Code Name: Aries by Janie Crouch

11

Wavy

There was nowhere Ian could have taken me I would have liked more.

It had nothing to do with the penthouse that I’m sure was one of the most expensive in Denver. Out the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see Coors Field, and also, if I wasn’t mistaken, the Denver Art Museum down the block. On the other side with more windows, I could see the South Platte River, which flowed straight through downtown.

The penthouse was stunning inside and out. It appealed to all of my senses. The living room was stark, but not cold, the furniture leather and masculine, fitting for a Denver setting, fitting for the owner of the home himself.

I turned from the windows to find him watching me.

“It occurs to me that I probably should have taken you somewhere more impressive for a first date, but . . .” He shrugged one shoulder in an endearingly awkward fashion. “I wanted you to see where I live. I’ve seen your studio, and that’s your most personal space. This is mine.”

I gestured to the room around me. “This is perfect. There’s nowhere else in the world you could have taken me that would have been as impressive.”

He shook his head. “I actually doubt that very much, but thank you. I tend to eat at odd hours, so I have a cook who leaves me meals to heat up. But I asked her to leave me something fresh so I could cook it for you.” He grimaced as he turned toward the kitchen. “To be honest, I don’t know what it is, and it occurs to me that maybe you don’t eat everything. Maybe you’re a vegetarian. Maybe you don’t like certain foods or are allergic to something.”

I walked over and touched his arm. “I eat everything, believe me. Whatever your cook left, I’m sure is fine. Let’s go find out what it is.”

It was salmon, and the cook had left instructions that were so detailed, it was clear that Ian truly didn’t cook for himself very often.

He gave me a sheepish look as we finished and put it in the oven. “Sarah knows that I’m really helpless in the kitchen. She’s been with me a long time, almost like a mother figure. I tried to get her to retire and go live out with her daughter and grandkids in Florida, but she won’t do it. So she comes in a couple of times a week, whether I want her to or not.”

Such a bemused look. He had no idea what to do with someone trying to take care of him—he was the one who took care of everyone else.

“She’s worked for you for a long time?”

“I actually knew her before I went into the navy. She worked for my dad when I was a kid, then came to work for me when I started this business. She was the one who came up with the name Zodiac for my company.”

“Really?”

He leaned back against the counter, more relaxed than I’d ever seen him. “She’s obsessed with horoscopes. I’m an Aries, and she used to send me daily star readings. Now, she only does it every once in a while—usually when she’s trying to get me to do something I don’t want to do.”

“Like what?”

“Mostly spend less time working. Take a vacation or something.” He switched to a falsetto voice. “ ‘Mercury is in retrograde, and schedules are going to be botched all over the place. You might as well go sit it out on a beach for a few days, my little Aries.’ ”

“Little Aries?”

His low chuckle joined mine. “She’s the only one in the world who can get away with that. But yeah, all of my inner team have zodiac signs as code names.”

“Based on their birth dates?”

“Sometimes,” he said. “But mostly on their personality traits. Sarah had a grand old time assigning them.”

The fact that he’d let a retirement-aged mother figure have so much say in his business might be the most endearing thing I’d ever heard.

He opened a bottle of wine and poured us both a glass. “Landon is Libra. Of course, he’s so charming and friendly, that’s perfect.”

“And you’re Aries.” I studied him as I took a sip of the wine. I didn’t know a ton about Zodiac, but I knew enough. “Dominant. Leader.”

He lifted his glass, studying the chardonnay. “Bullheaded. Tending to run roughshod over the feelings of others.”

I laughed. “So it’s completely accurate.”

He grimaced. “More often than not. Don’t tell Sarah.”

“Your secret is safe with me, little Aries.”

We made the salad and cleared his stuff off the dining room table so we could eat in there. I told him the bar at the kitchen was fine, but he insisted that we have the view by the window.

I like that he worked there, surrounded by the gorgeous view. It made him feel more human.

The meal was everything I could have wanted at a five-star restaurant, and better because Ian was at ease. He felt safe here, knew the security, knew the layout, didn’t have to watch his back. That was why he’d brought me here, and that made me appreciate it more.

Plus, the salmon was damn delicious. And the wine was probably more expensive than anything I’d ever had in my entire life.

And while he wasn’t exactly forthcoming with details about his life, he wasn’t as closed off.

The subject of Sarah seemed to be a good talking point for him. “So, do you think that I could find out where Sarah lives so I could get stories about young Ian DeRose?”

He laughed. “I think she would be glad to talk your ears off. She worked for my dad in Baltimore for a lot of years, and she always looked out for me and my brother Grant.”

I stopped, fork halfway up to my mouth. “You have a brother? Are you guys close? How old is he? Are you younger or older?”

Ian shut down in front of me. “He’s dead.”

“Oh.” Shit. Me and my big mouth. “I’m so sorry. It has to be hard, since you mentioned you were estranged from your father, to have lost your brother too.”

Ian finished the last of his salmon and stood up with his plate. “Not as hard as you would think.”

Okay. Brother was to be filed under touchy subjects for Ian. I stood up as well and followed him into the kitchen. “I’m sorry for your loss. My brothers are a pain in the ass but important to me. I hate to think of you not having family.”

He shrugged. “I do have family. They’re just not blood relations.”

“Your Zodiac team?” I asked.

He nodded.

I understood that. “My brother feels the same way about the Linear guys. They’re family in every possible way.”

I helped him rinse off the plates, not sure what to say to get us back to the easy conversation we’d been having.

Thankfully, he helped us along. “I don’t know that there’s any dessert. I didn’t mention to Sarah that we would want anything, but I do know for a fact that there’s some ice cream.”

“Ice cream sounds perfect.”

He dipped it into some bowls, and we walked out the sliding door to the small, enclosed patio where he showed me all the sights of Denver.

He went on to talk about the other branches of Zodiac Tactical with offices on different continents—some specialized in hostage and rescue, some in bodyguarding. All of it was fascinating.

As long as we didn’t revert back to the subject of family, he seemed to be fine to talk, and I liked listening to him.

I wanted him to kiss me again. I wanted him to kiss me here in his home under the stars of a Colorado sky.

I knew it would be time to leave soon, and I wanted to feel his lips on mine again. We’d been inching closer to each other ever since we’d finished dessert. Outside, talking on his patio with nothing around us but the other buildings and the city, I wanted to be closer to him. I turned so I had my back against the railing and he was facing it.

He stepped so that he was in front of me, his arms braced on either side against the railing. It should have made me feel trapped, but it didn’t. It made me feel protected, safe. “I’ve been thinking about this all week, wanting to do it again since the last time I kissed you.”

But he still seemed hesitant.

“Well then, do it.” I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his lips to mine. Whatever it was he was afraid of . . . getting too close to me, hurting me, thinking I was too gentle or fragile, he needed to get over that.

His jaw might be granite but his lips were soft and warm. My hands slid up over his shoulders, behind his neck, and into that thick hair. He moved closer, pressed up against me like we had been when we were hiding from those Mosaic guys in the woods. Except this time, the tension wasn’t the bad kind. This stiffness was the very, very good kind.

I moved closer as his arms wrapped around me, but then something chimed in the night air.

Ian let out a curse against my lips. “I need to fire fucking everybody.”

“What?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

“That sound means that Landon and Sarge just turned on the express elevator. They’re on their way up.”

“This late?” It was nearly midnight.

Ian shook his head. “I didn’t tell them you were here, but they wouldn’t be coming up at this time unless it was something really important.”

That bad stiffness was back. He wasn’t pressed up against me, but all the tension he’d lost over the past few hours permeated his body once again.

“Look,” I said, mourning our lost moment, “I can grab a commercial flight home. You’ve got stuff you need to do.”

He shook his head. “No. I can have the jet fly you, but . . .” He looked torn.

“What?”

He leaned his forehead against mine. “I don’t want you to go. Not yet. But this might take a couple hours, depending on what has happened.”

“Want me to go hide in a bathroom?”

He gave me a half smile. “You are always so willing to roll with the punches. It’s impressive. How do you feel about taking a nap in my bedroom while I talk to the guys? Then maybe a little more kissing under the stars before I fly you home?”

Before he flew me home.He said that like it was an everyday occurrence. But more importantly, he was making it clear he didn’t expect anything from me if I wasn’t ready. And while I didn’t want to rush things, I was definitely interested.

“Okay, I’ll stay,” I whispered. “That would be nice.”

His lips brushed against mine. “Thank you. I’m sorry about this.”

He led me back inside. The elevator dinged in the foyer. Landon and a slightly older man—huge, with arms like tree trunks—walked into the penthouse.

“Boss, we got a . . .” The older man stopped midsentence when he saw me.

Both men stopped walking, unsure what to do. At least that meant Ian didn’t have women up here all the time. Obviously, they didn’t know how to react to my presence.

Landon recovered first. “Wavy, good to see you.”

Ian put his hand at the small of my back. “And this is Sarge, one of my other right-hand men. Sarge, this is Wavy Bollinger."

“Finn Bollinger’s sister?” Sarge asked.

“Yep. I claim him as my own, unfortunately.” I smiled at Sarge, but he didn’t reply in kind.

He nodded. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Harrison McEwan.” He turned to Ian. “Sorry to bust in on you like this, boss, but we got new info about Bronwyn.”

I leaned closer to Ian. “No need to worry about me. Just point me in the right direction. I’ll snoop through all your stuff.”

He touched the side of my face. “Thank you for understanding.”

And so I went into Ian DeRose’s bedroom without him.