes on, she could feel his muscles bunch and move under her touch.
His hands dropped down and cupped her ass, lifting her off the floor once more, and she immediately wrapped her legs around him. He grunted slightly and she froze.
“Mitch, your ribs…”
"Fuck, Izzy. You're sexy." He growled between kisses.
She smiled as she allowed her hands to touch him everywhere. He laid her on the bed, his body hovered over hers, their eyes locked for a long time. "You've gotten into my blood, Izzy. I don't know when that happened."
She smiled at him, her heart felt full. She felt safe and protected and sexy. "Ditto Mitch."
He chuckled and rose slightly above her.
She reached between them and curled her fingers around his cock, and pumped him a few times before seating him at her entrance.
He smiled as he slowly entered her; the feeling was stunning.
He filled her with his body. They were connected now.
It was more than just sex. He'd sort of admitted it just now.
As he moved in and out, she felt his love pouring into her.
It was in his eyes. He never looked away. They spoke volumes to each other.
He moved slightly faster and she felt her body heat up. That tingling zinged through her, the precursor to her climax. It felt so good. Her cheeks heated as her hips met his thrust for thrust.
"You're the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met."
Her heart fluttered, her breathing was hard to control, and she didn’t know what to say. That was a first for her. She swallowed to moisten her throat as she felt her body become ready to explode. Her emotions were so frazzled.
"Mitch."
He moved faster, his thrusts becoming more urgent.
Their skin heated as they moved to bring each other pleasure.
And just like an inferno rushing down a hallway, her orgasm raced through her body, and she cried out his name as she gripped him tightly.
Two thrusts later, he joined her in pleasure with a groan.
As he lowered himself to his elbows, his lips kissed her ear gently, and he whispered. "Izzy."
She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of it all. All of it. She wanted this feeling to last forever.