Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Lydia studied the three stories of windows glistening in the early evening sunshine as she walked up the path to Ty’s temporary condo.
It felt slightly odd to be at a home that he was pretending was his own, but when it came to Ty and their interesting new arrangement, strange was definitely the norm.
They’d spent yesterday apart—their twenty-four-hour fake relationship pause. She’d enjoyed a day to herself—the quiet and relaxation—but she also couldn’t say that dinner with Ty was something that she was dreading either.
She raised her hand to knock, dressed in the black spaghetti strap V-neck romper and sandals that she’d changed back into after her laps in the pool, but Ty opened the door before she could.
He smiled, wearing blue jeans and a sleeveless white shirt that showed off his excellent arms. The black bandana that he’d tied around his forehead accentuated his bold blue eyes and the dark scruff that he hadn’t shaved off his jaw.
The effect was mouthwatering and not at all fair. “I saw you coming up the walkway.”
She smiled back, noting that he was barefoot, too, which only added to his sex appeal. Ty Corddry, completely relaxed and at home. “This is a nice spot.”
He nodded, opening the door wider. “As far as fake houses go, I can’t complain. Come on in.”
“Thanks,” she said, stepping into the small entryway, breathing in a combination of his aftershave and the scent of their dinner, noting the steps that led to the downstairs garage or up to the living space on the second story. “It smells great in here.”
“The sauce has been simmering for a couple of hours, so it should be pretty tasty. Come on up,” he said, gesturing for her to walk up the stairs before him.
She headed upstairs, surprised by the large open-concept space, complete with a designer kitchen, a big living room with cozy, masculine furnishings, and a large dining room with a sturdy table that sat eight. “Wow.”
“Not bad, right?”
“It’s great.” She turned a slow circle, still taking everything in, studying the pretty accents cleverly placed here and there. “None of this stuff is yours?”
He shook his head. “This place was empty before I got here. They had an interior decorator stage it for me. When I leave, all of it will go away.”
The idea seemed sad somehow, reminding her of just how phony everything about this situation was. “Huh.”
“Let me show you the upstairs. I think you’ll like it.”
“Sure.” She followed him upstairs and down a hall past two bedrooms and a primary suite to one more set of stairs and a glass door.
“Check it out,” he said, opening it so she could walk out onto a fantastic rooftop deck.
The summer sun warmed her skin as she stepped onto the outdoor carpeting, studying the beautiful six-piece patio set and the outdoor table and chairs. “Holy crap.”
He chuckled. “So, you like it?”
“Yes.” She walked to the railing, staring out at the view of downtown Oliver Heights. “Ty, this is amazing.”
He joined her at the edge. “We can eat up here if you want.”
She nodded enthusiastically as she grinned at him. “Absolutely.”
“We can also hang out up here whenever you want over the next couple of weeks.”
She nodded again. “Right about now, I’m loving that we’re dating.”
He laughed. “Those are words I never thought I would hear you say.”
She laughed. “That makes two of us.”
“I’ll take it.” He grinned, winking at her. “I didn’t ask you if you wanted anything to drink.”
She shook her head, struggling not to pay attention to how devastating he looked. “I’m okay for now, but thanks.”
He leaned his powerful arms against the black metal. “So, how was the workshop?”
She groaned, leaning on the railing like he did. “I had to work really hard to stay awake.”
He laughed again. “It was that good, huh?”
She rolled her eyes. “It was so boring. They PowerPointed us to death. Thank goodness Camille was there. But thank goodness even more that it was the only workshop I signed up for this summer.”
“Well, hopefully dinner will be a little more entertaining. Do you want to eat?”
She nodded. “I would love to. I’m starving.”
“Great.” He stood straight. “Everything’s pretty much ready. We can plate it up.”
“That sounds perfect,” she said as she headed back toward the door.
“Lyd,” he said, falling into step beside her, snagging her hand.
She looked at him, automatically lacing her fingers with his.
“You didn’t tense up on me this time.”
She shrugged. “I guess you reaching for my hand isn’t much of a surprise anymore.”
“That’s what we’re aiming for.”
She studied her hand swallowed up by his, deciding that she didn’t necessarily mind that this was part of their deal. “You have big hands.”
He puffed out a breath. “You should see the rest of me.”
She couldn’t help but grin and roll her eyes as he smiled at her, clearly teasing. “No, thanks.”
“I was talking about my feet.” He held up his right foot, wiggling his toes.
She laughed. “Right.”
He chuckled as he tossed her a wink, giving her shoulder a bump with his arm. “Come on. Let’s get some food.”
“Okay.” She grinned again, shaking her head as they started down the stairs. Ty certainly kept things interesting.
Twenty minutes later, Ty sat across from Lydia at the outdoor table, studying the way the evening sunlight accentuated her flawless skin as she took another bite of her dinner.
Her V-neck and thin spaghetti straps offered up an excellent view of sexy shoulders and the slightest tease of fantastic cleavage that he was trying his damnedest to ignore.
“This is so good, Ty.”
He snapped back to attention, focusing on his food instead of how spectacular she looked in her outfit. “I’m glad you like it.”
She shook her head. “I love it. The sauce is amazing, and you cooked the pasta perfectly al dente. The salad is delicious, too.”
He certainly didn’t mind that she thought he was a good cook. “There’s plenty more if you want it.”
“Thanks,” she said.
He nodded. “No problem.”
She sighed now as she looked toward the lights starting to turn on downtown.
“What are you thinking about?”
She met his gaze. “That we have a great view. That we’re eating awesome food. This is kind of a perfect evening.”
He paused with the next bite on his fork, understanding that this was Lydia Monroe entirely relaxed. It thrilled the hell out of him that he was privy to such a moment. “We’ll take a perfect evening.”
She smiled at him before she twirled more spaghetti onto her fork. “Thank you again for cooking for me.”
He liked it. Making her meals. Spending time with her. Watching her smile with the same easy friendliness in her eyes that he remembered from the day they met at Marney’s store. “Yeah, it’s no problem.”
She took her bite. “How was your meeting with your case agent?”
He shrugged. “It was pretty low-key. There’s not a lot going on yet, so we didn’t have much to talk about. Mostly, it was just a check-in.”
She nodded, adding more pasta and sauce to her fork.
He went after some of the greens in his bowl. “How was your day yesterday?”
She chewed and swallowed before she answered. “It was good.”
“Did you do anything exciting?”
She shook her head. “Mostly, I just relaxed. I read a little and organized some of the stuff that I brought home from my classroom. I also cleaned up several of my computer files to get things ready for next school year.”
He raised his brow. “That’s how you relax?”
She grinned as she nodded. “Being organized and prepared is very relaxing. I already know that August Lydia deeply appreciates my efforts.”
He laughed, forever getting a kick out of her. “It sounds like a day well spent, then.”
She nodded, still smiling. “Definitely.”
“I almost forgot that I have something for you.”
“Oh yeah?”
He nodded, reaching into his pocket, sliding a key across the table.
Her smile dimmed, turning into a frown. “What’s this for?”
He shrugged. “You would have a key to my place.”
She stared at it. “I can’t think of a reason why I would need to get into your condo. It’s not even your condo.”
She spoke the truth. And it bothered him for some reason that the gesture felt empty—like they were checking off another box on the fake relationship checklist.
He and Lydia were rolling through the motions, but they didn’t mean anything. “I can get you a copy of a key to my place in DC.”
“I’m good.” She toyed with a mushroom in the sauce left on her plate. “I imagine you think you should have a key to my house.”
He shrugged. “Only if you want to give it to me.” But it surprised him that he wanted her to want to give him one.
She shrugged this time as she looked at him. “I imagine you can let yourself in whenever you want anyway.”
He shook his head, slightly annoyed that they were back here again.
They were one step forward, two steps back in the trust department.
They’d laughed and joked when she first got here.
They’d shared a couple of nice evenings together.
Now, they were back to this. “Not without a warrant. I don’t plan to enter your house without you knowing about it. ”
She held his gaze for several seconds. “All right. I guess I can get you a key.”
“Great.” He ate another couple of bites in the silence as she did, wanting them to get back to where they’d been just a few minutes ago. “So, what does the rest of your week look like?”
She set down her fork. “I need to run a few errands and cross off some of my summer to-dos before we leave, but otherwise I’m pretty open.”
“Are you up for making plans?”
She nodded. “Sure. What are some things you like to do?”
He thought about it, realizing that mostly, he just worked. “I like to shoot.”
Her frown was back. “As in guns?”
He chuckled. “As in guns.”
“I don’t like guns.”
“Mine could potentially save my life, so I’m pretty fond of it.”
“I take it you’re a good shot.”
He nodded. “It’s a requirement if I want to keep my job. We have to qualify a few times throughout the year.”
“Do you have a gun here?”
He nodded again. “My service weapon. I typically carry it on me. I actually feel a little naked without it, but it’s in the bedroom safe for now.”
“Huh,” she said, as she often did.
He reached over, touching her hand. “What do you say, Lyd? Let’s give it a try. I can teach you the basics.”
She didn’t shy away as he played with her fingers. “Are you going to keep calling me that? Lyd?”
He hadn’t realized he’d started, but he nodded, deciding that he liked it. “I can see it happening again. Is that a problem?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Will you come shooting with me tomorrow?”
She sighed. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”
He smiled. “How would you feel about us grabbing another picture since we’re finished with our dinner?”
She stood as he did. “Let’s do it.”
He snagged his phone off the table. “Maybe we can get one with a view of downtown behind us. The sunset’s gorgeous.”
“I think we have to because I agree.”
They walked over to the railing.
He held up the phone.
She surprised him when she locked her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Smile,” he said as he hooked his arm around her, taking the photo, then studied the screen as she did. It was hard to deny that they looked excellent together. “This one’s definitely our best.”
She nodded as she let him go. “I figured we needed to change up our poses a little. We can’t have all of our pictures looking the same.”
“Yeah,” he said, still staring at the couple in the shot as he breathed Lydia in. “Good thought.”
She stepped back. “Should we clean up?”
“Sure,” he said as he sent her the picture in a text, then put his phone in his back pocket. “Do you want to hang around for a while and watch a movie?”
She shrugged as she started stacking their dirty dishes. “Yeah, I guess I could.”
He scooped up the plates and bowls before she could. “Unfortunately, I don’t really have any junk food for us to snack on. I try not to eat it when I’m at the house.”
She grabbed the silverware and paper napkins. “That’s okay. I don’t eat a whole lot of it either—mostly only when I’m out with friends. But stuffing our faces isn’t a movie-watching requirement.”
He grinned. “That’s true.”
She nodded. “Especially when we just had such a nice meal.”
He smiled again as they headed for the door. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“I did.” She opened it for him. “What are you thinking about for a movie? Something funny, action-packed, or sad?”
He shrugged, mostly just happy that she wanted to stick around. Undercover ops tended to get lonely after a while. That wasn’t a problem with this one. “I’m game for whatever.”
They moved down the stairs to the second story, heading down the hall.
“Then how about not sad,” Lydia suggested. “I don’t like to be sad.”
“Who does?”
She smiled. “We’ll have to peruse our options.”
He led the way to the kitchen. “Let’s fill up the dishwasher, and we’ll get to it.”
“Sounds good.”
He watched her move to the counter, staring as she tucked her silky hair behind her ear, giving him a better look at her gorgeous face before she opened the dishwasher door.
He’d been assigned to numerous cases over the last seven years, but he could say without a doubt that this one was turning out to be his most fascinating.